Empty Netter Assists - 07-21-12

Written by Seth Rorabaugh on Saturday, 21 July 2012 6:44 am.

Penguins

-The Penguins clean house with their medical staff.

-EN Says: Sidney Crosby's lingering concussion issues which turned out to also be a neck issue put a bright spotlight on the Penguins' medical staff. But this wasn't the only question mark. As we outlined in January, the team had some odd medical situations with the likes of Dustin Jeffrey's ailing knee and James Neal's phantom broken foot. After a rocky season, there was certainly more than enough reason to make this move.

-The Wheeling Nailers re-signed defenseman Zach Hansen.

-Happy 42nd birthday to former Penguins defenseman Lyle Odelein (right). Infamous for his rivalry with former Penguins antagonist Matthew Barnaby - Baranaby said he looked like Cornelius from "Panet of the Apes" while Odelein simply said Baranaby had an ugly wife - Odelein's Penguins career amounted to 27 games and one assist in 2005-06. Odelein had knee surgery in February 2006 and was not re-signed in the offseason.

-Best quote from that Odelein-Barnaby story: "He should take a look at his wife. She's god-awful to look at."

Atlantic Division

-The Devils re-signed restricted free agent defenseman Mark Fayne (right) to a two-year contract worth a total of $2.6 million contract. He will have a salary cap hit of $1.3 million. Fayne, 25, appeared in 82 games last season and scored 17 points (four goals, 13 assists).

-EN Says: Fayne is a nice fit for the Devils as a No. 5 or 6 defenseman. He can move the puck and plays a safe reliable defensive game based on positioning. His biggest downfall is his lack of physical play despite good size (6-foot-3, 215 pounds).

Northeast Division

-The Maple Leafs re-signed restricted free agent forward Nikolai Kulemin to a two-year contract worth a total of $5.6 million. He will have a salary cap hit of $2.8 million. In 70 games last season, Kulemin, 26, scored 28 points (seven goals, 21 assists).

-EN Says: For a player coming off a rotten season, this is a nice payday. Kulemin has some nice size at 6-foot-1 and 225 pounds and he's not shy about using it. He's versatile and can play either wing. Additionally, he's responsible in his own zone defensively. That said, he had a pretty bad drop-off in terms of production having gone from 30 goals in 2010-11 to seven last season. He must be more consistent.

Southeast Division

-“He’s a big man – one of the biggest centers in the league, and he’s such a young guy at only 23 years old. I don’t think there’s any team in the league that wouldn’t want Jordan Staal.” - Hurricanes general manager Jim Rutherford on new center and former Penguin Jordan Staal (right).

-The Hurricanes re-signed restricted free agent forward Jerome Samson to a one-year two-way contract.

-The Panthers acquired minor league forward Casey Wellman from the Rangers in exchange for a fifth-round pick in 2014.

Central Division

-Blackhawks forward and former Penguin Marian Hossa has yet to resume skating since suffering a concussion in the postseason.

-"I was looking for a good weekend with my friends and things probably got a little bit out of control. From seeing the pictures to the stories, it's not fun to see but hopefully it's something that can make me better as a person." - Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane on photos from earlier this offseason which showed him intoxicated in Wisconsin.

Northwest Division

-The Oilers re-signed restricted free agent forward Sam Gagner (right) to a one-year contract worth $3.2 million. In 75 games last season, Gagner, 22, scored 47 points (18 goals, 29 assists).

-EN Says: Gagner is a crafty, intelligent player who can create scoring chances. He's more than adequate as a second-line center and he can play all the forward positions. He's not that big (5-foot-11, 195 pounds) and can get knocked off the puck, for for a somewhat productive second-liner, he's definitely worth $3.2 million.

Pacific Division

-The Ducks signed former Sharks forward Daniel Winnik to a two-year contract worth a total of $3.6 million. He will have a salary cap hit of $1.8 million. Winnik, 27, appeared in 84 games last season with the Sharks and Avalanche and scored 23 points (eight goals, 15 assists).

-EN Says: Winnik is a solid penalty killer who should help boost the Ducks' penalty kill which was 16th-best in the NHL last season at 82.0 percent.

-Kings coach Darryl Sutter did his thing with the Stanley Cup in Red Deer, Alberta.

-Adorable Photo of the Day: Kings forward Colin Fraser also did his thing with the Cup along with his son, Calder, and his own cup: