The Tampa Bay Lightning have signed C/LW Vaclav Prospal to a multi-year contract today, owners Oren Koules and Len Barrie announced. Tampa Bay acquired the rights to Prospal on June 18, 2008 in exchange for Nashville?s seventh-round pick (previously acquired), 196th overall, in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft and Tampa Bay?s fourth-round pick in 2009. ?We were very pleased to be able to announce last week that we had reached terms with Vinny Prospal to bring him back to Tampa,? Koules and Barrie said. ?With Vinny?s new contract signed and in hand we are now able to formalize the announcement today. We expect great things from Vinny in 2008-09 and beyond. He fits uniquely alongside Marty St. Louis and Vinny Lecavalier on our MVP line and the new ownership group is thrilled these three forwards will lead us into battle next season.? Prospal, a 6-foot-2, 198-pound native of Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic, played in 62 games with the Lightning last season and recorded 29 goals with 57 points. He was traded to Philadelphia on February 25, 2008 in exchange for Alexandre Picard. Through February 23, 2008 Prospal, Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis were the NHL?s second-highest scoring trio, as they accounted for 80 goals and 202 points. Prospal netted a career-high 33 goals and also had 38 assists in 80 games with Tampa Bay and the Flyers in 2007-08. After joining Philadelphia he recorded four goals and 14 points in 18 regular-season games. He also helped Philadelphia to the Eastern Conference Finals and recorded three goals with 13 points in 17 playoff games. The 33-year-old has played in 386 games in five seasons with the Lightning. He ranks sixth on the franchise goal list with 108, fourth in assists with 218 and tied for fifth in power-play goals with 37. He has also played in 22 career Stanley Cup Playoff games with Tampa Bay, recording five goals and eight points. Prospal will enter his 12th NHL season in 2008-09. This marks Prospal?s third time joining the Lightning. He was originally acquired from Florida in exchange for Ryan Johnson and a sixth-round choice in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft on July 10, 2001. He became a free agent on July 1, 2003 and was then re-acquired from Anaheim in exchange for a second-round pick in 2005 on August 16, 2004. Selected by Philadelphia in the third round (71st overall) at the 1993 NHL Entry Draft, Prospal played two seasons with MC Budejovice in the Czech Junior League before joining the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League in 1993-94 (named Hershey Rookie of the Year). In four AHL seasons with Hershey and the Philadelphia Phantoms, he recorded 74 goals and 226 points in 310 games, including a 32-goal, 95-point season with Philadelphia in 1996-97. Prospal played in the 1997 AHL All-Star Classic and was named to the AHL?s First All-Star Team that season. Prospal made his NHL debut with the Flyers in 1996-97, recording 15 points in 18 regular-season games and four points in five Stanley Cup Playoff games before injury forced him to miss the remainder of the Playoffs. He was traded by Philadelphia to Ottawa on January 17, 1998, and was sent to Florida by the Senators on January 20, 2001.

The Tampa Bay Lightning have signed left wing Gary Roberts to a one-year contract, owners Oren Koules and Len Barrie announced. Roberts was acquired along with Ryan Malone from Pittsburgh Saturday in exchange for a conditional draft pick in 2009. ?When meeting the media and our fans last week in Tampa we talked about not leaving Steven Stamkos alone,? owners Oren Koules and Len Barrie said. ?We talked about being aggressive at the start of the free agency signing period. We think Gary?s signing today represents a great first step for us. He brings the Lightning leadership, tenacity, grit, and experience, and he will be great for our young players, especially Steven. He will be tremendous for the locker room and his ability to play different roles at the forward position will be beneficial to the team next season.? A 20-year NHL veteran and former Stanley Cup Champion, Roberts played in 38 games with Pittsburgh last season. The three-time NHL All-Star recorded three goals and 15 points with 40 penalty minutes and also played in 11 Stanley Cup Playoff games recording two goals and four points. A 6-foot-2, 215-pound native of North York, Ontario, Roberts is a veteran of 1,194 career games with Calgary, Carolina, Toronto, Florida, and Pittsburgh. He has amassed 434 career goals, 903 points, 107 power play goals, and 51 game-winning goals. He has broken the 20-goal barrier in 16 of his 20 seasons, including two 30-goal seasons, two 40-goal seasons and a 50-goal season. Roberts, 42, has played in 130 career playoff games, recording 32 goals and 93 points. He recorded 12 points in 22 playoff games as he helped the Calgary Flames capture the 1989 Stanley Cup title.

