Monday, June 30, 2008

Unrestricted Free Agency Day 1 Coverage

TRANSACTIONS

-I didn't notice this until I visited The Yankee Canuck, but it appears the Predators have signed our own Drew MacIntyre. I guess that leaves our backup role to ol' what's his name.....oh yeah, a guy that looks like the 3rd Sedin, Cory Schneider. No problemo!

-The Bruins have signed Michael Ryder to a 3-year $12 million deal. That is pretty risky, but I think Ryder needed a change of scenery. Now he could score over 30 goals for the B's. I guess Ryder is the replacement for Glenn Murray.

-The Islanders make their first signing today, locking up Mark Streit to a 5-year $20.5 million contract.

-The Wild have signed Craig Weller to a 2-year $1.2 million contract.

-The Lightning have signed goon David Koci to a 2-way contract.

-The Rangers have signed Wade Redden to a 6 year deal that will pay him $6.5 million per season. Funny, I predicted this to someone earlier in the day. The Rangers need a go-to-guy on the blueline who's name isn't Rosival or Tyutin. This is a huge addition by NYR.

-The Devils, continuing down their retro path, have now signed Bobby Holik to a 1-year $2.5 million deal. Rolston and Holik....what's next? Neil Broten? Stephane Richer?

-The Leafs have signed Niklas hagman to a 4-year $12 million contract

-I'm sorry, but the Canucks signing Darcy Hordichuk for 2 years doesn't exactly get my juices flowing. Are we that much in need of a goon? I guess since the Backes attempt failed that Gillis looked elsewhere for a brawler.
The former alter boy/current christian Hordichuk has said in the past that he loves to bring the crowd to their feet. He is fearless, but probably has more of a losing record in fights.
Here is a Hordichuk highlight-profile clip.You'll see his christian roots in this clip.

-The Rangers have signed journeyman Glen Metropolit to a 2-year deal.

-The Rangers finally get active and sign Patrick Rissmiller.

-The Flyers have filled the hole left by Gauthier by signing Ossi Vaananen to a 1-year $1 million deal.

-Spector's is reporting that the Devils are on the verge of bringing back Brian Rolston to the tune of a 5-year $20 million contract. And to think that Rolston left the Devils years ago as merely a checker. Now he will be relied upon heavily to score goals.

-the Blue Jackets have signed Mike "annie" Commodore to a 5-year $18.75 million deal.

-the Blues have matched the Canucks' offer on David Backes. So try again, Gillis.

-the Sabres have signed Patrick Lalime to a 2-year $2 million deal, reports say.

-I can see why the Hawks let Rene Bourque go so easily this morning. They have just signed Brian Campbell to an 8-year deal at a whopping $7.1 million per season. Wow. This should generate even further excitement in Chicago...FINALLY. Players actually want to play there now. The Hawks are getting better and better.

-the Senators have signed Alex Auld to a 2-year $2 million deal.

-It is confirmed that the Lightning have signed Kolzig to a 1-year $1.5 million deal. Kinda cheap no? Kolzig's stock has dramatically fallen. Remember my previous post about how Tampa can lure guys there? Ha!

-the Avalanche have signed Darcy Tucker to a 2-year $4.5 million contract. Great, now we have to play against that guy WAY more often.

-the Canucks have signed Blues' restricted free agent David Backes to a 3-year $7.5 million offer sheet. The Blues have 7-days to match. Aha! Gillis is the first GM to stab at a RFA! Backes is a promising talented winger. He scored 10 goals and 23 points in 49 games in 2006-07 and 13 goals and 31 points in 72 games for the Blues last year. Last year was probably a reduced role, not sure.
Hockey's future described him as

a hard worker who is a dynamic playmaker, Backes uses his size to his advantage when carrying the puck. His skating ability is not greatly impressive, but he possesses a nose for the net. Standing 6’3, he is not afraid to get physical out on the ice and create space for himself by grinding it out along the boards. Backes is respectable in the faceoff circle, but has been used primarily on the wing in St. Louis.

The best Backes video on YouTube is of him pounding on a Finn at the IHWC in 2008.
Another clip of Backes shows that he has hands as well, scoring top shelf against the Wild.

