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Florida - Scott Gomez is returning to the Eastern Conference, with the Florida Panthers announcing Wednesday they've signed the 33-year-old to a one-year contract. Terms were not disclosed. "Scott is a veteran center who adds further depth to the middle of our lineup," GM Dale Tallon said. "He is a quick and skilled forward with a wealth of hockey experience, including two Stanley Cup titles, who will be a leader for our younger players."

Gomez had at least 55 points in seven consecutive seasons from 2002-10, but has seen his production slip since then. He was bought out by the Montreal Canadiens prior to last season and signed by the San Jose Sharks, where he had two goals and 15 points in 39 regular-season games. He added two assists in nine Stanley Cup Playoff games. A first-round pick of the New Jersey Devils (No. 27) in the 1998 NHL Draft, Gomez won the Calder Trophy in 2000 after totaling 19 goals and 70 points in 82 games. He capped his rookie season by helping the Devils claim their second of three Stanley Cups. Gomez posted career highs of 33 goals and 84 points with the Devils during the 2005-06 season. In 941 career regular-season games with the Devils, New York Rangers, Canadiens and Sharks, the native of Anchorage, Alaska, has 171 goals and 701 points. He's added 29 goals and 101 points in 149 postseason games.

San Jose - Joe Pavelski gave up a chance at being an unrestricted free agent next summer for what he believes is a chance to win the Stanley Cup with the only NHL team he's ever played for. Pavelski signed a five-year contract extension with the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday. Terms of the deal were not released, but multiple media outlets placed the full value at $30 million. Counting the one season remaining on his current contract, the Sharks have Pavelski signed through the 2018-19 season. His new deal doesn't start until July 1, 2014, and reportedly will carry a $6 million annual salary-cap charge. "

We haven't turned that corner quite yet," Pavelski said of the Sharks' hunt for the Stanley Cup, which includes trips to the Western Conference Final in 2010 and 2011. "We've been right there every year, and we've had that belief. This past year, obviously it's fresh off your mind, but it was one of the most believable teams I think we've had in the past. With an extra bounce or two here, we felt we could've been there right at the end. So to be a part of the core, to play those minutes, to be looked at like that, it's one of the big reasons why I believe this team can win. It's because we've been there, we've learned, we've grown up as a group in a lot of ways. To keep trying and be a part of it, it's just pretty special."

Sharks GM Doug Wilson identified re-signing Pavelski as a priority because of how important he is to the core of the team now and in future seasons. "He's a hockey player, We use him on the point on the power play. We use him on the first line. We use him on key faceoffs, blocking shots. He won a national championship in college (University of Wisconsin) for a reason."

Pavelski's contract extension, as well as the one Logan Couture signed July 5, is an indication the Sharks are close to entering a new phase as a team. Dan Boyle is 37, Joe Thornton is 34 and Patrick Marleau will be 34 when the 2013-14 season begins. Each is entering the final season of his current contract, and Wilson said he's had discussions with all three about their futures in San Jose. Pavelski is 29, and the general manager said he believes he's coming into the prime years of his career. Even if Boyle, Thornton and Marleau re-sign with the Sharks (Wilson does not publicly discuss negotiations), San Jose's core appears to be going through a facelift, with Pavelski, Couture, Brent Burns and Marc-Edouard Vlasic being elevated in their roles with the team. Like Pavelski's deal, Couture's extension kicks in at the start of the 2014-15 season. Burns is one season into a five-year, $28.8 million contract, and Vlasic's five-year, $21.25 million contract extension starts this season.

"We're the sum of all our parts, The beauty of our team is when everybody brings something to the table and plays the way our coaching staff wants us to play, we can play with anybody. You talk about our core, when veteran guys like Joe and Patty and Danny encourage and support guys like [Pavelski] and Logan and [Burns] and Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Justin Braun and Matt Irwin to not only take on more roles and accepting everybody has to bring leadership, it makes you a better hockey team. That's how we look at it. They like to see our younger players step up and do well, and that is the sign of a good team."

Pavelski agreed with Wilson, saying he feels he is entering his prime despite having played seven seasons in the NHL. However, he's not sure if this contract extension changes his role with the team because he's already seen as a leader and one of the franchise's top players. He said his goal over the course of the next six seasons, other than to win the Stanley Cup, is to be a more consistent player. Pavelski has 150 goals and 186 assists in 479 NHL games. He has 50 points in 74 Stanley Cup Playoff games, including 12 in 11 games this past spring. "I've played at a high level at times throughout my career, through stretches, and it's about getting to that high level and it's about maintaining it and expecting that on a nightly basis," Pavelski said. "That's what I believe in myself, that I can do, and I think a lot of players look to you to perform that way, and that's what we need as a group. The consistency has to be there, and that's what I'm looking for and getting to that high level and staying there."

Wilson has no doubt Pavelski can stay there. He already has seen him do it. "He's a winner, He's a great role model for many of our other players that are home grown. The way he plays the game, it's not about stats, even though his stats are very impressive; it's about you can do to make a difference to win a game. That's the way he's wired, the way we want to play. I think he's only going to get better, but he's been pretty good already regular season, playoffs and Olympics."

Vancouver - The Vancouver Canucks have signed forward Ronalds Kenins, the team announced Tuesday. No terms were released. Kenins, 22, spent the 2012-13 season with the Zurich Lions; he had 17 points (three goals) in 45 games. "I think I'm a power forward," Kenins (6-foot, 201 pounds) told the Canucks website. "I go to the net, I shoot the puck, I do the dirty stuff; that's how I play."

Kenins represented Latvia at three World Championships (2011, 1012 and 2013). Kenins also played in the 2010 World Junior Championship with four points (two goals) in six games."I'm still a young guy," Kenins said. "I look [to] the older guys and how to play and I try to be like them."