Stars sign F Burish, G Raycroft on day one of free agency

The Dallas Stars decided to dive in on the first day of free agency, signing right wing Adam Burish and goaltender Andrew Raycroft to two-year contracts.

Burish, who is coming off a Stanley Cup championship run with the Chicago Blackhawks, got a two-year deal worth $2.3 million. He'll get paid $1 million this season and $1.3 million in 2011-12.

The abrasive Burish is expected to bolster the Stars' lower lines.

"I've always liked Adam Burish," said Stars GM Joe Nieuwendyk. "There are guys in this league you notice because they are not fun to play against. Adam Burish is one of those guys. One of things I like about him is he able to take faceoffs, he can play center or wing, he's a right hand shot and he has real good speed. ... I think he'll help push the pace in our bottom grouping and he has the ability to play up the lineup."

Burish, who is 6-0, 190 pounds, missed a good part of last season with an ACL injury, but played 15 games in the playoffs for the Blackhawks. He has 21 points (11 goals, 10 assists) and 323 penalty minutes in 169 career NHL games.

The 27-year-old hit the free agent market for the first time in his career and said Nieuwendyk was the first GM to call, which went a long way in helping him make a decision where to sign.

"You want to go somewhere where people want you," said Burish. "I talked to a couple of teams and I talked to my Dad and he said, 'I can hear in your voice you want to go to Dallas.' The last four years I loved coming to Dallas, loved playing in Dallas and hated playing against the Stars because they were always hard to play against for some reason. Now I am going to be happy to play with those guys."

After the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup, the Burish had some harsh postgame comments for Philadelphia defenseman Chris Pronger. Burish said he regrets all that, but he said he'll continue to be an in-your face kind of guy on the ice.

"The way I play the game, I am confrontational, I want to be in your face and I want to be hard to play against," Burish said. "When the game is done I want them to say I hated to play against Burish. I can't stand playing against that guy. Then I'll know I've done my job. I like to have that in my game. I think I can contribute offensively as well, but you've got to have a balance. You got to play on the edge. I enjoy playing on the edge. I love the way Steve Ott plays. I think he does a great job of it. You have to walk a fine line where you don't put your team in a tough spot. 

"But I am going to go through a wall for these guys. If that means I've got to go through somebody, I'll go through somebody. I'm the kind of guy where if I have to block a shot with my face, I'll do it. I think that can be contagious on a team.''

Raycroft, who played in Vancouver last season, got a two-way contract for the 2010-11 that will pay him $700,000 at the NHL level and $105,000 if he plays in the NHL. In 2011-12 he gets a one-way contract for $600,000.

With Matt Climie exploring his options in unrestricted free agency, the Stars were in the market for another goaltender to compete with Brent Krahn for the backup job in Dallas.

"We wanted to get a veteran backup in here either with Austin or with our club," said Nieuwendyk. "Our number one goal is to have competition for our backup position and that's what we've created, not just in training camp but all throughout the year.

Raycroft, 30, has played 251 NHL games, posting a 103-101-27, 2.87 goals against average and a .900 save percentage.

"He's still eager. I think that he has NHL experience is important," said Nieuwendyk. "He's played with [Roberto] Luongo and other top goaltenders. I think it was important to have a veteran guy who can help us out with both clubs."

Raycroft played 21 games with the Canucks last season, going 9-5-1 with a 2.42 goals against average and a .911 save percentage. He's been a No.1 before as well, playing 72 games with Toronto in 2006-07. But he's ready to come in compete for a job in September.

"There's going to be competition in camp. It's really no different than every other year. I was in the same kind of situation last year in Vancouver," Raycroft said. "I'm looking forward to having a good rest of the summer and getting in there in September. ... I believe I have a lot of playing left and a lot of experience behind me that could go a long way."

Stars sign two defenseman

The Stars signed two defenseman Thursday. They signed Severin Blindenbacher to a one-year entry-level contract and defenseman Jace Coyle to a three-year entry-level contract.

Blindenbacher, a 27-year-old right shot, played in the Swedish Elite League last season, registering 19 points (8 goals, 11 assists) in 48 games. He also played for Switzerland at the 2010 Olympics, picking up 1 goal and 1 assist in 5 games.

"Severin is a good skater, moves the puck well and makes smart decisions in all zones," Nieuwendyk said. "We hope that he can push some of our guys and add some depth to our roster."

Blindenbacher, who is 5-11, 194 pounds, also played for the Swiss at the 2006 Olympics and has represented his country several times at the World Championship.

Coyle, who signed a three-year entry-level deal, had 46 points (10 goals, 36 assists) with Medicine Hat of the WHL last season. The 5-11, 180 pound defenseman is taking part in the Stars development camp, which got underway Thursday in Frisco.

Door still open on Lehtinen

GM Joe Nieuwendyk said the signing of Adam Burish did not close the door on the Stars possibly signing unrestricted free agent Jere Lehtinen.

"This doesn't close the door on Lehts by any means," Nieuwendyk said. "And I've already indicated that to him."

The Stars are still waiting to see if Lehtinen wants to play another season.

Nieuwendyk also said that the signing of Raycroft does close the door on Matt Climie returning. Climie is an unrestricted free agent.