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| Matt Cooke was signed by the Penguins to a 2-year contract to take the roster spot of Jarrko Ruutu who moved on to the Senators, according to the Associated Press. |
Our View: Cooke is a rough and tumble forward with some offensive upside (10 goals), but he is really a better teammate than fantasy weapon, so he is probably best left on waivers unless you play in an extremely deep league. |
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| The Pittsburgh Penguins are making an attempt to sign Finnish free agent Janne Pesonen, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. He had 34 goals and 44 assists in 56 games with Karpat in Finland's Elite League a year ago. |
Our View: The numbers speak well for his potential, and if the 26-year-old can see some minutes with Crosby or Malkin, he has potential value in fantasy leagues next season. |
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| Miroslav Satan has signed a one-year deal worth $3.5 million to play in Pittsburgh next season, according to ESPN.com. |
Our View: Satan put up 41 points, and should see his fantasy value increase if he should see ice time with either Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin. |
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| Ruslan Fedotenko has signed a one-year deal with the Penguins worth $2.25 million, according to ESPN.com. |
Our View: Fedotenko did not have much fantasy value last season, as he put up just 33 points. However, playing with Pittsburgh's young talent may help improve his game, so he could warrant a look in fantasy leagues. |
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| Marc-Andre Fleury has signed a seven-year, $35 million deal that includes a limited no-trade clause that begins in the 2010 season, according to TSN.com. |
Our View: This move was expected to come soon, and it has. Fleury is one of the top goaltenders in the NHL and for fantasy hockey. |
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| Landon Wilson has signed a one-year contract with the Dallas Stars, according to TSN.com. |
Our View: Wilson has spent the last four seasons in Europe, and the last two playing in the Swiss Elite League. The 33-year-old will provide depth at forward. |
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| Marc-Andre Fleury is close to signing a long-term contract with the Penguins, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The deal will be for five or six years, and just a few minor details remain before it is official. |
Our View: Great news for Pittsburgh fans, as Fleury is one of the top netminders in the game. He should be one of the first goalies taken in fantasy hockey drafts. |
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| Georges Laraque will not be joining the Nashville Predators after the team made him a free agent offer, according to The Tennessean. |
Our View: Laraque has more value as an enforcer than as a scorer, so his fantasy value is minimal. He isn't only a goon, though, as he did score four goals to go with nine assists last season. |
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| Reported by the Piisburgh Post-gazette, Defenseman Brooks Orpik has been resigned by the Penguins to a six-year contract. Financial terms have yet to be disclosed. |
Our View: Orpik played in 78 games last year for Pittsburgh. He tallied one goal, 10 assists, and 57 PIM for the season. |
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| TSN.ca reports that the Ottawa Senators have signed Jarkko Ruutu to a three-year, $3.9 million deal. |
Our View: Ruutu should add some grit to the Sens back line, he served 138 minutes in the sin bin last year. He also scored six goals and 10 assists. |
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| The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that star right winger Marian Hossa has signed a one-year, $7.4 million deal with the Red Wings. |
Our View: Coming off his scorching-hot performance in the playoffs with 26 points in 20 games, the Stanley Cup Champion Red Wings have added another star to their roster. Hossa could very well end up playing on a line consisting of superstars Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg. Look for Hossa to rebound from his 66 points last year, and challenge his career best 100-point season. |
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| Josef Melichar has rejoined the NHL. According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the former Penguin has signed a one-year contract to play for Carolina. |
Our View: He last played in the NHL for Pittsburgh back in 2006-07, and scored one goal and 11 assists over 70 games. |
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| Enforcer Eric Godard has fled Calgary to join the Penguins, according to TSN.ca. He signed a three-year deal, but financial details were not disclosed. |
Our View: He only scored one goal and one assist last season over 74 games, but registered 171 penalty minutes. |
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| Mark Eaton, an unrestricted free agent, signed a 2-year deal worth $2 million, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. |
Our View: Injuries have held Eaton to just 71 games the past two years, and even though he tore his ACL and had surgery on June 14th, he is expected to be ready to skate by training camp. |
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| Evgeni Malkin and the Penguins have reached an agreement in principle to sign the scoring star to a 5-year contract extension, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Terms of the deal haven't been announced, but it is believed that the deal will very closely resemble the 5-year, $43.5 million deal of Sidney Crosby. |
Our View: It's fitting that both stars sign similar contracts since both are equally important to the team's goal of once again hoisting the Stanley Cup. Malkin really stepped up this season when Crosby went down with an injury, and overall he scored 47 goals and totaled 106 points. He is a top-5 selection no matter the format in 2008. |
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| Pascal Dupuis has signed a 3-year deal to remain with the Penguins, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Financial terms were not disclosed. |
Our View: Dupuis could take on a more offensive role this year with the recent loss of forwards Gary Roberts and Ryan Malone, but he has only one 20-goal season in his career, so it would be wise to temper expectations. |
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| The bidding for free agent forward Marian Hossa figures to be fierce, and one of the teams likely to be in on the sweepstakes are the Edmonton Oilers, according to the Calgary Herald. |
Our View: The Oilers are reportedly willing to throw up to $9 million a year at Hossa who would team with Ales Hemsky and Shawn Horcoff to form a dynamic scoring line. However, with almost every team in the league interested, Hossa could receive more dollars and or a better chance to win the Cup if he signed with another team. |
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