Here is the article from The Dispatch:
Unrestricted free-agent center Michael Peca has agreed to terms on a one-year contract with the Blue Jackets.
Peca, reached last night, said he was done waiting on the New York Rangers, his first choice, and looking forward to being a Blue Jacket.
“We had a deal in place with the Rangers for almost three weeks now,” Peca said. “It just doesn’t seem like the commitment has been there from the general manager (Glen Sather) to get it done.
“But ever since we started talking with Columbus (Friday), (Blue Jackets general manager Scott Howson) has been very straightforward and very interested in getting something done. And so right now, that’s where our focus is, getting something done with Columbus.
“I moved on (from the Rangers). And now I’m getting pretty excited to play for coach Ken Hitchcock and the Blue Jackets.”
Peca, 33, is one of the NHL’s premier defensive forwards.
Neither Howson nor Peca's agent, Don Meehan, returned messages.
Peca is a veteran of 728 NHL games and a two-time winner of the Selke Trophy as the league’s top defensive forward.
He has also served as captain of two clubs, the Buffalo Sabres (1997-2000) and New York Islanders (2001-2005), and could well serve as one of the Blue Jackets’ alternate captains under captain Adam Foote.
Peca spent last season with Toronto, playing only 35 games before he was submarined by Chicago defenseman Jim Vandermeer. Peca suffered a broken tibia that sidelined him the rest of the season. He finished with four goals and 11 assists.
Earlier this summer, he told the New York Daily News that he had completely recovered from the broken leg, and he passed a physical with the Rangers last week.
“It’s not about the money for me right now,” Peca said. “I played so few games last year, I’m just excited to get back on the ice and prove myself all over again.
“I know a few guys in that room and I think we can be a pretty good team. I know Adam Foote and Rick Nash. I lived in Jason Chimera’s house when I played in Edmonton (2005-06). I’m good friends with Todd Marchant, and when I talked to him, he told me it was a great place to play.”
It’s unclear exactly where Peca will fit in the Blue Jackets lineup, but he will draw major minutes under Hitchcock, who has raved about Peca’s work ethic and on-ice attitude.
Peca has long been regarded as one of the top penalty killers in the NHL, and with Sergei Fedorov and Manny Malhotra, he gives the Blue Jackets three solid defensive centers, as well as three players who excel at winning faceoffs.
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