Fringe Signings (July 15)

He probably should be better than a fringe defenseman, but Eric Gelinas was a healthy scratch for a number of games, missed some time to injury and illness, so his numbers were not quite pool worthy, but he's close.  Gelinas, 24, signed a 2-year deal, which carries a cap hit of $1.575 million per season, and given the depth on the New Jersey blueline heading into this season, he has a pretty good chance of getting that full-time job, but obviously, his play will dictate how far he goes with it.

Last year, he was good for 6 goals and 19 points in 61 games, ranking 97th among all defensemen in pool scoring.

It is a big deal in the NHL, but maybe not quite so much for us poolies, as defenseman Johnny Oduya has settled on Dallas for his new home, as the Stars have signed him to a 2-year deal, worth $7.5 million.

Oduya only scored 2 goals and 10 points in 76 games with the Blackhawks in the 2015 season, but he isn't quite known as an offensive force, as such.  Nevertheless, he should be able to pick up a few more minutes of ice-time with the Stars, so he might be able to increase his offensive output, even slightly.  I would think that the chances he's a pool defenseman in the 2016 are still low, but now you know he's in the Dallas Stars organization and you can project him accordingly.