NHL Eastern Conference Report Card

Wade Redden will be a force while leading the Rangers on the power play in 2008.

[PHOTO BY ICON SMI]

By J.P DELMONTE
UPDATE! Writer

ATLANTA THRASHERS

Key Acquisitions: D Ron Hainsey, C Jason Williams, G Kari Lehtonen, G Johan Hedberg, LW Eric Boulton, C Marty Reasoner.

Key Departures: D Alexei Zhitnik (On Waivers)

Unsigned FAs:

Cap Space: Approx $19 million

Overview: Not much has happened in Thrasher land this off season. They’ve locked up Kari Lehtonen and Johan Hedberg, solidifying their goaltending situation and upgraded Alexei Zhitnik (sulking on waivers) with the defensive stalwart Ron Hainsey but after that they’ve simply filled their roster full of role players and grinders. Who will be the top line center? Todd White or Jason Williams? That says a lot right there.

Fantasy Outlook: A full season without Marian Hossa means two things: the Thrashers will likely lose a lot more games than last year and Ilya Kovalchuk will get the puck ALL the time. Kovalchuk will be playing along side Colby Armstrong this year and will be continuously fed by anyone else rotating in and out of his line. Armstrong won’t be a bad grab in a deep pool and might even see his production go up if he sits on the top line with regularity. Another year, more experiences gained. As for the rest of the team, there’s little to get excited about (Bryan Little?) other than Vyacheslav Kozlov and Tobias Enstrom. Even then, keep your excitement to a minimum; Kozlov is growing long in the tooth (36 years old) and had his worst season since 2000-01, scoring only 41 points in 82 games and seeing his four year streak of 20 or more goals snapped. There is always the chance that Enstrom suffers the terrible sophomore jinx. More importantly, keep in mind that the majority of his points came from the power play and that PP unit is going to be severely weakened with the absence of Hossa.

BOSTON BRUINS

Key Acquisitions: D Mark Stuart, RW Michael Ryder, D Dennis Wideman

Key Departures: RW Glen Murray (Waivers)

Unsigned FAs: None of note

Cap Space: Approx $800k over the cap

Overview: The Bruins finished very strong and had a surprisingly good first round playoff against the Canadians despite everyone (and I do mean EVERYONE) thinking they would barely crack the top 10 in the East and missing arguably their best player in Patrice Bergeron and their free agent goaltender Manny Fernandez. They survived, however, with the help of a solid defensive system and defensemen (Zdeno Chara and young Dennis Wideman), surprising contributors like Chuck Kobasew and the emergence of Phil Kessel (especially in the playoffs). By adding Michael Ryder and having a healthy Bergeron and Fernandez, Boston is an even better team than last year. Glen Murray will be picked up by another team but this won’t come as a loss to the Bruins as Murray is obviously on the down slope of his career and his $4mil a season does nothing for their cap woes.

Fantasy Outlook: Phil Kessel should be on your fantasy team this year. Even though the top two lines will be filled with the Bergerons and Savards of the hockey world the B’s will find time for Kessel. He is developing quickly and will likely play the wings, especially with Murray gone now. Also, expect Michael Ryder to have a bounce back season. He won’t be the stud who notched 30 goals, riding shotgun on Saku Koivu’s unlikely 70+ point season, but he’ll still be getting fed by Savard or Bergon on a nightly basis. On the defensive side, you can always count of Zdeno Chara to be an all around fantasy horse, getting you points in every category you need but outside of that, there is little on the backline to get worked up about. In net, Manny Fernandez will get the #1 job but Tim Thomas has proved time and time again that he deserves a hefty portion of starts and it wouldn’t be a bad idea considering Manny’s injury problems. Thomas is a great backup to have because you know, at one point in the season or another, he’ll be a #1 for a while.

