NEW YORK — Several teams rushed to sign players to new contracts Friday with the current collective bargaining agreement set to expire on the weekend and the National Hockey League (NHL) threatening a lockout. Phoenix Coyotes long-standing captain Shane Doan was the biggest name to ink a deal, the free-agent forward signing a four-year $21.2 million extension to remain in the desert with the financially troubled franchise owned by the NHL. “I was drafted by this organization and it means a great deal to me to be able to play with the same franchise my entire career,” Doan said on the team's website. “I'm very excited about our team, our coaching staff and our management and am confident about our future in Arizona. “I chose to stay with the Coyotes because I am committed to winning here, not anywhere else and I love living and playing in the Valley.” Doan's deal includes a $2 million signing bonus that will provide the rugged forward with a cushion should the NHL lock out players if a new deal is not in place before the current pact expires at 0401 GMT Sunday. Teams will not be able to make any signings or personnel moves until a new CBA is reached. Brief conversations late Thursday and Friday between leaders on the two sides failed to spur more formal talks — in fact, the idea of restarting negotiations didn't even come up. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman has said a lockout — in which players are kept out of team facilities and no games can proceed — would start immediately if a new deal hasn't been reached. The lockout would mark the NHL's fourth work stoppage since 1992. The last labor stoppage caused the cancellation of the entire 2004-05 season, a lockout that ended only when players accepted a salary cap and a 24 percent rollback of salaries. Taken with the seventh overall pick by the Winnipeg Jets in the 1995 NHL Draft, Doan has spent his entire career with the franchise, including its relocation to Phoenix in 1996. With Doan off the market, the Canucks announced they had signed left-winger Alex Burrows to a four-year, $18 million contract extension. Burrows, who has spent his entire seven-year career in Vancouver, has been a reliable point producer scoring 139 goals and 270 points in 522 games. The Dallas Stars solidified their netminding by signing Kari Lehtonen to five-year, $29.5 million contract extension making the Finn one of the NHL's highest paid goalkeepers at nearly $6 million a season. The Washington Capitals re-signed 22-year-old defenseman John Carlson to a six-year $23.8 million deal. Carlson, taken in the first round of the 2008 draft by Washington, recorded 32 points last season and a career-high nine goals. Trying to fill a hole on their blueline left by the retirement of All-Star defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom, the Detroit Red Wings signed free agent Carlo Colaiacovo to a two-year deal. In nine seasons split between the Toronto Maple Leafs and St. Louis Blues, Colaiacovo has 30 goals and 139 points. Detroit also re-signed forward Justin Abdelkader to a four-year extension. — Agencies
