Tag Search Results for "free agent"
Since my team the Carolina Hurricanes started floundering and eventually missed the playoffs, I made it a point to help some people out (including myself) and made a spreadsheet of the free agents that should make it a little easier to figure out who exactly is out there to be had.
Over the last couple years I had to hunt down websites that had some of the free agents, ...
I have been a hockey fan for much of 35 years and being born into the hub of hockey I think I can tell you alot about it! What we have seen from the Boston Bruins is NOT hockey. I understand owning, operating and producing a successful hockey team can all be different things. Yes it is a business. As much as we do not want to admit it. The bottom line is most owners t...
This is a very important day for the 2007-08 Philadelphia Flyers. A very, very important day. July 1st is the first day that unrestricted free agents are free to sign with the team of their choice. GM Paul Holmgren and crew will have gameplan ready to go, but it could easily be blown up within hours.
Going into next season, the Flyers most important areas of need are a ...
Same crap different day, with a few suprises. Trade the 2nd overall and a prospect like UMBERGER or RUZICKA to San Jose for PATRICK MARLEAU. SJ wont be able to resign him in a year anyways. If that doesnt work, I would have preferred DATSYUK but hes gone so i guess go for GOMEZ.
Try and Sign SAMI SALO, hes what we neeed for the PP. also go after a 3-4 guy like RIVET (is ...
Alright Flames fans, let's forget yesterday or even this whole series ever happened. Let's get down to business for next season.
Here is the list of UFAs for the Flames:
Tony Amonte
Marcus Nilson
Jeff Friesen
Darren McCarty
Byron Ritchie
Wayne Primeau
Roman Hamrlik
Brad Stuart
Brad Ference
Jamie McLellan (G)
Here is the list for the RFAs:
Matthew Lo...
I delayed posting a blog after our overtime defeat because it would be ridden with grief and emotional outbursts. Tears are not rare when it comes to me and my beloved Flames. Needless to say I am struggling to find my way again, as I commit so much to the team and their journey.
However, this blog is for looking forward. I would love to be in Sutter's position right...
No, I'm not jumping off the bandwagon. But I've decided to take a look at the Canucks' free agents on July 1st.
[b]Jan Bulis (III)[/b] - This guy was really unhappy with his playing time and lack of power-play time sometime in January and didn't seem like he would return to the team next year. But after a chat with Dave Nonis and getting his position in the club clarifi...
Here is my recap of the current chart listings for UFAs:
[b]sim[/b]- no, can't skate, inconsistent effort
[b]laaksanen[/b]- no- I'd rather have the uncle
[b]gelinas[/b]- no- too old to help a team that probably won't make the playoffs. waste of $$
[b]white[/b]- maybe [i]if [/i]he is a good f/o man, but he looks like marty murray redux
[b]markov[/b]- probably not goi...
After an embarrassing double-OT playoff elimination for the Vancouver Canucks fans are turning their attention to the free-agent pool. As a loyal Canucks fan I feel that our lack of offense needs to be taken care of. We have solid defense and amazing goaltending so we have built our game around that. I personally feel that we should trade away Mattias Ohlund. He is no long...
Well, I haven't posted a Flyers off-season thoughts blog, yet, so I figured to combat my insomnia, I'd offer my two cents.
Right now, in goal, things seem pretty much set. Martin Biron is the starter. I expect him to play as many as 60 games. Antero Niittymaki, coming off a brutal season, will be the back-up. Biron was a breath of fresh air, on and off the ice, after co...
Entering our 3rd summer under the current cap systems with 2 seasons prove out the theories teams and GM's have been employing. Couple that with Buffalo’s impending FA period and am I left wondering about the rise of the sign-and-trade. Even in recent Senators history there are many examples to ponder. There were Marian Hossa, Zdeno Chara, and Martin Havlat. While the...
We Buffalo Fans are doing alot of "back of napkin" figuring on the Sabres contracts and salary cap next year but not many are considering the actual dollars they spend compared to their budget. Get out your abucus and follow along.
According to [url]http://www.nhlnumbers.com/buf.html[/url]the Sabres spent $45.43 million (actual dollars) on their players salries last y...
According to the Raleigh News and Observer, Glen Wesley wants to return next season for his 20th season. Here's what Glen had to say:
"That was definitely not the way I wanted to finish the year off," Wesley said. "I'm really looking forward to coming back and getting a fresh start and wanting to win again. That should be everybody's objective in the locker room. We hav...
doing this on the fly...
...no gm in their right mind is going to set the precedent and go after an RFA the caliber of a player such as thomas vanek. bob clarke did this last year to test the waters with a team and gm he has rarely dealt with. i think from that reaction we saw and the spotted history of 'rfa robbing' that it is most definitely not going to continue on ...
As we approach the last interesting days of this hockey season some of the blogs I have read recently have given me thoughts to ponder. I wrote before that we might see the beginning of 'parity' as star talent looks like it will disperse further from the traditional concentrations. If the cap increases that may not happen but certainly it will take a few more years for t...
The top name that keeps getting thrown around town as rumours swirl is Ryan Smyth heading to the Leafs, this seems to be the Leafs #1 target this off season with the backline all shored up pending Colaiacovo's signing which should be done shortly, what seems to escape many people's minds is that the Leafs are also looking to add some much needed grit to the lineup with the...
Based on Ek's list of who's the best available, I'm forecasting where each player will land this summer:
#1 Centers
1. Chris Drury (7.5M) - San Jose. I think they'll sign Drury and trade Marleau. Anaheim already has McDonald and Getzlaf as their top two centers and the Kings have Kopitar and Cammalleri.
2. Scotty Gomez (7M) - Atlanta. Gomez centering a line of ...
First off, let me start by looking at the numbers in terms of a salary cap hit for the 2007-08 season:
([i]all numbers rounded to two decimal places[/i])
SUNDIN- $5.50M
TUCKER- $3.00M
ANTROPOV- $1.95M
STEEN- $0.95M
KILGER- $0.87M
STAJAN- $0.95M
WELLWOOD- $0.95M
PONIKAROVSKY- $1.58M
POHL- $0.48M
DEVERAUX- $0.55M
ONDRUS- $0.50M
WESTRUM- $0.48M
NEWBURY- $0.4...
Here's a list of my top picks for the Wild to pursue this offseason.
Forwards:
[b]1) Jason Blake[/b]
A few things stand out in my mind when I look at Jason Blake. First, obviously, that he was a 40 goal scorer last season with the Islanders and led them in points with 69, but also that he played at a +1 for them over all 82 games. Blake is a ferocious forechecke...
For hockey fans, July 1st marks the beginning of one of the most exciting times in the hockey calendar, as hockey fans everywhere will sit in front of the computer and wait for their team along with their rival teams to overpay some of the most overrated players in the game. Year after year we do the same thing even though we already know that the free agents are not goin...
The Nashville Predators finished off last season third in the overall standings, many people expected them to make it deep into the playoffs, if not win the Stanley Cup altogether. The Predators faced the red hot San Jose Sharks in the first round of the Western Conference Quarter Finals and even with a trade deadline acquisition of Peter Forsberg they lost in a 4-1 series...
With rumors of a possible three way deal floating around that would see the Flyers deal away Joni Pitkanen and receive Raffi Torres, supposedly to clear up cap room to sign a UFA center like Scott Gomez or Daniel Briere to a massive free agent contract, I needed to blog and just get this much off my chest after a couple days of contemplation.
I still am not a fan of get...
It seems like the Vancouver Canucks are the only team in the NHL that aren't going to be jumping right into the free agent frenzy come July 1st, simply because of the salary cap. However, this doesn’t mean we won’t see the Canucks make a pitch for a quality scorer by way of trade or even by moving a big player to free up some cap space. Here are some of the big names t...
Despite the chatter about what free agents the Habs have in their crosshairs, I'd like to interject and remind the fan base that historically (i.e. the last 5 years at least) the Canadiens have not been key players in free agency and until they do something to make me think otherwise, I'm not holding out hope that this is the year they acquire a big name to be the face of...
As most people have heard by now, Paul Kariya is going to be testing the free agent waters starting July 1st according to Nashville Predators GM David Poile. "He's definitely going into free agency and it's certainly looking doubtful based on our conversations and the uncertainty of our franchise that he'll be coming back here," Poile announced Thursday.
The Vancouver C...
Sunday at noon, the NHL will start an orgy of money tossing. Clubs from New York to Edmonton will be looking to add that big name to sell extra tickets, find that last piece to a hopeful Stanley Cup puzzle or simply upset their fan base, like in the case of Toronto's John Ferguson Jr.
That brings me to my point. Paul Holmgren, GM of the Flyers has already added two key ...
One team that, i think, is going to struggle the most this summer, with the new cap, is Nashville
No player want's to sign there, now because of their indecisiveness for a new owner, and the lease running out after the 08 season. When Kariya goes to the market, that puts them in the basement, cap-wise. I heared Home Ice, today, that after trading Vokoun and losing Kari...
Sure we don't have an owner (that's a minor detail right?) but the Preds have money to burn in the free agent market. With the NHL announcing the new salary cap numbers yesterday the Preds, like it or not, will find themselves being buyers just to reach the 34.3 million dollar minimum.
At this point the Preds sit with 14 players under contract for a total cap hit ...
Buffalo fans facing the ultimate reality
Ya gotta feel for a fan who's team could potentially lose their two co-captains, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Vanek blasted 43 goals and with Bobby Clarke not around anymore, an offer sheet fiasco is a little less likely. Drew Stafford moved quickly from the fourth line and had some truly highlight reel goals....
Predictions on where some of the biggest free agents will land.
Nylander- Sadly, Nylander will leave the best situation of his career for more money, and will be overpaid by Philadelphia after the rest have passed the flyers by. Their disastrous last season will certainly scare away consistent winners like Gomez and Drury.
Gomez- Reigning conn smythe champ and f...
Okay, I'll admit, Chris Drury and Daniel Briere are two very talented hockey players, but are they really worth the money some teams are willing to offer? Will Peter Forsberg have what it takes to still be an elite NHLer after numerous injuries? Is Scott Gomez really going to prosper outside of New Jersey? These are questions I've been thinking about lately and the answer ...
The announcement on Friday afternoon that the cap was going up to $50.2 Million was great news for leafs as they already have committed approximately $43 Million, which leaves $7-8 million to play with. if the cap had only come in around $48 Million mark before the NHLPA voted in favor of the 5% increase, they would've have only had about $5-6 Million, and wouldn't have be...
With all the hype us Hokeybuzzers have generated and with all the sleep lost, we awake to find no great presents under the tree. Just some socks and shirts that we knew we'd get anyways. Schneider to Anaheim isn't a big surprise but it does signify that Detroit now was some more cap room. Thorntons extension is just one more step away from soon-to-be former captain Ma...
I can't believe some of the contracts these guys are getting. I can't understand someone who scored 13 goals last season getting signed for 7+million/yr. I mean lets be real!! How does this guy get more money than Vincent Lecavalier who led the league in goals last season. What would Vinny get now 10-12million/yr? This is crazy!
Briere to Philadelphia
Wow, remember when these guys were big and scary? Now they're young, fast and iffy (especially between the pipes). But if all goes well Briere will be a great centerpiece for the new look Flyers, and if not, it'll be a long 8 years.
Drury and Gomez to the Rangers
Made the pre-cap Rangers splash with less flash, and more leadership. Sather ...
1st Day Free Agent Signings:
Todd White: Atlanta Thrashers 4 year 2.4 Million per year
Tom Poti: Washington Capitals 4 year 3.5 Million per year
Richard Zednik: Florida Panthers 2 year 1.6 Million per year
Brett McLean: Florida Panthers 3 year 1.7 Million per year
Mathieu Schneider: Anaheim Ducks 2 year 5.6 Million per year
Daniel Briere: Philedelphia Fly...
The day started off very slowly and at 1:48 Bob Mackenzie broke the huge signing of Todd White to the Thrashers, not the start everyone expected but that was one of the few reasonable signings made. I guess everyone decided to go jump into their time machine and go back to July 2002 when big deals were being handed out left right and center, and I am afraid thats where we ...
