As the start of the NHL's 2009-10 season fast approaches several teams have made some late pre-season additions. 

-The most significant is the Atlanta Thrashers signing former Buffalo Sabres winger Maxim Afinogenov to a one-year, $800K contract. 

Afinogenov, 30, made the Thrashers after receiving a tryout offer from the club earlier in September. 

Not a bad move by the Thrashers to take a chance on Afinogenov, who was former 73 point performer in 2005-06 with the Buffalo Sabres and had 61 points in 56 games in 2006-07. 

Afinogenov however was hampered by injuries and was never really the same following a season-shortening wrist injury in 2007. His point production fell dramatically over the past two seasons with the Sabres as did his ice time. 

If Afinogenov can regain his scoring touch with the Thrashers it'll not only be beneficial to his NHL career but would provide an additional boost to their offensive game. If not it's only an affordable one-year contract which can be removed from their cap by demotion if he's unable to play up to expectations. 

This is Afinogenov's best chance to salvage his once-promising NHL career for he appeared destined to play in Russia this season until the Thrashers came calling.

-Veteran center Robert Lang could have a new NHL home this season with the beleaguered Phoenix Coyotes.

The Arizona Republic reported the Coyotes have a tentative one-year deal in place with Lang pending his successful completion of a team physical.

Lang, 38, played over half of last season with the Montreal Canadiens, potting 18 goals and 39 points in 50 games until a sliced Achille's tendon finished his season and appeared to end his career.

If Lang has fully recovered he could be a welcome addition to a rebuilding Coyotes team which could benefit from the veteran skills and leadership of the 6-2, 217 lb center, who has scored 20 or more goals seven times in his career and cracked the 50 point mark 8 times.

The Coyotes also added some muscle to their lineup, signing former Maple Leafs and Rangers enforcer Ryan Hollweg to a one-year contract. 

-Defenseman Martin Skoula has a new NHL team, signing a one-year contract with the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins. Financial terms weren't disclosed. 

The former Minnesota Wild blueliner had been released from a training camp tryout by the Columbus Blue Jackets yesterday after they acquired defenseman Anton Stralman from the Calgary Flames. 

In 81 games last season with the Wild Skoula had 4 goals and 12 assists and is likely to become the Penguins seventh defenseman heading into this season. 

He also has previous Stanley Cup championship experience having played for the Cup champion Colorado Avalanche in 2001.

Skoula isn't the only player the Penguins signed this week. On Monday they inked former Carolina Hurricanes forward Ryan Bayda to a one-year contract. Financial terms weren't disclosed. 

Bayda, 28, played 70 games with the Hurricanes last season going 5-7-12 with a plus-minus of +12 and had a solid playoff performance with four points in 15 games as a checking line left wing, a role he's likely to fill with the Penguins this season.

-Long time Edmonton Oilers prospect Rob Schremp could finally be getting his shot at starting his NHL career, only it won't be with the Oilers.

The New York Islanders claimed the 23-year-old Schremp, who has played in only 7 NHL games since he was selected 25th overall by the Oilers in the 2004 entry draft, off waivers today as the Oilers attempted to demote him to their farm team. 

Schremp is a gifted forward but is considered to be a one-dimensional player who pays little attention to the defensive side of the game. 

The Islanders are once again rebuilding and in need of depth at all positions except in goal, so taking a chance on Schremp certainly is worth the effort. If he succeeds and becomes an NHL regular, perhaps a scoring star, it'll only benefit the Isles. If not, they'll simply ship him to their minor league affiliate and have done with it. 

This could be Schremp's last best attempt to crack the NHL and prove himself so he'd better make it a good one.

- The St. Louis Blues this past week signed former Dallas Stars defenseman Darryl Sydor to a one-year, $1 million contract. 

Sydor, 37, attended Blues training camp on a tryout basis and is seen as an affordable replacement for Jay McKee, whom the Blues bought out of his contract this summer. 

His considerable playoff experience (he played in five Stanley Cup finals, winning the Cup with Dallas and Tampa Bay) and leadership should make him a good addition to this young Blues team.

- The New Jersey Devils brought in some much-needed veteran depth at center last week, signing former Anaheim Duck Rob Niedermayer to a one-year contract worth $1 million. 

Niedermayer, 34, has considerable NHL experience especially in the post-season (playing on Cup finalists in Florida and Anaheim and winning the Cup with the Ducks in 2007) and his defensive skills should make him a good fit with a Devils team expected to return to its defensive roots under head coach Jacques Lemaire. 

Rob is also the brother of former Devils defenseman Scott Niedermayer, leading to speculation the Devils might be able to land Scott by the trade deadline with Rob in their lineup should the Ducks be out of the playoff race by then. 

Only problem with that assessment is the Ducks won't miss the playoffs this season.

- Strike Milan Hejduk from next summer's list of potential unrestricted free agents. 

The 33-year-old winger re-signed a one-year extension with the Colorado Avalanche worth $3 million for the 2010-11 season. He's currently on the final year of a contract paying him $4 million. 

