COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Free agent center Andrew Cassels signed a three-year contract Thursday with the Columbus Blue Jackets, a move that had more to do with family than hockey.

	Cassels

''The first thing when I went into this was I wanted to get back East because my family is going to relocate in the Toronto area,'' said Cassels, who spent the last three seasons in Vancouver. ''I wanted for my kids to be able to get to me or for myself to be able to get back and see them, so that was really the biggest factor in this decision.''

Cassels, 33, had 11 goals and 39 assists in 53 games last year. He is slated to earn a base salary of $2.6 million this season. The second and third years of the deal are at Cassels' option.

The Blue Jackets are hoping the addition of Cassels, a slick set-up man with plenty of power-play experience, will bolster an offense that scored the fewest goals in the NHL last year.

''Cassels gives us a playmaking center who's typically produced nearly a point-a-game in his NHL career,'' said president and general manager Doug MacLean, who also lured free agent defenseman Scott Lachance out of Vancouver earlier this summer.

The move also reunites Cassels with former Hartford Whalers linemate and current Columbus left wing Geoff Sanderson. They played together in Hartford from 1991-97, and both players enjoyed their best offensive seasons playing on the same line in 1992-93.

Cassels, a 12-year veteran who has 174 goals and 452 assists in 847 games with Montreal, Hartford, Calgary and Vancouver, sought out Sanderson before making a final decision.

''I talked to Geoff at length a couple of times and he had nothing but good things to say about the city and the organization,'' said Cassels, who also talked to Toronto, Pittsburgh and the New York Islanders. ''When I went down to Columbus over the weekend I really enjoyed the city and the organization and the people. It was first class.''