BUFFALO SABRES

Key Acquisitions: D Craig Rivet, G Patrick Lalime, G Ryan Miller, C Paul Gaustad, LW Daniel Paille

Key Departures: RW Steve Bernier

Unsigned FAs: D Teppo Numminen, D Nolan Pratt, G Jocelyn Thibault

Cap Space: Approx $10 million

Overview: Another team that has done very little outside of locking up their core. Ryan Miller, Paul Gaustad and Daniel Paille all getting locked up is great news for the future of this club and bringing in Patrick Lalime as a backup is an upgrade over Jocelyn Thibault but nothing has really changed. Craig Rivet adds depth and veteran leadership to the blueline but doesn’t shore it up at all. Brian Campbell’s offensive presence will sorely be missed this season. On the flipside, however, two of Buffalo’s key wingers had dreadful seasons which failed to even meet LOW expectations; Thomas Vanek and Maxim Afinogenov should have bounce back years. They are too talented to have another poor one. They heated up as the year went on and, in Vanek’s case, the pressure of a massive contract is now behind him. If these two fire on all cylinders and Tim Connolly stays healthy enough to take the load solely of Derek Roy’s shoulders down the middle, Buffalo will see an immense improvement.

Fantasy Outlook: The biggest jumps in point production will be seen from Thomas Vanek and (hopefully) Maxim Afinogenov. If Connolly is healthy, he too will be a fantasy stud but the likelyhood of a healthy season is what keeps fantasy owners at bay. There are a lot of “potential” guys on this team to look for. Jason Pominville, Drew Stafford, Paul Gaustad and Daniel Paille all have the talent to be depth picks on a fantasy squad. Paille really heated up near the end of the season and will be looking to carry it into this coming season. Since no real offensive free agents were brought in this offseason, we can expect Paille, Stafford and Pominville to all see time amongst the top lines and if/when Connolly goes down to injury Gaustad will gladly step in and beef up his playing time. As for the defensive situation, Craig Rivet and Jaroslav Spacek will be poor fantasy options. Spacek, especially, will see his production dip considerably without Campbell around. And don’t even bother with Lalime – Ryan Miller will be your #1 all around fantasy option on this team.

CAROLINA HURRICANES

Key Acquisitions: D Joni Pitkanen, LW Darcy Hordichuk, D Dennis Seidenberg, C Tuomo Ruutu D Tim Gleason, D Josef Melichar

Key Departures: RW Erik Cole

Unsigned FAs: C Jeff Hamilton, D David Tanabe

Cap Space: Approx $7 million

Overview: You have to give a lot to get a lot these days. Carolina gets young, talented defenseman Joni Pitkanen but at the expense of one of their most consistent wingers and role players. No doubt about it, Erik Cole will be missed. But that isn’t to say that Carolina is worse off. They have some young guns coming up, Eric Staal/Rod Brind’Amour both play very well with Ray Whitney and Justin Williams and, if the second half of last season was an indication, Sergei Samsonov is playing well (enough) again. But the absence of Cole will still be seen on the scoresheet unless someone else emerges.

Fantasy Outlook: Staal is the main dish on this team but is followed closely by Whitney and Williams. Samsonov is a decent choice for a late draft pick but be wary of Rod Brind’Amour. He might be the man of steel but he’s also 37 years old coming off season-ending knee surgery. You can take a flier on Jeff Hamilton or Patrick Eaves but I wouldn’t. Keep your eyes on them early in the season, however, as they might surprise many from a fantasy standpoint. On the defensive side you have Joe Corvo and Joni Pitkanen to sink your teeth into. If Pitkanen is healthy he has the potential of being very dangerous while Corvo will provide some decent numbers from the back end. In net, the only option is Cam Ward and although it is a decent option it shouldn’t be your first…or second….or fifth…

FLORIDA PANTHERS

Key Acquisitions: C Cory Stillman, D Keith Ballard, D Nick Boyton, C Rostislav Olesz

Key Departures: C Olli Jokinen

Unsigned FAs: D Jassen Cullimore, D Jay Bouwmeester, C Anthony Stewart

Cap Space: Approx $12 million

Overview: The Panthers have just given themselves a huge defensive upgrade this off season but it comes at a huge expense. Nick Boyton and Keith Ballard are two young and terrific defenders coming over from Phoenix in exchange for Captain, Best Player and most underrated player in the league Olli Jokinen. Sure, Florida has Tomas Vokoun in net behind the young, amazing blueline of Jay Bouwmeester, Boyton, Ballard and Mike Van Ryn but what do you have in front? Cory Stillman is now their #1 center and best forward. Rostislav Olesz and Nathan Horton are close second/thirds. There is nothing really beyond that.

