As things heat up outside, the action has cooled off for the weekend, or so it seems. The Frenzy was exactly what we thought it would be. There was much in the way of signings and typical of the second day, a huge tailoff. However, there were some unusual things that have still yet to be settled.
The Good Things That Happened…….
Kurtis Foster did get a little security when he got a 2 year, 3.6 million dollar deal with Edmonton.
Anton Volchenkov did get paid but not to excesses like many thought. There were others that did.
Marty Biron went from the Island to MSG and the good guy is happy to continue his tour of the tri-state.
Hell Nik Kulemin is still a Toronto Maple Leaf….that is amazing in itself.
There are still a few good goalies out there amazingly nhl teams.
There Was Some Bad
Olli Jokinen is a flame again. #JokinenJokes aside.
Derek Boogaard got a whole lot of money (Thanks Glen)
Simon Gagne is pretty well done in Philly.
We were sad to hear Mr. Worley (PHTonNBC) is leaving there.
The overpaid tag has probably been overused but Paul Martin got overpaid!
Now The Surprises……
Evgeni Nabokov and Marty Turco still out there.
Ilya Kovalchuk has not signed yet.
Kevin Bieksa is being pursued by a lot of teams.
Tomas Kaberle will still be a Leaf in 2012
Michael Lombardi really got 3.5 million per year.
Some Winners……
New Jersey Devils — Yes they lost Paul Martin but honestly he was expendable. In his place they picked up Henrik Tallinder and Anton Volchenkov. Then they turned and signed a solid backup in Johan Hedberg. There is still enough cap room (with some tweaks) to make a run at Ilya Kovalchuk or sign another quality player maybe two. The Devils are set up for the cap next year as well. They will be able to get younger down the road in relatively short order. Do not believe some people who say the Devils demise is near. It is something greatly exaggerated.
Pittsburgh Penguins – Those yes they lost Mark Eaton, I thought they did well in getting Zbynek Michalek and Paul Martin. Yes Martin was overpaid but does fit into the Pittsburgh system. The only question will be health of course and will he get used to playing in front of a goalie who cannot handle the puck like Martin Brodeur. The Pens did lose Sergei Gonchar as well but get younger which is a good thing on your blueline these days.
New York Islanders – Sounds crazy but it is really true. They added four solid depth guys in day two and were in several races for free agents in Day 1. As an Isles fan, you cannot say Garth Snow is not trying at least. Guys like Konopka, Parenteau, Jurcina, and Eaton will serve the team well. They still have quite a bit of work to do but give them credit….the Isles are trying to steer it in the right direction.
Tampa Bay Lightning – Steve Yzerman did well by getting a 2nd round pick for Meszaros, signing Marty St. Louis to a 4 year extension, and then signing a few guys to top it off. He got Pavel Kubina back from Atlanta, then signed Dan Ellis who is a starter for next to nothing. Ellis may not be Craig Anderson but he is a good fit for Tampa.
Phoenix Coyotes – I give credit to what Don Maloney was able to do. Yes they lost Michalek to the Pens and everyone knew Lombardi was as good as gone. Yet, he brought back some core guys and even managed to get Ray Whitney into the fold. Overall, I do not think they are done yet either and Kyle Turris now gets the chance to fill the Lombardi role.
Some Losers…….
New York Rangers – Yes resigning Prospal at 2.1 million was smart but Derek Boogaard getting 6.5 mill for 4 years just reeked of cow dung! The Rangers did sign Marty Biron as well but there were proably other backups they could have signed for a few more fishnagels that went the Boogeyman’s way. The Rangers were too hamstrung to make that move that would really have helped.
Philadelphia Flyers – The potential of losing Simon Gagne because of the signing of Jody Shelley reeks of irony. A skilled player going because of a goon is so 1970’s. Seriously, Paul Holmgren is taking a beating from the fans and rightfully so. They resigned Michael Leighton for relatively cheap but tried to put off their salary cap woes. Now they only have about 1.1 million in cap space and have to make a trade just to have some flexibility. The Cup Finalists are definitely hurting.
Calgary Flames – Sutter and Sutter must have taken a page from the Devils reunion tour as they added Olli Jokinen and Alex Tanguay. Then they added Tim Jackman and Ratis Ivanans for what I have no clue. This show needs to get canceled before they wind up trading their only stars — Kiprusoff and Iginla. Yes they are that mad.
The Central Division – Yes St. Louis made the splash for Halak but what has the Central really done aside from Nashville signing Lombardi. Signing John Scott does not count Chicago fans. You would have thought one of these teams would have made a bit more of a splash after two days. Then again, next week may change things.
There was the UGLY
No matter what many believe Florida is still in financial straits and signing Chris Higgins almost scares me to death. The guy cannot finish even if Pavel Bure found a way to take over his inner child. That is just well…ouch!
Ilya Kovalchuk is taking a media tongue lashing the equivalent of most Presidents. Apparently demanding the moon in salary is never good. The key word is apparently. No one is really showing all their cards here and this will go on into next week. Definitely no one expected Kovalchuk to not be signed after Day 2 let alone Day 1.
Bobby Ryan negotiations have become so weird that erroneous reports are popping up on nearly a daily basis. Next we will hear that he signed in the SEL. Hey you never know.
The dreaded offer sheet has been mentioned for players like Bobby Ryan and Marc Staal. You may just see one at some point and maybe next week at that.
All in all it was a fun two days so the only way to leave this now is to show off a few fireworks. Have a great night.
Have a happy and safe 4th of July!
