NHL - News

St Louis - The Blues announced Friday the team had signed restricted free-agent defenseman Alex Pietrangelo to a seven-year contract. Financial terms of the deal were not released, but the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported the average annual value to be $6.5 million per season. Pietrangelo led Blues defensemen with 34 points in 47 games last season while leading the team with an average of 25:06 in ice time per game. He also had a goal and an assist in six Stanley Cup Playoff games. This summer he took part in Canada's Olympic orientation camp. The fourth pick of the 2008 NHL Draft, Pietrangelo, 23, has 29 goals and 121 points in 224 games.

"We're excited to have Alex in the fold for the next seven years as he will continue be a key component of our franchise," Blues GM Doug Armstrong said in announcing the signing. "He is an elite defenseman in this league and will be for years to come."

Pietrangelo had missed the start of training camp Thursday while negotiations continued, but on his official Twitter feed, Pietrangelo said he was happy to get things finished, writing: "Really excited to be a part of Blues organization for the next 7 years. Excited for the opportunity."

Philadelphia - Flyers forward Claude Giroux made another step in his recovery from surgery to repair two tendons in his right index finger Friday, shooting pucks for the first time since Aug. 15 surgery. Giroux had injured his hand in a golf outing when a club sliced two tendons in his finger, and after surgery the same day, his prognosis for recovery was five to six weeks. But during his on-ice session Thursday he handled pucks and made some passes, and Friday saw him start shooting pucks. He is trying to move as fast as he can in his recovery, but said he knows not to overdo it. Giroux has led the team in scoring the past three seasons, so his teammates were happy to see him rapidly returning to normal.

"When I got on the ice I started to stickhandle and it was feeling really good," Giroux told reporters in Philadelphia. "I know I can't be rushing it, [but] I really wasn't shooting hard. I was just trying to see what I can do. [The trainers are telling me] not to rush it. They say, 'Take your time.' We're going to start testing it more next week when we know there's no danger. I'm going to go back on the ice one more time [Friday], but I'm not going to shoot. I'm just going to try to get my legs going."

"I'm glad he's coming along," defenseman Braydon Coburn told the team's website. "We want to see him come back as soon as he can."

Ottawa - The Ottawa Sun reported Friday that negotiations between restricted free-agent defenseman Jared Cowen and the Ottawa Senators have reached a stalemate. The report also indicates that the Senators offered Cowen a four-year deal worth $2.8 million per season. Senators assistant general manager Tim Murray is quoted in the newspaper saying that the team offered Cowen a "fair" proposal and that the player's camp is asking for too much. Murray said the team originally offered an eight-year deal and that both sides now are discussing the four-year offer. Murray acknowledged he "considers four years a bridge [contract]" and would like to meet with Cowen in a face-to-face meeting Monday in Saskatoon if possible. He last spoke to Cowen on Tuesday. Cowen's agent, Rick Valette, told reporters Monday that there was nothing new to report in contract negotiations and said that unless something comes together quickly, his client wouldn't be participating at training camp. Cowen, a 2009 first-round draft pick (No. 9), was limited to seven games in 2012-13 after undergoing hip surgery in November. He has six goals and 17 points in 90 NHL games spanning two seasons.

"I guess we're at a stalemate," Murray said. "I think we really stepped up on our last proposal."

New Jersey - GM Lou Lamoriello told reporters at AmeriHealth Pavilion on Friday that right wing Jaromir Jagr is dealing with lower-body soreness and will not rejoin the team until he is 100 percent. Jagr did not participate in Friday's scrimmage during the second day of training camp. Lamoriello said the 41-year-old will continue to skate lightly on his own until he feels good enough to rejoin the team for contact. According to The (Bergen) Record, Lamoriello acknowledged there is no indication from the player or team trainers that the soreness will sideline him very long. Jagr left the ice during the early stages of his session of practice Thursday and didn't return. At that time, coach Peter DeBoer informed the media that he had "general soreness." Jagr was signed to a one-year contract by the Devils this summer after the team lost forwards Ilya Kovalchuk and David Clarkson. He ranks 34th all-time in NHL games played (1,391), 10th in goals (681), 12th in assists (1,007) and eighth in points (1,688). His career spans 19 seasons with six teams, five from the Eastern Conference.

"There's no timetable," Lamoriello told the (Newark) Star-Ledger. "But we're not concerned."