Dan Tolensky wrote an interesting Blog wondering if July 1st, 2007 was the day that we wondered if the Lockout was a waste of time. I usually love what you're writing because he don't miss much. This time I think that he has. I say, however, that the NHL convinced the NHLPA that they would play for funny money that may, or may not, be worth an actual US Greenback ... fo...
Well we have entered into a new UFA season and the Dallas GM Doug Armstrong is doing nothing in the way of improving his team. While we see the big guns move cities its really hard to swallow that Armstrong says he doesnt think we need any additional players just tweaking of the ones we have. That statement has been uttered over and over the past few yrs by Armstrong. I gu...
What has free agency done for us lately?
That's the question that every NHL team should be asking themselves around this time of year. Now, that's not to say that we should do away with free agency, effectively making each player an indentured servant to the team that drafted them; however General Managers standing still on the big name free agents is encouraging to se...
Not only do we lose our own top free agents, but apparently we will not be signing any. Can anyone at Hockeybuzz or anywhere else please explain to the 5 remaining Islander fans what the plan is going to be?
Are they going to go with youth and try to build through the next 3 drafts a la Pittsburgh?
Are they going to get a bunch of reclamation projects for Ted Nolan w...
On Trade Deadline Day 2007, the Islanders made a bold statement to their fans and the rest of the league that the organization would no longer settle for mediocrity. Trading former first-round picks Robert Nilsson and Ryan O'Marra, along with their 2007 first-round pick for Ryan Smyth was a loud and clear message that the fans would no longer be asked to look to the never ...
July 2nd Free Agent Signings:
Ryan Smyth: Colorado Avalanche 5 years 6.3 Million per year
Paul Kariya: St. Louis Blues 3 years 6 Million per year
Darryl Sydor: Pittsburgh Penguins 2 years 2.5 Million per year
Petr Sykora: Pittsburgh Penguins 2 year deal
Sheldon Brookbank: Columbus Blue Jackets 1 years deal
Tom Preissing: Los Angeles Kings 4 years 2.8 Mill...
According to NHL.com, Brad Isbister is currently a member of the Vancouver Canucks, does anyone know of any articles confirming this deal? It seems like it may be a misprint because it's been on the website for a little while now and no official announcement has been made.
If, in fact, this is true then I think the Canucks have found themselves another Taylor Pyatt to p...
I've often been asking myself whether a hockey fan can be loyal to their team without renewing their season tickets. Half of me says to renew, while my better half says "no". Although I must give respect to the Coyotes for coming out and saying that we're in a rebuilding time, I just don't agree with it. As a business owner, I know that if I don't put out a product that...
"Vancouver Canucks Senior Vice-President and General Manager Dave Nonis announced today that the Canucks have signed centre Byron Ritchie and winger Brad Isbister. In keeping with club policy, no financial terms of the deal will be released."
- http://www.canucks.com/pressreleases.asp?sectionID=31&id=735
A couple of third or fourth liners, curious to what the ter...
Cory Schneider has officially signed his first NHL contract with the Vancouver Canucks after spending the last two seasons with Boston College and breaking a record for most shutouts in a single season with eight. Schneider will most likely play as a starter for the Manitoba Moose and may very well see some ice time in Vancouver. However, it has been said this could be a m...
Brad Lukowich signed a 3 year deal with the Lightning as reported by TSN.com. This is Lukowich's second stint with the Lightning.
Just hours after signing Schneider, Isbister and Ritchie, the Vancouver Canucks are at it again, this time signing goalie Curtis Sanford to a one year, $600,000 contract. Sanford joins the Canucks after spending his last three seasons with the St. Louis Blues. The Ontario native finished last season with a 3.18 goals against and a .888 save percentage in 31 games.
I thi...
July 3rd Free Agent Sugnings:
Greg Classen: Vancouver Canucks (Terms Not Disclosed)
Brad Isbister: Vancouver Canucks 525 Thousand per year
Byron Richie: Vancouver Canucks 675 Thousamd per year
Matt Carkner: Ottawa Senators 1 year deal
Jiri Notvotny: Columbus Blue Jackets 2 year deal
Mathieu Darche: Tampa Bay Lightning 1 year
Dainius Zubrus: New Jersey ...
I am glad that everyone is overpaying for everyone. Drury is a great leader but, I cant see paying 7 mil to a guy who has never scored 70 points in a season. Thornton, Iginla, and maybe Briere are the only deserving ones of a 7+ a year contract from a team this season. JR is playing it smart and not signing guys for 4,5,6 or even 7 years to the Canes and has no idea i...
The Rangers are like your family member with an addiction problem. They get better for awhile, long enough that you think they're back to normal, but soon enough, they're back to their old habits. The Rangers addictions are big name free agents. They just can't get enough of them and will pay any amount, no matter how ludicrous to get what they need. After hitting rock...
July 5th Free Agent Signings:
Tom Kostapoulos: Montreal Canadiens 2 years 900 Thousand per year
Ruslan Fedotenko: New York Islanders 1 year 2.9 Million per year
Grant Stevenson: Calgary Flames 1 year deal
Here's what I know about the Canucks GM, Dave Nonis.
He is a patient, patient man.
As a fan, it's frustrating as all get out. Especially when you enjoy the offseason as much as I do. It's not that I wanted Nonis to get into the bidding for Drury, Gomez, or Briere.
I didn't.
But Nonis has signed and dealt for a total of almost 10 players in the past week, yet ...
[url=www.lifeinhockeywood.com][img]http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y193/Heymateo/smhockeywoodtopper.jpg[/img][/url]
Was I dreaming, or did [url=www.lifeinhockeywood.com]the Kings sign two defensemen and three forwards[/url]?
July 5th Free Agent Signings:
Jan Hejda: Columbus Blue Jackets 2 year deal
Anders Eriksson: Calgary Flames 2 year deal
Kevin Weekes: New Jersey Devils 2 years 688 Thousand per year
Jamie Rivers: Montreal Canadiens 1 year deal
Mathieu Biron: Montreal Canadiens 1 year deal
Cory Urguhart: Montreal Canadiens 1 year deal
Marvin Degon: Montreal Canadiens 1 y...
So who's the winner so far in the Free Agent summer grab? Is it Philadelphia with the leading free agent scorer Briere? The Rangers and their two-headed coup, or the Avalanche with heart and soul warrior Ryan Smyth. Well, I'm gonna go with the less flashy Thrashers and their retention of underrated (until now) center Slava Kozlov. They are one of the very few teams to re...
Last fall, when Bobby Clarke was asked about why he tendered Ryan Kesler an offer sheet, he went on the offensive and blamed it on Nonis. Well, first he said he followed the rules as outlined in the CBA, and if you don't like the rules, call the commissioner.
But the thing he said that was of real intersest was when he questioned by Nonis had left his RFA unsigned f...
Who knows who will be signed before July 1 2008 or how much money will be available… but below is my ranking of the “prime” players who are set to be free agents next year. By “prime” I mean players who will attract some big money… I left out most of the players over 30 as well. I also put together a list of next year’s restricted free agent crop…. Or a...
Vancouver Canucks general manager Dave Nonis just keeps making deals, he’s re-signed Kevin Bieksa to a three year deal and picked up veteran blue-liner Aaron Miller. It seems Nonis wants to build a stronger defensive presence around Roberto Luongo which is just what the team needs after seeing their all-star goalie get pushed around all season and especially in the playo...
Well,
Since it seems, for now, that all is said and done in Philadelphia, I think it's time for me to get my fingers to work and get my first blog out in QUITE some time. And what a better time to get one out while the world of hockey is dead, the Selanne to Philly rumors have quieted, Sid the Kid has signed an nice extension, and Sheldon Souray is still out of his mi...
Below is a list of notable unrestricted free agent signings (sorted by team) from the 2005 & 2006 off seasons. It’s funny how crazy us fanatics get about signing free agents and how depressed we get if our teams (the Sabres in my case) seem to miss out on the talent bonanza.
After a deeper look through this list, I’m pretty happy with the Sabres approach. W...
In the "Hockey Hearsay" section of sportsnet.ca Carol Alt attempted to defend her boy toy, Alexei Yashin, calling the bought out former Isles captain "misunderstood"
"I think he needs to go where people understood him and where he's looked at like a god," Alt told the [i]Ottawa Citizen[/i]. "He wants to come back (to the NHL), but I just think he needs to clear his hea...
First of all, let me preface this by saying I don't like the idea of offer sheets to Restricted Free Agents. I think it drives up the price of business in the NHL, I think it is going to force teams to take players to arbitration whom otherwise could have gotten deals made and I think it's going to cause prices to inflate in the NHL once again. The CBA, as it stands in t...
With the signing of Sean Avery today, is it the end of shopping season for the New York Rangers? The scary part of this offseason is that Rangers went back to their spending ways, but when you realize what they were able to bring back it's not as bad as it seems. Scott Gomez and Chris Drury are upgrades over Michael Nylander and Matt Cullen. You have to love that the Range...
The recent offer sheets tendered by Kevin Lowe has elicited much reaction. Some accuse Lowe of ruining the salary structure of the entire league and Brian Burke even went so far as to paint Lowe as desperate and stupid. Others defended Lowe's approach, saying he has to do whatever he believes is in his team's best interest and they applaud his bold moves at young restric...
The concept of bringing Michael Peca to the New York Rangers occurred to me for a minute last month, but I figured there would be no way something like that could [img:right]http://mapleleafs.nhl.info.pl/news/data/upimages/Michael_Peca_10.jpg[/img] get done. Not with the Rangers currently over the salary cap and not with the teams' commitment to the youth movement over the...
It's getting awful close to training camp time for our beloved NHL teams and there are still teams clamoring to get the guys they need for the latest run at the cup.
For your respective favorite team, what would you do to bolster your chances? What free-agent would you sign, or who would you trade for?
If you are supposing a trade, try to make it realistic. For examp...
[b]YOU BE THE GM 2
THE FUTURE FREE AGENTS: TO SIGN OR NOT TO SIGN
[/b]
Today's blog is on Calgary's Unrestricted Free Agents - well actually, the top three possible unrestricted free agents after this season. The question is: To sign or not to sign? You make the call.
Stats thanks to NHLPA.com
[b]
Mikka Kiprusoff[/b]
Mikka's stats from last year were: 74 game...
The Predators first ever draft pick signed a deal that keeps him as a Predator for the next six years for 27 million dollars. Legwand who is making 2.1 million this year more than doubles his salary to an average of 4.5 mil a year.
Predators GM David Poile was thrilled to announce the extension. "This is the first step moving forward under new ownership and is a sign of...
Despite being in a "rebuilding mode,' the Blues are in the midst of contending for a playoff spot in the very competitive Western Conference. Don't expect the Blues to trade away any picks or prospects, but at the same time, John Davidson wants this team to be competitive. So, if I were JD, these are goals I would have for the Blues lineup:
[b]First off: The Tradeable A...
If I wasn't so disappointed in the Non-Trade of Brad Richards to Vancouver, I might actually have been happy to see Matt Cooke finally leave Vancouver.
I've been campaigning since 2004 to trade this guy, and I guess now that his contract is up, Nonis saw an opportunity to keep the useful life of this asset going by trading for a younger player.
Burrows great play of ...
I don't [b]think[/b] I am being disrespectful or overly assuming when I say that the odds are that, following a Game 2 loss, the Flyers season will be ending in the very near future. Based on that, I thought it might be a good idea to take a look at a specific move that I feel they can make that will do wonders for their future.
Ready? Here goes:
[b]GIVE AN OFFER S...
There was great news at this years "State of the Sharks." Jeremy Roenick will return to San Jose for another year. The contract has still yet to be finalized, but the speculation is that he will get $1 million dollars for retuning, according to TSN.
So this begs the question. Now that we know the fate of one of the Free Agents on the team, what about the rest? Accor...
