Penguins Sign Malkin to Five-Year Extension

The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed Evgeni Malkin to a five-year contract extension commencing with the 2009-10 season, it was announced Wednesday by Executive Vice President and General Manager Ray Shero.

Malkin, 21, scored 106 points (47 goals, 59 assists) playing all 82 games for the Penguins during the 2007-08 season. He was just one of two players to surpass 100 points this season as his point total ranked second in the NHL. Malkin was named a finalist for both the Hart Trophy as Most Valuable Player and the Lester B. Pearson Award as “most outstanding player”. He was also named to the NHL First All-Star Team which was announced following the 2007-08 season.

“We are very excited to have Evgeni signed to a long-term contract,” Shero said. “This is an important signing for our franchise and the city of Pittsburgh and we commend Evgeni on his commitment to the future of the franchise and the city. This signing continues to ensure the young core of this team can stay intact for years to come”.

Malkin registered a 15-game point streak (six goals, 15 assists) from October 23rd to November 22nd which is the longest point streak by a Russian-born player in the history of the NHL. He tallied a 10-game point streak (eight goals, 16 assists) from February 2nd to February 21st, recording multiple points in eight of those games. Malkin scored a point in 62 of 82 games during the regular season and registered multiple points in 28 of those contests. He recorded his first NHL hat trick on January 3rd vs. Toronto and his second 11 days later vs. the New York Rangers. Since January 1st, Malkin scored more points (32 goals, 33 assists) than any other player in the NHL. In the playoffs, he scored 22 points (10 goals, 12 assists) which ranked fifth in the league as he helped lead the Penguins to the Stanley Cup Final.

Malkin was originally selected by the Penguins second overall in the 2004 NHL Draft. He scored 85 points (33 goals, 52 assists) during his first season on his way to winning the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s rookie of the year following the 2006-07 campaign. He was just the second Penguins player to win the award (Mario Lemieux – 1985). Malkin has scored 191 points (80 goals, 111 assists) in 160 games through his first two NHL seasons.

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Coyotes Sign Drew Fata, Three Others

GLENDALE, ARIZONA -- Phoenix Coyotes General Manager Don Maloney announced today that the Coyotes have signed right wing Derek Nesbitt and defenseman Drew Fata to contracts. As per club policy, terms of the deals were not disclosed.

Fata, 24, appeared in 71 games for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers (AHL) last season and recorded 3-11-14 and 197 PIM. He also played 5 games for the New York Islanders, collecting 0-1-1 and 5 PIM. In 218 career AHL games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Bridgeport, the 6-foot-1, 209-pound Fata has registered 9-33-42 and 594 PIM.

A native of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Fata was originally selected in the third round (86th overall) of the 2001 Entry Draft by Pittsburgh. He has appeared in eight career NHL games with the New York Islanders, collecting 1-1-2 and 9 PIM.

Nesbitt, 26, played 46 games with the Rockford IceHogs of the American Hockey League (AHL) last season, registering 17-18-35 and six penalty minutes (PIM). Nesbitt also registered 3-3-6 and 12 PIM in 12 playoff games. The 6-foot, 185-pound forward also collected 11-28-39 and 4 PIM with the Gwinnett Gladiators of the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) last year.

In three seasons with Gwinnett and Idaho (ECHL), Nesbitt registered 67-122-189 and 42 PIM in 163 games. He was also a member of the 2007 Kelly Cup Champion Idaho Steelheads.

Before joining the professional ranks, Nesbitt enjoyed four tremendous seasons at Ferris State University. In 154 career games at Ferris, he recorded 59-82-141 and 124 PIM.

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Stars Sign Sean Avery to Four-Year Deal

FRISCO, Tex. - The Dallas Stars announced today that the club has signed free agent left wing Sean Avery to a four-year contract that will pay him a total of $15.5 million ($3.5 million next season, and $4 million in 2009-10, 2010-11 and 2011-12).

"We are excited about the opportunity to add a player like Sean Avery to our group," said Stars Co-General Manager Brett Hull. "His ability to play the game with skill and tenacity makes us a better team and is a great complement to the players we have here."

In 86 games with New York over the last two seasons, the Rangers went 50-20-16 with Avery in the lineup, while going 9-13-3 without him on the ice.

Avery, 28, collected 33 points (15 goals, 18 assists) in 57 games with the New York Rangers last season, and placed second on the club with 154 penalty minutes and tied for third with four game-winning goals. In eight Stanley Cup Playoff games with the Rangers this past spring, Avery recorded four goals and three assists for seven points with six penalty minutes.

