Free Agents - Who's Left?

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With little more than two months remaining until the 2009/10 NHL season gets underway, and some big-name free agents still left unsigned, there is certainly room for change. Topping the list of unknowns is the ever-enigmatic Mats Sundin. Sundin spent most of last season deciding whether or not he wanted to return, and finally signed a pro-rated $8.6 million contract with the Vancouver Canucks, to score only 28 points in 41 games. Sundin’s play improved in the playoffs, where he managed 8 points in 8 games, but the Canucks were nevertheless eliminated [...]

Now Sundin is again undecided as to whether or not he will return. If a team picks him up, Sundin could be either a huge difference maker or a huge distraction during negotiations. This is a hard call, but if Sundin does return, I’m guessing he’ll only play half a season… not to mention he will most likely need to take a pay cut.

Next on the list are former Habs Alex Tanguay and Mathieu Schneider. Both had OK seasons with the Canadiens last year, but after bringing in many new players, neither looks to be a part of GM Bob Gainey’s current plans. Schneider is a capable offensive denfenceman who could change the dynamic of teams lacking on the blueline, while Tanguay, though he hasn’t reached the plateau yet, has the calibre of a 30-goal, 80-point scorer.

Players that may need to take a pay cut in order to get a deal done are Keith Tkachuk, Mike Comrie, Robert Lang, Maxim Afinogenov, and Miroslav Satan. All made in excess of $3 million last season. Few, if any, of them earned it. Among the more affordable free agents remaining are Petr Sykora, Jason Williams, and Todd Bertuzzi. Of his 13 NHL seasons, Sykora has scored 20+ goals eight times, and reached 30+ twice. Though aging, Sykora is still a dependable winger who could bring an immediate jump to any team’s depth chart. Jason Williams spent last season in Columbus, but rumours have him either going back to the team who drafted him, the Detroit Red Wings, or possibly signing in the KHL. The possibility of him staying in Columbus isn't excluded either, but looks unlikely. Todd Bertuzzi is a story in himself. A promising scorer in his rookie season, Bertuzzi struggled with injuries and inconsistency until playing some of his best hockey in Vancouver with Brendan Morrison and Markus Naslund. After an incident which saw Bertuzzi sucker punch Colorado centre Steve Moore in the back of the head, Bertuzzi never played another game as a Canuck. After playing with the Panthers, Red Wings, Ducks, and Flames, Bertuzzi is starting to regain his form and could be a good addition for a team in need of grit and secondary scoring.

As far as free-agent goaltenders are concerned, one name stands out in particular – Manny Fernandez. In 325 games, Fernandez has 143 wins, 15 of which were shutouts, a .912 save percentage, and goals against average of only 2.50. With Tim Thomas and youngster Tuukka Rask in Boston, Fernandez was not offered a new contract. The market for goalies isn’t strong at the moment, but look for a team like Atlanta, or even Detroit to pick him up.

In other free agent signings, the Boston Bruins bolstered their defence by adding Derek Morris (NYR), while Colby Armstrong (ATL), Denis Grebeshkov (EDM), Tomas Plekanec (MTL), Travis Zajac (NJ), and Tuomo Ruutu (CAR) all signed with their respective 2008/09 teams.

- Josh Lind

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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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