The Hurricanes on Thursday agreed to terms with defenseman Jamie McBain on a three-year deal, according to an Associated Press report. The deal will pay McBain an average of $600,000 per year at the NHL level and $62,500 in the minors. There is also a $255,000 signing bonus for McBain, picked by Carolina in the second round of the 2006 draft. McBain will join Carolina?s top minor league affiliate, Albany of the AHL, for the rest of the 2008-09 season.

New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that the club has agreed to terms with free agent forward Paul Crowder. Crowder, 24, skated in 35 games with the University of Alaska-Anchorage Seawolves of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) this season, registering 14 goals and 19 assists for 33 points, along with 44 penalty minutes. He established career highs in goals (14), assists (19), points (33), and penalty minutes (44). Crowder led the team in assists, points and shorthanded goals (two), tied for second on the club in goals and finished fourth in penalty minutes. In addition, the Victoria, British Columbia native tied for first on the Seawolves with six power play goals, two game-winning goals and a plus-11 rating. The 6-3, 202-pounder has skated in 107 career WCHA games with the University of Alaska-Anchorage Seawolves, recording 32 goals and 48 assists for 80 points, along with 80 penalty minutes. In 2006-07, he tied for the team lead in goals (11), ranked second in points (24) and tied for third in assists (13) as a first-year player. Prior to attending the University of Alaska-Anchorage, Crowder appeared in 119 British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) contests over three seasons with the Powell River Kings, Coquitlam Express and Burnaby Express, registering 36 goals and 83 assists for 119 points, along with 122 penalty minutes. He established BCHL career highs in games played (58), goals (19), assists (39), points (58), and penalty minutes (57) while skating with the Kings during the 2003-04 season. Crowder also recorded one goal and three assists for four points, along with two penalty minutes in seven BCHL playoff contests with Powell River in 2003-04.

The Hurricanes on Wednesday agreed to terms with goaltender Mike Murphy on a three-year, entry-level deal, as reported by Yahoo.com. The contract will pay Murphy $65,000 per year at the minor-league level and an average of $541,667 per year at the NHL level, including a $235,000 signing bonus.

The Canucks have extended the contract of forward Alex Burrows, agreeing to a four-year extension worth $8 million. "Alex plays with intensity and determination at both ends of the rink," said Canucks' general manager Mike Gillis. "He's a fierce competitor and a versatile player. We look forward to further growth and development in his game." Burrows had been involved in trade rumors prior to Tuesday's deal.

Defenseman Filip Kuba has been taken off the trading block, having agreed a new deal with the Senators. Kuba's deal is reportedly worth $11.1 million for three years, and also includes a no-trade clause.