-the Black Hawks have signed Cristobal Huet to a reported 4-year $22.4 million deal. I believe the Hawks have over $12 million invested in goalies now. Yeesh. Is a Khabibulin trade coming?

-the Panthers finally do something...signing Cory Stillman to a 3-year $10.6 million deal. Wow, Stillman must love that. He was becoming a rental player
last year. This deal replaces departed Jozef Stumpel. A serious upgrade IMO.

-the Lightning continue their signing frenzy....signing Adam Hall to a 3-year $1.8 million deal.

-the Rangers have signed Aaron Varos.

-the Penguins have signed goon Eric Godard. Georges Laraque must be on his way out.

-it looks as though the Lightning may be close to signing Olaf Kolzig. Finally, a solid #1 goalie in Tampa.

-the Leafs have signed D Jeff Finger to a 4-year deal at $3.5 million a season

-Red Wings have signed Ty Conklin to a 1-year $750,000 contract.

-the Coyotes have signed D-man Kurt Sauer to a 4-year deal at $1.75 per season.

-the Avalanche have signed Andrew Raycroft to a 1-year deal, on the heels of the Theodore loss.

-the Capitals, who seem to be losing Huet, have signed Jose Theodore to a 2-year deal.

- another rumor is that a team, believed to be the Canucks has offered Mats Sundin a multi-year $10 million contract. I'll believe that when I see it. Is Mats even looking for a multi-year deal? He seems so non-commital ever since he enjoys Swedish pie as a midnight snack. (I'm going to hell)

-a rumor going around is that the Penguins have made Jaromir Jagr an offer.

-Flyers traded Dennis Gauthier and a 2nd round pick in 2009 to the Kings in exchange for 2 prospects (PATRIK HERSLEY AND NED LUKACEVIC).

-Hurricanes traded Erik Cole to the Oilers for Joni Pitkanen.

-Canucks sign Kyle Wellwood to a 1-year $997,500 deal. Everyone buy Wellwood jerseys! OK, don't. But you will love the man.

-BlackHawks traded Rene Bourque to the Flames in exchange for a future second-round draft pick.

-Oilers traded Raffi Torres to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for Gilbert Brule

-Leafs sign Curtis Joseph to a 1-year $700,000 deal. Any Leafs fan with a Cujo jersey can not feel so ripped off now!

-Wild sign UFA Andrew Brunette to a multi-year deal.

-Wild trade Ryan Jones and a 2nd round pick to Nashville in exchange for Marek Zidlicky

-Lightning sign UFA forward Radim Vrbata to a $9-million, three-year contract.


Mon 11:30 pm
-Brian Rolston is not a Bolt yet. He just may bolt for free agency elsewhere.
Tuesday

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29 Comments:

At July 1, 2008 at 1:27 p.m. , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Vancouver signs RFA forward David Backes to an offer sheet, 3 years $7.5-million. St. Louis has seven days to match or accept a 2nd round draft pick as compensation.

Well, that pretty much settles the "will other GMs work with Gillis" question.

The answer is pretty clearly "no!"

He's left with offer sheets and scraps. Hoo-boy, this is bad.

 
At July 1, 2008 at 2:16 p.m. , Blogger Sean Zandberg said...

I expected him to stab at RFA's actually.
If he lands Sundin even at $10 million per season I'll rejoice. I am also quite biased towards Sundin.
I'm not losing faith in Gillis yet. It's only day 1 and there are plenty of good players left.

 
At July 1, 2008 at 2:51 p.m. , Anonymous Anonymous said...

WAY too much for Sundin. Two years is two years...that's it. That's all you get out of him. If you are trying to sign someone to take over the captaincy of the team and lead it into a new era...signing an over-aged, under-achieving Sundin to a contract which you could sign TWO decent players in its place is not the answer.

 
At July 1, 2008 at 2:54 p.m. , Blogger Sean Zandberg said...

Well, what if Sundin's signing makes Naslund decide to stay (god forbid)? Then we have a Wellwood-Sundin-Naslund top line. I've seen worse!

