ARLINGTON, Va. -- The Washington Capitals signed free-agent center Keith Aucoin to a two-year contract Thursday.
The 29-year-old Aucoin split last season between the Carolina Hurricanes and the AHL's Albany River Rats. He played 38 games for Carolina, scoring five goals with eight assists.
Aucoin played college hockey at Norwich, where he became the school's career leader in goals (114) and assists (124). Full story
Blues keep Stastny for next two seasons
ST. LOUIS -- Forward Yan Stastny signed a two-year contract to stay with the St. Louis Blues.
The 25-year-old Stastny is the son of Hall of Famer Peter Stastny. He played in 12 games last year and had one goal and one assist.
Stastny was an eighth-round pick by the Bruins in the 2002 draft. His father concluded his career with the Blues and they're the second father-son combination to play for the franchise.
Avalanche sign Tjarnqvist, minor leaguer Durno
DENVER -- The Colorado Avalanche signed free-agent defenseman Daniel Tjarnqvist to a one-year contract.
The 31-year-old Swede played last season in Russia. In 315 NHL games with Atlanta, Minnesota and Edmonton, he has 16 goals and 80 assists.
The Avalanche also signed forward Chris Durno. He spent the last three seasons in the AHL.
Habs send Grabovski to Leafs in rare trade between teams
MONTREAL -- The rival Canadiens and Maple Leafs made a rare trade with Montreal sending forward Mikhail Grabovski to Toronto for prospect Greg Pateryn and a second-round draft pick in 2010.
Grabovski had three goals and six assists in 27 games for the Canadiens the past two seasons.
Pateryn, a fifth-round pick in last month's NHL Draft by Toronto, played in the United States Hockey League last season. He led Ohio Jr. Blue Jackets defensemen with 27 points (3 goals, 24 assists) in 60 games. Pateryn will play for the University of Michigan for the 2008-09 season.
Also, Montreal signed defenseman Alex Henry and goalie Cedrick Desjardins to minor-league deals.
Hale signs two-year deal with Coyotes
GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Defenseman David Hale signed a two-year contract with the Phoenix Coyotes after spending last season with the Calgary Flames.
Hale had two assists and 46 penalty minutes in 58 regular-season games last season. He also appeared in six playoff games with the Flames.
The 27-year-old Hale has 11 assists and 175 penalty minutes in 215 career NHL games with New Jersey and Calgary.
Panthers add four players to roster
SUNRISE, Fla. -- The Florida Panthers signed defenseman Rory Fitzpatrick and James DeLory, forward Steve MacIntyre and goalie Chris Beckford-Tseu.
Fitzpatrick, MacIntyre and Beckford-Tseu signed two-year deals. DeLory signed a three-year entry level contract.
In his 10 years in the NHL, Fitzpatrick, 33, has played for six teams. Last season, he only played in 19 games for Philadelphia before the Flyers waived him January 1.
Beckford-Tseu, 24, played in 34 games in the American Hockey League last season, going 15-14-2 for Peoria with a .889 save percentage.
