NHL NOTES

updated 10:03 p.m. ET Aug. 16, 2005

RALEIGH, N.C. - The Carolina Hurricanes re-signed defenseman Glen Wesley to a one-year, $1 million contract Tuesday, bringing the 36-year-old fan favorite back for an 18th NHL season.

Wesley has played all but a fraction of the last 10 seasons with the Hartford-Carolina franchise.

“Glen has been a mainstay of this organization for a long time and he has made his home in North Carolina,” general manager Jim Rutherford said. “He is a leader on and off the ice and we are very happy to have him back for another season.”

Wesley was traded to Toronto in March 2003 in exchange for a second-round draft pick in 2004. He played seven games that spring with the Maple Leafs, then re-signed with the Hurricanes the following summer.

Wesley completed his 17th season in 2003-04, tallying six assists in 74 games for Carolina. He led the team with a plus-18 rating.

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He is third in franchise history in games played (703), and has 47 goals, 149 assists and 466 penalty minutes.

Wesley was originally drafted third overall by the Boston Bruins in 1987. In 1,247 career games, he has 124 goals, 382 assists and 891 penalty minutes.

The Hurricanes also signed defenseman Chris Hajt, who split last season between Portland of the AHL and Augusta of the East Coast.

Islanders sign Sopel to two-year deal
The New York Islanders avoided another arbitration hearing by signing defenseman Brent Sopel to a two-year contract Tuesday.

New York had four players file for arbitration, but only center Justin Papineau remains without a contract. Forwards Mike York and Trent Hunter signed to one-year deals Saturday.

The Islanders also re-signed defenseman Radek Martinek to a one-year contract Tuesday.

The 28-year old Sopel had career bests of 10 goals and 32 assists with the Vancouver Canucks during the 2003-04 season. He was acquired from the Canucks earlier this month for a second-round pick in the draft next year.

Sopel could have signed a one-year deal and become an unrestricted free agent in 2006, but now the Islanders have defensemen Alexei Zhitnik, Janne Niinimaa, Brad Lukowich and Sopel under contract for the next two seasons.

Zhitnik has a four-year deal that lasts through the 2008-09 season.

In 302 career NHL games, all with Vancouver, Sopel has 32 goals and 125 points. His offensive totals have increased in each of the last three seasons. He had 27 points in the 2001-02 season, then 37 and 42 in the next two years.

Martinek had four goals and three assists in 47 games with the Islanders in 2003-04. In five playoff games, he recorded one assist.

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