Kings Re-Sign Jarret Stoll and Colin Fraser

The Los Angeles Kings have locked-up two pieces of their Stanley Cup championship team by re-signing center Jarret Stoll to a three-year contract worth $9.75 million and center Colin Fraser to a two-year contract worth $1.65 million.  Stoll's deal will pay him $3.25 million per season, while Fraser will earn $825,000 per year.  Both players would have been unrestricted free agents on July 1.  In 78 games this past season, Stoll had six goals and 15 assists for 21 points.  He added two goals and three assists for five points in 20 playoff games.  Fraser appeared in 67 games, scoring two goals and six assists for eight points and 67 penalty minutes.  He added one goal and one assist in 18 playoff games.  These are excellent signings for the Kings, as both Stoll and Fraser are good role players on the team.  Stoll brings plenty of two-way ability and a great shot to the checking lines, as well as excellent skills on the faceoff.  Fraser plays with plenty of grit, toughness, and energy and has some defensive ability.  Look for both players to continue to play checking line roles with the Kings throughout the duration of their contracts.

Forward Ryan Smyth Returns to Edmonton

Ryan Smyth is on his way back to the Edmonton Oilers. The Los Angeles Kings announced on Sunday that they have traded Smyth to the Oilers for center Colin Fraser and a seventh round pick in the 2012 Entry Draft. The original agreement had Gilbert Brule and a fourth-round pick going to the Kings, but an injury to the 24-year-old forward kept them from sealing the deal. Sources claim the Kings intended to buy out the final year of Brule's contract, but the current collective bargaining agreement prohibits NHL teams from buying out injured players. Los Angeles was willing to trade Smyth to Edmonton for just a seventh-round pick, but the Oilers wanted to move a little salary and included Fraser in the deal. Smyth requested a trade last week to his former team, where he spent 12 seasons from 1994 to 2007. He has one more year remaining on his current contract. In all 82 games last season with the Kings, he had 23 goals and 24 assists for 47 points. Fraser appeared in 67 games last season with the Oilers, scoring three goals and two assists for five points and 60 penalty minutes. This is a decent move for the Oilers, as Smyth will bring lots of leadership to the young team. He also brings plenty of veteran, offensive depth and skill on the power play. Fraser will bring plenty of grit and toughness to the Kings' checking lines. In the end, this trade was mainly for Los Angeles to shed some salary after acquiring Mike Richards from the Philadelphia Flyers this past week, as well as satisfy Smyth's request to be traded back to Edmonton.

Oilers Sign Defenseman Foster, Re-Sign Fraser

The Edmonton Oilers have announced that they have signed defenseman Kurtis Foster to a two-year contract worth $3.6 million. The deal averages out to $1.8 million per season. The team has also announced that they have signed center Colin Fraser to a two-year contract worth $1.65 million, which averages out to $825,000 per season. He was acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks on June 24 in exchange for a sixth round pick in the 2010 Entry Draft. Not bad depth signings for the Oilers, as Foster brings lots of offensive skill to the blueline, while Fraser gives the team some grit and energy at center.

Blackhawks Trade Colin Fraser to Oilers

Less than a day after trading playoff hero Dustin Byfuglien to the Atlanta Thrashers, the Chicago Blackhawks have made another salary cap related move. The team has traded center Colin Fraser to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for a sixth round pick in the 2010 Entry Draft. He is eligible to become a restricted free agent on July 1. In 70 games last season with the Blackhawks, he had seven goals and 12 assists for 19 points. Not a bad acquisition for the Oilers, as Fraser has some offensive upside and is not a bad role player. He will likely center the the checking lines for the Oilers next season.

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.