Fantasy Outlook: You can’t go wrong with Jay Bouwmeester again (especially in the second half of the season) and now Ballard and Boyton are good grabs as well. Vokoun is above and beyond your best choice on this team but he won’t get you offensive stats. Cory Stillman and Nathan Horton might get you those stats on offense but not the kind you really want. Stay clear of Florida’s forwards unless you are really, really, really stuck.

MONTREAL CANADIENS

Key Acquisitions: LW Alex Tanguay, RW Georges Laraque, G Marc Denis, G Jaroslav Halak, D Josh Gorges, C Maxim Lapierre

Key Departures: C Mikhail Grabovski, D Mark Streit

Unsigned FAs: D Patrice Brisebois, C Bryan Smolinksi

Cap Space: Approx $6.5 million

Overview: Here’s a scary scenario: the Canadiens have gotten better—much better. Last season it looked like they were overachieving but the overachieving never seemed to stop. Sure, they don’t have Cristobal Huet in net but is that really a big deal? Carey Price and Jaroslav Halak can do what he did and have the potential for more. By bringing in super-sniper Alex Tanguay the Canadiens now have a truly scary five-man unit. Their league-best powerplay also gets a big boost with him. And let’s not forget about Mats Sundin. Many thing Montreal has the inside scoop on the coveted free agent. If they do grab him then you can look at one of the scariest lines in the NHL: Tanguay – Sundin – Kovalev. And they aren’t just a one line team after that as so many youngsters really showed their worth with the Kostitsyn brothers (Andrei, Sergei), Tomas Plekanec, Chris Higgins, and Lapierre. Defensively many people think they took a hit with Mark Streit jumping ship but don’t take that at face value; Streit might have racked up some nice power play points (thanks to having Andrei Markov as a partner) but he was absolutely terrible defensively, posting minus ratings throughout his entire career.

Fantasy Outlook: This year will be so much better for Tanguay. He never clicked in Calgary and will now have Kovalev to play with. Kovalev’s points will likely stay consistent as well, making him a great grab. You’ll be save again with Andrei Markov as a solid defensive choice and with Mark Streit gone you might be surprised to see what Roman Hamrlik brings to the power-play table. The big question marks here, however, are in goaltending. Carey Price will likely get the job but with Jaroslav Halak waiting in the wings there could be a battle if either one struggles.

NEW JERSEY DEVILS

Key Acquisitions: RW Brian Rolston, C Bobby Holik, G Scott Clemmensen, D Bryce Salvador, LW Jay Pandolfo,

Key Departures: NA

Unsigned FAs: None of note

Cap Space: Approx $1.5 million

Overview: Once again the Devils season rests solely on the play of the aging (ageless?) Martin Brodeur. He got off to a shaky start last season but quickly found his groove and once again regained the form that has made him one of the best of all time. If he stutters again this season it won’t be for long. Bringing in the 90s Devils, Brian Rolston and Bobby Holik, is a nice touch as well to a young team. Both provide veteran leadership (you can’t get a better role player who can score than Brian Rolston), grit and depth down the middle. Rolston is a versatilte winger who can play anywhere you put him and will compliment Patrik Elias and Zach Parise very well. We’re also waiting for that breakout season for Brian Gionta – you know, the one where everyone hopes for 30+ goals or more? The big shot to this team is the defense. The once proud and frightening Devils D is a shell of its former self with Paul Martin being the only real threat. It falls off terribly after that.

Fantasy Outlook: Brodeur is the gem on this team. He’s the key to your fantasy team. The Devils won’t let in a lot of goals and won’t need to score a lot either. If you pick some of these Devils too soon you’ll be losing value but if you stick to the mid rounds you’ll get what you pay for: Jamie Langenbrunner, Brian Rolston, Patrik Elias and Zach Parise. Put a flier out on Gionta…it might be the year…right? And keep your eyes peeled on Travis Zajac as he is the real thing and could see some solid playing time this year.

