Oilers Sign Cam Barker, Eric Belanger, and Corey Potter

The Edmonton Oilers announced on the first day of free agency that they have signed defensemen Cam Barker to a one-year contract worth $2.25 million and Corey Potter to a one-year, two-way contract, as well as center Eric Belanger to a three-year contract worth $5.25 million. His deal will average out to $1.75 million per season, while the financial terms of Potter's contract were not disclosed. Barker was signed as an unrestricted free agent after the Minnesota Wild bought out the final year of his contract. In 52 games last season with the Wild, he had one goal and four assists for five points, while Belanger had 13 goals and 27 assists for 40 points in all 82 games with the Phoenix Coyotes. Potter appeared in one games last season with the Pittsburgh Penguins, scoring no points. He also played in 75 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the AHL, scoring seven goals and 30 assists for 37 points. Barker isn't a bad signing for the Oilers, as he still has some offensive upside on defense. He also has some mobility and skill on the power play, although he lacks consistency. He was a huge disappointment in Minnesota and hopefully a change of scenery will help Barker get his career back on track. Belanger is a decent addition for Edmonton, as he will bring plenty of veteran skill to the team. He has good two-way skill, is decent on faceoffs, and plays a good defensive game, so he should be a decent third-line center for the team. Potter is really just a depth signing for the Oilers, as he will likely spend the majority of next season in the minors.

Wild Acquire Defenseman Barker from Blackhawks for Johnsson & Leddy

The Minnesota Wild announced today that they have acquired defenseman Cam Barker from the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for defensemen Kim Johnsson and Nick Leddy. In 51 games with the Blackhawks this season, Barker has four goals and 10 assists for 14 points. He recently missed five games with an upper body injury. Johnsson has appeared in 52 games with the Wild, scoring six goals and eight assists for 14 points. He missed seven games earlier in the season with an upper body injury. Leddy, who was the Wild's first round pick in the 2009 Entry Draft, has yet to play in an NHL game. Not a bad swap for both teams. The Wild get a very promising defenseman in Barker, as he has plenty of offensive skill, especially on the power play, and has lots of potential. Barker has struggled offensively for the Blackhawks this season, but given the signing of Brian Campbell in 2008 and the emergence of Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook, he was moved down to the third defensive pairing and not getting as much playing time as he should have. A change of scenery will likely do wonders for Barker, where he should be able to land a role as one of the top two defensemen in Minnesota over the next couple of seasons. Johnsson will bring plenty of experience and offensive depth to the Blackhawks' defense. He will likely just be a rental player for the playoffs, as the team won't have the salary cap space next season to be able to afford to re-sign him. Plus, by trading Barker, the Blackhawks have dumped some salary to help get under the salary cap for next season. In Leddy, the Blackhawks get a very promising, offensive blueliner for the future.

Blackhawks Re-Sign Six Players, Including Cam Barker

The Chicago Blackhawks responded quickly to a grievance filed by the NHLPA on Monday over their improper qualifications of their restricted free agents by signing right wing Troy Brouwer and goaltender Corey Crawford to two-year contracts, left wing Ben Eager, center Colin Fraser, and defenseman Aaron Johnson to one-year contracts worth $965,000, $700,000, and $550,000, respectively, and defenseman Cam Barker to a three year contract worth $9.25 million. Barker’s deal averages out to $3.083 million per season, while Brouwer’s contract was worth $2 million, averaging out to $1 million per season. The financial terms of Crawford’s deal were not announced. The NHL launched an investigation into the Blackhawks late last week over whether their restricted free agents received proper notification of their qualifying offers. The offers, which were mailed on June 29, weren’t received by some of the players until after July 1. The NHLPA has filed a grievance with the league stating that the qualifying offers should be invalid because they didn’t reach the players in time, thus making them unrestricted free agents. The Blackhawks have remedied this by quickly signing their restricted free agents to new contracts. In 68 games last season with the Blackhawks, Barker scored six goals and 34 assists for 40 points. Brouwer appeared in 69 games last season with the team, scoring 10 goals and 16 assists for 26 points. Eager played in 75 games last season with the team, scoring 11 goals and four assists for 15 points and 161 penalty minutes. Fraser appeared in 81 games with the Blackhawks last season, scoring six goals and 11 assists for 17 points and 55 penalty minutes. In 38 games in 2008-09 with the Blackhawks, Johnson scored three goals and five assists for eight points and 33 penalty minutes. Crawford did not play in any regular season games last season for the team.

Wise signings for Blackhawks GM Dale Tallon, as it’s obvious he did not want to take a chance at losing his young players to unrestricted free agency if the league sides with the players’ association. Barker is quickly developing into a very skilled offensive defenseman and will likely anchor the team’s blueline for years to come. Brouwer is quickly developing into a decent third line forward with his toughness and offensive abilities. Eager is a very physical forward who plays with lots of grit, making him a valuable asset to the Blackhawks’ checking lines. Fraser is another tough, physical forward for the team who will likely play next season on either the third or fourth line. Johnson is a very tough defenseman who plays very physical. He will likely be the Blackhawks’ sixth or seventh defenseman next season. Crawford is a very skilled goaltender who has the potential to become a starter one day for the Blackhawks. He will likely be the back-up for Cristobal Huet next season.