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2010 NHL free agency: Canadiens sign Jeff Halpern

Jeff Halpern, Zenon Knopka

Tampa Bay Lightning center Jeff Halpern (11) celebrates with teammate Zenon Knopka (28) after Halpern scored a first-period goal against the Florida Panthers during an NHL hockey game Thursday, Jan. 14, 2010, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)

AP

The Montreal Canadiens have added another forward to the mix and made sure to keep their depth strong. Veteran centerman Jeff Halpern has signed with the Canadiens for one year helping boost the depth up the middle for the Habs. Salary details were not made immediately available but once they are we’ll update this post.

(UPDATE: Renaud Lavoie of RDS in Montreal says the one-year deal is worth $600,000.)

Halpern is a solid face-off man and a guy that will make Habs fans think of Dominic Moore or Glen Metropolit. Thankfully the Habs didn’t have to give up a second round pick in order to obtain Halpern. He’ll be a grind line type of player and he’ll be able to plug right into Jacques Martin’s system without much problem.

For Montreal, Halpern now mixes in with the likes of Dustin Boyd and Lars Eller as players that can play up the middle or on the wing. Halpern’s addition also could mean that someone is on the move out of town as the roster appears to be crowded all throughout and the Habs are creeping ever-closer to the salary cap. This move also makes it more difficult for youngsters from Hamilton to make a bid to crack the NHL roster. Ben Maxwell in particular could be directly affected by this signing.