A native of Pickering, Ontario, Avery has skated in 379 career NHL games with the Detroit Red Wings, Los Angeles Kings and New York Rangers, collecting 65 goals and 102 assists for 167 points with 1,067 penalty minutes. He has appeared in 18 career Stanley Cup Playoff games, all with the Rangers, earning 12 points (5 goals, 7 assists) and 33 PIM.

Avery's most productive NHL season came in 2006-07, split between Los Angeles and the Rangers, when he posted career-highs in goals (18), assists (30), points (48), shots on goal (249), average time on ice (17:11) and games played (84). He also led the Rangers and placed fifth in the league with 174 minutes during that campaign.

The 5-10, 195-pound left wing was undrafted, but made his NHL debut with Detroit on Dec. 19, 2001 vs. Vancouver, and scored his first NHL goal (a game-winner) on Mar. 2, 2002 vs. Pittsburgh. During the 2003-04 season with Los Angeles, he led the NHL and set a career-high with 261 penalty minutes. He appeared in 221 Ontario Hockey League games with Owen Sound and Kingston, registering 87 goals and 166 assists for 253 points, along with 564 penalty minutes.

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Penguins Sign Eric Godard to Three-Year Deal

The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed forward Eric Godard to a three-year contract, it was announced Tuesday by Executive Vice President and General Manager Ray Shero.

Godard, 28, spent the 2007-08 season with the Calgary Flames, recording two points (one goal, one assist) and 171 penalty minutes. The 6-4, 214-pound native of Vernon, British Columbia has played 200 NHL games registering eight points (three goals, five assists) and 481 penalty minutes. He has also appeared in seven playoff games recording one assist.

Godard made his NHL debut with the New York Islanders during the 2002-03 season. The undrafted free agent for Florida was acquired by the Islanders prior to that season. After three seasons with the Islanders, he was signed by Calgary as a free agent on August 10th, 2006.

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Blue Jackets Send Zherdev and Fritsche to the Rangers

COLUMBUS, OHIO – The Columbus Blue Jackets have acquired defensemen Fedor Tyutin and Christian Backman from the New York Rangers in exchange for forwards Nikolai Zherdev and Dan Fritsche, club General Manager Scott Howson announced Wednesday.

Tyutin, who will turn 25 on July 19, has registered 15 goals and 51 assists for 66 points and 159 penalty minutes in 250 career NHL games with the Rangers. Backman, 28, has tallied 21-51-72 and 150 penalty minutes in 246 career NHL games with the Rangers and St. Louis Blues.

"The addition of Fedor and Christian to our lineup has really improved our puck moving ability from the blueline," said Howson. "All strong teams are built from the backend out and we feel like we made significant strides in that area today."

A 6-foot-3, 210-pound native of Izhevsk, Russia, Tyutin was the Rangers' second pick, 40th overall, in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft. He played one season of junior hockey with the Guelph Storm of the Ontario Hockey League and two in the Russian Elite League before splitting the 2003-04 season between New York and its American Hockey League affiliate in Hartford. After spending the 2004-05 campaign with Hartford and St. Petersburg (Russia), he played his first full season in the NHL in 2006-07 and notched 2-12-14 and 44 penalty minutes in 66 games. Last season, he tallied 5-15-20, 43 penalty minutes and a +5 plus/minus rating in 82 games.

Tyutin (pronounced TYOO-tihn) has also captured three gold medals playing for Russia in international competition. This past spring, he tallied 0-1-1, six penalty minutes and was +3 in six games to help Russia capture the gold at the World Championships. He also won gold medals at the 2002 and 2003 World Junior Championships. In addition, he tallied 0-1-1 and four penalty minutes in eight games for Russia at the 2006 Olympic Games.

Backman was St. Louis' first pick, 24th overall, in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft. He spent the next four seasons playing in his native Sweden before making his North American debut in 2002-03. He appeared in four games with the Blues that season and registered 8-19-27 and 66 penalty minutes in 72 games with the AHL's Worcester IceCats. As an NHL rookie in 2003-04, he collected 5-13-18, 16 penalty minutes and was +3 in 66 games with the Blues.

The 6-foot-4, 210-pound blueliner spent the 2004-05 campaign with Frolunda (Sweden) and then spent the next two-plus seasons with St. Louis before joining the Rangers during the 2007-08 season. He combined for 3-15-18 and 50 penalty minutes, including 2-6-8 and 20 penalty minutes in 18 games with New York. He also appeared in eight Stanley Cup Playoffs games with the Rangers, racking up 12 penalty minutes.

A native of Alingsas, Sweden, Backman tallied 1-2-3 in eight games at the 2006 Olympic Games, helping Sweden capture the gold medal. He has also represented his country at the 2004 and 2005 World Championships, winning a silver medal in 2004, was named to Sweden’s 2004 World Cup of Hockey Team and appeared in the 1999 and 2000 World Junior Championship Tournaments.

