ATLANTA (CP) - The Atlanta Thrashers officially announced the signing of Peter Bondra on Sunday.
The forward had been skating with the Thrashers at training camp this week but the deal took a few days to finalize due to insurance issues. The incentive-laden contract guarantees him a base salary of $505,000 US but he could earn another $2.9 million in bonuses if the Thrashers win the Stanley Cup.
"Peter has been a very explosive scorer and talented winger in this league for many years and we are very fortunate to add another veteran player of his calibre," Thrashers general manager Don Waddell said in a statement. "He brings another offensive dimension to our lineup and the entire Thrashers organization will benefit from his years of NHL experience and success."
The 37-year-old from Ukraine, only 23 goals shy of 500 in his career, split the 2003-04 season between Washington and Ottawa. He had 26 goals and 23 assists in 77 games.
The Thrashers were looking to upgrade their depth up front - especially with star Ilya Kovalchuk still unsigned. His agent has raised the possibility of the 41-goal scorer playing in his native Russia this season if he can't reach a deal with Atlanta.
The Thrashers have also signed centre Bobby Holik, traded Dany Heatley for Marian Hossa, brought in several new defencemen and groomed top prospect Kari Lehtonen to take over in goal.
In his prime, Bondra was one of the league's most gifted scorers. He led the NHL with 52 goals in both 1995-96 and 97-98, both years with the Capitals. Two other times, he surpassed 40 goals.
Overall, Bondra has reached 30 goals nine times in his 14-year career, nearly all of it spent with the Capitals. He has 477 goals and 362 assists in 984 NHL games.