NEW YORK ISLANDERS

Key Acquisitions: D Mark Streit, C Doug Weight

Key Departures: RW Mirosolav Satan, LW Ruslan Fedotenko, G Wade Dubielewicz

Unsigned FAs: None of note

Cap Space: Approx $1.5 million

Overview: How do you make a terrible team even worse? Lose two of your best players, bring in an aging center whose talent level is dropping drasatically and overpay for a mediocre defenseman. To make matters worse, they are almost right at the cap limit. This is a brutal team right now, folks. Bill Guerin showed last season that he has lost a step. Same goes for Doug Weight (who showed that two years ago). Mike Comrie is the hands down favourite on this team. After those three, there are no other options. This team is made up of retirees and checking lines. Sure, Mark Streit has been brought in but at a hefty pay hike. He’ll do nothing for their already shoddy defense and will show the world that his power play skills truly depend on having Andrei Markov beside him. Rick Di Pietro is the only bright spot on this team but his stats will be inflated with the defense in front of him. The good news for Islanders is that they have been drafting well over the past few years so the future has hope. The distant, distant future.

Fantasy Outlook: Stay away! Di Pietro is the only one worth any value here. Streit will go too high in the draft to even consider and Mike Comrie is your only other player of value. Comrie is good and he’ll get you some points but he is the definition of a streaky player.

NEW YORK RANGERS

Key Acquisitions: LW Markus Naslund, RW Nikolai Zherdev, C Dan Fritsche, D Dimitri Kalinin, D Michael Rozsival, D Wade Redden, G Stephen Valiquete, RW Nigel Dawes

Key Departures: RW Jaromir Jagr, C Martin Straka, RW Sean Avery, D Fedor Tyutin, D Christian Backman,

Unsigned FAs: D Marek Malik, LW Brendan Shanahan

Cap Space: Approx $4 million

Overview: There’s been a major overhaul in New York. We don’t know whether it’s good or bad yet. Although they lost Jagr and Straka, it could be a blessing in disguise as it is no secret that Jagr was not happy last year. They’ll miss Sean Avery’s peskiness on the ice but won’t miss him in the locker room for sure. The biggest blow might come from possibly losing Brendna Shanahan, not for his on-ice production (which took a big dip last season) but for his leadership. Moves were made to fill these big holes, however. The big free agent signing is Wade Redden who comes in to really tighten up the defense. Markus Naslund has had some rough years in Vancouver but should bring loads of leadership and might prove to have something left in the tank this year. Nikolai Zherdev adds depth and a potential scoring touch while Henrik Lundqvist will continue to be the backbone of the team.

Fantasy Outlook:Once again the big winner here is the goaltending. The Rangers have one of the best young goaltenders in the game and he’ll be a fantasy stud for anyone. Naslund might be a steal and turn out to be terrific but don’t forget about last years free agents Chris Drury and Scott Gomez. They had off years after signing big contracts but have started to shake off the pressure. Gomez, especially, should have a terrific year and could bring Naslund’s game back up to an elite level. A big question mark is Nikolai Zherdev. Was last season just a flash in the pan? Did he overachieve? He’ll be playing with a better compliment of players this year so we can expect him to at least have a similar season.

OTTAWA SENATORS

Key Acquisitions: G Alex Auld, LW Jarkko Ruutu, RW Shean Donovan, D Jason Smith

Key Departures: D Wade Redden, G Ray Emery, RW Brian McGrattan

Unsigned FAs: RW Martin Lapoint, D Luke Richardson, RW Randy Robitaille

Cap Space: Approx $11.5 million

Overview: The good news: they are no worse than they are last year and the locker room cancer that was Ray Emery is now gone. The bad news? They aren’t the #1 team heading into this season anymore. But…is that really bad news? The team is not incredibly different. Sure, they lost Wade Redden – one of their best players and best defensemen – but they brought in Jason Smith who is still rock solid (arguably better defensively than Redden) and has much more veteran leadership to bring to the table. They still have the deadly Daniel Alfredsson, Jason Spezza and Dany Heatley combination along with their fresh youngsters who are really coming into their own (Mike Fisher, Antoine Vermette, Nick Foligno) and they’ve got some solid checking lines and character grinders in Chris Neil, Dean McAmmond and Shean Donovan. They are just as good as last year, talent wise. They have the right guy behind the bench to turn this ship around in Craig Hartsburgh so if they play his game and remain the underdog into the first month of the season, don’t be surprised to see Ottawa back in its dominant role in the East.

