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The top three picks in the NHL entry draft are set to start the season with their new teams after agreeing to contracts Monday.
Two days before the season opens, No. 1 pick Marc-Andre Fleury came to terms with the Pittsburgh Penguins, second choice Eric Staal signed with the Carolina Hurricanes and No. 3 selection Nathan Horton signed with the Florida Panthers.
The 18-year-old Fleury, the Penguins' best goalie during the preseason, could be the starter when Pittsburgh opens Friday against the Los Angeles Kings.
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Staal has been playing on the team's top line with captain Ron Francis and all-star
Jeff O'Neill in the preseason. The Hurricanes open at Florida on Thursday.
``This is a relief,'' said Penguins general manager Craig Patrick. ``It's more than we wanted (to pay) but I'm glad it's over with and we'll make the best of it.'' Ticketmaster
Staal and Horton, both 18-year-old centers, signed three-year contracts.
Fleury played in four of the Penguins' seven exhibition games and had the best goals-against average (2.26) and save percentage (.923) of the three goalies still on their roster. Jean-Sebastien Aubin probably will return to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (AHL) and Sebastien Caron is expected to split time with Fleury.
Staal scored seven goals in seven preseason games with Carolina. Horton had three goals and an assist in four preseason games with Florida. Ticketmaster
The Panthers reassigned three players. Right wing Anthony Stewart was sent to Kingston of the OHL, and center Stephen Weiss and goalie Travis Scott were sent to San Antonio of the AHL.
Also:
-- New Jersey finalized its roster by placing forward Turner Stevenson on injured reserve and assigning seven players to Albany of the AHL. Assigned to Albany were goaltender Ari Ahonen, defenseman Raymond Giroux, and forwards Jiri Bicek, Adrian Foster, Tuomas Pihlman, Ilkka Pikkarainen and Aleksander Suglobov.
-- The Dallas Stars assigned defenseman Trevor Daley to Utah of the AHL. Ticketmaster
-- Detroit assigned four players to Grand Rapids of the AHL -- defenseman Niklas Kronwall, center Mark Mowers, left wing Nathan Robinson and goalie Marc Lamothe. The Red Wings also released center Clarke Wilm.
-- Columbus signed rookie center Dan Fritsche to a multiyear contract. Ticketmaster
-- The Boston Bruins signed 18-year-old center Patrice Bergeron to a three-year contract, assuring he will be on the roster when the team's regular season begins on Wednesday. Bergeron was the Bruins' second pick (45th overall) in the 2003 draft.