ST. LOUIS – St. Louis Blues President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Doug Armstrong announced today the club has signed forward Jori Lehtera to a three-year contract extension.

Lehtera's extension will begin with the 2016-17 season.

Lehtera, 27, appeared in 75 regular season games with the Blues during his first NHL season in 2014-15, posting 44 points (14 goals, 30 assists) while ranking second on the club with a +21 rating. He also added two assists in five postseason outings.

The contract has an average annual value of $4.85 million, according to TSN.

Martin, 34, spent the last five seasons with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He had three goals and 20 points in 74 games with the Penguins in 2014-15.

The New York Islanders signed goaltender Thomas Greiss to a two-year contract and re-signed defenseman Thomas Hickey to a three-year contract on Wednesday.

Greiss' contract is worth $3 million and Hickey's is worth $6.6 million, according to Newsday.

Greiss spent last season as the Pittsburgh Penguins' backup, appearing in 20 games for a 9-6-3 record with a 2.59 goals-against average and .908 save percentage.

The Calgary Flames signed goalie Karri Ramo to a one-year contract Wednesday. Financial terms were not disclosed, but Sportsnet reported it to be worth $3.8 million.

Ramo went 15-9-3 with a 2.60 goals-against average and .912 save percentage in 34 appearances with the Flames last season as Jonas Hiller's backup. Hiller is still with the Flames.

Forward Vladimir Tarasenko likely will not re-sign with the St. Louis Blues before he becomes a restricted free agent Wednesday, general manager Doug Armstrong told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Tuesday.

"We're having conversations, but I think both sides think it's best to keep it quiet," Armstrong told the newspaper. "I've been clear that he's a priority for us and he understands that. Now we've just got to see if we can get a deal done."

In many respects, the players set to become restricted free agents Wednesday are more intriguing than those expected to become unrestricted free agents, because they're younger and flush with potential.

The difference is they're not available on the open market. That doesn't mean they can't change teams, which leads us to the contract offer sheet dilemma.

Many people wonder why offer sheets aren't used more frequently by general managers. It's a fair question, considering only eight have been signed in the past 10 years and only one player, Dustin Penner in 2007, actually changed teams because of it.

The next phase in the run-up to the 2015-16 season begins at noon ET on Wednesday, when the unrestricted free agent signing period begins.

The list of unrestricted free agents grew to include forwards Mike Richards, PA Parenteau, Cody Hodgson and Viktor Stalberg in the past few days. Richards cleared unconditional waivers and had his contract terminated by the Los Angeles Kings. The others cleared waivers and were bought out.

Meanwhile, forwards Jay Beagle (Washington Capitals) and Drew Stafford (Winnipeg Jets), goaltender Antti Niemi (Dallas Stars) and defenseman Adam McQuaid (Boston Bruins) were re-signed prior to reaching free agency. Niemi had his rights traded to the Stars from the San Jose Sharks during the 2015 NHL Draft.

Here are the 20 best unrestricted free agents (in alphabetical order) expected to be available when the market opens Wednesday:

The New Jersey Devils will not attempt to re-sign forward Scott Gomez, general manager Ray Shero told Northjersey.com on Saturday.

Gomez, 35, signed Nov. 20 after a training-camp tryout and tied for the Devils lead with 27 assists in his 58 games. He will be an unrestricted free agent July 1.

"It is what it is," Gomez told reporter Tom Gulitti. "The thing is I know I can play. I've proven that. I know I can play at this level. I know I can contribute. But it's time to focus on somewhere else."

NASHVILLE -- Veteran center Mike Fisher's plan all along was to re-sign with the Nashville Predators. It was just a matter of putting together a contract that worked for both sides.

Fisher signed a two-year, $8.8 million contract with the Predators on Friday, five days before he was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent. He will make $4.8 million next season and $4 million in 2016-17, the Predators said.

Fisher finished the 2014-15 season with 19 goals and 39 points in 59 games.

"I'm happy to be here," Fisher said. "I'm thrilled that I'm going to be part of this great organization for a couple more years. No better place to be than here for me. I'm excited."

The Colorado Avalanche signed forward Carl Soderberg to a five-year contract on Friday, one day after acquiring the pending unrestricted free agent in a trade with the Boston Bruins.

The contract is worth $23.75 million; it includes a full no-trade clause for the first two years and a limited no-trade clause afterward, ESPN.com reported.

"We are pleased to have Carl signed to a long-term deal," Avalanche president and general manager Joe Sakic said. "He is a solid two-way forward who is big and strong on the puck. He is versatile, can play center or wing, and his addition will also benefit our power play."