Senators Sign Zenon Konopka to One-Year Deal

The Ottawa Senators have announced that they have added some toughness to their lineup by signing center Zenon Konopka to a one-year contract worth $700,000. In all 82 games last season with the New York Islanders, he had two goals and seven assists for nine points and 307 penalty minutes. This is an okay signing for the Senators, as Konopka adds tons of grit and toughness to the checking lines and is always willing to drop the gloves and fight. However, he doesn't have a lot of offensive upside and takes lots of bad penalties, so he will likely be relegated to fourth line duties with limited ice time.

Islanders Sign Eaton, Jurcina, Konopka, Parenteau, Re-Sign Lawson

The New York Islanders made a slew of free agent signings today by signing defenseman Mark Eaton to a two-year contract, defenseman Milan Jurcina, center Zenon Konopka, and right wing Pierre Parenteau to one-year contracts. The Islanders also re-signed goaltender Nathan Lawson to a one-year, two-way contract. The financial terms of all five deals were not disclosed. These aren't bad signings for the Islanders, as they added depth to every area of their team. Eaton and Jurcina both bring plenty of defensive depth to the team, despite the fact the latter is sometimes a defensive liability as he turns over the puck too often. Konopka will add lots of grit and toughness to the checking lines, while Parenteau will add some offensive depth down the wing on the checking lines. Lawson will likely spend most of next season in the minors, so his signing won't have a lot of impact on the team.