[i][b]Criteria[/b][/i]
Under 35 UFA defenceman
[b][i]Legend[/i][/b]
Name age ; current salary/projected salary
[b]Name[/b] in bold are players I like most to sign w/ Flyers
[u][b]TOP TIER over 5mill[/b][/u]
[b]Redden [/b]age31 ; 6.5/6.5
[b]Campbell[/b] age29 ; 1.7/6.5
[b][u]MIDDLE TIER 2-4mill[/u][/b]
[b]Roszival[/b] age29 ; 2.1/4
Stuart age28 ; 3.5/4
...
The Cloutier situation
By Rich Hammond on June 23, 2008 1:46 PM
Here's the deal, according to the Kings...
Before Cloutier was placed on waivers, he was examined by Dr. Ronald Kvitne, a highly respected orthopedic surgeon, who determined that Cloutier was healthy enough to play. Cloutier sought a second opinion, and that doctor also deemed him healthy enough to pla...
After cooling off from yesterday's rant, I decided to come up with a wishlist of players I would like to see come to Pittsburgh. This is just meant to be something fun, since you all know you do the same thing with your own teams. Due to the number of guys that I'd like to see signed, I narrowed it down to 5. NOTE: These aren't in any particular order.
#5 John-Michael L...
I had an interesting thought today, and really don't know if it is do-able under the CBA, but would certainly be a bold move...if it were possible.
This is pretty out there. Here's how it would work.
Cliff Fletcher announces this week that Darcy Tucker will be bought out.
Tucker is bought out and gets a nice little sum of $1 million or so a year for a few years. ...
Now I know this was mentioned in the Marchell blog by sharkiesgirl, but I felt it deserved it's own thread...
Pollack made a small note that qualifying offers have been extended to Ryane Clowe, Christian Ehrhoff, and Marcel Goc.
http://www.mercurynews.com/sharks/ci_9697963?nclick_check=1
I'm happy that talks with Clowe are progressing. The team really needs him ba...
With the coming of Eminger, I do not expect the Flyers to land a Campbell, Liles or Roszival type UFA. As much as I'd like to think we could get an RFA like Boumeester, I dont see us signing anyone over 3mill.
--UFA--
UFA [b]Joe DiPenta[/b] - age 26, 6'4", 220lbs. Shoots Right.
6 points and +3 in 23 games, with 16 PIMs and 5 shots on goal, but he averaged ONLY 11 m...
That's right. Forget about tomorrow (Tuesday July 1st) as a day that your team will get better. Darcy might try to make a splash by signing a UFA, but his bid will fall far short of what other ravenous teams out there will be offering.
Wait for Wednesday and Thursday to arrive, when the big money is off the table, and the Tier 2 UFA's are still around. I'm forecastin...
Nobody has discussed this so far, but it seems pretty obvious that with Sundin in doubt, Tucker gone and McCabe on thin ice, the Leafs will be looking for a new captain - very likely from the free agent ranks or a trade.
So with this in mind, I think the Leafs will have a close eye on these players in free agency.
(1) Brendan Shanahan - Might be willing to sign sho...
So far, this "Free Agent Frenzy" has been more like a free agent bore. But there was no lack of re-signings before noon, including Aves Defensemen Liles. I personally was hoping the Sabres would pick up Liles and Orpik. Plan C is prabably Striet of Montreal. Only time can tell, but I can tell you one thing. If they do nothing HSBC Arena will be up in Flames. By the way, go...
The Flyers continue to tinker with their roster but most of the pieces are already in place. With the addition of Simon Gagne, if healthy, will make the team a lot better. They have already told him that he needs to come to camp in better shape since that could’ve contributed too his one long outstanding concussion that he had last year.
The forwards remain strong u...
As of July 3rd, Mike Gillis and his Vancouver Canucks seem to have failed to make their team better when they have had so much cap space to spend. The Canucks have lost their captain Markus Naslund to the New York Rangers, which in the eyes of many means they have lost out on Mats Sundin and Pavol Demitra as well.
The Canucks did not go without making an addition to ...
With only a slim number of talented free agents remaining, fans can now take a look at their UFA acquisitions and either brag about the additions, or crawl into a dark corner pretending nothing happened. Of course, just because you landed yourself a Wade Redden doesn't mean you should be uncorking the champagne just yet, as the terms of the deal play a big part in determin...
So the tank has been quite for a few days now leaving us all to wonder the status of the remaining Free Agents that many people feel are crucial in re-signing to the team. The NHLPA has Ehrhoff listed as being signed for next year, but nothing has been officially announced on any feed that I can think of, and I was left to question if it's true. But leave it to David Pol...
It seems that Montreal has been tripped up in the free-agent chase early on, with the chase of Mats Sundin. What happens if Sundin continues to take his time?
(1) Alexi Yashin - A big step down from Sundin, but a player with a lot to prove and a desire to return to the NHL. He and Kovalev could be an interesting fit, BUT only if he's willing to swallow some pride and ta...
David Pollack dug around some to find out what the deal is with the one Shark we all want to have back next season, Ryan Clowe.
It all started when an article surfaced on sportsnet.ca about the future of the Sharks (link below). In it was a small statement basically stating that a deal was close to being reached since Doug Wilson and Ryan Clowe came to an agreement and ...
Hey, you guys, yeah I'm pointing at you in the media. It's time you stopped writing the same stuff over and over. I've started to get quite annoyed with the Toronto Hockey media the past few weeks because you continue to read the same things, printed in the paper and posted online, every day and every week. Okay, so Niklas Hagman, Jeff Finger and Curtis Joseph are not goin...
I decided to write this blogg hoping maybe that Yelle would read it and return to the Flames. Just kidding, but I know that I would to see him return to the Flames to Center our Fourth line with the kids. Now Sutter I know has mentioned that he wishes Yelle the best, and said he will find a job in the nhl for sure. But I think maybe Sutter should think about resigning him ...
The Buffalo Sabres are in desperate need of an upgrade in talent and Lecavalier or Heatley would be the perfect fit. Derek Roy, Jochen Hecht, and quite a few other players as well as any future first round draft choice should be on the table. It is time to shake things up and move forward.
