The Carolina Hurricanes have agreed to terms with right wing Sergei Samsonov on a three-year, $7.6 million contract.
Samsonov will receive $2.3 million in 2008-09, $2.5 million in 2009-10 and $2.8 million in 2010-11.
"We were very excited about Sergei's play after he arrived in Carolina," said Hurricanes' president Jim Rutherford. "It was important to the success of our team going forward that we keep him here."
The 29-year-old completed his 10th NHL season and first with the Hurricanes in 2007-08. Acquired by the Hurricanes on waivers from the Chicago Blackhawks on Jan. 8, the Moscow native scored 14 goals, earned 18 assists and had a plus/minus rating of plus-7 in 38 games with Carolina.
Samsonov had just four assists in 23 games with Chicago prior to being assigned to Rockford of the American Hockey League (AHL) on Jan. 2, one week before joining the Hurricanes.
He ranked second among Hurricanes skaters, behind only Eric Staal, in goals (14), assists (18) and points (32), during his 38 games with the team. He equaled his point total in 23 games with the Blackhawks in just his fourth game with the Hurricanes, and notched points in 10 of the final 15 games of the season for Carolina.
In 657 career regular-season NHL games with Boston, Edmonton, Montreal, Chicago and Carolina, Samsonov has scored 192 goals and earned 262 assists.
The Bruins originally drafted Samsonov in the first round, eighth overall, in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft with a pick acquired in the deal that brought defenseman Glen Wesley to the Hurricanes organization in 1994.
In 1997-98, he won the Calder Trophy as the NHL's top rookie after tallying 22 goals and 25 assists in 81 games with the Bruins, leading all rookies in goals, power-play goals and power-play points.