NHL Free Agency Capsules: Stars sign Skrastins to 2-year deal

DALLAS - The Dallas Stars have signed free agent defenseman Karlis Skrastins to a two-year deal worth $2.75 million.

The Stars gave the 34-year-old Skrastins $1.1 million for the 2009 season and $1.65 million for 2010.

Skrastins played in 80 games for the Florida Panthers last season and had four goals, 14 assists, 18 points and led the team with 171 blocked shots.

Skrastins has played in 679 career games and has 27 goals and 88 assists total. He also played in the 2004 and 2006 Stanley Cup playoffs and has skated for Latvia at the Winter Olympics in 2002 and 2006.

Mark Recchi agrees in principle with Bruins 

BOSTON - Mark Recchi joined the Boston Bruins hoping to win his fourth Stanley Cup ring. He decided to stay to take another shot at it.

The NHL's sixth-leading active goal scorer signed a one-year deal Thursday to return to the Bruins.

The 41-year-old Recchi, obtained in a March 4 trade from Tampa Bay, said four days after the Bruins were eliminated in the second round of the playoffs that he might retire if they didn't offer him a contract.

"He was of the mind that he had such a wonderful experience that if the club would like him to come back, he'd consider it," Recchi's agent Richard Curran said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. "He wanted to come back and finish what they started."

The Bruins acquired Recchi as they tried to improve for the stretch drive. Boston ended up with the best record in the Eastern Conference but lost to the Carolina Hurricanes in a seven-game, second-round series.

Recchi has been part of three Stanley Cup-winning teams - Pittsburgh in 1991 and 1992 and Carolina in 2006. He has 545 goals and 897 assists for 1,442 points in 1,490 regular-season games for seven clubs. He had six goals and 10 assists in 18 regular-season games with Boston.

Curran thought Recchi might have kept playing even if the Bruins didn't bring him back.

"There were so many teams that expressed interest, a couple in particular, that he might have played," Curran said. "He's still got lots of gas in his tank."

The signing followed three others announced by the Bruins on Wednesday with forwards Steve Begin and Byron Bitz and defenseman Johnny Boychuck.

Begin signed a one-year deal after finishing last season with Dallas following 4½ years in Montreal. Bitz signed a multiyear contract after an impressive rookie season, and Boychuck got a one-year deal after scoring 20 goals in the AHL last season.

Boston lost free agent defenseman Steve Montador, obtained the same day as Recchi, to the Buffalo Sabres.

The Bruins wanted Recchi back after seeing the 20-year veteran's ability, determination and influence on younger players. He played the final game against Carolina after undergoing surgery to remove a kidney stone the previous night.

"Obviously, I was pretty sore," Recchi said. "I don't wish it on my worst enemy, but we all play through stuff. It's really no big deal."

Recchi ranks 14th in NHL history in games and points, 18th in assists and 26th in goals. Among active players, he is second in points and assists, third in games and sixth in goals.

Last season, his totals in 80 games with Tampa Bay and Boston were 23 goals and 38 assists. He added three goals and three assists in 11 playoff games.

Forward P.J. Axelsson, who has spent all of his 11 seasons with Boston, is an unrestricted free agent but will consider returning, general manager Peter Chiarelli said. Forward Stephane Yelle, who played one season with the Bruins, will not return.

-- Howard Ulman

Bruins sign Boychuk to a 1-year contract

BOSTON - The Boston Bruins have signed defenceman Johnny Boychuk to a one-year contract.

Terms of the deal announced late Wednesday were not disclosed.

The 25-year-old Boychuk won the Eddie Shore Award as the American Hockey League's outstanding defenceman for the 2008-09 season. He led all AHL defencemen with 20 goals and 45 assists in 78 games.

The Edmonton native has a plus-21 rating and has recorded 273 shots on goal, the most by an AHL defenceman since 2002.

The 6-foot-2, 225-pound Boychuk was originally drafted by the Colorado Avalanche in the second round of the 2002 NHL Entry Draft.

He has played in five NHL games in his career.

The Bruins acquired Boychuk on June 24 in a trade that sent Matt Hendricks to the Avalanche.

Wild pursuing Saku Koivu to fill hole at center

MINNEAPOLIS - The Koivu brothers could be united in Minnesota.

