T
ThomasTomasz
Guest
The first two days of the frenzy are finished, with both of the biggest names on the market still deciding where to go. It seems the NHL is evolving like MLB as far as their free agency period is concerned, with the bigger names no longer signing on the very first day. While the NHL doesn't have a meeting in the summer like MLB's Winter Meetings to kick off the bigger signings, it seems players may no longer be signing in the first day.
Activity could happen soon, as teams are waiting to see what Zach Parise and Ryan Suter do. Then, the dominoes will fall in both the trade market and the second-tier free agents. Columbus is waiting to dangle Rick Nash, while both Shane Doan and Matt Carle wait to see where Parise and Suter end up.
George McPhee said it best in an interview to the Washington Post. "At some point you start inventing players, making them out to be better than they are and paying more than you should. It’s sometimes best to sit back and stay out of it.” The Capitals have only signed two marginal players to one year deals, but made an impact in the trade market and seem to be out of free agency. I imagine there are more teams that share this sentiment, and will instead hope that they can replace (in the case of Washington, Alexander Semin) or develop production from within.
I will say, I missed the frenzy of old, where some teams would make three or four moves a day, but the Parise and Suter waits have kept me tuned in. That being said, lets take a look at what I consider the good, bad and ugly of the start of this years frenzy.
The Good
Olli Jokinen to Winnipeg. The Jets wanted to improve their top six and add some help offensively, and Jokinen fits that build. Great on the power play, but he is weak defensively and needs to have at least one defensive-minded player on the ice when he's out there. $4.5 million a year is also a good price tag considering the market.
Martin Brodeur staying with New Jersey. In any sport, someone spending their entire career with one team is very rare, and I am happy to see Brodeur will finish with the Devils. With the Devils bleeding money and probably unable to retain Parise, it was important for the Devils to retain Brodeur as the face of the franchise and keep him in net.
PA Parenteau heading to Colorado. The Avalanche add a very good top six forward at $4 million a season, and we could see him improve on his 18 goal, 67 point campaign this past season since he may no longer be seeing opponents top defensive units as he did playing alongside John Tavares.
Ryan Smyth will continue to mentor the young Oilers at a reasonable cost. The Red Wings have added some smaller pieces while waiting to see if either Suter or Parise will come to Detroit. Anaheim signed both Sheldon Souray and Bryan Allen, adding some toughness to the unit and getting Souray's booming shot from the point. Canucks make a great investment in Jason Garrison, who should at the very least be a reliable two-way presence on their second pair with a good power play presence. David Moss was a solid addition by Phoenix, as they will probably lose Shane Doan and if healthy, Moss can perform in a similar role.
The Bad
Montreal terms for Brandon Prust. Don't get me wrong, the signing by itself isn't bad, and the Habs have a good amount of skill and needed grit. They've accomplished that this off-season, but $10 million over four seasons is a bad deal. Not as bad as Scott Gomez, not by a long shot, but it was definitely inflated.
Florida Panthers replacing Garrison with Filip Kuba. Kuba is eight years older than Garrison, and while he will provide Florida with similar offensive impact, he is not on the same level defensively as Garrison. Considering that Kuba cost $4 million a season and Garrison will make around $5.5 million per, the Panthers should have made the extra commitment here.
Dallas Stars are doing what? The Stars traded Mike Ribeiro to the Capitals on draft day to get younger. They made a very good trade with the Sabres for Derek Roy, and they most certainly got younger and replaced Ribeiro on their top line. However, they also signed Ray Whitney to a two year deal, and while Whitney shows no sign of slowing down, Whitney is also 40, making the goal of getting younger puzzling.
Brad Boyes has certainly fallen, going from a 40 goal season a few years ago to 8 last season, and getting a one year, $1 million contract from the Isles. Maybe playing alongside Tavares will help Boyes rediscover his touch, but I doubt it. Adam Burish getting $1.8 million over four years from the Sharks is laughable.
The Ugly
Calgary refuses to rebuild. Even with the additions of Dennis Widemann and Jiri Hudler, the Flames are no better than a seventh seed. They are a team full of veterans, bad contracts with no relief coming from one of the worst minor league systems in the NHL. The Flames are a team that needs a rebuild in the worst way, but it seems ownership is not ready to concede defeat with Jarome Igina, a player who deserves better.
Alexander Radulov gets $9.2 million for four years from the KHL. No way is he worth close to that in the NHL, and with this deal I hope we no longer go through this drama every season. The Predators lose a goal scorer however, and will likely lose Suter. Ownership needs to put money into this team in the worst way, and unless they do so, losing Shea Weber is next.
Long-term contracts. Both Suter and Parise are expected to sign deals that are at least 10 years, $100 million if rumors are to be believed. With the amount of these deals that are happening, less players are hitting free agency and the excitement of the frenzy suffers. Soon, I don't even think we will be calling July 1st anything but the start of free agency. Unless of course, the new CBA eliminates these types of deals and doesn't leave a similar loophole to be exploited.
The team that signs Alexander Semin. Yes, I may have a bias as a Caps fan, but Semin is a terrible teammate and a streaky, aloof player on the ice. On TSN's TV panel, Marc Crawford referred to Semin as a "complete loser with no character." Pierre McGuire then called him the "ultimate coach killer." I feel sorry for the team that signs him, though I think the KHL could be an option if all Semin receives from NHL teams are one year deals.
