Hall of Fame coach Scotty Bowman is joining the Blackhawks as a adviser for hockey operations, as reported by the Associated Press on Thursday. A special consultant with the Red Wings since retiring from coaching following the 2002 season, the 74-year-old Bowman signed a three-year deal with Chicago.

The Predators have signed center Jerred Smithson to a two-year, $1.4M contract extension through 2011, as reported by the Associated Press on Thursday. The deal will pay the forward $725,000 in 2009-10 and $750,000 in 2010-11.

The Senators re-signed left wing Antoine Vermette to a two-year deal on Thursday. Financial terms were not disclosed.

The Hurricanes have signed left wing Drayson Bowman to a three-year entry-level deal worth $2.06M, as reported by Yahoo.com on Wednesday.

The Columbus Blue Jackets agreed to a $11.4M, three-year deal with their No. 1 goalie, Pascal Leclaire, on Wednesday, as reported by the Canadian Press.

The Red Wings on Wednesday signed 24-year-old free agent center Valtteri Filppula to a five-year deal. Financial terms were not disclosed, but TSN of Canada reported that the deal is worth $15M.

The Senators on Tuesday signed center Josh Hennessy to a two-year, two-way contract, as reported by Yahoo.com. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The Tampa Bay Lightning have signed center Steven Stamkos to a three-year, entry-level contract today, vice president of hockey operations Brian Lawton announced today at a press conference at Bear Mountain Resort in Victoria, British Columbia. Stamkos is currently attending the Lightning?s prospect camp in Victoria. ?It is with great pleasure that we formally announce the signing of Steven today,? Lawton said. ?It is obvious to all of our staff in a brief period of time that Steven is a very special young man with great potential. His work ethic and eagerness to learn have been very impressive. We believe with our veteran leadership that Tampa Bay is the perfect scenario for Steven to grow and mature as a player and person on and off the ice.? Stamkos, a 6-foot-1, 196-pound native of Markham, Ontario, was rated as the consensus top overall pick in this year?s draft and was subsequently selected first overall by Tampa Bay. Stamkos ranked second in the Ontario Hockey League last season with 58 goals and fifth in points with 197 in 61 games with the Sarnia Sting. His nine game-winning goals were tied for second in the OHL, his 23 power-play goals were third and his five shorthanded goals ranked tied for fifth. He scored 11 goals, including four in Game 4 of Sarnia?s first-round match-up with the Windsor Spitfires, in nine games during the 2008 OHL Playoffs. The 18-year-old was named the OHL?s Player of the Month for February after recording 13 goals and 22 points in 13 games. He was also recognized as the best stick-handler and as having the best shot in the OHL?s annual coaches poll. The center was one of two players born in 1990 named to Canada?s 2008 World Junior Championship team. He recorded a goal and six points in his first appearance at the tournament as Canada went on to capture the gold medal. Stamkos played in 124 games during his two-season OHL career. He recorded 100 goals and 197 points during his time with Sarnia, including 14 goals and 17 points in 13 career playoff games. In 2006-07 he was the runner-up for the OHL?s Rookie of the Year award behind Patrick Kane of the Chicago Blackhawks. He was also honored with the Bobby Smith Trophy as the OHL?s scholastic player of the year. The award is given annually to the player who best combines high standards of play and academic excellence. Before joining the Sting, Stamkos recorded 105 goals and 197 points in 67 games with the Markham Waxers AAA midget team in 2005. Sarnia drafted Stamkos first overall in the 2006 OHL Priority Draft. Stamkos was the third player in franchise history to be chosen first overall. Tampa Bay took Roman Hamrlik with the first pick in 1992 and Vincent Lecavalier with the top pick in 1998.

The Bruins signed centers Martin St. Pierre and Nate Thompson on Monday, as reported by Yahoo.com. Terms of the deals were not disclosed.

The Panthers on Monday agreed to terms with defenseman Jay Bouwmeester on a one-year deal, as reported by Yahoo.com. Bouwmeester played in all 82 games for the Panthers last season, tallying a career-high 15 goals and 22 assists. He also led the league with 27:28 of ice time per game.