After committing $30 million over six years to Martin Havlat during the flurry of the first day of free agency, Wild general manager Chuck Fletcher turned his focus Thursday to Saku Koivu, the top center currently on the NHL's open market. Koivu would fill a glaring need at a critical position for Minnesota and, in turn, be able to play with his younger brother, Mikko.

In a conference call, Fletcher confirmed the team's desire to sign Koivu, who has played his entire career for the Montreal Canadiens. Saku is 34, eight years older than Mikko, who is the franchise's clear cornerstone now that Marian Gaborik has signed with the New York Rangers.

"Certainly, we've expressed some interest," Fletcher said. "He's a great hockey player. There aren't a lot of centermen on the marketplace.

"There's certainly nobody of Saku's caliber out there."

Don Baizley, who serves as the agent for both brothers, declined to comment on the situation until "Saku's contract is done."

That doesn't mean a deal will be done with Minnesota, of course, as Fletcher acknowledged.

"I'd be surprised if 10 or 15 teams haven't reached out to him by this point," the GM said. "I'm not sure where the process will go, but he's a terrific hockey player.

"I certainly sense some interest, but there's a lot of good situations out there for centermen."

Koivu has been with Montreal since 1995. He had 16 goals and 34 assists last season, right around his career averages for full seasons. He missed most of the 1999-2000 season because of a shoulder injury and most of the 2001-02 season while recovering from abdominal cancer.

Koivu's parents, who live in Finland, certainly have their preference among Saku's many options.

"It's one of their dreams for their kids to play on the same team," Mikko said earlier this week in an interview with the Star Tribune newspaper. "There's no doubt it would be special for all of us if it can happen, but we'll see."

If the Wild can't get him, they could try to trade for a center, though Fletcher indicated that's not likely. Returning players James Sheppard, Eric Belanger, Pierre-Marc Bouchard and Benoit Pouliot are candidates to fill the other center spots.

"It's a difficult commodity to find," Fletcher said, acknowledging he discussed with Mikko the possibility of playing with Saku.

The Wild's new boss said he's evaluating other free agents, too, but said the process could stretch over the next couple of weeks.

Also signed Wednesday was defenseman Greg Zanon, to a three-year contract worth $5.8 million, but there's likely an opening for another blue-liner on the roster.

"We could still land somebody in the next day or two, or it may be a case where there's not much more in free agency and we wait to fill some holes via trade," Fletcher said.

-- Dave Campbell

Panthers sign D Leopold to 1-year deal

MIAMI - Defenseman Jordan Leopold, acquired in the deal that sent the rights to defenseman Jay Bouwmeester to Calgary, signed a one-year contract with the Florida Panthers on Thursday.

The move came on the second day of free agency, one day after Florida assistant general manager Randy Sexton had said that the chances of signing Leopold appeared "remote."

"I'm pumped to get it done," Sexton said Thursday. "We are absolutely ecstatic to have Jordan in Florida. ... I did think it was remote yesterday. That's one of the interesting things about free agency."

Leopold had his exclusive negotiating rights traded to the Panthers on Saturday for the rights to Bouwmeester, who signed a multiyear contract with Calgary on Tuesday.

Even though the Panthers didn't get a deal done with Leopold before he hit the open market, they were still able to sign him.

"Sometimes these things take longer than you would hope," Sexton said. "I think that at the end of the day, there was very genuine interest in Jordan's part to come to Florida."

Sexton and Leopold said the defenseman turned down longer-term offers and more money from other clubs to sign with the Panthers. The 28-year-old Leopold said he was looking forward to the opportunities he would have with Florida, and didn't think other interested teams were "the right fit for my family."

"Things didn't seem to work out," Leopold said. "As the day gets longer, weird things happen. (Sexton) happened to call at the right time and we were able to work something out."

Bouwmeester and Leopold have not been the only changes in the Panthers defensive corps this offseason. Florida, which lost defenseman Karlis Skrastins to free agency on Thursday, also announced that defenseman Clay Wilson signed a two-year contract. On Wednesday, defenseman Ville Koistinen agreed to terms on a two-year deal with the club on Wednesday. Skrastins signed a two-year deal with the Dallas Stars.

"We're really pleased about our rebuilt defense," Sexton said. "We're mobile, we can get up the ice quickly."

