Rats Signings: Rodney, Babchuk, and Ladd sign new deals

Former Albany River Rats defenseman Bryan Rodney has signed a one-year contract with the NHL's Anaheim Ducks. From TSN:

The Anaheim Ducks have signed defenceman Bryan Rodney to a one-year contract.

The Ducks announced the deal Tuesday for Rodney, who spent most of the past four seasons with the Carolina Hurricanes' AHL affiliates in Albany and Charlotte.

Rodney played three games for the Hurricanes last season while setting career-highs with nine goals and 38 assists in the minors. He has played 33 games for Carolina over the past three seasons, scoring 13 points.

Rodney, who appeared in 154 games with Albany from 2008 to 2010, recorded 14 goals and 72 assists for 86 points during his career as a River Rat.

Anton Babchuk, another former Rats defenseman, also signed a new deal, re-signing with the NHL's Calgary Flames. From The Associated Press (via The Detroit News):

The Calgary Flames have re-signed defenseman Anton Babchuk to a two-year contract extension worth $5 million.

The 27-year-old played in 65 games with Calgary last season after coming over in a trade from Carolina along with Tom Kostopoulos.

Babchuk had 11 goals and 24 assists and was a team-best plus-14 with the Flames. He added eight points in 17 games with Carolina.

Monday's deal will pay Babchuk $2.5 million a year.

A first-round pick by Chicago in 2002, Babchuk has played 250 career NHL regular-season games, with 34 goals and 62 assists.

Babchuk's time as a Rat came during the 2006-07 season, when he appeared in 9 games for Albany, registering 1 goal and 6 assists for 7 points.

Finally, former Rats forward Andrew Ladd has also signed a new contract, staying with the NHL's Winnipeg Jets (formerly the Atlanta Thrashers). From TSN:

The Winnipeg Jets have avoided salary arbitration with forward Andrew Ladd, agreeing to a five-year, $22 million contract with their captain before the 5pm et deadline to file.

The deal will pay Ladd $4 million next season and $4.5 million in each of the following four seasons.

Ladd appeared in just 2 games for the Albany River Rats in 2007-08 when they were affiliated with the Carolina Hurricanes, scoring 1 goal during the AHL conditioning assignment.

Note: Don Ferlazzo is not an employee of the Albany Devils, nor is this blog sponsored or influenced by the organization in any way.