Fringe Signings (May 31)

Now that we're through the better part of the Pool Outlook posts and closing in on the Stanley Cup Finals, it's time to start piecing together the signing news, as it happens this Summer.  We'll have pool worthy signings, which will be a bigger deal and we'll have the fringe signings, which are names to have penciled in on your list, something to keep an eye on for next season.

We'll start with the Chicago Blackhawks signing on a World Championship standout, defenseman Michal Kempny, who was an undrafted free agent.  The 25-year old Czech defender had a pair of assists in the tournament and had a +7 rating for his tournament.  He had also just completed his first season in the KHL, where he had 21 points in 59 games for Omsk.  Getting a mature defender on an entry-level contract is an appealing circumstance for the Blackhawks, given their cap situations, but they have had good luck with this sort of thing in recent memory... Artemi Panarin comes to mind.