Leopold, who has been traded four times, played in 83 games for the Flames and the Colorado Avalanche during the 2008-09 season. The Minnesota native has played in 355 games in his NHL career and was a member of the 2006 U.S. Olympic team.

-- Sarah Larimer

Gionta looking forward to reunion with Gomez

MONTREAL - Brian Gionta and Scott Gomez might soon be skating together again.

The former New Jersey Devils forwards are suddenly teammates for a second time, two of the newest additions to the restructured Montreal Canadiens.

Gomez was acquired as part of a six-player trade on Tuesday, and Gionta made the move north of the border one day later when the Canadiens made sweeping changes as the free agent signing period began.

Each player had his best season in 2005-06 with the Devils, when center Gomez had 33 goals and 51 assists and winger Gionta scored 48 goals and added 41 assists.

"We grew up playing for USA Hockey together since we were 15, so there's a history there," Gionta said Thursday on a conference call. "And being in New Jersey together, we had some chemistry. Hopefully we can get that back.

"Everybody knows how Scott can play. He's an extremely talented centerman who sees the ice well and is a great passer."

The Canadiens acquired Gomez in the big deal that sent forward Chris Higgins to the Rangers. Gionta left the Devils a few hours after he became an unrestricted free agent, and Montreal might have completed the building of its new top line by signing former Calgary Flames left winger Mike Cammalleri as a free agent on Wednesday.

Montreal also signed defensemen Jaroslav Spacek and Hal Gill during its spending spree.

A plus for the former Devils is that they flourished in a defensive-oriented system in New Jersey. That is how the Canadiens are expected to play under new coach Jacques Martin.

"I have a lot of respect for him and the way he handles his team," Gionta said.

The 5-foot-7, 175-pound forward signed a five-year, $25 million contract with the Canadiens, who also absorbed a salary-cap hit of $7.35 million per season for the five years left on Gomez' deal.

On Thursday, the Canadiens announced the signing of minor league players Mike Glumac, Mathieu Darche and Alex Henry to two-way contracts for next season.

D Rob Scuderi, L.A. Kings agree to 4-year deal

LOS ANGELES - Rob Scuderi signed a four-year contract with the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday, leaving the Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins without their top defensive pairing.

Scuderi, who teamed with Hal Gill to form a shutdown tandem on the blue line, led the Penguins with a plus-23 rating and had a career-high 16 points in 81 regular-season games. He also had a team-high 164 blocked shots.

He and Gill faced the challenge of holding down the opposition's biggest offensive threats, and they were good enough to help the Penguins win the Stanley Cup for the third time. Gill left Pittsburgh on Wednesday, the opening day of the NHL's free-agent signing season, for a two-year, $4.5 million contract with the Montreal Canadiens.

In addition to his defensive prowess in the playoffs, Scuderi added a goal and four assists in 24 games while logging 20½ minutes of ice time. He assisted on Max Talbot's Cup-winning goal in Game 7 of the finals against Detroit.

Scuderi spent parts of five seasons with the Penguins and has recorded three goals and 36 assists in 300 career NHL games. He has eight points in 49 postseason contests, all with the Penguins, including consecutive appearances in the Stanley Cup finals.

The New York native was also invited this week to next month's U.S. Olympic hockey orientation camp in preparation for the Vancouver Games in February.

The Kings also re-signed restricted free agent Kevin Westgarth to a three-year contract on Thursday.

The 25-year-old right winger had no points and nine penalty minutes in nine games last season, his first in the NHL. He also spent time with the AHL's Manchester Monarchs. 

Thrashers sign Antropov from Rangers

ATLANTA - The Atlanta Thrashers signed free agent forward Nik Antropov to a four-year, $16 million contract on Thursday, setting up a reunion with Ilya Kovalchuk.

The 29-year-old Antropov played with Kovalchuk in Russia during the NHL lockout. General manager Don Waddell said Kovalchuk endorsed the signing with a text message saying "great job."

Kovalchuk's approval is important. The Thrashers' captain and biggest star is entering his free-agent season, and has said he wants to see the team's offseason moves before he talks about signing a new deal.

Waddell said the Antropov signing should help the team re-sign Kovalchuk.

"Certainly, it's going to help us through the process," Waddell said. "Ilya wants to be part of a winning organization and this is a big step in the right direction."

On Wednesday, Waddell acquired defenseman Pavel Kubina in a four-player deal with Toronto.

