It's a good day to be a Vancouver Canucks fan. GM Mike Gillis shores up the blue line by snagging the coveted Dan Hamhuis for a six-year, $4.5 million deal, while adding depth to the front by acquiring forwards Manny Malhotra, Jeff Tambellini, and Joel Perrault. Also, the 'Nucks news you might have missed: Andrew Raycroft signs with the Dallas Stars, which leaves space for prospect Cory Schneider to shift into the number two spot behind Roberto Luongo (if he doesn't get traded first). These moves likely signal the end for Kevin Bieksa...goodbye, Chiseled Jawline. [Vancouver Sun] The Pittsburgh Penguins waste no time filling the chasm left by the departure of Sergei Gonchar, signing defencemen Zbynek Michalek and Paul Martin for $20 million over five seasons and $25 million over five seasons, respectively. I love these two deals for the Penguins - contract length means stability long-term, and Michalek and Martin, while not the most offensively minded, are two of the most quietly reliable defencemen in the League. [Associated Press]Speaking of Sergei Gonchar, the Ottawa Senators reel in one of the biggest fish in the UFA market, signing the Russian to a three-year, $16.5 million deal. Although he's getting up there in age, Gonchar is still a great defenceman, not to mention a calming presence in the locker room and a vast improvement over the Senators lowly power play. [Ottawa Citizen]Surprising. Bizarre. Outlandish. These are all adjectives that have been used to describe Darryl Sutter's signing of former Calgary Flames player Olli Jokinen to yet another contract, albeit at $2.5 million less than last time ($6 million over two years). Some quick perusing over at the Calary Flames message board has told me that Flames fans are none too happy. Actually, the reactions are kind of hilarious. The fact that Jokinen showed zero chemistry on a line with Jarome Iginla did not seem to play into Sutter's decision, but Alex Tanguay's arrival might mean Jokinen will be able to be hog the puck on a line all by himself. [Calgary Herald] It's a day for filling holes: the New Jersey Devils sign defenceman Henrik Tallinder to a four-year, $13.5 million contract, then land the shot-blocking, hard-nosed blue liner Anton Volchenkov for $25.5 million over six years. I like these moves by the Devils; both players should fit right into the traditional New Jersey defensive model. [NJ.com] The funny love-hate relationship Blackhawks blogger Steve Rosenbloom has with Kris Versteeg. Refers to Versteeg rapping, which is good enough for me. [Rosenblog] James Mirtle has a great list of the free agents still available. Some significant pieces still in play. [The Globe and Mail]In other news, Kyle Wellwood has yet to sign with a team. This is sad. Cry cry cry.
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