Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) – The Philadelphia Flyers signed defenseman Ole-Kristian Tollefsen to a one-year contract on Thursday.

Tollefsen appeared in only 19 games in 2008-09 with the Columbus Blue Jackets and recorded one assist and 37 penalty minutes.

A native of Oslo, Norway, Tollefsen is just the fifth Norwegian-born player to play in the NHL — and the second to do so with the Flyers. Patrick Thoresen appeared in 21 regular-season games and 14 playoff contests for the Flyers two seasons ago.

Over parts of four NHL seasons with the Blue Jackets, Tollefsen has collected four goals, 10 points and 273 penalty minutes in 145 career games. He was originally selected by Columbus in the third round of the 2002 draft.

Its nothing new to see NHL teams revamp their website layouts during the offseason in an effort to renew their fans’ online experience.  But the general population doesn’t often get a sneak peek at the new digs until the official rollout.

But in this case, the Flyers’ new site has been leaked.  It’s nothing earth-shattering, but it’s easy to see how the new feel of the site is meant to more closely resemble NHL.com’s recent update.

Here is the link…

http://flyers.nhl.com/club/index.htm

It is being thrown around the online Flyers community that GM Paul Holmgren has yet to conclude his offseason shopping.

According to multiple sources, including Anthony SanFilippo of the Delaware County Daily Times, the Flyers are expected to sign defenseman Ole-Kristian Tollefsen to a contract pending a physical that will be conducted this week.

Tollefsen spent the last 4 years in Columbus, and is another one of those guys that can make the opposition absolutely miserable with his presence.  He’s young (just 25), committed, and willing to crack skulls when the need arises.

The knock, however, would be Tollefsen’s difficulty in staying healthy thus far in his young career.  A knee injury back  in January cost him the remainder of the 2008-09 season, and the Flyers will no doubt he looking intently at him during the physical.

But if all goes well, and the intentions of adding Tollefsen to the Flyers lineup are true, we could be looking at the end of Randy Jones’ time in Philly.  Some fans will no doubt be relieved by that, considering Jones’ inability to grab solid hold of a top 6 spot when every chance presented itself.

Tollefsen could also provide some cap relief if he is signs for well under the $2.75 million that Jones is currently making.  There could conceivably be enough room for the Flyers to sign another veteran forward.

Miroslav Satan and Petr Sykora continue to pop up in those related rumors.

Boston, MA (Sports Network) – The Boston Bruins and Philadelphia Flyers have been selected to play in this season’s Winter Classic at Fenway Park on New Year’s Day 2010.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman made the announcement Wednesday at a press conference on the infield at the historic venue, which first opened in 1912.

“A unique event deserves a unique venue, and we are delighted the Bruins and Flyers will renew their rivalry with the ‘Green Monster’ providing the backdrop,” Bettman said. “We welcome our fans, our teams, our sponsors and the great city of Boston to this annual celebration of our sport.”

The Winter Classic was first played in 2008 at Buffalo’s Ralph Wilson Stadium between the Sabres and Pittsburgh Penguins. Superstar Sidney Crosby scored the winning goal in a shootout for the Pens as snow fell in front of an NHL-record crowd of 71,217.

Wrigley Field in Chicago was the scene of this past season’s Winter Classic, as the crowd of 40,818 watched the Detroit Red Wings capture a 6-4 victory over the hometown Chicago Blackhawks.

“In a very short time, the Winter Classic has become a hallmark of the NHL season,” Bettman added. “Our teams that have participated have enjoyed the experience. There is a strong desire to be associated with this specific game.”

NBC, which has reveled in significant ratings increases for each of the previous two Winter Classic games, will again broadcast the 2010 contest in the United States.

Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) – The Philadelphia Flyers signed defenseman Chris Pronger to a multi-year contract extension on Tuesday.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but multiple sources report that the pact is worth $35 million over seven years.

“We are pleased to have one of the NHL’s premier defensemen in our organization and under contract long term,” said Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren.

The Flyers acquired Pronger from the Anaheim Ducks on June 26 with prospect Ryan Dingle for forward Joffrey Lupul, defenseman Luca Sbisa, two first-round draft picks and a conditional third-round selection.

Pronger, the second overall pick of the 1993 draft by the Hartford Whalers, played in all 82 games last season with the Ducks and scored 11 goals and added 37 assists.

Over his 15 seasons in the NHL, Pronger has appeared in 1,022 games and compiled 142 goals and 464 assists. He is a career plus-153 and has 1,457 penalty minutes. In addition to Anaheim, who he won a Stanley Cup with in 2007, he has also played for Edmonton, St. Louis and Hartford.

“I am very excited to be able to retire a Philadelphia Flyer and am looking forward to many years with the Flyers logo on my chest,” Pronger said.

The native of Ontario took home the Norris Trophy as top defenseman and the Hart Trophy as the league’s most valuable player for the 1999-2000 season and is a five-time All-Star.