NHL Trade Deadline: Analyzing Chris Phillips's and Other Latest Extensions

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The much-anticipated NHL trade deadline day is here. There has been much hype about which teams will make trades, who will be traded and to what team.

Some teams on the other hand have chosen to finally sign extensions with players who are pending UFAs or RFAs.

The Ottawa Senators, Los Angeles Kings, Chicago Blackhawks and Atlanta Thrashers have all signed a player to a contract extension in the past day.

Here are the deals and the analysis of what these deals mean for each team heading into the playoffs and future.

Ottawa Senators and Chris Phillips

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The Ottawa Senators and Chris Phillips signed a three-year contract extension yesterday, according to NHL.com. NHL.com reports that the deal is worth $9 million.

Phillips's name has come up often in trade rumor conversations. The Ottawa Senators put that rumor to rest by signing the defenseman to an extension.

Phillips had voiced his desire to remain in Ottawa to finish his career, the same team he has played for his entire career. The organization was listening.

This extension will be good for the Senators organization. Despite Ottawa's struggles this year, Phillips wanted to stay, for better or for worse. That's the type of player that Ottawa needs on their team right now to help them get back on track and become a winning team again.

Plus, Phillips took a slight pay cut for the deal and it isn't long-term.

Los Angeles Kings and Justin Williams

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The Los Angeles Kings announced this morning the extension of Justin Williams for four more years. According to NHL.com, TSN reported the contract's value at $14.6 million.

The Kings seem to be heading in the direction of a youth movement on the team, particularly with Jack Johnson's deal. This extension of Williams is to provide veteran support going into the playoffs.

The Kings are looking at prime placement in the playoffs if they keep at the pace they are going. The playoffs, particularly in the Western Conference, are really tough, especially for a young team.

By locking down Williams, the Kings are providing the young players with a teammate to look up to, who has won a Cup before and knows what it takes to win it.

Chicago Blackhawks and Brent Seabrook

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The Chicago Blackhawks and Brent Seabrook have finally come to an agreement on a contract extension. With Seabrook signed, the Blackhawks have most of their core group of players under contract for at least the next couple of years.

This could be good and bad for the Blackhawks.

On the one hand, it is good for the Blackhawks to retain Seabrook. Seabrook played a big part in Chicago's Stanley Cup win this past year and will play another large role in subsequent championships.

On the other hand, though, with all these long-term deals involving high-profile players, the Blackhawks don't leave themselves too much salary space to play with. The Hawks may make more moves during the day to try and combat this aspect of the extension.

Atlanta Thrashers and Mark Stuart

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Mark Stuart has played just four games for the Atlanta Thrashers since being traded from the Boston Bruins. The Thrashers must really like what they see since they signed Stuart to an extension today.

The Thrashers did not release the details of the deal, however NHL.com reports that TSN valued the deal at 3 years worth $5.1 million.

This deal is hard to judge because of how soon into Stuart's tenure in Atlanta it has come. As it stands now, it seems a little rushed, but perhaps Stuart is just another piece that will help the Atlanta franchise capture a championship.

Or, perhaps just capturing a divisional championship will be enough of an accomplishment at this point.

Another possibility about this deal is that the Thrashers are trying to sign multiple-year deals for cheap prices in the hopes of attracting a buyer or investor for the team.

Only time will tell.