Minor Signings to Catch Up

We'll get started in Atlanta, where the Thrashers have added a little bit of depth to their blueline by signing unrestricted free agent defenseman Freddie Meyer.  Meyer has played the better part of the last three seasons with the New York Islanders and in 2010, he finished with 4 goals and 11 assists in 64 games for the Thrashers, which has him ranked 121st among blueliners on my pool list.  That is good enough to sit in the 4th spot among Atlanta defensemen, so he might just have a better season with a touch more ice-time.

Meyer's deal is a 1-year contract, worth $600,000.  The Thrashers are still looking to hit the salary cap floor for the 2011 season, but they still have some spots to fill yet.

The Blackhawks are in the middle of a search for players who will play for the league minimum... enter Fernando Pisani.  Pisani, a member of my injury prone list, is a decent checking winger, but his fragility has likely cost him some valuable negotiating points for new deals.  A healthy season with the Blackhawks could go a long ways into helping him out for a new deal.  In 2010, Pisani only played in 40 games, scoring 4 goals and adding 4 assists, numbers that don't really flatter the forward at all.  He could be a huge sleeper, if he could get back to his career-high of 37 points in a season.

Pisani's deal is a 1-year contract, worth $500,000.  The Blackhawks are still wrestling with the cap ceiling, but with trying to move Cristobel Huet out of town, they should be okay once the puck drops on October 7th.

The Panthers added a little bit more grit and depth to their forward ranks with the signing of Andrew Peters on Thursday.  Peters is a guy who doesn't play a great deal of games or minutes, but does play the policeman role quite well.  In 2010, Peters played in only 29 games for the Devils, not registering a single point, but picked up 93 minutes in penalties.  As you can plainly see, he isn't signed on to add punch to the offense, rather adding some punch to somebody's face.

Technically, Peters didn't play enough in 2010 to be considered an automatic roster player, but there is a good chance he'll be hanging around the locker room and with the big club.