Christmas in July!

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Free agent frenzy got off to a quick start Wednesday, July 1st, but there was also some movement the day before. The Montreal Canadiens made a big trade with the New York Rangers that sent center Scott Gomez to the Habs, and winger Christopher Higgins to the Blueshirts. Some other players were involved in the deal, most notably prospect Ryan McDonagh who also ended up in New York. Gomez is a proven set-up man; he’s had 40+ assists in all but one of his seasons, and has registered 50+ four times. Higgins has reached the 20-goal plateau in three of his four seasons, and probably would have reached 20 last season had he not missed 25 games due to groin and hand injuries [...]

Also Tuesday, the Calgary Flames got defenseman Jay Bouwmeester signed to a five-year deal, after trading for his rights from the Florida Panthers on draft day. The deal gives the Flames one of the best defensive corps in the league.

Come Wednesday, and the Montreal Canadiens were even more active. They signed Brian Gionta who played very well with Scott Gomez in New Jersey, winning a Stanley Cup together in 2002/03. It will be interesting, to say the least, to see what they can do together in Montreal. The Habs also grabbed another high scoring forward, Mike Cammalleri, and inked him to a five-year deal worth $30 million. But they didn’t stop there; GM Bob Gainey also picked up defensemen Jaroslav Spacek and Hal Gill. The Canadiens have tended qualifying returning offers to Tomas Plekanec, Matt D’Agostini, Kyle Chipchura, and Guillaume Latendresse, but it looks as if Alexei Kovalev, Alex Tanguay, Saku Koivu, and Matthieu Schneider are all on their way out.

The Chicago Blackhawks also made big news, signing prolific goal scorer Marian Hossa to a huge 12-year deal. Some have expressed concern that the Hawks will be in trouble next year when they have to sign Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews, especially with the salary cap set to go down, but it looks as if Chicago is in it to try and win the Stanley Cup this season, regardless of the obstacles. With the roster they have now, they look to be in a position to do just that. If the Blackhawks want to keep Hossa, Kane, and Toews for 2010/11, I’d assume the player that will have to go would be defenseman Brain Campbell and his $7 million salary…
The Hawks also picked up forwards Tomas Kopecky and John Madden, who are each capable of being 20-goal scorers.

The Atlanta Thrashers signed the commanding forward Nik Antropov to a four-year deal, and also picked up another ex-Leaf, Pavel Kubina, in a trade that sent Garnet Exelby and Colin Stuart to Toronto. Antropov should be a nice fit with star winger Ilya Kovalchuk. With Brian Little, Tobias Enstrom, Zach Bogosian, and this year’s pick Evander Kane, Atlanta has a lot of promising youth to work with as well. Whether or not it will be enough to turn last year’s disappointing season around, however remains to be seen.

The New York Rangers signed flashy winger Marian Gaborik to a five-year deal, with the hope that he stays healthier than he did in Minnesota. For their part, the Wild signed another injury-prone player in Martin Havlat, inking him to a six-year deal. Havlat played in 81 games last season with the Blackhawks – his longest season yet – here’s to hoping he stays healthy as well!

The Washington Capitals signed Mike Knuble, a perennial 20-goal scorer over the last seven years, who’s also reached 30 twice. Knuble is tough in the corners and should be a great playmaker for two-time league MVP Alexander Ovechkin.

The Tampa Bay Lightning picked up defenseman Mattias Ohlund, the Phoenix Coyotes got defenseman Adrian Aucoin, and the Toronto Maple Leafs signed Mike Komisarek from the rival Montreal Canadiens.

The Edmonton Oilers and Colorado Avalanche tried to address their goaltending issues, picking up Nikolai Khabibulin and Craig Anderson respectively.

Earlier this afternoon, the Vancouver Canucks signed Mikael Samuelsson from the Red Wings. Also of note, the Sedins twins will be staying in Vancouver, as they signed five-year contracts worth $30.5 million each.

Other notable players who stayed with the same teams were Tim Thomas (Boston), Doug Weight (Islanders), Johan Franzen (Detroit), Keith Tkachuk (St. Louis), Bill Guerin (Pittsburgh), Rob Blake (San Jose), David Booth (Florida), Scott Niedermayer (Anaheim), Erik Cole (Carolina), and Mikhail Grabovski (Toronto).

- Josh Lind

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Who came out on top?