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Avalanche Sign Darcy Tucker to Two-Year Deal

The Colorado Avalanche Hockey Club announced today that it has signed forward Darcy Tucker to a two-year contract.

“Darcy Tucker gives us scoring ability and a physical presence up front,” said Avalanche Executive Vice President and General Manager Francois Giguere. “He’s a fierce competitor. We like the combination of qualities he will bring to our roster.”

Tucker, 33, will begin his 13th NHL season, his first with the Avalanche. He spent his last eight with the Toronto Maple Leafs organization. A veteran of 813 NHL contests, the 5-10, 178-pound native of Castor, Alberta has scored 20 or more goals in four of his last five seasons and amassed 100 or more penalty minutes in three of his last five NHL campaigns.

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Columbus Signs Kristian Huselius to a Four-Year Contract

COLUMBUS, OHIO – The Columbus Blue Jackets have signed free agent forward Kristian Huselius to a four-year contract, club General Manager Scott Howson announced today.

Huselius (pronounced hoo-SAY-lee-uhs) has scored 132 goals and added 177 assists for 309 points with 164 penalty minutes and a cumulative plus/minus rating of +6 in 473 career NHL games with the Calgary Flames and Florida Panthers. He has registered four 20-goal and one 30-goal seasons during his six NHL campaigns.

“Kristian is a highly skilled player with good vision and hockey sense who has performed at a very high level throughout his career,” said Howson. “We are very pleased to have a player and a person of his caliber join the Blue Jackets organization.”

Huselius, 29, spent the past two-plus seasons with the Calgary Flames. After combining for 20-27-47 and 40 penalty minutes in 78 games with Florida and Calgary in 2005-06, he set career highs for goals, assists and points in 2006-07 with 34-43-77, 26 penalty minutes and a +21 plus/minus rating in 81 games. Last year, he racked up 25-41-66 with 40 penalty minutes and was +10 in 81 games to record his third-straight season with at least 20 goals.

A native of Osterhaninge, Sweden, Huselius was Florida’s second pick, 47th overall, in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft. He played five seasons with Farjestad and Frolunda in Sweden, including 2000-01 when he led the Swedish League in goals (32), assists (35), points (67), power play goals (10), shorthanded goals (5) and game-winning goals (9). He was the first player to lead the Swedish League in all six categories.

He made his NHL debut with the Panthers the following season in 2001-02. That year, he tallied 23-22-45 and 14 penalty minutes in 79 games, was a finalist for the Calder Trophy as the league’s Rookie of the Year and was named to the NHL All-Rookie Team. The following year, he picked up 20-23-43 and 20 penalty minutes in 78 outings and added 10-21-31 and 24 penalty minutes in 76 games in 2003-04.

Huselius has represented Sweden at numerous international competitions, including the 1997 and 1998 World Junior Championships and at the 2000, 2001 and 2002 World Championships. In 2002, he helped Sweden capture its second-consecutive bronze medal at the tournament and was the second-leading scorer in the tournament with 5-6-11 in nine games.

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Hossa to Detroit

The Penguins have lost free-agent right winger Marian Hossa to Detroit.

The big surprise: His contract is for one season and $7.4 million.

The Penguins were offering a bit more than $7 million on a deal that, at various times, was proposed to cover five, six or seven years.

Several other clubs reportedly made proposals for even more money and years, which suggests that financial security was not Hossa's main motivation in choosing Detroit.

Hossa could not be reached for comment, but is scheduled to speak with reporters in Detroit this afternoon.

Hossa's departure wasn't their only loss: Left winger Jarkko Ruutu turned down a two-year offer from the Penguins and signed with Ottawa, reportedly for three years at an average salary of $1.3 million.

There still is no word on whether defenseman Brooks Orpik, the most prominent of the Penguins' remaining free agents, will return.

Hossa's departure leaves a void on the right side of the Penguins' No. 1 line, and management has begun looking into ways to fill it.

Ex-Penguin Markus Naslund, who has spent most of his career in Vancouver, is believed to be getting serious consideration, although it's likely the front office will use the money that would have gone to Hossa to sign two wingers, not just one.

Team officials made cursory contact with free-agent right winger Jaromir Jagr yesterday, as they did with the representatives for a number of other players. They are believed to be having further discussions with Jagr's camp, but there is no evidence they have -- or will -- make a contract offer.

The Penguins acquired Hossa and winger Pascal Dupuis from Atlanta at the Feb. 26 trade deadline and put him alongside Sidney Crosby on the top line.

He had three goals and seven assists in 12 regular-season games here, then added 12 goals and 14 assists in 20 playoff games, as he shed his reputation for struggling in the post-season.