Fantasy Outlook: You’ll never go wrong with Alfie, Spezza and Heatley. Ever. Any of those three guys on your team and you are guaranteed 80+ points. With Wade Redden gone, Anton Volchenkov and Chris Phillips might be seeing more power play time and have their production jump up a few notches. And keep your eyes peeled on Antoine Vermette and Mike Fisher as they are likely to have consistent (and possibly bigger) seasons. The question mark is Martin Gerber. Can he play as well as he did when the #1 job was guaranteed his? Or will Alex Auld usurp him in the battle that will likely come about?

PHILADELPHIA FLYERS

Key Acquisitions: D Danny Syvret, D Steve Eminger, C Jeff Carter, C Glen Metropolit, D Randy Jones, RW Joffrey Lupul

Key Departures: C R.J. Umberger, LW Vaclav Prospal, D Denis Gauthier

Unsigned FAs: D Jaroslav Modry

Cap Space: Approx $4 million over the cap

Overview: They’ll have to free up about $4 million by September but Philadelphia is sitting pretty with as solid a team as last year. Their young guns are starting to emerge (especially Mike Richards and Jeff Carter), while the secondary scorers like Scottie Upshall and Joffrey Lupul will continue to grow. Mike Knuble isn’t a top line threat anymore but he adds depth and grit to the wing with a scoring touch. Meanwhile, Simon Gagne might be healthy (and might be trade bait), giving both Daniel Briere, Mike Richards and fliers fans everywhere something to look forward to. There were hiccups along the way in net for Martin Biron but after a full year under his belt the Flyers finally have a goaltender they can count on. They added depth down the middle and depth along the blue line.

Fantasy Outlook: The obvious ones are gonna be great for your team – Briere, Richards, Carter and Gagne. Even throw Biron in the mix. But don’t forget about Scottie Upshall who exploded in the second half with hat trick after hat trick and loads of PIMs. Joffrey Lupul had an off year (and had his head smashed in) but he should fall back into form. As for defense, Randy Jones was a surprise last year as was the emergence of Braydon Coburn. They’ll miss Jason Smith’s leadership and defensive ability but that will give the young pups some added and much needed time to grow.

PITTSBURGH PENGUINS

Key Acquisitions: RW Miroslav Satan, LW Ruslan Fedotenko, LW Pascal Dupuis, C Matt Cooke, D Brooks Orpik

Key Departures: RW Marian Hossa, RW Gary Roberts, RW Georges Laraque

Unsigned FAs: D Alain Nasreddine

Cap Space: Approx $2.5 million

Overview: The Pens lost out on Marian Hossa – which is a huge blow – but consider how well the Pens were playing before they acquired him at the deadline and consider that he was injured for several weeks after acquiring him. Hossa added a lot to the team but did not make the team. By signing Miroslav Satan and Ruslan Fedotenko the Pens have added proven wingers to their top two lines while reacquiring the services of Pascal Dupuis. That makes two full offensive lines with surprising potential. Everyone is writing Satan off, especially because he had a terrible year. Keep in mind that his “terrible year” posted him at 3^rd in scoring on the Islanders last season. Satan has 60+ point potential and 30 goal potential but has always been on terrible, terrible teams. Now he’ll be fed by either Crosby or Malkin. Their defense remains the same except now they will have a full year of penalty-killing (but terribly slow) Hal Gill’s services. Their biggest weakness right now is a backup in net as Dany Sabourin will not do if Marc-Andre Fleury goes down with an injury.

Fantasy Outlook: Crosby, Fleury and Malkin. We all know. Those are the main three. Don’t forget about Jordan Staal, however. He’ll remain as the 3^rd line center but will still pull through and you’ll likely see him on power plays. As I mentioned before, the big one to look for is Miroslav Satan. I expect big, surprising things for him this year. BIG things.

TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING

Key Acquisitions: LW Ryan Malone, RW Gary Roberts, LW Vaclav Prospal, RW Radim Vrbata, G Olaf Kolzig, RW Mark Recchi, RW Brandon Bochenski, D Matt Carle

Key Departures: D Dan Boyle, D Brad Lukowich

Unsigned FAs: None of note

Cap Space: Approx $6 million

Overview: The old knock on Tampa Bay was that they were the definition of a one line team. Now the knock is that they are a team made up solely of forwards. How many forwards does one team need? Especially at the expense of defense! Matt Carle and Filip Kuba are not a top defensive tandem and yet they are now. Either way, Malone, Bochenski, Vrbata and Prospal are going to be good grabs that will help take the load off Vincent Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis. Don’t be surprised if Olaf Kolzig makes more starts than anticipated as Mike Smith might have a hard time in his first year, especially in front of such a weak defense.

