2K Sports has announced that the highly anticipated hockey title NHL 2K9 has gone gold and is now ready for production on all the major video game systems, according to their official web site. NHL 2K9, developed by Visual Concepts, will be available on September 9 for Xbox 360, Wii, PLAYSTATION 3 system, and PlayStation 2 system.

Andrej Meszaros believes that he will start a new chapter in his life after signing with the Lightning, according to St. Petersburg Times. "I wanted a long-term deal, and Tampa Bay, they wanted to give it to me," Meszaros said by phone from his Slovakia. "I wanted to stay in Ottawa, but it didn't work out. Now I'm really excited to go to Tampa and play. I've got lots of respect for the Ottawa organization. I really appreciate Tampa Bay had interest in me. Now, it's a new chapter in my life. I'm going to do my best to play hard and try to win a Stanley Cup." Tampa Bay signed Meszaros to a six-year, $24-million deal on Saturday.

A day after being acquired from Ottawa, restricted free-agent defenseman Andrej Meszaros has signed a six-year deal with the Tampa Bay, according to TSN Canada. "The acquisition and signing of Andrej is a strong statement to our players and our fans that the Lightning ownership group is committed to putting the best product on the ice now and for years to come," said executive vice-president of hockey operations Brian Lawton in a statement. Meszaros made $984,200 last season, and is expected to have signed a deal that will pay him roughly $5 million per year. "I'm excited to be joining the Lightning," Meszaros said. "I'm extremely happy to be heading to Tampa Bay and I can't wait to take advantage of this opportunity. We should have a great team and I can not wait to get started."

The Tampa Bay Lightning have acquired restricted free agent defenseman Andrej Meszaros from the Ottawa Senators in exchange for defensemen Filip Kuba and Alexandre Picard as well as San Jose?s first-round pick in 2009 (previously acquired), executive vice president of hockey operations Brian Lawton announced. ?We are very excited to acquire the rights of Andrej Meszaros this evening,? said Lawton upon making the announcement. ?Andrej is a perfect fit within our plan to rebuild the Lightning into a contender. He has a strong all-around game, he competes, he moves the puck and he can handle big, strong forwards defensively. Perhaps most importantly, we?re pleased to add a 22-year old player with almost 250 NHL games already under his belt; we know Andrej will continue to grow and improve as he matures with the rest of our defense. ?We?d like to thank Filip Kuba and Alex Picard for their service to the Lightning. It?s hard letting go of players that we like, but as we all know you can?t get something for nothing. We needed to move assets in order to bring Andrej to the Lightning and we certainly feel we are a better, more competitive team because of this trade.?

The Columbus Blue Jackets have signed forward Maksim Mayorov to a standard three-year entry level contract, club General Manager Scott Howson announced today. Mayorov, 19, was Columbus? fifth pick, 94th overall, in the 2007 Entry Draft. The 6-foot-2, 187-pound native of Leninogorsk, Russia was the fourth-rated European skater in the final Central Scouting rankings heading into the 2007 draft. Last season, Mayorov played for Ak Bars Kazan in Russia and collected one goal and 16 penalty minutes in 11 games. He spent the previous season with Leninogorsk in the Russian Junior League, tallying six goals and four assists for 10 points and six penalty minutes in 28 games.

The Bruins added depth to their blue line, signing defensemen Mike Egener and Ryan Stokes to contracts on Thursday. Terms were not disclosed.

The Los Angeles Kings have agreed to terms on a three-year entry-level contract with defenseman Colten Teubert, the club?s first-round selection (13th overall) in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, Kings President/General Manager Dean Lombardi announced today. Per club policy, terms of the agreement were not announced. Teubert, 18, played in 66 regular season games this past season for Regina of the Western Hockey League (WHL) and recorded 23 points (7-16=23) and 135 penalty minutes. His 23 points ranked third among Regina defensemen. In six playoff games, the 6-4, 185-pound blue-liner from White Rock, British Columbia, had five points (1-4=5) and six penalty minutes. Teubert represented Canada at the 2008 IIHF World Under-18 Championships and was a member of Team Canada at the Under-18 Ivan Hlinka Memorial in August 2007. He also represented Team British Columbia at the 2007 Winter Games. Teubert recently took part in Canada?s National Junior Team Development camp and the Kings? annual Development Camp in El Segundo. The first overall selection in the 2005 Bantam Draft, Teubert played one more season at home in British Columbia, suiting up for the South West Hawks in the Major Midget League for the 2005-06 season, before joining Regina as a 16-year-old. Teubert was one of two Kings first-round selections in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. Defenseman Drew Doughty, the second overall selection, signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Kings earlier this month.

The Blackhawks have added some depth by signing centre Tim Brent to a one-year contract on Thursday, as reported by the Canadian Press. The Blackhawks acquired the 24-year-old from the Penguins in a trade last month.

Stars center Stu Barnes is retiring after 16 years in the NHL, according to an Associated Press report on Thursday. The Stars said that Barnes has agreed to a two-year contract to join Dave Tippett?s coaching staff as an assistant. The Stars also announced two-year contract extensions for associate coach Rick Wilson and assistant coach Mark Lamb to take them through the 2010-11 season.

The Sharks have invited left wing Jeff Friesen, their first-round pick in 1994, to training camp as a tryout, according to Mercury News. "He has a very good history here," General Manager Doug Wilson said, "and we look forward to him coming and being given the opportunity to play."