So here's something that really gets to me.. Yea I’m not liking what Heatley’s doing, but what was management thinking when they gave him the “A”, permanently?! I remember watching the first or second game since he'd been promoted; with that fancy letter on his jersey he started it off with an undisciplined 10 minute misconduct cross-check to a player the opposing ...
Now that the dust and shockwaves have settled from the Pronger trade, now the Flyers must determine how to fill out the roster for 2009 - 2010. The glaring needs at the moment are backup goaltending, a 2nd or 3rd line right wing and a 4th line center who can actually win a faceoff. Compounding the complexity of the situation is the fact that the Flyers are only 4.5 - 5 m...
Rumors coming out of Newark are that Lou has negged Oduya's agent on the first round of offers. Too long of a contract from what I hear. Look for 2.5 to 3 TOPS for Johnny and around 4 years. His agent thinks he is Paul Coffey though, so this might be sticky. Its also been on the hush hush, even in Newark, as to who the Devils are looking to sign once free agency starts. Th...
I wrote a blog a few days after the draft, and quite harshly got ridiculed for suggesting that the Leafs would not be after the top-end talent available during yesterday's NHL free agent frenzy.
I suggested that Brian Burke, in all his common sense, would realize that now is not the time for the Leafs to sign big, while taking smaller, more rational steps would be the ...
Alexei Kovalev, formerly of the Habs, is the best remaining NHL free agent of the crop. Although it was widely reported on July 1 that he had agreed to a 2-year deal with Montreal with an annual salary of $4.4 or $4.5 million, this is clearly not the case. Monitreal has assembled their first line (Gomez/Gionta/Cammalleri) through free agency, and their is no room for Koval...
On the heels of Brian Burke saying that the team is still not a finished product, and he will continue to make changes through free agency and trades, I thought I would take a quick look at the free agents that still remain out there that Burke could show interest in.
The following are some free agents i would inquire about, not necessarily chase....
Travis Moen
- ...
Just found this great site that list all the free agents for the summer of 2010 with top ten Rankings you should check it out.
Pretty cool site.
[url]http://www.nhlfreeagents.com[/url]
The 2010 Leafs off-season might seem short of news lately, but Brian Burke is definitely hard at work.
Having already inked a pair of goaltenders last month – Finnish netminder Jussi Rynnas and NCAA standout, Ben Scrivens of Cornell University- the Leafs President and General Manager announced another signing; this one in the form of German blueliner Korbinian Holzer....
We all know about the bad press that constantly surrounded the Flames last season. I can understand it, with the Flames not making the playoffs. The last time the Flames did not make the playoffs was the 2003 season. I see two major issues that need to improve next season, one being the offense, and the other being too many defensive breakdowns in their own zone.
So ...
Well, it's been a little over a week since Mr. Gauthier sent our Slovakian playoff wonderboy out of La Belle Province and off to St. Louis for... Lars Eller (He's danish...yummy) and Ian Shultz (No not the D-man who was a +50 for the Caps, that was his brother) and consequently sending the city into an outrage while rekindling that old nickname our GM was crowned with in A...
Most of the major off season moves this summer were obviously made with an eye towards capturing the Cup. The Penguins and Devils restructured their defense in a big way and role players were shifted all around the league. While these deals will play a big role in the fortunes of these NHL franchises, they barely register on the radar in terms of fantasy hockey impact. ...
The Flames gave notice when they waived Kotalik that losing was no longer an option. But in a somewhat surprise move, they put Nigel Dawes on waivers. The Flames inform the media that his contract would be bought out if there was no claim. This move really confused me. Why waste someone with 14 goals? If he would have played full time, he would have scored 20 goals.
...
No sports athlete is really "worth" most of the salaries they are being paid. On that front, we can agree. Not Jeter. Not Tiger. Not A-Rod. No one. That includes Kovalchuk. But I think that you are purchasing a lot more then a single player for the on-ice product for $100 million—that is if indeed, the Islanders should win the Kovalchuk sweeps.
ON THE ICE
Perhaps a ...
Who: Martin Brodeur
From July 09,2010
Martin Brodeur has never been an unrestricted free agent, but the Devils' goaltender thinks he knows what Ilya Kovalchuk is going through.
Like Devils management and most fans, he is anxious to hear Kovalchuk's decision about where he will play next season.
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"I'm sure Kovy is not feeling good about what is goi...
The Sabres lineup has not seen many moves since the beginning of the off-season. The loss of Henrik Tallinder and Toni Lydman didn’t surprise many fans. The addition of Jordan Leopold and the expected call up of Mike Weber will replace the openings those openings.
The Sabres have depth at forward but do they have enough scoring power remains the question. The team is ...
After a flurry of activity in the first couple days of the free agent season, the market cooled off, leaving a lot of players sitting on the sidelines waiting for their phones to ring. There was a sense that everyone was waiting for Ilya Kovalchuk to sign and then the remaining pieces would start to fall into place. Well we are approaching August and although Kovalchuk is...
It's 6:15 am out here on the west coast, and I'm sitting here with a cup of tea glued to the television flicking channels between Sportsnet and TSN...not much going on so far. But, there have been some key signings over the last couple of days, with Brent Seabrook staying with the Chicago Blackhawks re-signing for 5 years and Chris Phillips is staying in Ottawa re-signing ...
I know I'm probably the only one thinking about this right now, being 3 weeks removed from the trade deadline, and another three weeks from the start of the playoffs, but it's just been something I've been kicking around lately, especially given the opinions of the some of the other folks I've heard lately.
The Red Wings stood still at the trade deadline, as is their M....
Welcome to Hard Disc Hockey; our blog of all things NHL, and bits of info from other areas of the sport of hockey. I hope you enjoy, hate or otherwise react to the comments posted here. I look forward to your discussion of these posts.
Well here we go! Today is July 1st, the day all NHL GMs and fanbases believe is the beginning of a Stanley Cup Championship. For one...
This is my first blog so please bear with me folks.
