NHL Free Agency Preview

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Marian Hossa is the best player on the market. Who will sign him?
PHOTO BY ICON SMI

BY J.P. DELMONTE
Update! Writer

 

The most exciting part of the NHL season (outside of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, of course) is upon us – July 1^st. At 12 p.m. the free agent frenzy begins and this year should be one to remember. The big name free agent crop isn’t as big as it was last year or will be next year. However, that could work to our advantage as teams will likely be aiming for big time trades (as we’ve already seen at the NHL Draft this year.

Why don’t we have a look at the Free Agency field, shall we?

THE BIG NAMES

Before we get into all the big guns, let’s strike a couple off the market first…Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg and Teemu Selanne. If these guys sign anywhere it’ll be with their respective teams. Or, as is very possible…retirement.

 

Now let’s take a look at the big names we all know so well.

Mats Sundin, C

Marian Hossa, RW

Jaromir Jagr, RW

Sean Avery, RW

Brendan Shanahan, LW

Pavol Demitra, LW

Markus Naslund, LW

Brian Campbell, D

Wade Redden, D

Adam Foote, D

Cristobal Huet, G

Olaf Kolzig, G

Jose Theodore, G

 

Out of that entire list I think you could only argue that Markus Naslund doesn’t truly belong. He’s a shell of his former self, marking a low point for him last year with only 55 points in 82 games. He’ll still get some offers but expect a huge pay cut. That group can be cut down even further to Mats Sundin, Marian Hossa, Jaromir Jagr, Pavol Demitra, Brian Campbell, and Wade Redden. Those are the biggest catches of the free agency period by far. Expect Hossa, Campbell and Redden to attract the biggest contracts of the summer while Sundin has limited himself to a small selection of teams (likely opting to sign with Montreal if he doesn’t retire.) Campbell will likely find himself somewhere in the (North) east while Redden and Hossa both go where the money flows.

 

Sean Avery is an odd selection for this list. He’s not quite a “big fish”…in fact, I wouldn’t even put him at the top of the Tier Two section below, but the fact that he’s a big name is undeniable. He’s the super-pest…Darcy Tucker on steroids. It wouldn’t surprise me if he was offered more money by than some of these big fishies. No matter where he goes, get ready to keep hating.

 

Olaf Kolzig and Jose Theodore are the big names for starting goalies out there and will find a home before July is over. That’s not to say anything bad against Crisotbal Huet; it’s just that he’s all but guaranteed to be back with Washington this season.

Now, these guys here are still the big fish.

 

TIER TWO

It could be argued that some of these guys could be placed in the Big Fish column. However, when matched up against the best of the best they still haven’t met expectations (or, in the case of Vaclav Prospal, shown consistency over the years). Some potential fire power dominates this list, such as Martin Straka, Kristian Huselius, Brian Rolston, and Andrew Brunette rounding out the main forward crop. Todd Bertuzzi’s recent buyout also offers a major bargain opportunity for a team willing to gamble. An incentive-laden contract could motivate Big Bert in the right location.

 

Kevyn Adams, C

Bryan Smolinski, C

Martin Straka, C

Brendan Morrison, C

Miroslav Satan, RW

Todd Bertuzzi, RW

Darcy Tucker, RW

Jason Williams, RW

Radim Vrbata, RW

Ryan Malone, LW

Kristian Huselius, LW

Brian Rolston, LW

Vaclav Prospal, LW

Andrew Brunette, LW

John-Michael Liles, D

Rob Blake, D

Mike Commodore, D

Michal Rozsival, D

Ron Hainsey, D

Alexei Zhitnik, D

Jason Smith, D

Brad Stuart, D

Mark Streit, D

Ty Conklin, G

Alex Auld, G

Curtis Joseph, G

 

This is a much deeper group and could be the route most GM’s would rather take. You might find a nice discount on some solid D-men like Ron Hainsey and Mike Commodore. But they could also easily overpay on some, like Brad Stuart and Michal Rozsival. Mark Streit is an interesting choice because his power play numbers really hide the fact that he was minus-6 on the season and historically does not play solid defense. Someone will likely overpay for him, much like they will a Michael Ryder (there IS potential consistent talent there…right?). But the defensive corps is so deep. John-Michael Liles could be a great pickup for any team but he’ll likely stay put in Colorado. Alexei Zhitnik might come at a great bargain price and could be worth the gamble.

 

The goaltending bunch really slows down now. We’re getting into backup territory here. Curtis Joseph won’t be finding the money but if he wants a job he’ll find a backup job on a team with a young goaltender. If anyone wants to take a flyer on Alex Auld I think they could do much, much worse. He had a very good season behind Tim Thomas in Boston and still has the potential to be a starter in the NHL.

 

RFA GEMS

This year should be no different than last year when it comes to teams restricted free agents. Will someone pull another Kevin Lowe? You can bet on it. The RFA crop is too good to ignore and a few GM’s will likely offer some big money to young player. Brian Burke might find another enemy if someone offers Corey Perry money Burke isn’t prepared to match. Or how about Buffalo’s Daniel Paille, he of the plus-9 rating and 19 goals in 77 games, earning Coach Lindy Ruff’s trust and gaining valuable ice time as the season came to a close. Colorado’s only RFA’s of note – Marek Svatos and Wojtek Wolski – are both players any team in the league would love.

Keep an eye on the Jay Bouwmeester situation as well; if Florida signs him it doesn’t mean they won’t trade him as he has the potential to be one of the league’s best D-men for years to come. Speaking of great young D, how about Washington’s Mike Green who stormed out of the gate and dominated the blue line and power play all season long?

 

There are plenty of offer sheets just waiting to be signed. These are just the tip of the iceberg.

 

Other RFA’s of note:

 

Matt Stajan, C, Toronto

Antoine Vermette, C, Ottawa

R.J. Umberger, C, Columbus

Valterri Filppula, C, DET

Rotislav Olesz, C, Florida

Patrick O’Sullivan, C, Los Angeles

Pierre-Marc Bouchard, C, Minnessota

Ryan Shannon, RW, Vancouver

Andrei Kostitsyn, LW, Montreal

Ryan Clowe, LW, San Jose

Christian Ehroff, D, San Jose

Dennis Wideman, D, Boston

Andrej Meszaros, D, Ottawa

Kari Lehtonen, G, Atlanta

Johan Holmqvist, G, Dallas