Darche, Canadiens agree to one-year contract
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Montreal Canadiens General Manager Pierre Gauthier announced on Friday that the club has re-signed veteran left wing Mathieu Darche to a one-year contract.
Darche, who was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, completed his eighth season in the League in 2010-11.
The 34-year-old forward set personal-highs with 12 goals and 26 points in 59 games. He produced 90 shots and sported a plus-7 rating while averaging 11:16 seconds of ice time per game for coach Jacques Martin. Darche added 1 goal and 2 points in a seven-game series loss to the Boston Bruins in the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
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"We are very pleased to have reached an agreement with Mathieu Darche," Gauthier said. "Mathieu is a classy veteran player who displays great leadership and determination, and we strongly believe he can help us achieve our goals in the upcoming season."
Since 2000-01, Darche has registered 60 points (25 goals, 35 assists) in 189 NHL regular-season games. Prior to joining the Canadiens, Darche had stints with the Columbus Blue Jackets, Nashville Predators, San Jose Sharks and Tampa Bay Lightning. A native of Montreal, he first signed with the Canadiens as a free agent in July 2009.