Hejduk is coming off a 27-goal, 59-point performance in 2008-09, and while his best seasons are behind him the rebuilding Avalanche could benefit from his offensive skills, experience and leadership. 

- The Atlanta Thrashers brought additional veteran depth to their defense for the upcoming season, acquiring former Thrasher Steve McCarthy from the Anaheim Ducks for future considerations. 

McCarthy was sent to the Thrashers farm team in Chicago where he'll probably spend most of the season but he could be valuable as a potential call-up if the Thrashers defense corps gets hit by injuries. 

Just catching up on some NHL signings which occurred last week that were missed due to the fallout from the Heatley and Kessel trades respectively.

The Minnesota Wild brought in some experienced scoring depth for their forward lines last week, signing former Pittsburgh Penguins winger Petr Sykora to a one-year, $1.6 million contract. 

Sykora had originally been invited to the Wild camp on a tryout basis but was signed by the club within a matter of a few days. 

Wild general manager Chuck Fletcher has been trying to bring more depth to his scoring lines during the off-season, and had been rumored interested in Dany Heatley and Phil Kessel before the two were subsequently dealt to their respective new teams.

In the 32-year-old Sykora they're getting a nine-time twenty-plus goal scorer who played for Stanley Cup champions in New Jersey (2000) and Pittsburgh (2009) and also played for the Stanley Cup finalist Anaheim Mighty Ducks in 2003. 

Last season Sykora had 25 goals and 46 points in 76 games. His offensive and playoff experience should make him a good veteran addition to the Wild lineup, where he could end up playing a regular shift with fellow Czech Martin Havlat. 

The San Jose Sharks meanwhile reportedly had a one-year deal in principle last week with former Columbus Blue Jackets center Manny Malhotra. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Malhotra, a former 7th overall pick of the NY Rangers in the 1998 entry draft, spent the past four seasons with the Blue Jackets as a checking line center. Last season was a career best in points with 35 in 77 games. 

He'll be a good addition to the Sharks fourth line. 

-The Columbus Blue Jackets have ensured forward Antoine Vermette's tenure with their club will last longer than just this season. 

Acquired by the Blue Jackets from the Ottawa Senators during last March's NHL trade deadline, and eligible for unrestricted free agency next summer, Vermette today signed a five-year, $18.75 million contract extension with the Jackets, which takes effect in 2010-11. 

The new deal will pay Vermette, a versatile two-way forward who can play both center and left wing, $3.75 million per season. 

Vermette was solid in his short time with the Blue Jackets late last season posting 13 points in 17 games although he went scoreless in the Jackets four-game opening round elimination against the Detroit Red Wings. 

Still, Vermette was instantly a good fit with the Jackets with his speed, good hands and superb faceoff skills. The deal is also a good one for the club in terms of salary as it's a modest raise per season above the $3 million he's set to earn in 2009-10. 

T-he Florida Panthers bolstered their defense corps on Monday inking former Carolina Hurricanes blueliner Dennis Seidenberg to a one-year, $2.25 million contract.

Seidenberg, 28, is coming off a career-best performance with 30 points in 70 games last season with the Hurricanes. 

The Hurricanes had hoped to re-sign him but obviously for less than what he got from the Panthers, whose defense corps will play without Jay Bouwmeester, whom they deal to Calgary last June. 

Seidenberg won't replace Bouwmeester but he will help bring another measure of experienced depth to the Panthers blueline, probably on the second defense pairing. 

Mike Comrie is returning home to Edmonton after a six year hiatus, signing a one-year, $1.125 million contract. 

Comrie, 29, is taking a significant pay cut from the $4 million he earned last season with the NY Islanders, a clear indication of how much his stock has fallen since signing that extension with the Isles back in February 2008.

His best season came with the Oilers in 2001-02 scoring a career-best 33 goals and 60 points. 

Things however turned ugly for Comrie when he staged a 30-game contract holdout as a restricted free agent early in the 2003-04 season, resulting in then-Oilers GM Kevin Lowe shipping him to Philadelphia. 

The Ottawa Senators, whom Comrie was dealt to late last season, were believed interested in re-signing him but lacked the cap space owing to the uncertainty with disgruntled winger Dany Heatley. 

Comrie returns to an Oilers team that has been through much over the past six years, including a memorable run to the 2006 Stanley Cup Final, but in a way things aren't quite so different. While many of the players who were his teammates with the Oilers earlier in the decade are gone this remains a team that is once again rebuilding its way back toward playoff contention just as it was during Comrie's last go-around. 

At 5-10, 185 lbs the knock on this move is Comrie is joining an already small group of Oilers forwards, and his production has been in decline in recent years. After matching his career best points total in Phoenix in 2005-06 Comrie's totals have steadily declined, due in part to injuries which have hampered his production. 

At this stage in his career Comrie needs to prove he's still capable of being a quality second line forward if he hopes to continue his NHL career beyond this season. 

With his experience and offensive skills Comrie has the potential to be a good addition to the Oilers forward lines but it remains to be seen how well he'll mesh with the younger players and if he'll buy into the game plan of new head coach Pat Quinn.