"I said we didn't need a lot of pieces, we needed key pieces, and that's what we've added," Waddell said.

Antropov set a career high with 59 points and 28 goals with Toronto and the New York Rangers last season. He was traded to the Rangers on March 4.

He had 56 points with the Maple Leafs during the 2007-08 season.

Waddell said he will complete the free-agency period before opening talks with Kovalchuk. He said both parties want to conclude negotiations before the 2009-10 season.

"My feeling is once we get at it, hopefully it will move along relatively quickly," Waddell said. "There's not a rush to get there today or tomorrow."

The Thrashers also re-signed forward Chris Thorburn on Thursday. Thorburn had 15 points, including seven goals, in a career-high 82 games last season.

Antropov (6-6, 230) and Kubina (6-4, 244) add significant size to the Thrashers' roster, after the team committed to such smaller players as Bryan Little and Rich Peverley.

"We thought to give them the best chance of having some success we needed to surround them with some size," Waddell said.

-- Charles Odum

Blackhawks sign veteran center John Madden

CHICAGO - The Chicago Blackhawks have signed John Madden, a center who has spent his entire 10-year career with the New Jersey Devils.

The 36-year-old Madden signed a one-year contract Thursday. He joins the Blackhawks a day after they signed Marian Hossa to a 12-year, $62.8 million deal and added forward Tomas Kopecky. Those two played last season with Detroit.

Madden helped the Devils make the playoffs the last nine seasons, including Stanley Cup titles in 2000 and 2003. He has 140 goals and 157 assists for his career during the regular season. A year ago, he had 16 assists and seven goals in 76 games.

Devils sign Finnish forward

NEWARK, N.J. - Forward Ilkka Pikkarainen has rejoined the New Jersey Devils.

Devils' President Lou Lamoriello announced the deal with the 6-foot-2, 220-pound player from Finland on Thursday, but contract details were not disclosed.

The 28-year-old was the Devils' seventh-round pick in the 2002 NHL draft and spent three seasons with their top farm team in Albany, N.Y.

He returned to Finland and played the last three seasons with HIFK Helsinki, leading the team this year with 24 goals in 54 games.

Leafs re-sign F Grabovski to three-year deal

TORONTO - Mikhail Grabovski has signed an $8.7 million, three-year deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Belorussian forward who reached agreement on Thursday with Toronto had 20 goals and 48 points in 78 games last season, both ranked fourth on the Maple Leafs.

In 105 career NHL games with Montreal and Toronto, he has 23 goals and 57 points.

Flames sign Garth Murray, Riley Armstrong 

CALGARY, Alberta - The Calgary Flames have signed center Garth Murray and minor-league forward Riley Armstrong.

Murray has eight goals and two assists in 116 career NHL games with Phoenix, Florida, Montreal and the New York Rangers. He had 11 goals and 10 assists in 64 games for the San Antonio Rampage last season and played 10 games with the parent club in Phoenix.

Armstrong spent the last five seasons playing in the San Jose Sharks minor-league system and has appeared in two NHL games. He had 25 goals, 17 assists and 101 penalty minutes in 71 games for Worcester last season.

Coyotes sign Meyer to 1-year contract

GLENDALE, Ariz. - The Phoenix Coyotes have signed left wing Stefan Meyer to a one-year contract.

The 23-year-old Meyer was acquired on June 19 from the Florida Panthers for the rights to center Steven Reinprecht.

Meyer had 18 goals and 22 assists in 65 games last season with Rochester of the AHL. He played in four games for the Panthers during the 2007-08 season.

Elsewhere 

Nash, Mason to go to Olympic camp

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Columbus Blue Jackets forward Rick Nash and goaltender Steve Mason are among 46 players invited to attend the Team Canada orientation camp August 24-27 in Calgary, to try out for the squad that will play in the 2010 Olympics.

Nash was a member of the 2006 Canadian Olympic Team. He has 194 goals and 161 assists in 441 career games, all with the Blue Jackets. He had a career-high 79 points (40 goals and 39 assists) in 78 games in 2008-09. He is a native of Brampton, Ontario.

Mason, from Oakville, Ontario, had a 33-20-7 record and a league-leading 10 shutouts in 61 Blue Jackets games last season and earned the Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL's rookie of the year.

Columbus coach Ken Hitchcock is an associate coach for Team Canada.