Former UMD Players Cash In

A number of former UMD players signed new pro contracts over the weekend, as NHL free agency opened on Sunday.

One -- defenseman Jason Garrison (2005-2008) -- really cashed in on the league's annual spending spree. Garrison inked a six-year deal with the Vancouver Canucks, one that will pay him $27.6 million.

Garrison spoke with me Monday from Chicago about his new beginning.

He joins another former UMD star, Mason Raymond, on the Vancouver roster. Raymond struggled last season after suffering a serious back injury during Game 6 of the 2011 Stanley Cup Final, but is expected back on a one-year deal at this point.

Elsewhere, another Garrison teammate at UMD, Matt Niskanen, signed for two more years in Pittsburgh. The 25-year-old Niskanen will make $4.6 million over two seasons, a bargain if he keeps improving like he did in his year-and-a-half in Pittsburgh.

Niskanen's confidence looked shot at times in Dallas. His trade to Pittsburgh appeared to come at a perfect time, as it put him in a different system where he could flourish. The Penguins' style, which is more about puck-moving and skating, seems a much better fit for the former Virginia/MIB Blue Devil.

Another defenseman -- Evan Oberg -- signed a one-year, two-way deal with Tampa Bay. Oberg played three games in the NHL last season, but was a regular for a Norfolk Admirals team that won the Calder Cup title and finished the year winning 45 of its last 48 games.

Forward Tim Stapleton, one of the top scorers in UMD history, is a free agent as of Sunday. He spent last season with the Winnipeg Jets after making the move with the franchise from Atlanta.

Matt Niskanen Fights Brad Marchand

Former UMD defenseman Matt Niskanen is not known as a fighter. In fact, this is his fourth NHL season, and he has only fought five times, counting a good one he had Monday night in Pittsburgh.

The Penguins blue-liner was on the wrong end of a rather nasty-looking slew-foot from Boston forward and noted pest Brad Marchand.

Instead of looking for someone else to fight Marchand in his honor, Niskanen took it on himself. There aren't a lot of high points on Niskanen's NHL fight card, but this is clearly the best he's had as a professional.



The voters on HockeyFights are overwhelmingly in Niskanen's favor, by the way.

Matt Niskanen Traded to Pittsburgh

It's been a rough year for former UMD and Virginia/MIB defenseman Matt Niskanen. After a strong rookie season in Dallas, and a second year that wasn't as good but still saw him playing a lot, Niskanen tailed off a bit under coach Marc Crawford.

A hand injury and a number of nights in the ol' press box later, and Niskanen finds himself packing for a move north.

Monday, the Stars traded Niskanen and forward James Neal to Pittsburgh for another former Northland star, defenseman Alex Goligoski.

The deal allows Pittsburgh to improve their forward depth, as they continue to sit around and hope that Sidney Crosby can again play hockey very soon.

(We don't know if Crosby will play again this season. We do know Evgeni Malkin won't. With that in mind, it is a good move for them to add Neal and the 21 goals he has so far.)

For Niskanen, it's a change of scenery. Even Stars GM Joe Nieuwendyk knows it.

As far as Matt is concerned, it's been a little bit of trying times for Matt the last couple years. He hasn't been able to regain the form he broke into the league with and this is a good opportunity for him to get a new look with another team and hopefully get his career going.

Goligoski starred at Grand Rapids before playing three years for the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. He's a good puck-moving defenseman, and he gives the Stars a bit more offense on the blue line than they've been getting.

The hope is that Niskanen will thrive here. If he does, this deal is a bonus for the Penguins. As is, it looks like they won the deal, even without that happening, because Neal has a chance to make a real impact.

Matt Niskanen Wins Fight

After his previous misadventures with Cory Stillman, Sidney Crosby, and Shane Hnidy, former Bulldog Matt Niskanen wasn't exactly labeled as a fighter.

Wednesday night, he took a significant step toward changing that perception.

After missing a few games with a nasty cut on his left hand, Niskanen returned to the Stars lineup for their final game before the All-Star Break, at home against a pesky Edmonton outfit.

Early in the game, Krys Barch of the Stars got in a fight with Edmonton's Jim Vandermeer. Barch got knocked to the ice during the fight and bounced back to his skates quickly, only to have the linesmen step in. He wasn't happy about it, but the fight was over.

14 seconds later, Niskanen set out for revenge, as he dropped the gloves with Oiler center Colin Fraser, a member of last year's Cup-winning team in Chicago.

Let's go to the videotape.



Decisive win for the former UMD and Virginia/MIB star. Decisive.

Gotta love Fox Sports Southwest's Darryl Reaugh with the one-liners like "Down goes Fraser!," and "He grew the goatee back. He looks angrier." That's why he's one of the best.

They always say you remember your first NHL goal. I wonder if getting a win in an NHL fight for the first time is just as memorable.