One of the more dangerous blue lines in the NHL just got more dangerous as the Nashville Predators have signed Dan Hamhuis to a two-year contract worth a reported $2.5 million. The deal will hold an average annual value of $1.25 million.

Hamhuis, 35, will be joining his third NHL team but will be making his second stop with the Predators, the city where he started his NHL career. He played six seasons with the Preds before moving on to the Vancouver Canucks and Dallas Stars where he had 24 points (three goals, 21 assists) in 80 games last season. A veteran defender in the NHL, Hamhuis sat in NHL free agency a little longer than some might have expected but he couldn't be happier to join a team he knows well and has a good chance to be a contender in the Western Conference. Hamhuis said, "The team being very competitive, in my opinion, one of the favorites to win the Stanley Cup next year, that's a huge draw."

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[caption id="attachment_685940" align="alignnone" width="1284"] via NHL.com[/caption] Hamhuis added that he liked the idea the Predators had a solid group of blueliners already in the system. With a strong top four of Roman Josi, P.K. Subban, Ryan Ellis, and Mattias Ekholm, Hamhuis believes he'll fit in quite well. "I talked with (coach) Peter Laviolette and he saw me fitting in behind those top four guys to help them. I thought the role that was described for me on this team fit really well with where I'm at." For Hamhuis, this could be his final contract in the NHL and he appreciated general manager David Poile's desire to bring Hamhuis' family back where it all began. His entire family wanted to make it work and a two-year deal worked for both sides. Hamhuis played 483 regular-season games with the Predators from 2003-10. He had 161 points (32 goals, 129 assists) along with nine points in 28 playoff games.

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