 
At July 1, 2008 at 3:16 p.m. , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Wellwood is an admitted 2nd line guy.

Oh...its too early in the morning for this!

 
At July 1, 2008 at 3:21 p.m. , Blogger Sean Zandberg said...

Haha! You are in the wrong time zone my friend! :)

Did you not see how well he played with Sundin a couple years ago?

 
At July 1, 2008 at 3:49 p.m. , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Darcy Hordichuk.

I'm not a negative guy, Sean, but c'mon: we were expecting more than Hordichuk and a run at a guy who is thinking of retiring, no?

 
At July 1, 2008 at 3:52 p.m. , Blogger Temujin said...

Finally, a solid #1 goalie in Tampa.

With Kolzig? Have you been hitting the sauce already, bud? Kolzig is a bum, plain and simple!

A part of me wants to see Sundin in a Canuck jersey so badly, yet I cannot help but think it can only lead to dashed hopes and frustrations, like when Mogilny signed to play with Bure.

 
At July 1, 2008 at 3:53 p.m. , Blogger Temujin said...

And I'm agreement with Kevin. Hordichuk is a great fit for third line energy guy or checker. But we've got 8 guys like that already.

Gilles, bring us a sniper!

 
At July 1, 2008 at 4:12 p.m. , Blogger Sean Zandberg said...

"With Kolzig? Have you been hitting the sauce already, bud? Kolzig is a bum, plain and simple!"

Oh yeah...you are a Kolzig hater. Suck it later!

No, we don't need a Hordichuk, unless guys like Kesler and Burrows are going to fight less and score more!

Where the hell is Gillis' sniper signing indeed!!!

Sundin is a god. You guys know it.

 
At July 1, 2008 at 4:14 p.m. , Blogger Mike said...

Just when I thought this franchise couldn't disappoint me anymore...

 
At July 1, 2008 at 4:15 p.m. , Blogger Sean Zandberg said...

By the way, I think Gillis is thinking big-trade route to get who we need. Especially if we don't get much in the free agency market.

 
At July 1, 2008 at 4:34 p.m. , Blogger Temujin said...

I just heard on Team 1040 this statement: By the time he retires, Bobby Holik will have earned $70 million dollars in salary throughout his career.

Sweet Lord Murphy Vishnu Bannock.

So what do our lines look like at this point? Any ideas?

 
At July 1, 2008 at 4:35 p.m. , Blogger Temujin said...

And is a B-Mo re-signing pretty much guaranteed now?

 
At July 1, 2008 at 4:40 p.m. , Blogger Sean Zandberg said...

It's only day 1, guys. There's plenty of guys available. Don't forget about the RFA's who become UFA's down the road. Gillis will pull something out of his ass yet.

 
At July 1, 2008 at 4:50 p.m. , Blogger Temujin said...

Stagering: Redden is a Ranger for 6.5 mill a season.

A Six Year Contract!

Good God.

 
At July 1, 2008 at 4:55 p.m. , Blogger Mike said...

Sure it's day 1. But this is the guy who said this team was a few guys away from being one of the best. Backes, Hordichuk, Wellwood and let's assume the Sundin thing are the extent of what we know he did. All in all, certainly not bad.

But losing Backes means he's "that GM" when it comes to RFAs (which just compounds the rumor GM's aren't working with him) and I personally think the Sundin offer is simply terrible. Wellwood is...well, forget that. And Hordichuk is fine but won't be scoring so I think it's rational, overall, to be concerned.

Big trades still mean he has to work with GM's so that avenue isn't terribly ideal. And while it's awesome he's not making stupid moves (like Finger's) there are other guys out there that moved today that would have made this team substantially better from day one.

The jury is still out on Gillis but he didn't really help himself so far today. It would take one trade to change all of that.

 
At July 1, 2008 at 5:04 p.m. , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Noooooo!

Hagman HAS to play in Dallas. I mean, the guy was JR, right?

 
At July 1, 2008 at 5:06 p.m. , Blogger Sean Zandberg said...

