Blue Jackets Sign James Wisniewski to Six-Year Contract

The Columbus Blue Jackets have announced that they have re-signed defenseman James Wisniewski to a six-year contract worth $33 million. The deal will average $5.5 million per season. His negotiating rights were acquired by the Blue Jackets on June 29 from the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for a conditional seventh round pick in the 2012 Entry Draft. The pick became a fifth-rounder since Columbus signed him to a contract. The Canadiens acquired Wisniewski last December from the New York Islanders in exchange for a second round pick in 2011 and a conditional fifth round pick in 2012. In 75 games last season with the Islanders and Canadiens, he had 10 goals and 41 assists for 51 points. This is a good signing for the Blue Jackets, as they were in need of some offensive depth on defense. Wisniewski has lots of offensive skill, is an excellent power play quarterback, and plays with plenty of toughness. He should be a good fit for Columbus throughout the duration of the contract.

Blue Jackets Acquire Negotiating Rights to James Wisniewski

The Columbus Blue Jackets announced today that they have acquired the negotiating rights to defenseman James Wisniewski from the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for a conditional seventh round pick in the 2012 Entry Draft. The pick will become a fifth-rounder if Columbus signs him to a contract. He is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. The Canadiens acquired Wisniewski last December from the New York Islanders in exchange for a second round pick in 2011 and a conditional fifth round pick in 2012. In 75 games last season with the Islanders and Canadiens, he had 10 goals and 41 assists for 51 points. Assuming the Blue Jackets can get Wisniewski signed to a contract, this is a good trade for the team, as they are in need of some offensive skill on defense. He has lots of offensive skill, is an excellent power play quarterback, and plays with plenty of toughness. Wisniewski should be a good fit for Columbus if they can get him signed.

Canadiens Acquire James Wisniewski from NY Islanders

The Montreal Canadiens announced today that they have acquired defenseman James Wisniewski from the New York Islanders in exchange for a second round pick in the 2011 Entry Draft and a conditional fifth round pick in the 2012 Entry Draft. The second round pick was a compensatory pick since the Canadiens did not sign former first round pick David Fisher. In 32 games so far this season, Wisniewski has three goals and 18 assists for 21 points and 18 penalty minutes. In 286 career NHL games with the Chicago Blackhawks, Anaheim Ducks, and New York Islanders, he has 20 goals and 98 assists for 118 points and 282 penalty minutes. This is a decent move for the Canadiens, as they will get a new power play quarterback on defense to fill the void left by Andrei Markov after he sustained a season-ending knee injury in November. Wisniewski will bring lots of skill to the power play and penalty kill, plenty of toughness, and some offensive skill to the blueline. He should be a good addition to the Canadiens' roster.

Ducks Re-Sign Wisniewski, Then Trade Him to NY Islanders

The Anaheim Ducks have announced that they have avoided arbitration with defenseman James Wisniewski and re-signed him to a one-year contract worth $3.25 million. Immediately after signing him, the Ducks traded Wisniewski to the New York Islanders in exchange for a conditional third round pick in the 2011 Entry Draft. In 69 games last season with Anaheim, he had three goals and 27 assists for 30 points and 56 penalty minutes. He missed three games last fall with a right shoulder injury and 10 games throughout the season because of separate suspensions. Not a bad move for the Islanders, as Wisniewski brings plenty of experience to their blueline. He also has some offensive upside and plays with some grit and toughness, making him a decent addition to New York's defense.

2010 NHL Arbitration

The following 32 NHL players have elected to file for salary arbitration this summer. July 5 was the deadline for players to elect salary arbitration. The hearings will be held from July 20 to August 4, with the specific dates to be determined by the NHL and NHLPA on Tuesday. If more players file for arbitration, I will add them to this list. Arbitrators are only allowed to hand out one to two year deals and their decisions must be made within 48 hours of the hearing. Teams then have 48 hours to accept or decline the arbitrator's decision. If a team has more than one player filing for arbitration, that team has 48 hours from their last player's hearing to decide if they want to accept or decline the arbitrator's decision. If a team declines an arbitrator's decision, the player becomes an unrestricted free agent. Players who have filed for arbitration cannot be given an offer sheet. The following players are still scheduled for arbitration:

