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Saturday, 16 July 2011 02:00

Written by Seth Rorabaugh

Penguins

-Beau Bennett (above) is beefing up.

-Shameless Plug: The Penguins' prospects will scrimmage today beginning at 3 p.m. Admission is free. We will be contributing to the team's HD radio network's coverage. Click here to listen.

-"He's been on his scheduled that he's been following. No red flags. Everything has gone well." - Ray Shero on Sidney Crosby.

-The Penguins' home game against the Jets originally scheduled for Feb. 10 has now been pushed back to Feb. 11. (PG+)

-Dan Bylsma will take part in the NHL's research and development camp in Etobicoke, Ontario Aug. 17 and 18.

-Shero speaks:

-Tom Kuhnhackl speaks:

-Penguins forward Steve Sullivan seems to have found the beauty of his new home. Last night, he tweeted out this stunning view of the city:

Atlantic Division

-The Devils signed defenseman Adam Larsson, the fourth-overall pick in this year's draft, to a three-year entry-level contract.

-EN Says-Assuming Larsson acclimates himself to the Devils' system, he'll be a legit top-two defenseman for a decade.

-New Jersey signed former Thrashers forward/enforcer Eric Boulton (right) to a two-year contract. Financial terms were not reported. In 69 games last season, Boulton scored 10 points (six goals, four assists) and recorded 87 penalty minutes.

-EN Says: The Atlantic Division is pretty much an arms race in terms of enforcers. The Flyers and Islanders already had Jody Shelley and Trevor Gillies in place. The Penguins add Steve MacIntyre. The Rangers sign Mike Rupp. The Devils pick up Cam Janssen and now Boulton. If you like fights, you'll like the Atlantic Division.

-Rangers forward Brad Richards' Twitter account was "saved" by Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee. No, really.

Northeast Division

-The Canadiens acquired defenseman Mark Mitera from the Ducks in exchange for defenseman Mathieu Carle. Mitera was a first-round pick (No. 19 overall) in 2006 and has never played in the NHL. Carle was a second-rounder in 2006 (No. 53 overall) and has three games of NHL experience.

-Sabres goaltender Ryan Miller went to bat and defended the character of former teammate Tim Connolly, now of the rival Maple Leafs.

Southeast Division

-The Panthers signed defenseman Erik Gudbranson (right), the No. 3 overall pick in last season's draft, to a three-year entry-level contract.

-EN Says: Grudbranson is another player who can be a rock on the blue line for a decade for ths franchise.

-The Capitals re-signed restricted free agent defenseman Karl Alzner (right) to a two-year contract worth a total of $2.57 million. He will have a salary cap hit of $1.285 million. In 82 games last season, Alzner scored 12 points (two goals, 10 assists).

-EN Says: Alzner is a legit top four defender who can eventually develop into a top-two. Getting a defenseman who will give you 20-plus minutes in all sorts of situations for $1.285 million is a bargain.

-Washington re-signed minor league forward Francois Bouchard to a one-year contract. Financial terms were not reported.

-The Hurricanes re-signed defenseman Bobby Sanguinetti on a one-year, two-way contract.

-Carolina signed former Avalanche signed forward Chris Durno to a one-year, two-way contract.

-Former Penguins goaltender Mathieu Garon (right) is pretty excited to be a member of the Lightning.

-The Lightning re-signed minor league defenseman Scott Jackson to a one-year, two-way contract.

-The Jets hired former Rangers/Oilers/Stars assistant Charlie Huddy as an assistant coach. Huddy also played with the Oilers, Kings, Sabres and Blues.

-Winnipeg also hired former Blackhawks goaltending coach Wade Flaherty. He is a former goaltender with the Sharks, Islanders, Panthers and Predators.

Central Division

-Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane will be sidelined six to eight weeks after he suffered a broken wrist during offseason training according to the team.

-After deciding not to re-sign restricted free agent defenseman Chris Campoli, the Blackhawks signed former Blue Jackets defenseman Sami Lepisto to a one-year contract worth $750,000. In 70 games last season, Lepisto scored 16 games (four goals, 12 assists).

-EN Says: This is a curious move. The breakdown in negotiations with Campoli came down to money. But with the team unloading top two-defenseman Brian Campbell last month, you would think they would need a dependable defenseman like Campoli to pick up some of those minutes. Lepisto is fine as a No. 5 of 6 defenseman, but he's not someone you want on the ice for more than 20 minutes a game. Campoli is hardly a Norris Trophy candidate but he's better than Lepisto.

-Chicago re-signed forward Michael Frolik (right) to a three-year contract worth a total of $7 million. He will have a salary cap hit of $2.3 million. In 80 games last season, Frolik scored 38 points (11 goals, 27 assists).

-EN Says: This is a pretty big cap hit for a player who has been inconsistent throughout his career. Frolik has reached the 20-goal mark twice in his career with a bad Florida team but is extremely streaky.

-Blue Jackets general manager Scott Howson and agent Rollie Hedges, the representative for Columbus forward Maksim Mayorov each shot down reports Mayorov joined AK Bars Kazan of the KHL.

Northwest Division

-The Flames re-signed forward Brendan Morrison (right) to a one-year contract worth $850,000 with the potential for $400,000 in bonuses. In 66 games last season, Morrison scored 43 points (nine goals, 34 points).

-EN Says: If healthy, Morrison is a 50-point threat. But that's a big if. He's a 35-year-old with a 45-year-old body. This is a good contract for the Flames.

-The Oilers re-signed defenseman Taylor Chorney and forward Ryan O’Marra to a one-year contract. Financial terms were not reported.

-Wild coach Mike Yeo is taking a page out of his former boss Dan Bylsma's book and visiting some of his European players - captain Miikko Koivu and goaltender Niklas Backstrom - in their native Finland. Last summer, Bylsma visited Evgeni Malkin in Russia.

Pacific Division

-"But there's two ways to look at it - you can give up, say you're never gonna play again, look at it that way, or you can buckle in and work really hard and play well down there, and when you do get another chance take advantage of that." - Coyotes goaltender Mike Smith (right) on being demoted to the AHL several times by the Lightning last season.

-The Ducks re-signed restricted free agent forward Nick Bonino to a one-year two-way contract.

-Kings general manager Dean Lombardi is still pretty bitter about the Oilers trying to deal him damaged goods.

Adams Division

-Former Penguins/Kings defenseman Martin Strbak and former Islanders/Panthers defenseman Branislav Mezei have joined Lev Poprad of the KHL.

(Photos: Bennett-Peter Diana/Post-Gazette; Buloton-Jim McIsaac/Getty Images; Gudbranson-Rick Stewart/Getty Images; Alzner-Jeff Gross/Getty Images; Garon-Canadian Press; Frolik-Joel Auerbach/Getty Images; Morrison-Dale MacMillan/Getty Images; Smith-Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

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