Kimmo Timonen — prized UFA defenseman
There was the Roenick signing…..a 5 year 25 million dollar deal that raised eyebrows for how it was done. Then there was the offer sheet to Kessler last year…that infuriated the Canucks. Now, Paul Holmgren has fired the first shot or shots in the free agency wars by trading for the negotiating rights of Kimmo Timonen and Scott Hartnell…then signing them for what would be considered a rather high price tag.
I have to admit I was floored when I first heard this….one of my friends is a blogger for Hockeybuzz and he passed the info on to me. I refused to even confirm it on the arena website until another couple sources reported the story. Sadly, I knew it was true. Another team had taken advantage of the system and more or less signed 2 UFA’s before the July 1st signing period. In some ways this was worse than the Kovalev trade which at least was for players and prospects and cash…and looked somewhat more fair on the surface. The difference here is that Nashville essentially got back the first round pick it gave to Philly in the Forsberg deal. That made me suspicious…it had made quite a few in hockey circles at least a little wary.
For Holmgren to trade only a low first round pick to get negotiating rights to two very prized UFA’s is not necessarily against the rules….but that is an awfully low price compared to what Nashville gave up just to get Forsberg. Philly knew Nashville was in trouble with the impending limbo caused when Jim Balsille of Blackberry LTD bought the team earlier this month. It comes down to one thing…did the Flyers and Predators have a pre-existing arrangement? If they did, this is collusion. Making the Preds pay would be foolish as they don’t really care at this point….and really nothing can be done to the Flyers at this point more because…I think GM’s may want to pull off the very same thing. Holmgren learned from the best (Bobby Clarke) in how to bend the rules and even sneak some rules through a competition committee or three. Everyone remembers that Roenick trade to the Kings for next to nothing so the Flyers could sign Forsberg.
Now will Nashville further continue this fire sale….will Kariya’s rights be negotiated for a pick next? More than likely that won’t be the case….the salary cap has a bottom..so if the cap rises to 52 million next season…that means the floor will probably be about 36 million or so. GM David Poile is only doing what Leipold is telling him to do. Nashville will unload one or two more key cogs then stop until the sale of the team is complete…then who knows what will happen after. What is certain is this…if Balsille indeed owns that team, Nashville can say goodbye to the Predators. It is rumored that the Flyers wanted Kariya as well….but no one can really confirm that right now…nor does anyone want to really.
The Flyers took advantage of the situation like they have so many times in the past….using those many unsaid things you don’t actually see in the papers or on any kind of print to land Timonen and Hartnell. Now, it may not cost them right this minute but will some GM try to sign a Flyer to an offer sheet or try this method somewhere down the road???? You better bet your bottom dollar they will and that is when the Flyers will cry foul. That bend but not break philosophy is what has made the Flyers a contender through the years. The Broad Street Bullies moved into the front office and are still there. You have to admire them for that….but expect them to pay for it once again.
Editors Note: Timonen’s contract is frontloaded which means he will earn 8 million per season for the first two seasons of the contract. That will push the Flyers payroll up to 41 million so expect Holmgren to trim somewhere in order to add another UFA or two. Supposedly these contracts have not hit the league offices as of yet.
