Devils Sign Arnott, Niedermayer

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"It's unfortunate it took this long but they will be here more than a year," Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello said. "They're important components of our team. They wanted to be Devils, we wanted them to be Devils, and they are Devils."

Details of the contracts were not disclosed, but Niedermayer's contract was thought to be a 4-year deal for $16 million. Arnott is guaranteed $5.1 million over two years, with an additional $900,000 in what should be easily attainable bonus money.

"It was important to come back. I've had a lot of bad days until now," Niedermayer said. "I don't think arbitration would have been a fun experience."

The Devils recently went through a six-game losing streak, the longest skid since 1991. The hard times might have contributed to Lamoriello's willingness to give in. He had threatened to deduct portions of the holdouts salaries for each day of the regular season they missed, but there was no mention of it in the deals.

"This is good for our team," Devils captain Scott Stevens said. "They are important people and I'm glad it's over with."