Wellwood for under $1 million is pretty good actually. I still think you guys are underestimating him.
Do you think ALL the GM's are rallying against Gillis? I hope not.
Hey, maybe Ottawa's loss of Redden will prompt them into a deal with Gillis for Bieksa!
I disagree with the Sundin idea being terrible. Do you think Brian Campbell is worth $7.1?????? The cap is increasing, as are player's values. I think you are underestimating Sundin's ability as well, even if he is 37 years old.
I love how Canuckland panics so much! Actually, it just amuses me.

Is Vancouver really a bad place to play and live? I know they have Pigeon Park and the rain and shit, but really. I hear the hookers are good. Except for that 7-foot tall black hooker. I think that would be a transvestite!

 
At July 1, 2008 at 5:15 p.m. , Blogger Mike said...

I think 10 million a season for Sundin (when you have 20 million in cap space) is a bad idea yes. Unless there is some wonderful intangible involved that I don't know of (like other free agents will want to sign here because Sundin is here) then it's easier to swallow.

Regardless Sundin will still need wingers; there's a lot of pieces we still need. You hated Naslund for eating up 6 million, but Sundin taking almost double is ok?

And, no matter what, I think picking up ex-Leafs is not the way to go far into the playoffs Mr. Zandberg there I said it. If you're not concerned, you're not paying attention and getting high off the paint in your new house...which I hope is going swimmingly by the by :)

 
At July 1, 2008 at 5:36 p.m. , Blogger Temujin said...

Mats would score goals for 10 million dollars.

 
At July 1, 2008 at 5:48 p.m. , Blogger Mike said...

For 10 million? He damn better well score some goals! And notch assists. And maybe back up Luongo, walk old ladies across the street, feed the poor and, occasionally, cure cancer with his mind. Then I am all for the 10 million Sundin crotch grab of '08!

 
At July 1, 2008 at 5:50 p.m. , Blogger Sean Zandberg said...

.."like other free agents will want to sign here because Sundin is here"

I'm kind of thinking along those lines.

You can't really put Naslund in the same boat. One has heart and the other doesn't! :)
Mats is more than just 80-85 points, he's a leader as well. He's a physical presence. Regardless of what anybody says, Sundin makes players around him better. Naslund on the other hand, does NOT.

 
At July 1, 2008 at 5:51 p.m. , Blogger Sean Zandberg said...

Ah the paint smells good!

 
At July 1, 2008 at 5:52 p.m. , Blogger Temujin said...

Mats signs for 10 million, Markus signs for 3 million, and you have two potential 40 goal scorers for a combined 13 million bucks :)

It's gonna be good.

 
At July 1, 2008 at 5:58 p.m. , Blogger Sean Zandberg said...

Jin: NOW you're thinking! Maybe Sundin is the player Naslund is waiting for to get signed in Van in order for him to come back here at a discount. Maybe.

 
At July 1, 2008 at 6:59 p.m. , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Now you are talking about a Messier situation in Vancouver again...who gets the 'C'? Do you piss off a Canuck icon for the services of a guy that doesn't consider himself a Canuck...for a short term gain?

All I know is...I remember Sundin pulling boneheaded penalty after penalty in the Olympics against Belarus...knocking Sweden out of the tournament. He was almost single-handedly responsible. Is that the sort of guy you want?

I'd prefer someone new, fresh and young that could lead the team for years...not 1 or 2.

 
At July 1, 2008 at 7:07 p.m. , Blogger Temujin said...

I'd prefer someone new, fresh and young that could lead the team for years...not 1 or 2.

We already have Alex Burrows!

Jump aboard the Sundin Revolution. He's gonna sign here, I know it.

 
At July 1, 2008 at 7:39 p.m. , Blogger Sean Zandberg said...

It does somewhat reek of a Messier situation. But you're talking about taking the "C" away from a wanker compared to an icon 10 years ago! :)
Know what else I like about signing a guy like Sundin? We may only have Luongo for 2 more years and that's it. The fixes to this team need to be made quick if you think about it from that perspective.
Jin: The only thing Burrows will be leading is the parade to the penalty box!

 

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Waiting For Stanley was created in June 2006.