Coyotes Add Center Eric Belanger
 

GLENDALE, ARIZONA --- Phoenix Coyotes General Manager Don Maloney announced today that the Coyotes have signed free agent center Eric Belanger to a one-year deal.

Last season, the 6-foot-0, 189-pound Belanger played 77 games with Minnesota and Washington, recording a career high 41 points (15-26-41) and 32 penalty minutes. Belanger started the season with the Wild but was acquired by the Capitals on March 3, 2010.

“We are excited to have Eric join us here in Phoenix,” said Maloney. “He is a smart, quick, talented center who plays well on both sides of the puck. We had identified Eric early in the free agency period as someone who would be a great fit with us and feel fortunate we are able to bring him to the Coyotes organization.”

Belanger has scored 13 or more goals and registered 33 or more points in seven of his nine seasons in the NHL. He scored a career-high 17 goals with Los Angeles during the 2005-06 campaign and with Carolina and Atlanta in 2006-07.

The 32-year-old native of Sherbrooke, Quebec has played nine seasons in the National Hockey League with Los Angeles, Carolina, Atlanta, Minnesota and Washington collecting 121-178-299 and 283 penalty minutes in 634 career NHL games. Belanger has also played in 37 playoff games registering 2-5-7. He was drafted by Los Angeles (4th round, 96th overall) in the 1996 NHL Entry Draft.

Very good defensive centerman that'll win the tough draw, and kill penalties all game long.

Not much on the grit side, nor offense (consistently a 30-40 point man) side... but a solid depth signing.

Really strange move. We have too many forwards as it is.

1 year deal for $750,000.

Guess the Caps never resigned him...

Definitley a better option than Kyle Wellwood though. But there is an interesting logjam forming up in the Coyotes center position - Wolski, Hanzal, Turris, Fiddler, Belanger, and maybe Wellwood? It'll be interesting to see if any of these guys get moved to the wing, but even then there's not a lot of spots open....Turris should be making the team THIS seaosn, shouldn't he?

Rumor has it that Belanger might sue the Capitals for violating their verbal agreement. Apparently, he had enrolled his son in a school and purchased a place near DC, only to be told by GMGM that he wasn't coming back.

i really thought the caps are goin to bring him back..

I don't get why he has to. At this point, if we have better options than Turris at having a successful team, then they should be ahead of him in the depth charts. I hate seeing prospects get handed spots because of the excitement of their potential. He's only 21.

Not amazing player but good in penalty killings.

That sounds like a GMGM move so I could buy this rumor.

Nhlupdate twitter

IMO, bad move by the Caps letting him go.Decent signing for the Yotes.

He got screwed, royally. McPhee is a clown. They bring him to Washington, help him move, help him get a house, and enrolled his kids in school. Then they back out.

Verbal agreements mean **** in the NHL, they have to be on paper.

Agent rips Capitals on Belanger deal

copy of email provided in link.

come on guys, lets stop ripping into GMGM here

the initial offer was what, 1 year at around 1.65M?

he just signed in PHO for half that, GMGM knew he overpaid on the verbal so he let him twist until someone else took him at half off, in which obviously wasn't gonna happen w/the caps since they already railroaded him...

** for the record i think it was a dick move, but im not surprised, just interested to hear about what leverage he needed for a trade that never happened