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Coyotes make splash, sign Ribeiro: four years, $22 million

mikeribeirogetty

James

Mike Ribeiro was looking for term and a nice payday upon hitting free agency.

Today, he got both.

The Phoenix Coyotes -- who have been actively spending to start the free agent frenzy -- have agreed to a four-year, $22 million deal with the former Washington forward, according to TSN’s Bob McKenzie.

McKenzie also notes the deal carries a partial no-trade/no movement clause.

Ribeiro will carry a $5.5 million annual cap hit -- up from the $5 million he made on his last deal -- and immediately challenge for Phoenix’s No. 1 center position.

Ribeiro, 33, did enjoy a tremendous 2013 campaign, scoring 49 points in 48 games as the Caps won the Southeast Division.

He finished tied for 11th in NHL scoring (with Anaheim’s Ryan Getzlaf and Detroit’s Pavel Datsyuk) and finished just seven points back of teammate Alex Ovechkin, who captured the Hart Trophy as league MVP.

Signing in Phoenix brings Ribeiro back to the Western Conference, where he spent six seasons playing for Dallas from 2006-12.

He enjoyed some very successful times with the Stars, including a career-high 83-point performance during the 2007-08 campaign.

As for Phoenix, this is their second big monetary commitment of the day. The club kicked off free agency by signing Finnish forward Lauri Korpikoski to a four-year, $10 million deal.