3 worst signings of the offseason

Who says the offseason can't be exciting?

This July 1 saw over $600 million spent on free agents with nearly all the expected names plucked off the board. Of course, while many teams were able to load up and improve their rosters by opening up their checkbooks, the fact remains that not every signing was a slam dunk.

Some deals could very well handcuff certain teams, especially with cap room being such an important commodity. Here are the three worst signings we have seen this offseason.

Darren Helm

In the hours leading up to the free agent frenzy, the Detroit Red Wings made one of the biggest splashes of July 1.

The club inked Darren Helm to a five-year, $19.25-million contract, for reasons not entirely known.

Helm is coming off a four-year, $8.5-million deal, and after never managing more than 15 goals and 33 points - which he collected during the 2014-15 campaign - the Red Wings rewarded Helm with a significant raise.

Helm finished 10th in team scoring, managed just a 51.94 Corsi-For, and contributed no points on the club's special teams. Factor in that Helm is 29 years of age and it's difficult to understand exactly why the team would commit so many years to a player whose best days are likely behind him.

Matt Martin

While the contract might not necessarily break the bank, the fact of the matter is the Toronto Maple Leafs have committed $10 million over four years to a player who will likely feature on the fourth line.

Of course you won't find more truculence and toughness than in Matt Martin. The 27-year-old has led the league in hits every year since the 2011-12 season.

Unlike Maple Leafs enforcers of the past, Martin does have an offensive side, even if just slight. He set a career-high in goals (10) and points (19) with the New York Islanders last season.

The Maple Leafs could use a tough customer at their disposal with a number of skillful rookies expected to enter the lineup quickly, but $10 million over four years just might be a bit much to pay for such a player.

David Backes

The Boston Bruins certainly took a risk on July 1 inking David Backes to a five-year, $30-million contract.

The 32-year-old is coming off his worst statistical season since 2012-13. He managed just 21 goals and 45 points in 79 games, a 13-point decline from the year prior, but still managed to score a pay bump.

The contract is front-loaded and will pay Backes $8 million the first two years, meaning he will be making $3.25 million more than he did last season.

Backes' age isn't helping his case either. The contract, after all, will conclude after he turns 38 years old, if he's even still playing by then.

Backes certainly fits the Bruins' mold as a strong and skilled power forward, but with his best days behind him and a steep bill, the Bruins might regret this July 1 signing.

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KHLer goes berserk, exhibition game called after massive brawl

A massive brawl resulted in a KHL exhibition game being called Monday.

Damir Ryspayev got things started with a cheap shot on Tomas Marcinko, and then proceeded to go after any player on HC Kunlan Red Star, a Chinese club that joined the KHL this season.

Ryspayev attacked players on the Kunlan bench, too, and the referees were completely unable to control the situation.

Marcinko was sent to hospital, according to Szymon Szemberg, managing director of the Alliance of European Hockey Clubs.

Ryspayev has spent his career playing in Kazakhstan and the KHL, and has one professional goal to his name. The KHL announced his suspension for the remainder of the preseason, according to Aivis Kalnins.

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Weber dons Canadiens’ bleu, blanc et rouge

There he is: Not P.K. Subban.

Shea Weber's in Montreal on Monday and the Canadiens are showing their newest acquisition off on Twitter.

Acquired by Montreal in a blockbuster trade with the Nashville Predators, Weber has big shoes to fill, but it won't be long before Canadiens supporters fall in love with him quarterbacking the power play.

Weber will turn 31 on Aug. 14 and will wear his usual No. 6.

The veteran and three-time Norris Trophy candidate had 20 goals and 31 assists in 78 games last season. It was the third most productive season of his career.

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Crosby sent Dupuis scrapbook to remember the good times

Sidney Crosby's having a busy summer, but make no mistake: he still has time for his friends. Especially Pascal Dupuis.

Dupuis, of course, retired in December after dealing with blood clots, but he remained an integral part of the Pittsburgh Penguins on their march to the Stanley Cup.

