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On the Beat

On the Beat: Habs sign Mara and Bolts sign Niittymaki

What team beat writers are saying this afternoon:

  • Bob Murray likes the look of his Ducks team after a number of significant transactions.  As I’ve said here before, Bob Murray is quickly becoming one of my favorite GMs in the business.  Not much talk and lots of action.
  • A wrap up of Day 4 from Bruins development camp.  Joe Colborne could be the wild card of the bunch.  He’s got huge potential.
  • The Hurricanes have released their pre-season scheduleThe anticipation is building… Okay, okay, I’m kidding.
  • Sergei Zubov is open to signing in other places instead of just Dallas.  The Stars would be smart to get him signed.
  • The Panthers have signed Graham Mink to a contract.  AHL veteran who provides the organization with depth.
  • Paul Mara has signed a one-year deal with the Montreal Canadiens. While Mara never fulfilled his full potential, he can still move the puck well and stands up for his teammates.  The Habs could have done worse here for a 5/6 defenseman, so Gainey is probably happy.
  • The Devils have signed Yann DanisHe’ll play behind Brodeur, so he won’t see much ice-time but his numbers from the Island were respectable.
  • Seth Rorabaugh gives Penguins fans some information on the soon-to-be signed Jay McKee.  McKee is injury prone, but when he’s healthy he brings similar attributes to the table as Hal Gill did.
  • Antero Niittymaki has signed with Tampa Bay instead of the KHL.  He’ll play behind Mike Smith and has shown flashes of some solid goaltending ability.  However, if Smith goes down, I don’t think he’s capable of being the starter for a prolonged period of time.

Update: The Habs have also signed Travis Moen.