The Latest on NHL free agency (all times Eastern):5:40 p.m.The Montreal Canadiens signed forward Alexander Radulov and goaltender Al Montoya to a one-year contracts on Friday as NHL free agency began.Radulov scored 23 goals in 53 games for CSKA Moscow of the Kontinental Hockey League last season. The Russian added 42 assists and tied for third in the KHL playoffs with 16 points as his club reached the Gagarin Cup final.Radulov last appeared in the NHL in 2011-12 with the Nashville Predators where he scored three goals and four assists in nine regular season games before being suspended from the team in the post-season.The 31-year-old Montoya was 12-7-3 with a 2.18 goals-against average and a .919 save percentage in 25 games last year for the Florida Panthers.The Canadiens also re-signed Daniel Carr to a two-year deal. The 24-year-old winger scored five goals and three assists in 23 games for Montreal in 2015-16. The Habs submitted a qualifying offer to Carr on Monday.- Canadian Press---5:35 p.m.Free agent forward Shawn Matthias signed a two-year contract with the Winnipeg Jets on Friday with an annual cap hit of $2.125 million. Winnipeg also signed forward Quinton Howden to a one-year, two-way contract that has an average annual salary of $650,000 in the NHL.The 28-year-old Matthias scored 12 goals and 16 assists last year for the Toronto Maple Leafs and Colorado Avalanche.Howden, 24, has spent his entire career with the Florida Panthers since being selected 25th overall in the 2010 draft.- Canadian Press---5:33 p.m.The rebuilding Toronto Maple Leafs signed only fourth-line winger Matt Martin on the opening day of free agency.Toronto was in the mix to sign Steven Stamkos, but he stayed with Tampa Bay.Martin, formerly of the New York Islanders, joined the club on a four-year deal with a reported annual cap hit of $2.5 million. A six foot three, 220-pounder, Martin has led the league in hits for five years running, chipping in with 10 goals, too, last year.- Canadian Press---5:30 p.m.Ottawa signed several players to one-year, two-way contracts Friday: defenseman Michael Kostka as well as forwards Phil Varone, Casey Bailey, Max McCormick and Chad Nehring.Kostkas contract will carry an annual value of $800,000 in the NHL and $325,000 in the American Hockey League. Kostka played in 15 games with Ottawa last season, recording one assist and four penalty minutes.Varone was acquired by the Senators on Feb. 27 from the Buffalo Sabres.- Canadian Press---5:25 p.m.The San Jose Sharks added some needed speed in free agency, signing unrestricted free agent forward Mikkel Boedker to a four-year contract.San Jose often looked a step slow in losing the Stanley Cup Final to Pittsburgh in six games last month. The addition of Boedker should help address that.The 26-year-old tied a career-high with 51 points last season with Arizona and Colorado, scoring 17 goals and adding 34 assists.---5:15 p.m.The Winnipeg Jets have signed defenseman Brian Strait to a $600,000, one-year deal.Strait spent the past four seasons with the New York Islanders. In 182 NHL games, the 28-year-old Strait has six goals and 21 assists.---4:25 p.m.The New York Islanders moved quickly at the start of NHL free agency, signing forwards Andrew Ladd and Jason Chimera on Friday.Ladd agreed to a seven-year contract and Chimera comes to New York on a two-year deal.The Islanders saw two long-time stars go elsewhere as Frans Nielsen signed with Detroit on a six-year pact and Kyle Okposo is headed to Buffalo on a seven-year contract. New York is also expected to let forward Matt Martin go.Ladd totaled 25 goals and 21 assists last season in 78 games for Winnipeg and Chicago. The 31-year-old left win has career totals of 210 goals and 256 assists in 12 seasons.The 37-year-old Chimera had 20 goals and 20 assists for Presidents Trophy-winning Washington. He has 163 goals and 206 assists in 951 career NHL games spanning 15 seasons.---4:05 p.m.The Vancouver Canucks have signed winger Loui Eriksson to a six-year, $36 million deal.Eriksson was considered one of the top players available in free agency and got the same $6 million cap hit as Milan Lucic did with the Edmonton Oilers and Kyle Okposo with the Buffalo Sabres. Lucic and Okposo signed seven-year contracts.Eriksson had 30 goals and 33 assists last season for the Boston Bruins.Loui is an excellent two-way forward, an elite scorer and playmaker with great defensive instincts, general manager Jim Benning said. He is an accomplished player who helps our team now and in the future as a leader and role model for our young players to follow. Were excited to have Loui join our team and help us compete every night.---4 p.m.Philadelphia Flyers general manager Ron Hextall says the team filled some of its needs on the first day of free agency by signing forwards Dale Weise and Boyd Gordon.Weise, signed for $9.4 million over four years, and Gordon, a one-year deal, push Ryan White out of Philadelphia. Hextall says he tried to re-sign the fourth-liner as late as this morning but couldnt get a deal done.---3:55 p.m.Eric Staal is banking on a bounce-back season with Minnesota, after agreeing to a three-year, $10.5 million contract with the Wild.The 45 goals and 55 assists that Stall tallied in 2005-06 while leading the Hurricanes to the Stanley Cup title are an improbability, but playing on a line with Zach Parise and perhaps Charlie Coyle ought to at least put him in position to be a productive offensive player.As Staal did when Parise was on the market four years ago, ultimately picking Minnesota on a 13-year, $98 million contract, Parise reached out to Staal earlier this week with a pitch for the Wild. Staal says he definitely needed to get back to the playoffs. The Hurricanes have qualified only once in 10 seasons since their championship.Staal has three younger brothers who have played in the NHL: Marc, Jordan and Jared. With 2,237 career regular-season games between the quartet, none of them have played for a Western Conference team, until now. Minnesota is the closest NHL market and major city to their hometown of Thunder Bay, Ontario, about a six-hour drive across the border.---3:50 p.m.Thomas Vanek has agreed to sign a one-year, $2.6 million contract with the Detroit Red Wings.The agreement was reached a week after the Wild bought out the final year of Vaneks contract and following a disappointing two-year stint with Minnesota.The 32-year-old Austrian is a former 40-goal-scorer and was selected by Buffalo with the fifth pick in the 2003 draft after leading Minnesota to win the NCAA championship.Vaneks 19 goals last season were a career-low, and he managed just 39 goals and 54 assists in 154 games with the Wild.Overall, he has 316 goals and 333 assists