Fantasy Outlook: You’re A-OK with Vinnie and Marty but don’t bite too early on Ryan Malone or Radim Vrbata. They’re good choices but will be going too high because of their new linemates. Vaclav Prospal is an iffy scenario—he has a habit of being “on” one year and “off” another, however, I expect him to have two solid years in a row. He clicked incredibly well with Vinnie and Marty last year and will get the chance to do so again. That is, unless Malone takes over that top line spot.

TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS

Key Acquisitions: D Jeff Finger, G Curtis Joseph, C Mikhail Grabovski, C Dominic Moore, C Matt Stajan, RW Jamal Mayers, C Ryan Hollweg

Key Departures: RW Darcy Tucker, G Andrew Raycroft, G Scott Clemmensen, D Andy Wosniewski

Unsigned FAs: C Mats Sundin, C John Pohl

Cap Space: Approx $7.5 million

Overview: The Leafs have some new looks but still have a majority of their core. The defense looks the same with Jeff Finger as the lone addition. However, this will likely change as Bryan McCabe or Pavel Kubina could be shipped out of town. Aside from Mikhail Grabovski and the resigining of Matt Stajan, very little has been done to add anything to the team. By adding Jamal Mayers and Ryan Hollweg, GM Cliff Fletcher aimed to fill the hole that losing gritty Darcy Tucker made. Curtis Joseph makes for a nice media story to backup Vesa Toskala while Justin Pogge waits in the AHL for his chance to shine. If Mats Sundin does not resign (which is likely the case) then we will see just how poor this team is with Nik Antropov being above and beyond the best forward on the team.

Fantasy Outlook: Tomas Kaberle and Vesa Toskala will get you the best fantasy value, hands down. Toskala will likely get as many (if not less) wins as last season but will help you on every other goalie stat. Bryan McCabe might even turn the burners on if he’s still around, playing above his talent level just to prove the Toronto fans and Cliff Fletcher wrong. On the forward side, be wary of Nik Antropov. His lone solid season came in a contract year and we know what usually happens in that case. Antropov has the talent but never stays healthy. He managed it last year and had a career season but the man is playing on two very wonky legs. Jason Blake might also surprise everyone and notch 25+ goals this year, especially if Antropov is healthy. But there are two fliers you SHOULD take in the later rounds – Mark Bell and Anton Stralman. These two will likely be available and have the potential of getting you some real value from a late draft pick.

WASHINGTON CAPITALS

Key Acquisitions: G Jose Theodore, D Mike Green, C Sergei Fedorov, LW Brooks Laich,

Key Departures: G Cristobal Huet, G Olaf Kolzig

Unsigned FAs: D Shaone Morrisonn

Cap Space: Approx $300k over the cap

Overview: Looking at this team I have no clue how they are OVER the cap. Michael Nylander, Alex Ovechkin and Mike Green are the only ones who should be paid solid money. Sergei Fedorov is making $4 million?! But this is not a financial breakdown. This is whether or not the team is better and, with a year under their belt they surely have. The big change came in net with the departure of longtime Cap Olaf Kolzig and one-time cap Cristobal Huet. They brought in Jose Theodore who is at least on the same level as Huet and has the potential to be much, much more. He won’t be the final piece to push them deep into the playoffs but he’ll help them get there, that’s for sure. They are set down the middle if Michael Nylander stays healthy, giving them a solid one two punch of Alexander Ovechkin – Nicklas Backstrom and Alexander Semin – Michael Nylander. They remain surprisingly tight on the defense with Brian Pothier and Tom Poti and the resigning of Mike Green makes every power play an absolute threat.

Fantasy Outlook: I won’t even mention Alexander Ovechkin (except there). A great bet is Nicklas Backstrom who really came into his own with the added playing time after Nylander went down. Speaking of Nylander, he’s also a great choice because injuries aren’t the norm in his career. One question mark lies on Mike Green; can he do it again? Was it the contract year that put him over the top? UPDATE’s opinion: he’s a great choice. Don’t be scared of Jose Theodore, either, as he’ll do just fine under Bruce Boudreau and having such a great locker room to work with.

NHL Free Agency Preview

 
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