Hossa moves on, Hawks busy, Malkin re-signs with Pens

LOS ANGELES, July 2, 2008 (AFP) - The Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings and playoff runners-up Pittsburgh Penguins both re-tooled their rosters on Thursday with a pair of key signings.

Veteran Marian Hossa left Pittsburgh to sign as a free agent with the Red Wings while the Penguins re-signed rising Russian star Evgeni Malkin to a five-year, multi-million dollar contract extension.

Detroit won the bidding war for Hossa who reportedly signed a one-year for 7.4 million dollars. Hossa was considered this summer´s top free agent and several National Hockey League clubs were wooing him before Detroit closed the deal.

Financial terms for Malkin were not disclosed, but the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported Malkin´s deal is worth an average of 8.7 million dollars a season.

The 29-year-old Hossa was dealt from the Atlanta Thrashers to the Eastern Conference champion Penguins at this year´s trade deadline. Along with superstar Sidney Crosby, Hossa helped the Penguins reach the Stanley Cup finals where they lost in six games to the Red Wings.

A two-time 40-goal scorer, Hossa joins a Red Wings club that already featured all-stars Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg, who both eclipsed the 90-point mark this past season.

"To me, he´s one of the top 15 forwards in the game," Detroit coach Mike Babcock said.

Hossa also had three goals and four assists in the Stanley Cup finals against the Red Wings, who claimed their fourth championship in 12 years.

The 21-year-old Malkin´s deal is patterned after Crosby´s five-year, 43.5 million dollar contract.

"The signing continues to ensure the young core of this team can stay intact for years to come," Pittsburgh general manager Ray Shero said.

The Chicago Blackhawks were one of the busiest teams during this free agent signing period, picking up defenceman Brian Campbell and goaltender Cristobal Huet.

Campbell signed an eight-year contract and Huet, of France, inked a four-year pact with the Blackhawks.

The Dallas Stars took a gamble on forward Sean Avery, signing one of the league´s most suspended players to a four-year deal worth close to four million dollars a season.