Is Mika Zibanejad worth the five-year investment from Rangers?

The New York Rangers knew what center Mika Zibanejad wanted. Heading into an arbitration hearing scheduled for Tuesday, the 24-year-old was asking for one year at $5.35 million. No, to get that annual value on that deal, the Rangers wanted Zibanejad locked down for a bit.

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  The Rangers salary cap situation now that Zibanejad has signed

  SNY
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  NY Rangers sign Zibanejad to $26.75 million, 5-year deal

  Associated Press

Plenty of opportunity on revamped Blackhawks defense

For almost a decade, Niklas Hjalmarsson was a mainstay on the Blackhawks’ back end, quietly providing some of the most effective defense in the league. In addition to Hjalmarsson, the ‘Hawks also bid adieu to Brian Campbell, Johnny Oduya, and Trevor van Riemsdyk this offseason. “We’re going to see when we’re putting the pairs together, whether we’re going to reunite [Duncan Keith] and [Brent Seabrook] or look for some balance,” head coach Joel Quenneville said, per CSN Chicago.

Morning Skate: Markov's time with Canadiens likely up

Ryan Spooner and the Bruins never made it to arbitration, settling on a one-year, $2.825 million contract ahead of Wednesday’s hearing, according to a source familiar with the negotiations. Hockey Night in Canada's Elliotte Friedman was the first to report the agreement.  Spooner and his camp sought a $3.85 million deal, while the Bruins submitted $2 million as their number. Settling outside of arbitration locks in the player at an affordable number while avoiding a potentially messy process.  Though Spooner now has a contract, his future with the Bruins isn’t much clearer than it was at season’s end. The 25-year-old center was a healthy scratch for the last two games of Boston’s playoff run,

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  Spooner, Bruins settle on one-year, $2.825 million deal

  CSNNE.com
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  Bruins, Ryan Spooner strike deal to avoid arbitration

  Boston Herald