UNIONDALE, N.Y. (AP) -- The New York Islanders continued to add free agents Wednesday, signing former New York Rangers and Vancouver Canucks center Sergei Nemchinov to a three-year deal. 
 "Nemchinov is a character player who has two-way ability and has more offensive capability than he showed with the Rangers," general manager Mike Milbury said. "But when you play behind Mark Messier and Wayne Gretzky, there's not much room for offense." 
 Nemchinov, who the Rangers traded to Vancouver with Brian Noonan for Russ Courtnall and Esa Tikkanen last season, wound up with six goals and 19 points for the Rangers in 63 games, and two goals and five points in just six games for the Canucks. 
 Nemchinov, who is Russian, is vacationing in the Dominican Republic. Milbury said that one of the Islanders' selling points was returning close to his former home. 
 "He had two offers, I believe for more money from West Coast teams," Milbury said. "But I understand that one of the factors Sergei chose us was that he wanted to come back to New York." 
 Milbury also announced that center Claude Lapointe was re-signed Wednesday, also to a three-year deal. That gives the Islanders five natural centers on their roster with Nemchinov, Lapointe, Travis Green, Robert Reichel and Bryan Smolinski. 
 "We now have depth at center that we didn't have before," Milbury said. "Those are five bonafide NHL centers." 
 Asked why the 33-year-old Nemchinov was signed for three years, Milbury cited his dedication. 
 "This guy keeps himself in shape," Milbury said. "All I had to be sold on is that he had enough gas in the tank to go three years instead of two." 
 "I'm going to be interested in anybody who can help our team and can do so in a reasonable financial way," Milbury said.