NHL News

Washington - Justin Williams signed a two-year, $6.5 million contract with the Capitals on Wednesday.
Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan: "Justin is a proven winner and we feel he will be a great addition to our club. We felt it was important for our team to add someone of his caliber, as a hockey player and as a veteran leader."
Williams, 33, scored 18 goals and had with 41 points in 81 games for the Los Angeles Kings last season. He has 227 goals and 582 points in 918 NHL games, and played all but one game during the past four seasons. Williams has 30 goals and 78 points in 115 Stanley Cup Playoff games. His teams are 7-0 in Game 7, and he has seven goals and 14 points in those games. He was a member of the Kings' Stanley Cup-winning teams in 2012 and 2014, and won the Cup with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006. Williams was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2014 after scoring nine goals and finishing with 25 points in 26 games.

Boston - The Bruins are hoping Matt Beleskey continues to blossom because their search for offense led them to sign the unrestricted free agent forward to a five-year contract Wednesday that averages $3.8 million per season.
Beleskey, 27, scored an NHL career-best 22 goals during the regular season and eight in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.  Bruins general manager Don Sweeney, who was promoted from assistant general manager to replace Peter Chiarelli in May, also acquired forward Jimmy Hayes in a trade with the Florida Panthers in an attempt to improve Boston's 22nd-ranked offense. The Bruins traded forward Reilly Smith and the contract of injured center Marc Savard to the Panthers.Hayes (6-6, 221), a native of Boston, brings even more size to the Bruins. And like Beleskey, Hayes had a breakout season with 19 goals in 72 games for the Panthers. The Bruins re-signed restricted free agent center Ryan Spooner to a two-year contract worth an NHL salary-cap charge of $950,000 and unrestricted free agent goaltender Jeremy Smith to a one-year, two-way contract worth $600,000 in the NHL. Spooner had eight goals and 18 points in 29 games for Boston; Smith spent the season with Providence of the American Hockey League but will get a chance to compete for the backup job behind Tuukka Rask.
Acquiring Beleskey and Hayes, Sweeney and his staff showed an ability to adapt quickly. One week ago, the Bruins thought they would be retaining restricted free agent defenseman Dougie Hamilton at a salary-cap charge that would have exceeded what they wound up giving Beleskey. When negotiations with Hamilton didn't work out, the Bruins traded him to the Calgary Flames for three draft picks last Friday, the same day they traded forward Milan Lucic to the Los Angeles Kings. Although the Bruins didn't receive any immediate help for the NHL roster in either trade, they created some flexibility under the salary cap.
Entering free agency, Sweeney was comfortable with his depth at center with Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci at the top, and Spooner, Chris Kelly and Joonas Kemppainen among others filling out the list. That depth was part of what attracted Beleskey, who thrived playing with centers Ryan Getzlaf and Ryan Kesler in Anaheim. Hayes, 25, played at Boston College for three seasons. He'll have an opportunity to attempt to develop while playing a style that might best suit his size and skills. The Bruins have about $9 million in salary-cap space. They need to re-sign Hayes and forward Brett Connolly, who are restricted free agents. Sweeney said he's not done looking to improve the Bruins, but the urgency that was eating at him prior to the draft has dissipated.

Anaheim - Center Shawn Horcoff agreed to a one-year contract with the Ducks worth $1.75 million, according to TSN's Darren Dreger. Horcoff, who turns 37 on Sept. 17, played the past two seasons with the Dallas Stars. He had 11 goals and 18 assists in 76 games in 2014-15. In 949 NHL games, Horcoff has 180 goals, 316 assists and 590 penalty minutes. He has 11 goals and 18 assists in 41 Stanley Cup Playoff games.

Detroit - The Red Wings got the right-handed shooting defenseman with offensive ability they have been seeking for so long, plus a skilled veteran center with two Stanley Cup championships. Detroit signed free agent defenseman Mike Green to a three-year, $18 million contract and center Brad Richards to a one-year contract guaranteed for $3 million but that could be worth $4 million with bonuses, according to TSN.
Green, 29, had 10 goals and 45 points in 72 games with the Washington Capitals last season, and two assists in 14 Stanley Cup Playoff games. He played on the third defense pair but had 17 power-play points. Green spent 10 NHL seasons with Washington. He scored at least 15 goals three times, including 31 in 2008-09. Selected with the 29th pick of the 2004 NHL Draft, his 360 points are fifth among Capitals defensemen. Holland said Green would be a top-four defenseman in Detroit likely paired with Danny DeKeyser.Richards, 35, had 12 goals and 37 points with the Chicago Blackhawks last season, and 14 points in 23 playoff games to help the Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup. He also won the Stanley Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2004, when he had 26 points in 23 games and won the Conn Smythe Trophy.
In 15 seasons with the Lightning, Dallas Stars, New York Rangers and Blackhawks, Richards had 288 goals and 904 points in 1,058 games. He had 36 goals and 104 points in 141 playoff games.
Holland said with everyone healthy, Richards will be Detroit's No. 2 center. But with the uncertainty about Pavel Datsyuk, who had surgery on ruptured tendons in his right ankle last Friday, Richards could open the season as the No. 1.
Richards, who signed a one-year free agent contract with Chicago last summer, said his agent talked to Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman a few days after the season ended.


