NHL FREE AGENCY: Blackhawks sign Ward, Johnson a Penguin

NHL FREE AGENCY: Blackhawks sign Ward, Johnson a Penguin

The Chicago Blackhawks have signed goaltender Cam Ward, winger Chris Kunitz and defenseman Brandon Manning.
Ward and Kunitz each signed one-year deals. Ward’s agreement is worth US$3 million. Manning got a two-year deal.
In signing Ward, Chicago grabbed a veteran goalie on the first day of free agency after Corey Crawford missed most of last season with an upper-body injury.
The Blackhawks think Crawford will be ready for training camp, but upgrading their situation in net was one of their top priorities after missing the playoffs for the first time since the 2007-08 season.
Meanwhile, s person with direct knowledge of the move says the Philadelphia Flyers have signed left winger James van Riemsdyk to a US$35-million, five-year deal. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the deal had not been announced.
Van Riemsdyk is back with the team that picked him second overall behind Patrick Kane in the 2007 draft. Now 29, he scored a career-best 36 goals last season and had a career-best 62 points two years ago. He will count $7 million against the salary cap through 2022-23.
This is by far general manager Ron Hextall’s biggest free agent signing and Philadelphia’s richest since giving goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov $41.9 million on a nine-year deal in 2011. The 6-foot-3, 217-pound forward provides the Flyers with scoring punch on the power play and could be a long-term replacement for Wayne Simmons, who has one year left on his contract.
Veteran free-agent defenceman Jack Johnson has agreed to sign a five-year, $16.25-million deal with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
A person with direct knowledge of negotiations confirmed the agreement and terms of the contract to The Associated Press. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the deal cannot be announced until after the free-agency signing period opens at noon Sunday.
The 31-year-old Johnson spent the past six-plus seasons playing for the Columbus Blue Jackets, where he had 36 goals and 118 assists for 154 points in 445 games. He has 12 seasons of NHL experience after being selected by Carolina with the No. 3 pick in the 2005 draft. The Hurricanes then traded Johnson to Los Angeles the following year.
The Penguins are retooling their blue line after trading Matt Hunwick as part of the deal that also sent forward Conor Sheary to the Buffalo Sabres last week.
The Minnesota Wild are bringing in a couple of veterans forwards, agreeing to one-year deals with Matt Hendricks and Eric Fehr.
A person with direct knowledge of discussions tells The Associated Press the Wild agreed to a $700,000 contract with the 37-year-old Hendricks. A second person with direct knowledge of talks says the Wild have also agreed to a deal with Fehr.
The people spoke on condition of anonymity because the contracts cannot be signed until the free agent signing period opens later Sunday.
Hendricks gets a raise from the $650,000 he was making with the Winnipeg Jets. He had 13 points in 60 games last season is largely a fourth-line role. The 32-year-old Fehr finished last season with San Jose and had four points in 14 regular-season games.
The Buffalo Sabres have reached an agreement to sign free-agent goalie Carter Hutton to a three-year, $8.25 million contract.
A person with direct knowledge with negotiations confirmed the deal to The Associated Press. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because contracts cannot be announced until the NHL’s signing period opens later Sunday. FoxSportsMidwest.com first reported the deal.
The 32-year-old Hutton has six seasons of NHL experience, including the past two with the Blues, where he split starting duties with Jake Allen. He finished with a 17-7-3 record and a 2.09 goals-against average in 32 games last year.
The Sabres have needs at goalie after electing not to re-sign third-year starter Robin Lehner and veteran backup Chad Johnson.
Hutton would form a tandem with Linus Ullmark, who is pegged to make the jump to the NHL level on a full-time basis after spending the past three years developing in the minors.


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