Penguins re-sign Jeff Taffe

From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

The Penguins re-signed forward Jeff Taffe to a one-year contract, general manager Ray Shero announced today.

Taffe, 27, played 45 games for the Penguins during the 2007-08 season, scoring 12 points (five goals, seven assists) along with eight penalty minutes. He registered had a four-game point streak from February 23rd to February 28th, scoring five points (two goals, three assists).

Read the entire article here.

Taffe will probably bounce back and forth between Pittsburgh and Wilkes-Barre next season, so this signing should not have much impact on the Penguins' success next season.

Hurricanes are considering bringing back Jeff O'Neill

From Luke Decock of the News & Observer:

The Canes have talked to O'Neill and Jeff Taffe, Rutherford said, but both are holding out for one-way contracts.

O'Neill sat out last season after the Maple Leafs decided not to re-sign him. Carolina traded him to Toronto in August 2005, only a few months after O'Neill's brother Donny died in a car crash. The loss left O'Neill a mess and he seriously considered retiring then. After scoring 19 and 20 goals for the Maple Leafs, he did.

Read the entire story here.

If the Canes are deciding between O'Neill and Jeff Taffe, I see them siding with O'Neill. Not only are they familiar with him, but he has far more offensive upside, even though he sat out last season. However, I wouldn't expect him to sign a two-way contract unless there is some kind of agreement in place so if he didn't make the team, he'd be released.