Lightning Add Roy, Vernace, Moore, Re-Sign Mihalik

The Tampa Bay Lightning have announced that they have signed defensemen Mathieu Roy and Michael Vernace to one-year, two-way contracts and center Dominic Moore to a two-year contract. The team also announced that they have re-signed defenseman Vladimir Mihalik to a one-year, two-way contract. Moore, who is a hard worker on the ice, will bring plenty of two-way skill to the team's forward lines. Mihalik isn't a bad defensive depth signing, as he has tremendous size and strength and has the potential to become a shutdown defenseman. Roy and Vernace are really just depth signings for the Lightning and will likely spend most of next season in the minors.

Panthers Add Defenseman Roy from Columbus

The Florida Panthers announced today that they have acquired defenseman Mathieu Roy from the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for the rights to center Matt Rust. In 31 games with the Blue Jackets this season, Roy has 10 assists and 17 penalty minutes. Rust has yet to play in an NHL game. This is a relatively minor deal on Trade Deadline Day. Roy brings the Panthers lots of toughness and grit to their blueline, while Rust gives the Blue Jackets another talented young forward to help build around.

Blue Jackets Sign Defenseman Mathieu Roy to One-Year Deal

The Columbus Blue Jackets have announced that they have signed defenseman Mathieu Roy to a one-year, two-way contract. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Roy did not appear in any NHL games last season, instead playing in 59 games with the Oilers’ AHL affiliate in Springfield, scoring two goals and 15 assists for 17 points and 120 penalty minutes. He last played in the NHL during the 2007-08 season. Not a bad depth move for the Blue Jackets, as Roy is a big, tough defenseman who plays with lots of grit. However, he is not very mobile and does not have a lot of offensive potential, so he will likely be a sixth of seventh depth defenseman for the team next season when he’s not in the minors.