The Tampa Bay Lightning have acquired defenseman Janne Niskala from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for a sixth-round choice in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, it was announced by owners Oren Koules and Len Barrie. Niskala, 26, was acquired by Philadelphia last week from Nashville for forward Triston Grant and a seventh-round pick in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. The 6-foot, 200-pound native of Vasteras, Sweden recorded 19 goals, 44 points and 81 penalty minutes in 80 regular season games for the Predators? American Hockey League affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals, this past season. He led Admirals defensemen in goals (19, second among AHL defensemen) and points (44, tied for 11th among AHL defensemen). Though born in Sweden, Niskala is a Finnish citizen and was the leading scorer among defensemen for bronze medal-winning Team Finland at the 2008 IIHF World Championships.

The Colorado Avalanche Hockey Club announced today that it has re-signed defenseman Adam Foote to a two-year contract through the 2009-10 season. ?Adam was a big part of our stretch run last season,? said Avalanche Executive Vice President & General Manager Francois Giguere. ?He has been an important leader for this franchise for many years and we?re counting on him to play the same role over the next two seasons.? Foote began last season with Columbus before being acquired by the Avalanche at the trade deadline. He appeared in 12 regular-season games with Colorado (0g/1a), with the Avs posting a 9-2-1 record in those games. He also skated in all 10 playoff contests. Foote played in a combined 75 games between the Avalanche and Blue Jackets last season, notching 16 points (1g/15a) and 107 penalty minutes.

New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that the club has signed goaltender Matt Zaba to a contract extension. Zaba, 24, appeared in 28 games with the Charlotte Checkers and Idaho Steelheads of the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) this past season, registering a record of 15-8-2, along with a 2.64 goals against average, .915 save percentage, and three shutouts. In 19 games with Idaho, he recorded a 12-4-1 record, along with a 2.19 goals against average, a .927 save percentage, and three shutouts following his loan from Charlotte on January 11. He posted a season-high, six-game winning streak from January 18 vs. Alaska to February 9 at Alaska. On February 5, he was named RBK Hockey ECHL Goaltender of the Week for the period ending February 3, posting a 2-0-0 record with a 0.50 goals against average, a .981 save percentage and one shutout. He notched his first professional shutout, stopping 29 shots, on February 2 at Phoenix. In nine appearences with Charlotte the netminder registered a 3-4-1 record with a 3.63 goals against average and a .891 save percentage. He made his professional debut on October 20 vs. Texas and notched his first professional win on October 23 vs. Augusta. In addition, Zaba appeared in two post-season contests for Idaho, recording a 0-1-1 record with a 2.79 goals against average and a .880 save percentage.

One day after acquiring the rights to negotiate, the Lightning have reportedly made Ryan Malone a major part of their future plans. Malone agreed to a seven-year, $31.5M deal with the Lightning on Sunday, according to a report from TSN of Canada.

