After weeks of speculation over the contract status of San Jose Sharks winger Ryane Clowe various sources report the club has re-signed him to a multi-year deal. 

Clowe's new contract is for four years and $14 million, counting as $3.5 million per season. 

Heading into last week's NHL entry draft weekend there was talk negotiations between the two sides had stalled. GM Doug Wilson even entertained offers for Clowe, although it could've merely been a ploy on his part to force negotiations along. 

Whatever the reason Clowe's now under contract for four years and the 26-year-old winger could go on to become a valuable part of the Sharks offensive attack. 

Last season was Clowe's best to date, with 22 goals and 52 points in 71 games, which was also his healthiest thus far. Injuries have plagued him throughout his four year NHL career but if he can stay healthy he has the potential to reach 30 goals and perhaps 65-70 points. 

Unrestricted free agency is often a strong temptation for players to leave their teams in search of bigger bucks with other teams. 

Sometimes, however, there are exceptions to that rule. Sometimes, playing on the same line with a superstar on a Stanley Cup champion is not only incentive to stay put but also to accept a pay cut if that team has limited cap space. 

Such was the case for Ruslan Fedotenko, who re-signed a one-year contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins worth $1.8 million, down from the $2.2 million he made last season. 

The Penguins wanted to keep Fedotenko, particularly after his strong performance in this spring's playoffs, but their limited cap space led to expectations he'd follow Rob Scuderi out of town in search of a better contract. 

Playing on Evgeni Malkin's wing evidently is a very strong motivator to stick around and accept less money. I'm guessing that if Fedotenko has another good year the Penguins will re-sign him to a longer term for more money next year when they potentially have more cap space. 

Vancouver Canucks general manager Mike Gillis bolstered his forward lines today by signing former Detroit Red Wings winger Mikael Samuelsson to a three-year contract. 

Financial terms weren't disclosed but will be posted as soon as they become available.

Samuelsson should be a significant addition to the Canucks forward lines. He's netted 40 or more points in three of the past four seasons and he's proven himself a clutch two-way playoff performer. 

Along with other solid two-way players like Ryan Kesler and Alex Burrows, Samuelsson will help make the Canucks even stronger at both ends of the rink. 

One of the heroes of the Carolina Hurricanes surprising run to the 2009 NHL Eastern Conference Final will be staying in the fold.

27-year-old winger Chad LaRose agreed to a new contract on Thursday with the Hurricanes, signing on for two more years at an affordable $3.4 million or $1.7 million against the cap starting next season.

LaRose is not only coming off a career-best regular season performance for goals (19) and points (31) but in the post-season he was one of the reasons the Hurricanes upset the heavily favored New Jersey Devils and Boston Bruins en route to the Conference Final before falling to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins in a four-game sweep.

His 11 points in 18 playoff games made him the second-highest scorer on the Hurricanes this spring.

It may be premature to start expecting LaRose, who’s been a checking line forward for much of his four-year NHL career, to carry over that kind of performance into next season.

 He’s not going to be challenging for the team lead in points over the next two seasons, but LaRose’s post-season play plus his improvement during the regular season suggests he’s developed into a strong two-way third line winger who could also fill in on the second line when required.  

Less than a week after defenseman Jordan Leopold was dealt by the Calgary Flames to the Florida Panthers he’s re-signed with his new team.

The Panthers today announced they’d signed Leopold to a one-year contract worth $1.75 million.

The 28-year-old blueliner was shipped to the Panthers during the NHL 2009 Entry Draft as part of the return for Jay Bouwmeester, who re-signed with the Flames just a day before his eligibility for unrestricted free agency.

Leopold won’t replace what Bouwmeester brought to the Panthers in terms of all-around blueline talent but he is a good second pair defenseman.

One concern is his injury history in recent season but last year he played a full 82 games (83 actually, following his trade in March from the Colorado Avalanche to the Flames) for the first time in five years, with 7 goals and 24 points.

If he can have another injury-free season in 2009-10 Leopold should make a fine replacement for Nick Boynton (who’s now an unrestricted free agent) on the Panthers defense.