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While the 2009 NHL entry draft may not have been as explosive as some would have liked, there were definitely a few teams who made a splash. Trade rumours always abound leading up to the draft, but this year we were hearing the names of guys like Tomas Kaberle, Chris Pronger, Jay Bouwmeester, Vincent Lecavalier, Dany Heatley, Phil Kessel, Alexander Frolov, Mike Cammalleri, Martin Havlat, and Jean-Sebastien Giguere. In the end, only Pronger and (the rights to) Jay Bouwmeester were moved [...]

Philadelphia acquired Chris Pronger and Ryan Dingle from Anaheim in exchange for Joffrey Lupul, Luca Sbisa, Anaheim's first round picks in 2009 and 2010, and a conditional third round pick. This gives Philadelphia one of the most solid defence corps in the league, with Pronger, Kimmo Timonen, Braydon Coburn, Matt Carle, and Randy Jones. Also a very offensively gifted team, the Flyers will be one of the clubs pushing for the top spot in the East.
For their part, the Ducks got a disciplined, 20-goal right winger in Lupul. It will be interesting to see whom he plays with, though, as the Ducks now have four solid guys in the RW position with Lupul, Corey Perry, Bobby Ryan, and Teemu Selanne.

The Calgary Flames acquired the rights to Jay Bouwmeester from the Florida Panthers for Jordan Leopold and a third round pick. While a contract has yet to be drawn up, Calgary GM Daryl Sutter expressed his belief that Bouwmeester would be signed before free agency opens Wednesday, July 1st. I don't doubt it, and with Bouwmeester, Dion Phaneuf, and Robyn Regehr manning the blue line, the Flames, like the Flyers, will have a defence corps to be rivalled.

But aside from the trades, which teams drafted bet? The New York Islanders did well, picking up not just John Tavares (1st overall) but also stealing Mikko Koskinen with the 31st pick. Koskinen was the first goaltender taken in the draft, and rightly so. He is a towering 6'7'' and weighs in at 192 pounds, and he has virtually taken the Finnish elite league by storm. The Islanders have Rick Dipietro locked up for the next 13 years, but everyone is susceptible to injuries and cold streaks - Koskinen will ensure the Isles have dependable guys between the pipes for years to come.

The Atlanta Thrashers also did great at the draft. They got the explosive Evander Kane (4th overall) who should end up being a great fit with Ilya Kovalchuk and Brain Little. They also stole a hardworking power forward, Carl Klingberg, with the 34th pick, and goaltender Edward Pasquale, with the 117th. Pasquale himself is a huge goaltender 6'2'', 218 pounds, with a great set of skills and a disciplined approach. Kane, Klingberg, and Pasquale should all figure in prominently to the Thrashers' rebuilding plans.

The Colorado Avalanche had the 3rd pick in the draft and selected Matt Duchene from the Brampton Battalion. Duchene has been compared to Steve Yzerman, and many thought he had the chance of superseding both Tavares and Swedish defenceman Victor Hedman for the #1 pick. But the Avalanche also managed to wrestle out a steal, grabbing defenceman Stefan Elliott with the 49th pick in the draft. Elliott plays a complete game as a defenceman, great positionally while still able to provide timely offensive contributions. Selecting both Duchene and Elliott helped get most of the bases covered for the Avalanche. Now if only they could find a reliable goalie...

The Tampa Bay Lightning grabbed hulking d-man Victor Hedman with the 2nd pick, and yet managed to also walk away with a steal. They got a hardworking, versatile forward with the 29th pick when they selected Carter Ashton. The Lightning have some management issues to work out, but they have a great mix of players (Vinny Lecavalier, Martin St. Louis, Steven Stamkos, Vaclav Prospal, Ryan Malone, etc.) and now, with Hedman and Ashton, some promising young talent in the fold. They should again become a team to rival soon.

The Islanders, Thrashers, Avalanche, and Lightning all were expected to do well - seeing as they had the first four picks - but they each managed to make a few steals along the way, and surpassed expectations. The team that surprised me the most, though? The Detroit Red Wings. It isn't natural that a team who finished so well, and picking second last, walk away from a draft the way they did. They got both Landon Ferraro (32nd overall) and Tomas Tatar (60th overall). These two are both fast, high scoring forwards and the only reason they were picked so low is because of their size. I like how Detroit takes chances both at the draft, and with smaller players. It has served them very well in the past, and 2009 will be no exception!

- Josh Lind

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