Bruins sign seven players

He skated on the power play. He killed penalties. He faced off against top lines.

For all that, the Bruins rewarded restricted free agent Brad Boyes yesterday, announcing that they had signed the restricted free agent to a one-year contract. In 80 games for Providence last year, Boyes had 33 goals and 42 assists, making him the club's second-leading scorer.

''The next thing is for him to get acclimated to the speed of the NHL game," said Providence coach Scott Gordon, who said he had to remind Boyes to skate at a high level all the time. ''He's got NHL skill. I don't think anybody questions that. He's got a good head for the game and great vision. He makes plays that a lot of players can't make.

''Right now, the next step is for him to get that NHL opportunity so he can get a good measure of where he's at compared to other players."

Boyes, 23, was acquired from San Jose in exchange for Jeff Jillson on March 9, 2004. He had 8 goals and 7 assists in 16 playoff games for Providence last year.

Boyes, who could center the parent club's fourth line, was one of seven signings the Bruins announced yesterday. Also signed were unrestricted free agent forwards Ben Guite, Jason MacDonald, Nate Robinson, and Hull native Eric Healey, as well as restricted free agent defenseman Kevin Dallman and former Bowling Green blue liner Jonathan Sigalet. All but Sigalet (three years) signed one-year contracts.

Dissenting voices

Yesterday, the Czech and Russian hockey federations declined to sign the NHL's new player transfer agreement, which determines the annual sum the league pays to European organizations when drafting overseas players. The NHL's new five-year agreement stipulates that the league will pay $12.5 million annually to the International Ice Hockey Federation. In turn, the IIHF disburses the money to each federation, according to the number of players drafted from each country. Germany, Finland, Sweden, Switzerland, and Slovakia, the five other federations, have committed to the new agreement. The Czech and Russian federations are attempting to increase the annual fee. Under the new agreement, a No. 1 overall draft pick selected from Europe would be worth $900,000. Each successive pick would be worth $20,000 less, with a minimum compensation of $150,000. The Czech federation is lobbying to increase the minimum fee to $300,000. The Russian federation is aiming to deal directly with NHL clubs instead of the IIHF to determine compensation. Frank Brown, NHL vice president of media relations, said he did not expect regular-season play to be affected.

Just saying no

As expected, Bruins Andrew Raycroft, Nick Boynton, and Hal Gill did not accept their qualifying offers, which expired yesterday. Both the Bruins and the players have expressed interest in multiyear deals . . . John LeClair had talks with the Bruins before signing with Pittsburgh yesterday, according to a source close to the former Vermont star. LeClair, whose contract was bought out by Philadelphia, had 23 goals and 32 assists in 2003-04. He signed a two-year contract with Pittsburgh -- the Penguins' fifth major player addition in slightly more than two weeks. LeClair adds another established scorer to a team that has added defenseman Sergei Gonchar, high-scoring Zigmund Palffy, goalie Jocelyn Thibault, and top draft choice Sidney Crosby . . . Over the weekend, Scituate native Mike Hoffman signed a one-year contract with Toronto. The 6-foot-6-inch, 250-pound forward played for the AHL's Cleveland Barons last season . . . Sabres forward Jochen Hecht agreed to a three-year contract, while leading scorer Daniel Briere accepted a one-year qualifying offer to re-sign with Buffalo . . . Free agent defenseman Tom Poti, a Boston University product, re-signed with the Rangers . . . Todd Bertuzzi of the Canucks, breaking his silence of nearly a year and a half after his blindside punch to the head of Steve Moore left the Avalanche forward with injuries that could be career-ending, said at an orientation camp for the Canadian Olympic team: ''People make mistakes in life. If I'm going to sit here and keep getting ridiculed about it, how are we ever going to give someone a second chance to become better or to change situations?"

Material from Associated Press was used in this report.