INSIDE HOCKEY

It was a busy day for NHL players on day one of the free agent frenzy, but it was a relatively slow day for AHL players. Only four AHL players moved to a new home on day one, while three others signed contract extensions with their current teams.

Martin St. Pierre, one the of the AHL’s best over the past few seasons, signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Ottawa Senators Wednesday. St. Pierre leaves a Bruins organization that gave him a significant amount of playing time at the NHL level.

St. Pierre, 25, spent the majority of the 2008-09 season with the Providence Bruins, registering 15 goals and 51 assists for 66 points and 58 penalty minutes; his 51 assists ranked sixth among AHL players. He appeared in 16 playoff games for the P-Bruins, helping them to the Eastern Conference finals.

Boston gave St. Pierre the chance to showcase his skills at the NHL level with 14 games during the regular season; his most since playing 14 for Chicago in 2006-07. In those 14 games with Boston, St. Pierre posted two goals and two assists for four points and four penalty minutes.

In 290 career AHL games with the Norfolk Admirals, Rockford IceHogs and Providence, St. Pierre recorded 90 goals and 243 assists for 333 points and 344 penalty minutes. In 35 career NHL games with the Chicago Blackhawks and Boston, St. Pierre registered three goals and five assists for eight points and 12 penalty minutes.

Mathieu Darche is on the move once again. Darche will be playing for his sixth different AHL team in the last six AHL seasons he’s played in; he played overseas in 2005-06. Darche signed a two-way contract with the Montreal Canadiens Wednesday.

Darche, 32, spent the 2008-09 season with the Portland Pirates, where he registered 31 goals and 35 assists for 66 points in 80 games. Darche returned to the AHL after spending nearly the entire 2007-08 campaign in the NHL with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

In 520 career AHL games with the Syracuse Crunch, Milwaukee Admirals, Hershey Bears, Worcester Sharks, Norfolk Admirals and Portland, Darche recorded 196 goals and 222 assists for 418 points and 286 penalty minutes. In 101 career NHL games with the Columbus Blue Jackets, Nashville Predators, San Jose Sharks and Tampa Bay, Darche has registered eight goals and 16 assists for 24 points and 26 penalty minutes.

The Vancouver Canucks, parent club of the Manitoba Moose, announced today the signing of defenseman Aaron Rome to a one-year contract.

Rome, 25, spent the better part of the 2008-09 season playing for Columbus' AHL team, Syracuse Crunch. In 48 games with the Crunch, Rome registered seven goals and 21 assists for 28 points. He also registered one assist in eight games with Columbus.

In 318 career AHL games with Syracuse, Portland Pirates and Cincinnati Might Ducks, Rome has recorded 27 goals and 95 assists for 122 points and 666 penalty minutes. He's also appeared in 26 NHL games - all with Columbus - registering one goal and two assists for three points and 33 penalty minutes.

The Ottawa Senators signed goaltender Mike Brodeur to a one-year, two-way contract. Brodeur spent time during the 2008-09 season with the Rochester Americans, where he posted an 18-13-4 record with a 2.45 goals against average and .921 save %. In 57 career AHL games with Rochester, Rockford Icehogs and Norfolk Admirals, Brodeur has posted a 24-20-4 record with a 2.70 goals against average.

The Boston Bruins announced that they’ve re-signed forward Byron Bitz to a multi-year contract extension. Bitz appeared in 37 games for the Providence Bruins last season, registering three goals and seven assists for 10 points. He also appeared in 35 games for Boston, posting four goals and three assists for seven points. In 98 career AHL games – all with Providence – Bitz has registered 16 goals and 21 assists for 37 points and 138 penalty minutes.

The Carolina Hurricanes announced the re-signing of a pair of minor-leaguers. Pat Dwyer and Michael Ryan have been given brand new two-way contracts for the upcoming season. Dwyer signed a two-year contract, and it’s believed that Ryan’s is only a one-year deal.

Dwyer spent the majority of the 2008-09 season with the Albany River Rats, where he posted 24 goals and 16 assists for 40 points in 62 games. He appeared in 13 games for Carolina, registering one goal. In 273 career AHL games with Albany and Chicago Wolves, Dwyer has registered 69 goals and 82 assists for 151 points and 146 penalty minutes.

Ryan, like Dwyer, also spent the majority of the 2008-09 season with the Albany River Rats. Ryan registered 25 goals and 17 assists for 42 points in 40 regular season games. He appeared in 18 games for Carolina, registering two assists. In 250 career AHL games with Albany and Rochester Americans, Ryan has posted 81 goals and 83 assists for 164 points and 228 penalty minutes.