Panthers Sign Sean Bergenheim and Nolan Yonkman

The Florida Panthers continued to re-vamp their roster on the first day of free agency by signing left wing Sean Bergenheim to a four-year contract worth $11 million and defenseman Nolan Yonkman to a two-year contract. The financial terms of his deal were not disclosed, while Bergenheim's deal will average out to $2.75 million per season. In 80 games last season with the Tampa Bay Lightning, Bergenheim had 14 goals and 15 assists for 29 points. He added nine goals and two assists for 11 points in 16 playoff games. In 16 games last season with the Phoenix Coyotes, Yonkman had one assist and 39 penalty minutes. He also appeared in 56 games with San Antonio of the AHL, scoring one goal and four assists for five points and 104 penalty minutes. Bergenheim isn't a bad signing for the Panthers, as he will bring plenty of two-way skill and good skating to the wing despite being a bit inconsistent in his scoring. Yonkman is just a depth signing and will likely spend much of next season in the minors. If he sees any time with the Panthers, he will bring lots of grit and physical play to the blueline as a sixth or seventh defenseman.

Coyotes Sign Ebbett, Climie, Yonkman, Stafford

The Phoenix Coyotes have announced that they have signed center Andrew Ebbett to a one-year contract and also signed goaltender Matt Climie and defensemen Nolan Yonkman and Garrett Stafford to contracts for the 2010-11 season. The financial terms of Ebbett's deal were not disclosed. The exact length and financial terms of the other contracts were not disclosed. Not a bad depth signing in Ebbett, as he has plenty of speed and could become an okay scorer at the NHL level. The Climie, Yonkman, and Stafford signings are nothing more than depth signings, as all three players will likely spend most of next season in the minors.

Predators Re-Sign Defenseman Yonkman to One-Year Deal

The Nashville Predators have announced that they have re-signed defenseman Nolan Yonkman to a one-year, two-way contract. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Yonkman did not appear in any NHL games last season, instead playing in 61 games for the Predators’ AHL affiliate in Milwaukee. He scored three goals and seven assists for 10 points and 80 penalty minutes. Yonkman last appeared in the NHL with the Washington Capitals during the 2005-06 season. This is nothing more than a depth signing for the Predators’ and their AHL team. Yonkman is a very physical defenseman, but the fact that he hasn’t played in the NHL in four years will likely keep him in the minors all of next season.