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Thursday, July 3
 
Jackets sign Marchant, Letowski

SportsTicker

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The Columbus Blue Jackets, looking to add some speed, signed free-agent center Todd Marchant to a multiyear contract on Thursday.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The 29-year-old Marchant spent the past 10 years with the Edmonton Oilers after making his NHL debut with the New York Rangers during the 1993-94 campaign.

Marchant was the Oilers' second-leading scorer last season with 20 goals and 40 assists in 77 games. In 678 career games, he has registered 136 goals and 207 assists.

Regarded as one of the fastest skaters in the NHL, Marchant is dangerous as a penalty killer, recording 19 career shorthanded goals, including eight in the last three seasons.

"Todd gives us a speedy center who proved last year what kind of production he can provide when given the opportunity to play on one of the top two lines," Columbus general manager and coach Doug MacLean said.

The Blue Jackets also signed center-right wing Trevor Letowski, 26, to a multiyear contract on Thursday.

Letowski had 11 goals and 14 assists in 78 games for Vancouver last season, the second-best totals of his career.

Letowski's best season came as a rookie in 1999-2000, when he recorded 19 goals and 39 points for the Phoenix Coyotes.

"Trevor is a versatile addition as he can play at either center or wing," MacLean said. "Both will provide us with a quick, gritty style that will make our team much more difficult to play against this season."