whicker

What team beat writers are saying this afternoon: Mark Whicker of the Orange County Register speaks highly of the almost former Ducks defenseman Francois Beauchemin. His invitation to the Team Canada orientation camp speaks volumes. It sounds like this will be Mark Recchi's last season. Boston is a good place to end your career, but Recchi is in such great physical condition that it wouldn't surprise me to see him return after next season. Adrian Dater is happy to see Tyler Arnason leave the Rockies. As I just Twittered, did the Rangers not scout an Avalanche game last season? The Wild has signed Shane Hnidy to a one-year deal. He's a tough depth defenseman that is good in the room. Nothing wrong with that. The Devils apparently want to add a second-line center. As the article states, it may very well be through trade. Along with signing Tyler Arnason to a two-way deal, the Rangers inked two minor league scorers. These guys will play in Hartford unless lots of injuries hit. Even though he didn't get an invite to the orientation camp, Jason Spezza can still make Team Canada. I was discussing this with someone earlier this morning. If Spezza dominates the NHL for the first 25 games next season, he could crack the team. The Penguins have re-signed Ruslan Fedotenko for one-year, $1.8 million. He meshes well with Evgeni Malkin and is a two-time Stanley Cup winner. Good deal for both sides. Jeremy Rutherford jumps the gun and projects the Blues' lines for next season. I'll say this now; the Blues are the next model organization in hockey. They will be Red Wings-like in the next couple years. Brian Lawton is the man in charge of hockey decisions in Tampa Bay. I don't love the Ohlund deal like everyone else seems to, but this summer has been a lot better than last for Tampa Bay. Mikael Samuelsson has signed with Vancouver for 3 years at $7.5 million. Admission: I'm not the biggest Samuelsson fan. That said, he is a good skater, shoots well, and can quarterback the power play. I just hope Canucks fans don't have heightened expectations of his capabilities because they are more limited than some may think.

On the Beat: Afternoon signings

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