Fringe Signings (Jul 2)

There were a lot of names tossed around late on Friday night and early on Saturday morning and one of those early names, linking player to team with term and cost was defenseman Karl Alzner and the Montreal Canadiens, as it was announced very early this morning that he agreed to a 5-year deal, worth $4.625 million per season.

Alzner, 28, is considered to be more of a shutdown defender, than an offensive option, did manage 3 goals and 13 points in all 82 games for the Capitals last season, not too far out of the range of the hockey pool sort.  He should be a great fit in Montreal.

First, the Blackhawks made the trade to bring Brandon Saad back to town, now they sign Patrick Sharp to a new deal, bringing him back into the fold, possibly for another big run.  The deal was confirmed to be a 1-year deal, $800,000, plus bonuses in a 35+ contract.

Sharp had a tough year in Dallas, only playing in 48 games and picking up 18 points, but a revival in Chicago should boost his stock somewhat and he could be a good find, later on in the draft, if everyone has forgotten about him, thanks to his poor 2017 season.

The Boston Bruins added veteran defenseman Paul Postma to their ranks on Saturday, signing him to a 1-year deal, reportedly worth $725,000. Postma finished 127th in defensemen scoring last season with the Jets, scoring 1 goal and 14 points in 65 games.

The Bruins blueline isn't looking too bad, especially with the way Brandon Carlo and Charlie McAvoy have come around for them.  Adding Postma should give them a pretty good option for a seventh defenseman, who can slide up the depth chart, when needed.

The Minnesota Wild were also in the market for a defenseman, as they have shifted a great deal of bodies in and out already this off-season. They were able to sign Kyle Quincey to a 1-year, $1.25 million deal on Saturday and then on Sunday, they were also able to re-sign restricted free agent defenseman Mike Reilly to a 2-year, $1.45 million deal.

Quincey was the better of the two offensively, scoring 6 goals and 15 points in Columbus last season, while Reilly had 1 goal in 17 games with the Wild last year.