This season, the Devils have quite the built up system for the first time in many, many years as far as depth goes. We're getting thinner at forward than normal, more talented at defense, and finally and justifiably building up goalie prospects. This is all great news for the near and even far future for call ups with...
The Blues need Andy McDonald right now. There's no way they can keep this kind of winning up. 1-0 after dominating the WHOLE FREAKING GAME is crazy. They had at least 15 shots before the Oilers got their first. That sort of thing just doesn't happen. And it also shouldn't be that the Blues can have that many shots 10 minutes into the first period without a goal to sho...
For many seasons, the Flyers have always opted for the "quick fix" mentality. Signing a big name free agent, trading away draft picks and young prospects for more established players often on the back end of their career, and relying on high salaried players to get the job done. This strategy has come close to paying off several times. Trading away a huge chunk of the futu...
So, with the NHL 2012 Draft now officially over the week-long wait til free agency begins. The Rangers did not make any real noise at the draft and the rumors of a Rick Nash trade continue to swirl overhead. One potential suitor for Nash, or Bobby Ryan, has been very active, as the Flyers traded away both James van Riemsdyk and Sergei Bobrovsky in separate deals. Whether H...
I'm sure that if you're reading this blog by now you've heard of Justin Schultz, but for those who haven't, Schultz is an uber-talented offensive-defenseman who just finished his Junior year at the University of Wisconsin. While a Badger, he shared the blueline with the likes of Ryan McDonagh, Jake Gardiner (of the Leafs) and Brendan Smith (of the Wings), all of whom are o...
As Christmas in July approaches for hockey fans, we anxiously await news of our favorite team signing that player who can turn the franchise around and take our team to the Promise Land. This summer, there are a couple players in an otherwise weak free agent class that can be that player for an NHL team. Here is my list of the Top 20 free agents and the destination I feel ...
Pretty quiet July 1st for the Rangers this year. It was heartbreaking to watch Brandon Prust sign elsewhere, but good for him getting the contract and secondary city that he wanted. I don't mind the Arron Asham signing to help ease the pain. Asham is one of those guys you hate to play against. He toes the line on being dirty at times, but does his job well and will drop th...
Why does every year feel more and more painful as a Leaf fan? I think that after this year the new CBA will work to the advantage of the leafs or at least put the on a level playing field with the rest of the NHL teams. Burke doesn't believe in these long term contracts, and even though it sucks to see big names pass up Toronto year after year, there is a method to his mad...
What a day for the Minnesota Wild.
On the fourth day of the Zach Parise and Ryan Suter chase, and America's birthday, the Wild completely transformed their franchise. Both Parise and Suter, who are childhood friends, decided to accept matching 13 year/$98M contracts to play in the "state of hockey." Instantly the Wild emerge as a viable playoff team in the West.
At...
Is there one piece still missing ? With over 17 million left in Cap space, O'Reilly will get a raise somewhere around the 3+ million mark Jamie McGinn should get a raise probably around 1.5-2 million area. Leaving close to 12+ Left so Im thinking between 3-4 million on another top 6 forward would be a bonus plus you must lose salary with a D-man going somewhere hate to say...
Oh Me Oh My, theres a LOT of work to be done this summer. I would like annnounce that this is what I would do, I'm not saying Holmgren will do anything like this. First I'll address the defense, then the upcoming draft, then offense, then .... *Dun Dun Dun Duh* Goaltending. Finally I will give you what my roster would look like.
[b]DEFENSE[/b]
Okay so first I want t...
Before I get started here, I'm going to apologize for my last blog. for some reason, it didn't register any paragraph separation when it posted. I will try to make sure the format of this one is proper before I post it. Again, my apologies. On with the show.
Oilers GM Craig MacTavish has wastes no time making his mark on this franchise. He has already re...
Vincent Lecavalier was bought out by the Tampa Bay Lightning on Wednesday, Lecavlier will now be a free agent on July 5th. There is a estimated guess of about 15 teams interested in him including Montreal, Toronto , Philadelphia, Detroit, San Jose, Vancouver and Minnesota the list goes on. Teams will be offering Lecavalier between 4 million to 5 million for 4 to 5 years in...
As of midnight today, teams around the NHL are able to start talking to unrestricted free agents. With no deal being done yet for right winger David Clarkson, it is pretty much almost certain that he will not be returning to New Jersey next season. If he does choose to leave, the Devils will certainly need replace his scoring help on the wings.
To be honest, I did not ...
These are my predictions on where the top free agents will go.
Jarome Iginla will sign with Calgary Flames (Signed with Boston) X
David Clarkson will sign with Toronto Maple Leafs ***
Danny Briere will sign with New Jersey Devils (Signed by Montreal) X
Patrik Elias will sign with St. Louis Blues (Resigned with New jersey) X
Mike Ribeiro will sign with Dallas Stars ...
As July 5th approaches, Don't expect the Detroit Redwings to be in on many of the available free agents. Why? Because, The Redwings already have a 20 players signed for next season and they still need to sign some of their own RFA's. Brendan Smith, Gustav Nyquist and Joakim Anderson still need contracts. These are players the Redwings want to keep in the fold. Sign...
With already 22 contracts, and the soon to be signed MacKinnon, the Avalanche already had a full roster making for a slow free agency season. The Avs put both Hunwick and Zanon on waivers with the hopes that one or both would get picked up by another team. No one was interested, leading to Zanon being bought out earlier today. The Avs did not use one or their two complianc...
Well with the free agent market opening tomorrow I'm thinking a lot about who the Oilers should sign and if they should make any trades. With MacTavish trading Horcoff today he lifted the spirits of fans but he still has a lot of work to do.
The Oilers have 16 players under contract as of right now with 40, 791, 666$ tied up with them. They have 21, 860, 233$ of cap sp...
The New Jersey Devils agreed with free agent power forward Ryane Clowe on a 5 year $24.25 million contract on Friday.
When I woke up on Friday morning, checked twitter and I saw that the Devils were the front runners to sign Clowe because they knew that Clarkson was not coming back, I had mixed feelings. Not because I wanted Clarkson back because I certainly did not. ...
