Coyotes Sign Raffi Torres, Boyd Gordon, Mike Smith

The Phoenix Coyotes announced a trio of signings on July 1 by inking left wing Raffi Torres to a two-year contract worth $3.5 million, center Boyd Gordon to a two-year contract worth $2.65 million, and goaltender Mike Smith to a two-year contract worth $4 million. Torres will be paid $1.75 million per season, Gordon will get $1.325 million each season, and Smith will make $2 million per season. In 80 games last season with the Vancouver Canucks, Torres had 14 goals and 15 assists for 29 points and 78 penalty minutes. Gordon played in 60 games last season with the Washington Capitals, scoring three goals and six assists for nine points. In 22 games last season with the Tampa Bay Lightning, Smith posted a 13-6-1 record, one shutout, a 2.90 GAA, and a .899 save percentage. He missed 18 games with a knee injury. These aren't bad depth signings for the Coyotes, as all three players will bring plenty of depth to their respective positions. Torres brings some offensive skill to the team, as well as plenty of grit and toughness and some skill to the power play. He should be a good addition to the team. Gordon is a decent defensive forward who is excellent on the faceoff and is versatile enough to play on the wing. He doesn't have a lot of offensive ability and isn't a consistent scorer, so he will likely play on the third or fourth line next season. Smith brings plenty of veteran depth in goal, as well as lots of size, but is terribly inconsistent and prone to playing bad stretches of hockey. With Smith and Jason Labarbera set to be the goaltending tandem in Phoenix next season, the team is likely to struggle in goal given the consistency issues of both goalies.

Canucks Sign Raffi Torres to One-Year Contract

The Vancouver Canucks have added some toughness to their lineup by signing left wing Raffi Torres to a one-year contract worth $1 million. In 74 games last season with the Columbus Blue Jackets and Buffalo Sabres, he had 19 goals and 17 assists for 36 points and 34 penalty minutes. Not a bad signing for the Canucks, as Torres has some offensive skill, plays with lots of grit and toughness, and has some skill on the power play. He should be a decent third line forward for Vancouver.

Sabres Acquire Torres from Blue Jackets for Paetsch

The Buffalo Sabres announced today that they have acquired left wing Raffi Torres from the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for defenseman Nathan Paetsch and a second round draft pick. In 60 games this season with the Blue Jackets, Torres has 19 goals and 12 assists for 31 points and 32 penalty minutes. In 11 games this season with the Sabres, Paetsch has one goal and one assist for two points. Both players will be unrestricted free agents this summer. This is a good trade for the Sabres, as Torres has lots of offensive skill, plays with lots of grit and toughness, and has good skills on the power play. He should fit in very nicely with the Sabres. Paetsch was a frequent scratch this season with Buffalo and never really got a chance to land a regular role with the team. He should provide plenty of defensive depth for the Blue Jackets and could improve his play if he is able to land a regular role with the team.

Injuries Starting to Pile-up in NHL

With the NHL's 2008-09 season set to begin on October 4, a few teams are dealing with some long-term injuries to some star players. Here's a look at some of the players who will be sidelined for some time with injury:

Buffalo Sabres forward Paul Gaustad will be sidelined 3-4 four weeks after having thumb surgery on September 29. The Sabres will miss Gaustad's physical play and toughness, as well as his offensive depth, but will likely replace him with minor league talent until he returns from injury.

The Pittsburgh Penguins learned on Monday that Sergei Gonchar will miss 4-6 months after having surgery on his dislocated shoulder. The injury to Gonchar is a huge loss to the Penguins. Gonchar brings lots of offensive skills, veteran depth, and leadership to the team, especially on defense and the power play. The Penguins could be forced to find a defenseman on the trade market to replace Gonchar's skills. However, the Penguins could also elevate one of their existing defensemen to fill Gonchar's spot. Kris Letang is one possibility, as he has promising offensive skills.

The Columbus Blue Jackets lost forward Raffi Torres on Monday to a separated shoulder for the next six weeks. Torres injured his shoulder in a preseason game against the Chicago Blackhawks after he fell to the ice during a fight with Ben Eager. The injury to Torres is a costly one for the rebuilding Blue Jackets, as Torres brings lots of toughness, offensive depth, and goal-scoring talent to the team. The Blue Jackets could look to their minor league ranks to replace Torres, as he will miss a little over a month of hockey. If Torres ends up missing more than six weeks, the Blue Jackets could look to make a trade.

The St. Louis Blues have suffered another injury to their defense, as Jeff Woywitka is expected to miss one month with a broken foot. Woywitka suffered the injury after blocking a shot in a preseason game against the Atlanta Thrashers last Friday. The Blues are already without Erik Johnson, who suffered a possible season ending knee injury while golfing. The injury to Woywitka is not as costly to the Blues as the injury to Johnson, but the team will miss the defensive depth that Woywitka brings to the team. With two significant injuries to their defensive corps, the Blues could be forced to look to the remaining defensemen on the free agent market, or possibly the trade market, to add depth to their blueline. However, management's commitment to rebuild the team through youth could likely mean the Blues will replace Johnson and Woywitka with their own minor league talent.