Montreal - The Canadiens acquired Zack Kassian from the Vancouver Canucks for Brandon Prust and a fifth-round pick in the 2016 NHL Draft. Kassian, 24, had 10 goals and 16 points in 42 games for the Canucks last season. In 2013-14 he set career-highs with 14 goals and 29 points in 73 games. Taken by the Buffalo Sabres with the 13th pick of the 2009 draft, Kassian has 35 goals and 66 points in 198 games with the Sabres and Canucks. Prust, 31, had four goals and 18 points in 82 games last season, and four points in 12 Stanley Cup Playoff games. In eight seasons with the Calgary Flames, Phoenix Coyotes, New York Rangers and Canadiens, Prust has 39 goals and 108 points in 451 games.


Calgary - General manager Brad Treliving knows the Flames' on-ice success last season, when they qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2009 and advanced beyond the first round for the first time since 2004, will increase expectations on them next season. The Flames signed free agent forward Michael Frolik on Wednesday, five days after adding defenseman Dougie Hamilton in a trade with the Boston Bruins then signing him. Calgary also retained goalie Karri Ramo, re-signing him before he hit the free agent market.
Frolik signed a five-year contract with a reported average annual value of $4.3 million. He had 19 goals and 42 points with the Winnipeg Jets last season and has 95 goals and 235 points in 512 NHL games.

The Flames' biggest move in free agency came prior to the opening of the signing period. After acquiring the rights to Hamilton from the Bruins for a first-round pick (No. 15) and two second-round picks (Nos. 45 and 52) at the 2015 NHL Draft on Friday, Calgary signed the pending restricted free agent to a six-year deal reportedly worth $34.5 million. The Flames also brought back Ramo on a one-year contract that Sportsnet reported is worth $3.8 million. The deal leaves Calgary with three goaltenders on a one-way contract heading into the season. Jonas Hiller, 33, started 44 games last season and has one season remaining on a two-year contract signed last July. Joni Ortio, 24, has one year left on a contract that, after serving as a two-way pact last season, becomes a one-way deal next season.
With the addition of Frolik, the Flames have 11 forwards under contract who saw regular action in the NHL last season. Restricted free agents Lance Bouma, Paul Byron and Josh Jooris did too. Drew Shore and Micheal Ferland received qualifying offers from the Flames and are expected to push for a more permanent role. Sam Bennett, 19, could earn a spot in Calgary next season too, joining a group led by Calder Trophy finalist Johnny Gaudreau, 21, and Sean Monahan, 20.

Edmonton - Oilers general manager Peter Chiarelli checked off two more items on his list during the first day of NHL free agency. On Wednesday, Chiarelli signed veteran defenseman Andrej Sekera to a six-year, $33 million contract and center Mark Letestu to a three-year, $5.4 million contract. Sekera, 29, started last season with the Carolina Hurricanes before being traded to the Kings on Feb. 25 for a first-round pick in the 2015 NHL Draft and defensive prospect Roland McKeown.

In 57 games with Carolina, Sekera had two goals and 17 assists, and three assists in 16 games with Los Angeles. A third-round pick (No. 71) of the Buffalo Sabres in the 2004 NHL Draft, Sekera has 31 goals and 128 assists in 486 games. Sekera joins a crowded group on the Oilers blue line, which includes Mark Fayne, Andrew Ference, Oscar Klefbom, Justin Schultz, Nikita Nikitin, along with Eric Gryba and Griffin Reinhart, who were acquired earlier this week.
Defenseman prospect Darnell Nurse also is expected to challenge for a roster spot this season.
Along with adding to the defense, Chiarelli brought in Letestu to strengthen the Oilers' depth at center. Letestu, 30, had seven goals and six assists in 54 games for the Columbus Blue Jackets last season. In 318 games, he has 58 goals and 69 assists. Since being hired in April as general manager and president of hockey operations, Chiarelli has worked on revamping the Oilers roster.

Along with selecting center Connor McDavid with the first pick at this year's draft, Chiarelli traded for goaltender Cam Talbot from the New York Rangers, Reinhart from the New York Islanders, and forward Lauri Korpikoski from the Coyotes.


Phoenix - After helping the Chicago Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup, center Antoine Vermette returned to the Coyotes on Wednesday, signing a two-year contract. Vermette, who spent parts of four seasons with the Coyotes before being traded to the Blackhawks on Feb. 28, scored four goals in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, including two game-winners in the Final that helped Chicago defeat the Tampa Bay Lightning in six games for its third title in six years. The contract is worth $7.5 million, an average annual value of $3.75 million, according to multiple media reports.
Vermette, 32, had 13 goals and 25 points in 82 games with the Coyotes and Blackhawks last season. He has 194 goals and 433 points in 834 regular-season games with the Blackhawks, Coyotes, Columbus Blue Jackets and Ottawa Senators. The Coyotes also signed forwards Steve Downie and Brad Richardson, defensemen Zbynek Michalek and Dylan Reese, and goalie Anders Lindback.Downie, 28, had 28 points and 238 penalty minutes in 72 games with the Pittsburgh Penguins last season and signed a one-year contract.
Richardson, 30, had 13 goals in 45 games last season with the Vancouver Canucks and signed a three-year contract. He has also played with the Los Angeles Kings and Colorado Avalanche.
Michalek played with the Coyotes from 2005-10 and again from 2012-15, before he was sent to the St. Louis Blues prior to the NHL Trade Deadline. He had four goals and 12 points in 68 games. He signed a two-year contract.
Reese, 30, signed a one-year two-way contract. He played in 72 games with the Coyotes' American Hockey League affiliate, the Portland Pirates and played in one game with the Coyotes.
Lindback, 27, split last season between the Buffalo Sabres and Dallas Stars. He was 6-16-2 with a 3.11 goals-against average and a .909 save percentage.