The 37-year-old had his day with the Cup over the weekend, and while he called winning it as a spectator "bittersweet," according to NHL.com's Sean Farrell, Crosby made sure to remind Dupuis of the crucial role he played on the team.

"You get the Cup, you want to celebrate," Dupuis said. "But at the same time I got a gift by the mail. Basically, it's a book of all the pictures of all the good stuff we went through. It came from Nova Scotia, so you guys can figure out who it came from, but (Crosby) couldn't give it to me during the season, he saw me skating a little bit.

"And he sent it (Saturday), before my day with the Cup, so he knew what he was going to get me right (in the heart)."

What a captain, that Crosby.

"This one is certainly different," Dupuis added. "The first, you win one with the team we had in 2009 and we thought we would repeat and repeat, but you see how hard it is to win this trophy. And with everything that has happened to me since 2009, that I had to stop playing, this one has a different taste to it."

A good taste, still, to be sure.

Dupuis celebrated his day with Stanley by sharing it with family and friends. His kids ate cereal out of it and the Cup ended up in each youngster's bed, too.

Let's face it, there's little better to wake up next to.

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Stars’ Oleksiak left speechless after sister’s silver-medal win at Rio

Dallas Stars defenseman Jamie Oleksiak is one proud big brother.

Oleksiak was rendered nearly speechless on Sunday night after his 16-year-old sister, Penny Oleksiak, captured the silver medal for Canada in the women's 100m butterfly at the summer games in Rio.

Penny finished second to Sweden's Sarah Sjostrom who captured gold. For Penny it marks her second medal in as many days, after helping Canada claim bronze in the 4x100m freestyle on Saturday.

Of course, the elder Oleksiak is also a decorated athlete himself after winning a bronze medal as a member of Canada's World Junior hockey team in 2012.

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Canadiens’ Carr hoping to stick with club

Daniel Carr is hoping to cement a permanent spot with the Montreal Canadiens, following his first taste of the NHL in 2015-16.

After four years playing at Union College and a season-and-a-half in the AHL, Carr scored a call-up from the Canadiens last season, a stint he believes paid huge dividends in his development.

"I learned that if given the chance, I can compete there," Carr told Matt Cudzinowski of canadiens.com "That was the biggest thing, knowing that and coming into the summer making sure to give myself the biggest chance to get back there this year. There’s nothing quite like skating onto the ice at the Bell Centre, so you want to give yourself the best chance to get back to it."

Carr enjoyed a solid NHL debut, contributing six goals and nine points in 23 games. He held the third-highest shooting percentage on the team and ranked third in goals-per-60-minutes among Canadiens with at least 200 played, besting the likes of P.K. Subban, Max Pacioretty, and Tomas Plekanec.

Carr is hoping factors that previously made him a successful scorer - including three 20-goal campaigns in college - will make him a valuable asset to the Canadiens.

"That’s my game, being strong on the puck down low, beating guys off the wall to the net, and making little plays in tight to score goals. The better you get at that, the more chances you’re going to get," Carr said. "Last year, I think I started to learn the details of the NHL game, and I learned what I have to do to be effective at both ends of the rink. It was good going into the summer knowing the parts of my game I had to improve to be there all season long."

Carr should enter training camp as one of Montreal's few left-wing options with NHL experience, giving him an increased chance at solidifying a full-time roster spot.

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Watch: Ovechkin moonwalks on roller blades

Моя ❤️ @nastyashubskaya засняла мастер класс))))как вам?🇷🇺💪любимая Москва

A video posted by Alexander Ovechkin (@aleksandrovechkinofficial) on

While his ice skating may be powerful, Alex Ovechkin's stride on roller blades appears to be much more graceful.

The Washington Capitals star recently took to Gorky Park in Moscow along with fiancee Nastya Shubskaya and rapper T-Killah, among others, where he strapped on blades and unleashed his inner Michael Jackson with a flawless moonwalk.

Enjoy the pleasure skating while you can, Alex. Training camp and the World Cup of Hockey are just around the corner.

-With h/t to Russian Machine Never Breaks

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