Atlanta Thrashers
Clarke MacArthur - July 21, 2010 - Awarded one-year contract worth $2.4 million in arbitration (Thrashers walked away from the award, making him an unrestricted free agent)

Boston Bruins
Blake Wheeler - July 29, 2010 - Awarded one-year contract worth $2.2 million in arbitration (Bruins accepted the award)

Buffalo Sabres
Tim Kennedy - July 29, 2010 - Awarded one-year contract worth $1 million in arbitration (Sabres accepted the award, but later bought out his contract, making him an unrestricted free agent)

Chicago Blackhawks
Antti Niemi - July 31, 2010 - Awarded one-year contract worth $2.75 million in arbitration (Blackhawks walked away from the award, making him an unrestricted free agent)

Vancouver Canucks
Jannik Hansen - July 22, 2010 - Awarded one-year contract worth $825,000 in arbitration (Canucks accepted the award)


The following players have re-signed with their teams prior to their arbitration hearings:

Anaheim Ducks
James Wisniewski - 1 year, $3.25 million (7/30/10) (later traded to NY Islanders)

Atlanta Thrashers
Ben Eager - 1 year, $965,000 (7/28/10)
Andrew Ladd - 1 year, $2.35 million (7/29/10)

Boston Bruins
Greg Campbell - 2 years, undisclosed (7/15/10)

Buffalo Sabres
Patrick Kaleta - 2 years, $1.815 million (7/21/10)

Calgary Flames
Ian White - 1 year, $2,999,995 (7/30/10)

Columbus Blue Jackets
Jared Boll - 2 years, undisclosed (7/13/10)
Anton Stralman - 1 year, undisclosed (7/28/10)

Dallas Stars
Fabian Brunnstrom - 1 year, $675,000 (7/22/10)

Detroit Red Wings
Derek Meech - 1 year, undisclosed (7/15/10)

Edmonton Oilers
Gilbert Brule - 2 years, $3.7 million (7/27/10)
Jeff Deslauriers - 1 year, undisclosed (7/31/10)
Jean-Francois Jacques - 1 year, undisclosed (7/13/10)

Los Angeles Kings
Brad Richardson - 1 year, undisclosed (7/17/10)

New Jersey Devils
Mark Fraser - 1 year, $500,000 (7/28/10)

New York Islanders
Matt Moulson - 1 year, $2.45 million (7/27/10) (hat tip to TheMetalChick for mentioning this one)

New York Rangers
Dan Girardi - 4 years, $13.3 million (7/9/10)

Ottawa Senators
Chris Campoli - 1 year, $1.4 million (7/30/10)
Peter Regin - 2 years, $2 million (7/29/10)

Philadelphia Flyers
Daniel Carcillo - 1 year, undisclosed (7/13/10)

St. Louis Blues
Cam Janssen - 1 year, undisclosed (7/6/10)

Tampa Bay Lightning
Nate Thompson - 1 year, undisclosed (7/16/10)

Vancouver Canucks
Tanner Glass - 1 year, undisclosed (7/9/10)
Mason Raymond - 2 years, $5.1 million (7/26/10)

Washington Capitals
Eric Fehr - 2 years, $4.4 million (7/8/10)
Tomas Fleischmann - 1 year, $2.6 million (7/27/10)
Jeff Schultz - 4 years, $11 million (7/7/10)

2009 NHL Arbitration

The following 20 NHL players have elected to file for salary arbitration this summer. The arbitration hearing begin on July 20 in Toronto and run until July 31. Arbitrators are only allowed to hand out one to two year deals and their decisions must be made within 48 hours of the hearing. Teams then have 48 hours to accept or decline the arbitrator's decision. If a team has more than one player filing for arbitration, that team has 48 hours from their last player's hearing to decide if they want to accept or decline the arbitrator's decision. If a team declines an arbitrator's decision, the player becomes an unrestricted free agent. The following players are still scheduled for arbitration:

Detroit Red Wings
Jiri Hudler - July 30

New York Rangers
Nikolai Zherdev - July 31

Phoenix Coyotes
Daniel Winnik - Awarded one-year contract in arbitration (no terms disclosed)

Vancouver Canucks
Kyle Wellwood - Awarded one-year contract worth $1.2 million in arbitration

Washington Capitals
Milan Jurcina - Awarded one-year contract worth $1.375 million in arbitration


The following players have re-signed with their teams prior to their arbitration hearings:

Anaheim Ducks
James Wisniewski - 1 year, $2.75 million (7/13)

Atlanta Thrashers
Colby Armstrong - 2 years, $2.4 million (7/16)

Boston Bruins
Matt Hunwick - 2 years, $2.9 million (7/20)

Buffalo Sabres
Clarke McArthur - 1 year, $552,500 (7/20)

Calgary Flames
Nigel Dawes - 2 years, $1.7 million (7/20)

Carolina Hurricanes
Tuomo Ruutu - 3 years, $11.4 million (7/23)

Chicago Blackhawks
Aaron Johnson - 1 year, undisclosed (7/6)

Columbus Blue Jackets
Marc Methot - 2 years, undisclosed (7/22)

Edmonton Oilers
Denis Grebeshkov - 1 year, $3.15 million (7/21)

Minnesota Wild
Kyle Brodziak - 3 years, undisclosed (7/23)
Josh Harding - 1 year, $1.1 million (7/29)

Montreal Canadiens
Tomas Plekanec - 1 year, $2.75 million (7/21)

New Jersey Devils
Travis Zajac - 4 years, $15.55 million (7/22)

New York Islanders
Nate Thompson - 1 year, two-way contract, undisclosed (7/25)

New York Rangers
Ryan Callahan - 2 years, $4.6 million (7/13)

Tampa Bay Lightning
Matt Smaby - 2 years, $1.05 million (7/26)

Ducks Re-Sign Defenseman Wisniewski to One-Year Contract

The Anaheim Ducks announced last Monday that they have re-signed defenseman James Wisniewski to a one-year contract worth $2.75 million, thus avoiding salary arbitration with the young defenseman. Wisniewski was one of 20 players who had filed for arbitration earlier in July. He started last season with the Chicago Blackhawks before being traded to the Anaheim Ducks at the 2009 trade deadline with forward Petri Kontiola in exchange for center Sami Pahlsson, defenseman Logan Stephanson, and a conditional fourth round pick in the 2009 Entry Draft. In 48 games with the Ducks and Blackhawks, he scored three goals and 21 assists for 24 points. Wisniewski missed the first 28 games of the 2008-09 season recovering from right knee surgery. In 185 career games with the Ducks and Blackhawks, he has 14 goals and 53 assists for 67 points and 208 penalty minutes. This is a good signing for the Ducks, as Wisniewski has lots of potential to become a top-four defenseman in the league. He has great offensive skill on the blueline, especially on the power play, and plays with lots of grit and toughness. Hopefully the Ducks can get him locked up long term next summer, as he could end up being a decent replacement for the recently traded Chris Pronger.

Blackhawks Acquire Pahlsson from Ducks

The Chicago Blackhawks added some offensive depth to their team on Wednesday by acquiring center Sami Pahlsson from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for defenseman James Wisniewski and an undisclosed draft pick. However, Pahlsson is currently on injured reserve with an abdominal strain and a viral infection. In 52 games this season with the Ducks, he has five goals and 10 assists for 15 points. Wisniewski has been limited to 31 games this season after undergoing knee surgery in September. He has two goals and 11 assists for 13 points and 14 penalty minutes. The Blackhawks were rumored to be seeking offensive depth leading up to the deadline and got that in Pahlsson. He brings plenty of decent two-way skills and veteran experience to the team. Wisniewski gives the Ducks another young defenseman from which to build with. He will bring plenty of toughness to the Ducks' blueline.

***UPDATE***
Details of this trade were a bit sketchy after it was made, but later on Wednesday night the NHL announced that Chicago also acquired prospect defenseman Logan Stephenson in the deal, while Anaheim acquired prospect center Petri Kontiola.