[i]You can follow me on twitter @jcimms9[/i]
After the leafs disappointing end to the season, they must quickly make decisions on the 11 players set to become FA’s on July 1.
I think we will see be a big turnover this year with most of the Maple Leafs free agents either walking or being traded. With the core of the team set for the forseeable future, I believe if...
[i]You can follow me on twitter @jcimms9[/i]
After the leafs disappointing end to the season, they must quickly make decisions on the 11 players set to become FA’s on July 1.
I think we will see be a big turnover this year with most of the Maple Leafs free agents either walking or being traded. With the core of the team set for the forseeable future, I believe if...
[i]You can follow me on twitter @jcimms9[/i]rnrnrnAfter the leafs disappointing end to the season, they must quickly make decisions on the 11 players set to become FA’s on July 1.rnrnI think we will see be a big turnover this year with most of the Maple Leafs free agents either walking or being traded. With the core of the team set for the forseeable future, I believe if...
With an absolutely amazing career and now turning free agent, one of the biggest, if not the biggest, questions of this upcoming offseason is where Marty Brodeur will end up. After spending his entire career with the New Jersey Devils, many applaud his great work and achievements that he's made over his 20 years in the NHL, however, there are many doubters that he is the ...
Tim Thomas, Ilya Bryzgalov, Ray Emery. Under talked about and under appreciated potential difference makers in net for many teams. All three of these tenders could use a nice change of scenery, or if re-signed they need a confidence boost from their respected teams. These guys have potential to carry a good portion of the game load serving as back-up for any team, or they ...
The obvious choices for Ryan Miller are the Pittsburgh Penguins and Anaheim Ducks. The only issue with Miller going to the Pens is his asking price, so a solid second option would be Hiller. The Capitals are in need of another tender, so which ever goalie the Pens don't go with between Miller and Hiller watch for Washington to try and court them to their team.
Penguins ...
According to all the NHL sites we are seeing teams like Ottawa, Toronto, San Jose and Carolina are all not shying away from trading their Captain's. rnrnNew York Rangers already bought out and traded their 2014 Captains and Montreal has yet to resign their's. Buffalo and Columbus don't even have one.rnrnSo why is the role of the captain so important and prestigious if so m...
According to all the NHL sites we are seeing teams like Ottawa, Toronto, San Jose and Carolina are all not shying away from trading their Captain's. rnrnNew York Rangers already bought out and traded their 2014 Captains and Montreal has yet to resign their's. Buffalo and Columbus don't even have one.rnrnSo why is the role of the captain so important and prestigious if so m...
The 2014 draft had Colorado walk home with 7 new prospects. I can honestly say I was shocked when the Avalanche did not talk Brendan Lemieux when he was available at #23, a natural wing, in which Colorado depth wise is in need of. He grew up around the Avalanche, was born in Denver Colorado his favorite player is Ryan O'Reilly. Instead Colorado takes CONNER BLEACKLEY a pla...
As of today there are still a few good free agents out there that teams should be looking at. I am not sure what the players are asking for but if they have been on the market this long then I am guessing their price has gone down. My five picks are below.rrnrn1. Devon Setguchi (RW)rnThis guy can skate, hit, score and play on a 2nd or 3rd line. He was magic one year in San...
Now before people go off half cocked just remember all of these teams had a chance to negotiate contracts with these players for fair market value before the day after the NHL draft or file for arbitration.
As soon as an offersheet is put down as an NHL GM i would look at the other RFA's on the team and find the one I like and put an offer sheet down.
So here is how ...
We are almost three weeks passed the start of free agency, and there are still some good players just sitting there waiting for a contract. The thing is contract spots are all but used up on most teams and the teams that do have contract spots open don’t have the cap to sign anyone else. For this blog is just going to be a quick reference guide to each team’s contracts...
There’s no argument, the biggest acquisition GM [b]Don Sweeney[/b] has made thus far in his first offseason is winger [b]Matt Beleskey[/b]. The former Anaheim Duck was signed to a four year contract worth $3.8mil / per. Coming off of a 22 goal performance (Beleksey’s first of 20 or more) in the 2014-2015 season the 27 year old was widely considered among the top forw...
After collectively catching their breath (or exhaling a sigh of relief, depending on the perspective) Leafs Nation prepares for life after Stamkos. (Steven, we hardly knew ye, but it was fun to dream for the last year or two!) Now, the hard-hitting fact that the Shannaplan will go on as scheduled is inevitably sinking in.
The Bay St. Brain-Trust will ...
Seems to be a popular title around the web. It seems rather obvious but many people go near the correct answer. It is three steps much easier said than done. I will go hardest to easiest.
1. Dump the players Chiarelli has signed as UFA's
2. Grab key UFA's
3. Dump Chiarelli (McLellan should go to if they want a cup but he can get them to the playoffs)
The first o...
With the news that players like Anthony Duclair and Tobias Rieder are heading toward UFA status, I've figured now would be as good a time as any to layout my idea of a reasonable offseason plan for the Oilers to (not) follow.
The primary focuses for the Oilers should be as follows:
[b]1.) Secure significant RFAs (Nurse, Strome and Benning)
2.) Pursue cheap skill
3....
Peter Chiarelli left the Oilers in terrible shape when he was fired as GM however the team is not far off of a playoff spot this year. I don't like the Oilers odds of making the playoffs but they are still competing with really only 3 good players and some filler. Still we know this and I will get to the point. The future might not be as dark as it looks for the Oilers ...
The draft can not get here soon enough. Mostly as it should be the start of Holland fixing the Oilers. I can say this with certainty because they can't get anymore broken. Also the draft's arrival will stop sites like TSN.ca claiming that Kakko is "closing the gap" on Hughes. There is no actual gap. NJ is picking one player and that is going to be Hughes. Are they lo...
Detroit has 14 RFAs after this season. https://www.capfriendly.com/teams/redwings
6 of 7 listed on the main roster are arbitration eligible. That helps. Three of the RFAs listed as “in the system” (Hirose, Kuffner, Kaski) are interesting cases. Hirose made an immediate impact last year. Kuffner didn’t really get going but he may have a good year as well. Oliwer Ka...