Brandon Yip has agreed to a 2-year, $1.45 million contract The Denver Post has learned. Look for a season in the 40-point range for the energy player.

Dmitry Chesnokov says that Nik Zherdev to the Flyers is a done deal. I’ll put up an analysis on that shortly.

Joe Corvo has signed a two-year deal with the Hurricanes. I’ll get on an analysis of that signing as well.

The Pens have signed d-man Andrew Hutchinson to a two-way deal. So if Letang, Goligoski and Martin all collide on the ice and break their legs, Hutchinson should then be on your fantasy radar.

Call the Evgeni Nabokov signing in the KHL official. We’ve seen the last of him in the NHL. Too many decent goalies and not enough starting jobs, so the fading star goalies overrate their market value and then miss out. I’m sure there were several million bucks out there for him in Philadelphia or San Jose, but he wanted more. So those keeper league owners who have Nabokov, you just lost your top goaltender for nothing.

Jeff Schultz has signed a four-year deal with the Caps for $11 million.

Patrick Eaves has signed for one year with Detroit for $750,000. I see this and I think “man, did Nashville ever get a deal with Sergei Kostitsyn at $525,000”. Eaves gets hurt for 25 games, scratched for five games, and teases with his potential for the other 50.

Rumors I’m seeing in Twitterland – Kovalchuk is back talking to the Kings (he went back to them, according to Pierre Lebrun), Nik Zherdev will sign with the Flyers, and Evgeni Nabokov has signed a four-year deal with SKA in the KHL.

The Sabres have signed Rob Niedermayer to a one-year deal.

My THN article yesterday on five UFA signings that I like and will be watching.

To answer a couple of comments below – I don’t believe that Brian Burke is at all interested in Nikita Filatov. Burke is trying to get bigger and grittier, and Filatov is the opposite of that. As for Sergei Kostitsyn vs. Patrick O’Sullivan – I think that is a move that you could make and would not be unreasonable. I, however, wouldn’t do that. I think that at worst O’Sullivan will get 40 points somewhere. At best, he’ll get 65 or more if he signs with Pittsburgh and flourishes. In Nashville, SK has no such upside. And the Preds have no top six. They have a top nine that they juggle around all season long. So SK will get 45 to 55 points, right in that range. If Trotz ever took them off the leash, there are a few Preds who could really post big numbers, but he never seems to want to.

The Panthers have signed Nathan Paetsch to a one-year deal and I think he may actually see some ice this time. Paetsch has been a disappointment for three  years now, but has a bit of upside.

Ben Walter has signed with the Avalanche (cough cough – minors)

It was nice of Ilya Kovalchuk to delay his signing another day. Man, I was weak as a kitten all day Tuesday, hiding under a blanket shivering. Thus, the lack of updates in the afternoon. The fever broke Tuesday night so we’re back in business. But I was a write-off, I slept 24 of the last 36 hours!

The Flames signed Ryan Stone, who had a breakthrough with the Oilers last year before getting hurt. He’ll slide into Eric Nystrom’s spot nicely. I didn’t know he was a free agent, to be honest – one of those years/minimum games loopholes.

Sergei Kostitsyn signed a one-year deal with the Preds for a little more than the minimum. That puts to rest any KHL rumors. SK has a ton of talent, but needs to put it all together.

The Thrashers have signed Eric Boulton to a one-year deal.

Boyd Gordon signed a one-year deal with the Caps.

As expected, the Rangers have signed Ryan McDonagh to an entry level contract. I think he’ll make the team, I really do.

The Blues are going all in with Jaroslav Halak, signing him to a four-year deal worth $15 million. It will probably turn out to be a great signing, but man what a risk. A lot of money for a goaltender with so few games under his belt. It will be interesting to see what Carey Price signs for.

Tampa Bay has re-signed Mike Lundin and Teddy Purcell. Purcell is a bit of a wild card, as he could get a look (again) on Vinnie Lecavalier’s line. I wouldn’t count on more than 35 points, but at the same time wouldn’t rule him out of shocking us all.

The Red Wings have re-signed Drew Miller to a contract. He’ll man their third line next season.

An interesting note by Aaron Portzline in his Puck Rakers blog on Nikita Filatov, it’s short enough that I’ll just paste it in its entirety here:
Blue Jackets development coach Tyler Wright is on a plane from New York to Moscow as of this writing (2 p.m., Tuesday). After spending four days with former first-round pick Nikita Filatov plans to return Sunday. Wright, who typically loves the camera and microphone, has been oddly tight-lipped about his trip to see Filatov. Today, he declined comment to The Dispatch until after he returns from the trip. Blue Jackets GM Scott Howson said Wright’s trip is more about measuring Filatov’s fitness and reiterating expectations in advance of training camp. “We haven’t sat down with Nikita and talked since the World Juniors (in early January),” Howson said. “We just wanted to go over and reach out to him, find out how his training is going, let him know where we stand on him coming to training camp, and relay the expectations of our new coaching staff. “From everything we know, he’s excited about coming. But Tyler will get to spend quality time with him, train with him, and talk to him for four or five days.

Mike Modano continues to be wooed by the Red Wings. I think he’ll sign there for a good price, but to get on a scoring line would take an injury to their current top six.

The Wings signed Joey McDonald, who stands to be their No.3 goalie.

Buffalo has signed prospect Corey Tropp to a three-year ELC. He’ll leave Michigan State early and get in some AHL time. He’s ranked 134 on my prospects list, but slipped a little with the influx of 2010 draftees – and now bounces back up again with this news (so net result will be close to a wash).