The Blue Jackets have signed defenseman Fedor Tyutin to a six-year contract extension, club Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations and GM Scott Howson announced today. Tyutin, 28, has registered 37 goals and 122 assists for 159 points with 321 penalty minutes in 492 career games with Columbus and the New York Rangers during his seven NHL seasons. He has collected 22-71-93 and 162 penalty minutes in 242 career games with the Blue Jackets, ranking second in club history among defensemen in goals, assists and points and fourth in games played. “Fedor has been our top defenseman since we acquired him from the New York Rangers in 2008,” said Howson. “We are very pleased get him signed to this long-term deal.”

Coyotes GM Don Maloney announced today that the Coyotes have re-signed forward Mikkel Boedker to a two-year contract. “We are very pleased to sign Mikkel to a two-year contract,” Maloney said. “Mikkel is a talented, young player who continues to improve each season. We look forward to him playing an important role for us in the future.” Boedker recorded 4-10-14 in 34 games with the Coyotes last season. He finished tied for fourth on the team in plus-minus (+11). Boedker also recorded 12-22-34 and a plus-11 rating in 36 games with the San Antonio Rampage (AHL). He represented Denmark at the 2011 IIHF World Championship, recording 3-1-4 in six games. Boedker was Phoenix’s first choice in the first round (eighth overall) in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.

Coyotes Vice President of Hockey Operations and Assistant GM Brad Treliving announced today that the Coyotes have signed a one-year affiliation agreement with the Gwinnett Gladiators of the ECHL. “We are glad to announce our affiliation with the Gladiators,” Treliving said. “They have consistently proven to be an elite organization within the ECHL and we look forward to having our young prospects continue their development in Gwinnett.” Gwinnett plays its home games at The Arena at Gwinnett Center in Duluth, Ga. The Gladiators are one of 20 teams that compete in the ECHL and play in the South Division of the Eastern Conference.

The Canadiens have signed defenseman Jeff Woywitka to a one-year contract, according to an Associated Press report. Woywitka had two goals and nine assists in 63 games with the Stars last year. He has also played for the Blues.

The Flames have signed defenseman Scott Hannan to a one-year, $1 million contract. Hannan, a native of British Columbia, split last season between the Avalanche and Capitals. "Scott not only brings a wealth of experience to our blue line, but he also brings a great deal of knowledge about the Western Conference in general and our division in particular," Flames general manager Jay Feaster said. "Just as importantly, he has demonstrated his commitment to our organization and his desire to be a part of our team by agreeing to a contract that enables us to fit him under the salary cap."

The Sabres have re-signed defenseman Marc-Andre Gragnani to a one-year contract, according to an ESPN.com report. Gragnani was a restricted free agent whose rights were retained by the Sabres in June. He's an offensive-minded player who had a goal and six assists in seven games to lead Buffalo in a first-round, seven-game playoff series loss to Philadelphia in April.

The Canadiens plugged the final hole in their development system with the hiring of Ron Wilson as Clement Jodoin’s assistant with the Hamilton Bulldogs of the AHL.

Coyotes general manager Don Maloney has announced that the team has re-signed forward Viktor Tikhonov to a one-year, two-way contract. The 6-foot-2, 190 pound Tikhonov set new career highs in assists (23), points (33) and penalty minutes (26) in 60 games with the San Antonio Rampage during the 2010-11 season. He also recorded a career-high three points in a game (1-2-3) at Texas on March 4 and finished the month of March with nine points (2-7-9) in 15 games.

The Blue Jackets have signed left wing Dalton Smith to a standard three-year entry level contract and signed left wing Ryan Russell to a one-year, two-way NHL-AHL contract, Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations and GM Scott Howson announced today. Smith, 19, was the Blue Jackets second pick, 34th overall, in the 2010 Entry Draft. He registered 12 goals and 17 assists for 29 points, 124 penalty minutes and was +9 in 64 games with Ottawa of the OHL in 2010-11. Russell was acquired by the Blue Jackets from Montreal in exchange for right wing Mike Blunden on July 7, 2011. He registered 10-11-21, 48 penalty minutes and was +17 in 65 games with the AHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs in 2010-11.

Predators President of Hockey Operations/GM David Poile announced today that the club has signed defenseman Jack Hillen to a one-year, two-way contract worth $650,000 at the NHL level and $105,000 at the AHL level. Hillen spent his first three professional seasons with the Islanders, most recently establishing career highs in goals (4) and points (22) while tying a personal best in assists (18) in 2010-11. A native of Minnetonka, Minn., Hillen played four years at Colorado College (2004-08), highlighted by a senior season that named WCHA Defensive Player of the Year, WCHA Scholar Athlete of the Year and a First-Team All-American. Signed as a free agent by the Islanders on April 1, 2008, Hillen represented the US at the 2010 World Championships, posting one assist in six games.