Stars' Nieuwendyk makes aggressive moves

Joe Nieuwendyk has been a busy man so far this offseason. The Dallas Stars' general manager made his first move of the summer on the first night of the 2012 NHL draft, trading veteran center Mike Ribeiro to the Capitals for young centerman Cody Eakin and a 2012 second-round pick.

The 2011 Hockey Hall of Fame inductee followed that up by signing veteran winger Ray Whitney to a two-year, $9 million contract on July 1, the first day of NHL free agency.

"Really excited to have him -- he's coming off a 77-point season," Nieuwendyk said of Whitney. "He's still one of the premier offensive players even at that age. I think he's the type of player that makes players around him better, too."

However, the Stars weren't finished there. Dallas also signed former Canucks defenseman Aaron Rome to a three-year, $4.5 million contract on July 1.

"He's a big body and he plays a tough game," Nieuwendyk said. "I think he's going to do that for us as well. He's got some experience. He's been in some playoff runs in recent years. He's a gritty guy, plays hard."

The Stars also made a similar splash on July 2, re-signing center Toby Petersen and acquiring center Derek Roy from the Sabres for center Steve Ott and defenseman Adam Pardy.

"He's only 29 years old and I think probably a change of scenery will be welcomed by him," Nieuwendyk said of Roy. "He's been the guy there in Buffalo for quite some time."