Blue Jackets Sign Center Sammy Pahlsson

Sammy Pahlsson turned out to be the first free agent added to the Blue Jackets roster today. The Dispatch reports:

The Blue Jackets have signed center Sami Pahlsson to a three-year contract worth $7.95 million, The Dispatch has learned. That's an annual average salary of $2.65 million.

Pahlson is considered one of the NHL's premier checking line centers. He has played 557 games during an eight-year career with Boston, Anaheim and Chicago.

The Blue Jackets just got a whole lot tougher on the penalty kill. Although Pahlsson is not as versatile as Manny Malhotra, he is an elite checking forward. He is comfortable in his role on the 3rd line, and comes with great Stanley Cup playoffs experience. He's one of the key pieces that helped lead the Anaheim Ducks to their Stanley Cup win in 2007. 

Have fun scoring against the Blue Jackets and Coach Hitchcock's penalty kill, which now features Pahlsson, Antoine Vermette, Rick Nash, and company with Steve Mason in net.

This is an excellent move for the Jackets, and Pahlsson will look great on the third line between the likes of Jason Chimera and Raffi Torres.

Pahlsson is a player I targeted in my Blue Jackets free agency post from a couple days ago, and I'm pretty happy with this acquisition.

One question I do have: If we were willing to sign Pahlsson to a 3-year deal worth $2.65 million per year... what exactly was Malhotra hoping to sign for?