Empty Netter Assists - 07-24-12
Penguins
-Remembering Arron Asham (right).
-Former Penguins forward Ramzi Abid has joined JYP of Finland's SM-liiga.
-Happy 51st birthday to former Penguins defenseman Pat Mayer. A free agent signing in the 1987 offseason, Mayer's entire NHL career amounted to one game and four penalty minutes with the Penguins in 1987-88. At the 1989 trade deadline, Mayer was dealt to the Kings in exchange for Tim Tookey.
Atlantic Division
-“I think they’ve got an amazing team already. Last season they were obviously one of the best teams, and I just think it’s a great fit for my style and for me to play there.” - New Rangers forward Rick Nash.
-Defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky has filed a grievance with the NHLPA to void his trade from the Ducks to the Islanders during last month's NHL Draft. Visnovsky claims his no-trade clause was not honored by the Ducks.
Northeast Division
-The Bruins signed head coach Claude Julien (right) to a multi-year contract extension. A specific length of the contract was not revealed. Julien, who has one year left on his current deal, has led the Bruins to a 228-132-50 roecrd and the Stanley Cup in 2011.
-EN Says: Every coach is "hired to be fire" so to speak, but Julien is one of the best coaches in the NHL. Locking him long-term is a good move.
-The Canadiens signed forward Alex Galchenyuk, a first-round pick (No. 3 overall), to a three-year entry-level contract.
-The Senators re-signed restricted free agent forward Kaspars Daugavins to a one-year contract worth $635,000. Daugavins, 24, appeared in 65 games last season and scored 11 points (five goals, six assists).
-EN Says: Daugavins is a third- or fourth-line grinder who is strong on the penalty kill. This is a pretty cheap price even for this type of players.
Southeast Division
-The Panthers re-signed restricted free agent forward Kris Versteeg (right) to a four-year contract worth a total of $17.6 million. He will have a salary cap hit of $4.4 million. Versteeg, 26, appeared in 71 games last season and scored 54 points (23 goals, 31 assists).
-EN Says: This is a fair contract for a complimentary player who is going to be a consistent 20-goal threat as a top-six winger. Versteeg is also a proven producer come playoff time.
-Charges of operating a boat while impaired were dropped in Minnesota against Jets defenseman Dustin Byfuglien after he pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of careless boating. He was arrested last August.
-Winnipeg re-signed restricted free agent forward Maxime Macenauer to a one-year two-way contract.
-The Jets extended their affiliation agreement with the AHL's St. John's IceCaps until the 2014-15 season.
-The Capitals re-hired former assistant coach Tim Hunter.
-The Hurricanes re-signed restricted free agent forward Drayson Bowman to a two-year two-way contract.
Central Division
-"We weren't going to get a deal done until we got proper value. And that happened to occur today." - Blue Jackets general manager Scott Howson on trading former captain Rick Nash (right, at the 2002 draft).
-"Four playoff games is a disappointing thing for my career. I know that's disappointing for the fans, too." - Nash on only appearing in four games during his career in Columbus. Nash will maintain a year-round home in Columbus.
-With Nash gone, forward/enforcer Jared Boll becomes the Blue Jackets' most tenured player having joined the franchise in 2007.
-Red Wings general manager Ken Holland made it known to his season ticket holders the world that he tried to trade for Nash.
-The Predators re-signed restricted free agent forward Andrei Kostitsyn to a two-year contract worth a total of $6 million. He will have a salary cap hit of $3 million. In 75 games last season, Kostitsyn, 25, had 43 points (17 goals, 26 points).
-EN Says: Kostitsyn is a top-six caliber scoring winger. But he's only hit the 20-goal mark once in his career. This is a safe gamble for the Predators. They only have Kostitsyn locked up for two years. If he doesn't regain his 20-goal form, they don't have him married to the franchise for too long.
-Shea Weber. Still sorta, kinda a Predator right now.
-The Blackhawks extended their affiliation agreement with the ECHL's Toledo Walleye through the 2013-14 season.
Northwest Division
-The Oilers signed forward Nail Yakupov (right), the first overall pick in last month's draft, to a three-year entry-level contract. He will have a salary cap hit of $3.775 million.
Pacific Division
-The Stars signed undrafted goaltender Max Lagace to a three-year entry-level contract.
(Photos: Asham, Julien and Yakupov-Bruce Bennett/Getty Images; Versteeg-Joel Auerbach/Getty Images; Nash-Craig Melvin/Getty Images)