Activity could happen soon, as teams are waiting to see what Zach Parise and Ryan Suter do. Then, the dominoes will fall in both the trade market and the second-tier free agents. Columbus is waiting to dangle Rick Nash, while both Shane Doan and Matt Carle wait to see where Parise and Suter end up.
George McPhee said it best in an interview to the Washington Post. "At some point you start inventing players, making them out to be better than they are and paying more than you should. It’s sometimes best to sit back and stay out of it.” The Capitals have only signed two marginal players to one year deals, but made an impact in the trade market and seem to be out of free agency. I imagine there are more teams that share this sentiment, and will instead hope that they can replace (in the case of Washington, Alexander Semin) or develop production from within.
I will say, I missed the frenzy of old, where some teams would make three or four moves a day, but the Parise and Suter waits have kept me tuned in. That being said, lets take a look at what I consider the good, bad and ugly of the start of this years frenzy.
The Good
Olli Jokinen to Winnipeg. The Jets wanted to improve their top six and add some help offensively, and Jokinen fits that build. Great on the power play, but he is weak defensively and needs to have at least one defensive-minded player on the ice when he's out there. $4.5 million a year is also a good price tag considering the market.
Martin Brodeur staying with New Jersey. In any sport, someone spending their entire career with one team is very rare, and I am happy to see Brodeur will finish with the Devils. With the Devils bleeding money and probably unable to retain Parise, it was important for the Devils to retain Brodeur as the face of the franchise and keep him in net.
PA Parenteau heading to Colorado. The Avalanche add a very good top six forward at $4 million a season, and we could see him improve on his 18 goal, 67 point campaign this past season since he may no longer be seeing opponents top defensive units as he did playing alongside John Tavares.
Ryan Smyth will continue to mentor the young Oilers at a reasonable cost. The Red Wings have added some smaller pieces while waiting to see if either Suter or Parise will come to Detroit. Anaheim signed both Sheldon Souray and Bryan Allen, adding some toughness to the unit and getting Souray's booming shot from the point. Canucks make a great investment in Jason Garrison, who should at the very least be a reliable two-way presence on their second pair with a good power play presence. David Moss was a solid addition by Phoenix, as they will probably lose Shane Doan and if healthy, Moss can perform in a similar role.
The Bad
Montreal terms for Brandon Prust. Don't get me wrong, the signing by itself isn't bad, and the Habs have a good amount of skill and needed grit. They've accomplished that this off-season, but $10 million over four seasons is a bad deal. Not as bad as Scott Gomez, not by a long shot, but it was definitely inflated.
Florida Panthers replacing Garrison with Filip Kuba. Kuba is eight years older than Garrison, and while he will provide Florida with similar offensive impact, he is not on the same level defensively as Garrison. Considering that Kuba cost $4 million a season and Garrison will make around $5.5 million per, the Panthers should have made the extra commitment here.
Dallas Stars are doing what? The Stars traded Mike Ribeiro to the Capitals on draft day to get younger. They made a very good trade with the Sabres for Derek Roy, and they most certainly got younger and replaced Ribeiro on their top line. However, they also signed Ray Whitney to a two year deal, and while Whitney shows no sign of slowing down, Whitney is also 40, making the goal of getting younger puzzling.
Brad Boyes has certainly fallen, going from a 40 goal season a few years ago to 8 last season, and getting a one year, $1 million contract from the Isles. Maybe playing alongside Tavares will help Boyes rediscover his touch, but I doubt it. Adam Burish getting $1.8 million over four years from the Sharks is laughable.
The Ugly
Calgary refuses to rebuild. Even with the additions of Dennis Widemann and Jiri Hudler, the Flames are no better than a seventh seed. They are a team full of veterans, bad contracts with no relief coming from one of the worst minor league systems in the NHL. The Flames are a team that needs a rebuild in the worst way, but it seems ownership is not ready to concede defeat with Jarome Igina, a player who deserves better.
Alexander Radulov gets $9.2 million for four years from the KHL. No way is he worth close to that in the NHL, and with this deal I hope we no longer go through this drama every season. The Predators lose a goal scorer however, and will likely lose Suter. Ownership needs to put money into this team in the worst way, and unless they do so, losing Shea Weber is next.
Long-term contracts. Both Suter and Parise are expected to sign deals that are at least 10 years, $100 million if rumors are to be believed. With the amount of these deals that are happening, less players are hitting free agency and the excitement of the frenzy suffers. Soon, I don't even think we will be calling July 1st anything but the start of free agency. Unless of course, the new CBA eliminates these types of deals and doesn't leave a similar loophole to be exploited.
The team that signs Alexander Semin. Yes, I may have a bias as a Caps fan, but Semin is a terrible teammate and a streaky, aloof player on the ice. On TSN's TV panel, Marc Crawford referred to Semin as a "complete loser with no character." Pierre McGuire then called him the "ultimate coach killer." I feel sorry for the team that signs him, though I think the KHL could be an option if all Semin receives from NHL teams are one year deals.