Jets Sign Kyle Wellwood to One-Year Contract

The Winnipeg Jets have announced that they have signed center Kyle Wellwood to a one-year contract worth $700,000. In 35 games last season with the San Jose Sharks, he had five goals and eight assists for 13 points. He also added one goal and six assists for seven points in 18 playoff games. He also appeared in 25 games early in the 2010-11 campaign with Atlant Mytischi of the KHL, scoring five goals and three assists for eight points. Not a bad signing for the Jets, as Wellwood will add some offensive depth to the forward lines. He is a decent playmaker, but is somewhat inconsistent in his scoring. Look for him to play a checking line role with the Jets next season, and given his fine playoff performance with the Sharks this past season, he may be a good playoff performer for the Jets if they make it to the post-season.

Sharks Claim Kyle Wellwood Off Waivers from Blues

The San Jose Sharks announced today that they have claimed center Kyle Wellwood off waivers from the St. Louis Blues, just one day after he officially signed a one-year deal with the team. He had been released by Atlant Mytishchi of the KHL two weeks ago and had to pass through waivers in order to join the Blues. The Blues suffered a similar fate this past December when they attempted to sign forward Marek Svatos to a one-year deal. He was claimed off waivers by the Nashville Predators one day after signing with St. Louis. In 75 games last season with the Vancouver Canucks, Wellwood had 14 goals and 11 assists for for 25 points. In 338 career NHL games with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Vancouver Canucks, he has 63 goals and 97 assists for 160 points. He attended the Phoenix Coyotes' training camp this past September on a tryout basis, but was unsuccessful in making the team. This is an okay move for the Sharks, as Wellwood will add some offensive depth to the forward lines. He is a decent playmaker, but is somewhat inconsistent in his scoring, so perhaps he will be able to improve his skills a bit in San Jose and maybe provide a little spark to the team's struggling offense. As for the Blues, this is the second time they've been burned on the waiver wire in the last 30 days while trying to add offensive depth to their injury-depleted roster. At this point, it may be best for them to call up some players from the minors to help cover for their injuries.

Blues Sign Free Agent Forward Kyle Wellwood

The St. Louis Blues announced today that they have signed center Kyle Wellwood to a one-year contract. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. He was released by Atlant Mytishchi of the KHL last week and must clear waivers before he can join the Blues. In 75 games last season with the Vancouver Canucks, Wellwood had 14 goals and 11 assists for 25 points. In 338 career NHL games with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Vancouver Canucks, he has 63 goals and 97 assists for 160 points. He attended the Phoenix Coyotes' training camp this past September on a tryout basis, but was unsuccessful in making the team. This is an okay signing for the Blues, as Wellwood should add some offensive depth to their injury-depleted roster. He's an excellent playmaker, but has a reputation for being inconsistent in his scoring. He does have the skills to be a productive player offensively, so perhaps he will get a chance to improve those skills a bit in St. Louis.

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)