Bruins sign Chara

Chara, formerly with the Ottawa Senators, was one of the most highly sought defensemen available but didn't wait long to sign a five-year, $37.5 million deal with the Bruins.

The 6ft 9ins (2.057 metre) Chara, the tallest player in the NHL, had a career best 43 points with the Senators last season, his fourth with the club.

"Zdeno is one of the premier defensemen in the National Hockey League and we are thrilled that he will be in a Boston uniform for the next five years," Bruins interim general manager Jeff Gorton said in a release.

Shortly after that signing was announced, the Bruins said they had signed Savard from the Atlanta Thrashers.

Savard, 28, had a career best 28 goals and 97 points for the Thrashers last season. He signed a four-year deal, with financial terms not released by the club.

"Marc is one of the top playmaking centers in the game today," Gorton said in another release.

"He will fit in well with the skill players we have on our team and the direction in which we are headed."

Another sought-after defenseman didn't last long on the open market, as Ed Jovanovski left the Vancouver Canucks to sign a five-year, $32.5 million contract with the Phoenix Coyotes.

"He was the player we wanted," Coyotes managing partner and head coach Wayne Gretzky said in a statement. "This is huge for our franchise."

The Canucks answered that loss a few hours later by signing former Minnesota Wild rearguard Willie Mitchell for four years at $14 million.

The Ottawa Senators meanwhile will not be bringing Dominik Hasek back to the fold as they signed free agent goalie Martin Gerber from the Carolina Hurricanes, giving him a multi-year deal.

Ottawa also inked former Los Angeles Kings defenseman Joe Corvo to a four-year contract worth $10.5 million.

Meanwhile this year's Stanley Cup finalists were also busy as champion Carolina Hurricanes re-signed forward Eric Staal and finalist Edmonton Oilers did the same with goalie Dwayne Roloson.

Staal, 21, got a three-year deal worth $13.5-million and Roloson agreed to a new three-year $11-million contract.

The Oilers also re-signed forward Fernando Pisani for four years at $10 million.

Veteran defenseman Rob Blake left the Colorado Avalanche and signed a two-year deal with the Los Angeles Kings, the team he spent most of his 12-year career with before joining the Avalanche. Financial terms were not announced.

Buffalo Sabres defenseman Jay McKee left the Sabres for the St. Louis Blues, who offered him a four-year, $16 million deal.

The New Jersey Devils locked up one of their own players when they agreed to a new five-year $14 million deal with forward Jamie Langenbrunner.

Also busy on Saturday were the Toronto Maple Leafs who snagged a pair of unrestricted free-agent defenseman.

Toronto signed former Tampa Bay rearguard Pavel Kabina for four years at $20 million and former Boston Bruins defenseman Hall Gill for three years at $6.3 million.

The NHL's salary cap increased from last year's high of $39 million to $44 million this season, so teams are expected to sign a number of free agents this summer.

The minimum payroll also moved up to $28 million from $21.5 million last year.