Blue Jackets Add Sanford, Drazenovic, Joudrey, Dekanich

The Columbus Blue Jackets announced a slew of signings on the first day of free agency by inking goaltenders Curtis Sanford and Mark Dekanich to one-year contracts and centers Nicholas Drazenovic and Andrew Joudrey to one-year, two-way contracts. Sanford's deal will pay him $600,000, while the financial terms of the other three contracts were not disclosed. In 40 games last season with Hamilton of the AHL, Sanford posted a 22-13-2 record, five shutouts, a 1.93 GAA, and a .916 save percentage, while Dekanich posted a 23-12-5 record, four shutouts, a 2.02 GAA, and a .931 save percentage in 43 games with Milwaukee of the AHL. He also appeared in one game with the Nashville Predators, allowing three goals and posting a 3.60 GAA and .880 save percentage. Drazenovic played in three games with the St. Louis Blues last season, scoring no points. He also appeared in 75 games with Peoria of the AHL, scoring 23 goals and 23 assists for 46 points. In 66 games last season with Hershey of the AHL, Joudrey had seven goals and seven assists for 14 points. He has yet to appear in an NHL game. These are really just depth signings for the Blue Jackets, as all four players will likely play much of next season in the minors. Although, Sanford and Dekanich could battle for the backup role in Columbus next season at training camp in September if a more capable backup netminder isn't signed by then.

***UPDATE***
Andrew Joudrey's contract is actually a two-year, two-way contract. The deal will pay him $575,000 at the NHL level and $115,000 at the AHL level for the 2011-12 season and $600,000 at the NHL level and $125,000 at the AHL level for the 2012-13 season.

Predators Re-Sign Hornqvist and Dekanich

The Nashville Predators have announced that they have re-signed right wing Patric Hornqvist to a three-year contract worth $9.25 million and goaltender Mark Dekanich to a one-year, two-way contract worth $550,000. Hornqvist's deal averages out to $3.083 million per season. In 80 games last season with the Predators, he had 30 goals and 21 assists for 51 points. The Hornqvist signing is a good one for the Predators, as he is a very promising young forward who will look to improve even more next season. He has lots of offensive upside and is a very shifty player, making him a very effective top-six forward for the team. Dekanich isn't a bad signing for the Predators, as he has good size and the potential to become a backup goaltender at the NHL level. With no other goaltender set to back up Pekka Rinne next season, Dekanich could become the likely candidate to fill that role, although he will likely have some competition at training camp unless the team signs a more experienced backup goaltender between now and the start of the regular season.