Canadiens Sign Chris Campoli to One-Year Contract

The Montreal Canadiens announced today that they have signed defenseman Chris Campoli to a one-year contract worth $1.75 million. He was a restricted free agent this past summer with the Chicago Blackhawks and was scheduled for an arbitration hearing on August 3. However, the Blackhawks were not interested in paying the arbitration award and the hearing was moved up, with Campoli being awarded a one-year, $2.5 million contract. The Blackhawks walked away from the award, making him an unrestricted free agent. In 77 games last season with the Ottawa Senators and Chicago Blackhawks, he had four goals and 17 assists for 21 points. This is an okay signing for the Canadiens, as Campoli will bring some offensive depth and puckmoving skill to the team's blueline. However, his defensive game is a bit lacking and he doesn't play with a lot of consistency, and more than likely, he will play as a sixth or seventh defenseman next season. With speculation that Andrei Markov may not be ready for the start of the 2011-12 season, Campoli will add sufficient depth until Markov makes his return to the lineup.

Blackhawks Acquire Chris Campoli from Senators for Ryan Potulny

The Chicago Blackhawks announced today that they have acquired defenseman Chris Campoli and a conditional seventh round pick in the 2011 Entry Draft from the Ottawa Senators in exchange for center Ryan Potulny and a conditional second round pick in the 2011 Entry Draft. Both players will be eligible for restricted free agency this summer. The conditional second round pick going to Ottawa will be Chicago's choice of three second picks they own in 2011. The seventh round pick going to Chicago is conditional on Potulny re-signing with Ottawa this summer. In 58 games this season with Ottawa, Campoli has three goals and 11 assists for 14 points. Potulny has appeared in three games this season with Chicago, scoring no points. He has also played in 58 games with Rockford of the AHL, scoring 18 goals and 23 assists for 41 points. Not a bad move for the Blackhawks, as Campoli will bring some puckmoving skill to the team's defense, which will help with the loss of Jordan Hendry to a lower body injury. However, it remains to be seen if Chicago will be able to retain Campoli beyond this season given their salary cap constraints. Potulny will bring the Senators a bottom-six forward and some offensive depth to a team that has seen a mass exodus of players over the past several weeks. The biggest part of this trade for Ottawa is the conditional second round pick, which can help them restock their team with youth.

Senators Re-Sign Peter Regin and Chris Campoli

The Ottawa Senators have announced that they have avoided arbitration with center Peter Regin and re-signed him to a two-year contract worth $2 million. The deal averages out to $1 million per season. The team announced that they have also avoided arbitration with defenseman Chris Campoli and re-signed him to a one-year contract worth $1.4 million. These aren't bad signing for the Senators, as both players give the team plenty of depth at their respected positions. Regin has plenty of scoring upside and has good offensive instincts, while Campoli is a mobile defenseman with plenty of offensive skill on the blueline. Both players should have fine years with Ottawa next season as they continue to develop.

Senators Acquire Comrie from Islanders

The Ottawa Senators announced on Friday that they have acquired center Mike Comrie and defenseman Chris Campoli from the New York Islanders in exchange for center Dean McAmmond and the San Jose Shark's 1st round pick in the 2009 draft. The Senators originally acquired the draft pick from Tampa Bay in the Andrej Meszaros trade, who had originally acquired the pick in the Dan Boyle trade. Comrie, who is returning to the Senators for the second time, has seven goals and 13 assists for 20 points in 41 games, while Campoli has played in 51 games, scoring six goals and 11 assists for 17 points. McAmmond has three goals and four assists for seven points in 44 games so far this season. Despite their place in the standings, the Senators look like they are not ready to be sellers just yet. Comrie brings Ottawa the top-six forward they've been seeking for most of the season, though with just 20 points this season, he is just another underachieving Senators forward who never lived up to his lofty expectations. Since the loss of defensemen Wade Redden to the New York Rangers via free agency and Andrej Meszaros via trade to the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Senators have been seeking a puck-moving defenseman and have gotten that in Campoli. He is very mobile and will be a good fit to the team's power play. As for McAmmond, he will bring veteran experience to the relatively young Islanders team. However, he has suffered several injuries over the past few seasons, and given his offensive decline, his contributions to the Islanders will probably be minimal. Despite giving up one of the quality defensemen on their paper-thin blueline, the Islanders could use the 1st round pick some time over the next few months to acquire a defenseman, or, could just use it to draft one this summer.