The Los Angeles Kings have acquired forward Jarret Stoll and defenseman Matt Greene from the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky, Kings President/General Manager Dean Lombardi announced today. ?It?s never easy to give up a player of Lubo?s caliber, but for the direction of this franchise, this exchange allows us to add two players who fit the long-term vision for this team,? Lombardi said. ?We appreciate Lubo?s service and outstanding play these last seven years in Los Angeles. He was not only a great player for us, but a class act.? The Kings expect to host two conference calls tomorrow: one with Lombardi and one with the newly acquired players. Times for both phone calls will be made public on Monday morning. Stoll, who turned 26 on June 24, notched 36 points (14-22=36) and 74 penalty minutes in 81 games for Edmonton last season. Stoll also ranked second on the Oilers with eight power-play goals and led the team with three short-handed tallies, which was tied for eighth in the NHL. The 6-1, 210-pound native of Melville, Saskatchewan had 39 points (13-26=39) in 2006-07 and a career-high 68 points (22-46=68) during his rookie year in 2005-06. He also posted 10 points (4-6=10) and 24 penalty minutes in 24 playoff games in 2006 when Edmonton advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals before losing to Carolina. In 286 career NHL regular season games (all with the Oilers), Stoll has 165 points (59-106=165) and 238 penalty minutes. He has also represented Canada three times in International play, including twice in the IIHF World Junior Championships. Stoll won a bronze medal in 2001 and captained Canada to a silver medal in 2002. In addition, he won a gold medal with the Canadian Under-18 Team at the Four-Nations Cup in 1999. Stoll was originally selected by Calgary in the second round (46th overall) in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft. He re-entered the draft in 2002 and was selected by Edmonton in the second round (36th overall). Greene, 25, had one point (an assist) and 53 penalty minutes in 46 games for Edmonton last season. He missed 34 games (Nov. 2, 2007 to Jan. 15, 2008) due to an injury. The 6-3, 233-pound native of Grand Ledge, Mich. had 10 points (1-9=10) in 2006-07 and two points (0-2=2) during his rookie year in 2005-06. He also posted an assist and 34 penalty minutes in 18 postseason games in the 2006 Stanley Cup Playoffs. In 151 career NHL regular season games (all with the Oilers), Greene has 13 points (1-12=13) and 205 penalty minutes. In International play he most recently represented the United States at the 2008 World Championships, where he led the club with 38 penalty minutes. Green was also a member of Team USA at the 2003 World Junior Championships and played on the 2002 U.S. Junior Select Team at the Viking Cup. He also won a silver medal with Team USA at the 2000 Five-Nations Tournament. Greene was originally selected by the Oilers in the second round (44th overall) in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft. Visnovsky, 31, recorded 41 points (8-33=41) in 82 games for the Kings last season. He led Los Angeles with 22:59 time-on-ice average and was one of four Kings to play in all 82 games (Anze Kopitar, Michal Handzus and Patrick O?Sullivan were the others). The 5-10, 188-pound native of Topolcany, Slovakia registered 279 points (70-209=279) and 214 penalty minutes in 499 career NHL regular season games (all with the Kings). In addition, he set career highs with 18 goals in 2006-07 and 67 points in 2005-06, while leading all Kings defensemen in points the last three seasons. Visnovsky, who was a 2007 NHL All-Star, is only the fourth Kings defenseman to eclipse the 200-assist mark (joining Rob Blake, Mark Hardy and Steve Duchesne). He was originally selected by Los Angles in the fourth round (118th overall) in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft.

The Tampa Bay Lightning have acquired the rights to right wing Brian Rolston from the Minnesota Wild in exchange for a conditional 2009 or 2010 draft choice, owners Oren Koules and Len Barrie announced. "As we said earlier this week and we are trying to prove after making our deal with Pittsburgh yesterday, we will work feverishly to improve the Lightning team for the 2008-09 season," owners Oren Koules and Len Barrie said. "We believe getting the Lightning a head start in the negotiating and signing process can help us secure the players we are targeting. Nothing is guaranteed here, but we hope to have a chance to get another quality player in a Lightning uniform sooner rather than later." Rolston, 35, has skated in 977 career games with New Jersey, Colorado, Boston and Minnesota, tallying 286 goals, 634 points and 372 penalty minutes. A 6-foot-2, 214-pound native of Flint, Michigan, Rolston skated in 81 games with the Wild in 2007-08, tallying 31 goals, 59 points and 53 penalty minutes. Since signing with Minnesota as a free agent prior to 2005-06 Rolston has scored at least 30 goals in the past three seasons, while averaging 29 goals during the past six seasons. Originally drafted 11th overall by New Jersey in the 1991 NHL Entry Draft, Rolston played two seasons at Lake Superior State (winning a National Championship in 1991-92) before making his NHL debut with the Devils in 1994-95. He played parts of six seasons with New Jersey and part of a season with Colorado before joining Boston, where he set a then-career high with 31 goals and 62 points in 2001-02. He joined the Wild after four seasons with the Bruins and established new career bests with 34 goals, 45 assists and 79 points in 2005-06. The left-handed shooting winger often plays the point on the power play, and he has tallied 76 career power-play goals with 39 in the past three seasons. He also led the league in shorthanded points in 2001-02 (10) and 2002-03 (7). Rolston has represented the USA on many occasions, including the World Junior Championships (1991, 1992, 1993), the World Championships (1996), the World Cup (1997, 2005) and the Oylmpics (1994, 2002, 2006).

The Flyers on Sunday signed defenseman Steve Eminger to a one-year deal, as reported by Yahoo.com. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. The move comes one week after the the club acquired Eminger, 24, in a draft day trade with the Capitals.

Islanders backup goaltender Wade Dubielewicz will play in Russia next season, New York Newsday reported Sunday. Kurt Overhardt, Dubielewicz?s agent, told Newsday that his client has signed with AK Kazan of the new Russian Continental League, which is debuting this season.