Saturday, July 01, 2006

Leafs sign twin towers! Pavel Kubina and Hal Gill

TORONTO (CP) -- With their skilled defencemen locked up long-term, the Toronto Maple Leafs added a pair of blue-line behemoths Saturday.The Leafs signed six-foot-seven veteran Hal Gill to a $6.3-million, three-year contract while coming to terms with six-foot-five defenceman Pavel Kubina on a $20-million, four-year deal.Both players were unrestricted free agents.Gill, who made just under $1.6 million last season, had one goal, nine assists and 124 penalty minutes in 80 games with the Bruins. The 31-year-old native of Concord, Mass., has 20 goals and 77 assists in 626 games, all with Boston.Kubina had five goals and 33 assists for Tampa Bay last season, his eighth with the team. The 29-year-old, who made $2.58 million last season, added a goal and an assist in two playoff games.The duo is expected to add some much-needed grit to the Leafs' defence corps, complementing offensive-minded defenceman Bryan McCabe and Tomas Kaberle. Both recently signed long-term deals with the team.Kubina is expected to officially sign with Toronto in the next few days.

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