Stephane Yelle has found a home in Boston.
The old warrior had begun to break-down the last few seasons and was no longer the defensive force we all remember. In fact, he was one of the worst players on the PK last year and his offensive ability is pretty much zero.
Still, he remains a rung above the Wayne Primeau's of the world. Yelle is the kind of guy that can skate with a kid on the 3rd or 4th line and help him keep his head above water. He's not going to make much of impact for a team anymore, but he's probably not going to hurt them either.
So long, Yeller. I wish you well in your future endeavors.
PS - what's up with the Bruins collecting former Flames? Donovan, Ference, Kobasew and now Yelle?
Showing posts with label UFA news. Show all posts
Showing posts with label UFA news. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 03, 2008
Monday, July 28, 2008
Bouwmeester signs for one more...
...let the Darryl Sutter slobbering commence.
By putting his name to a single year deal when most highly regarded RFA's are looking for the "big and long", Bouwmeester has all but declared his intentions to go on the free market next off-season. Some of Bouwmeester's stats, figures and facts:
- Big (6'4", 212 pounds)
- Young (25)
- First round draft pick (3rd overall, 2002)
- Already a veteran (389 GP, ice-time leader in Florida)
- Excellent skater.
- Plays in all situations.
- Born in Edmonton, AB
- Played Junior hockey for the Medicine Hat Tigers
How many Sutter hot-buttons is that? Like...all of them? We may be a year away from the Bouwmeester sweepstakes, but I bet Daz is already scheming a way to get Jay into Flames colors.
By putting his name to a single year deal when most highly regarded RFA's are looking for the "big and long", Bouwmeester has all but declared his intentions to go on the free market next off-season. Some of Bouwmeester's stats, figures and facts:
- Big (6'4", 212 pounds)
- Young (25)
- First round draft pick (3rd overall, 2002)
- Already a veteran (389 GP, ice-time leader in Florida)
- Excellent skater.
- Plays in all situations.
- Born in Edmonton, AB
- Played Junior hockey for the Medicine Hat Tigers
How many Sutter hot-buttons is that? Like...all of them? We may be a year away from the Bouwmeester sweepstakes, but I bet Daz is already scheming a way to get Jay into Flames colors.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Another could have been
Dennis Wideman was re-signed by the Boston Bruins today. Four years, $15.75M. Slightly less than Adrian Aucoin's 4M/year figure. Seems to put a shine on Adrians contract, doesn't it? I mean who is Dennis Wideman...right?
He's a 25 year-old defenseman who averaged 25 minutes/night for the Bruins last year, behind only Zdeno Chara. He spent nearly 3 minutes a game on the PK and almost 4 minutes on the PP. He managed 13 goals and 36 points for his offensively challenged club.
In terms of advanced stats, Wideman faced the 2nd toughest competition of all the blueliners, again just behind the big man. He was in the black in terms of CORSI and +/- measures and he scored a healthy if unspectacular 3.90 PPP/60 with the man advantage. Keep in mind this was just Wideman's 3rd full season in the league.
This is an example of a decent gamble for $4M. Wideman is on the right side of 30, has room to develop and he put up solid numbers with big minutes against decent competition last year.
This signing is also pertinent to Flames fans because Wideman had a walk-on try-out with Calgary a few years ago. Richie Regehr, Mark Giordano and Dennis Wideman were all invited to training camp as free agents. Regehr and Giordano ended up getting the only contract offers.
Sigh.
He's a 25 year-old defenseman who averaged 25 minutes/night for the Bruins last year, behind only Zdeno Chara. He spent nearly 3 minutes a game on the PK and almost 4 minutes on the PP. He managed 13 goals and 36 points for his offensively challenged club.
In terms of advanced stats, Wideman faced the 2nd toughest competition of all the blueliners, again just behind the big man. He was in the black in terms of CORSI and +/- measures and he scored a healthy if unspectacular 3.90 PPP/60 with the man advantage. Keep in mind this was just Wideman's 3rd full season in the league.
This is an example of a decent gamble for $4M. Wideman is on the right side of 30, has room to develop and he put up solid numbers with big minutes against decent competition last year.
This signing is also pertinent to Flames fans because Wideman had a walk-on try-out with Calgary a few years ago. Richie Regehr, Mark Giordano and Dennis Wideman were all invited to training camp as free agents. Regehr and Giordano ended up getting the only contract offers.
Sigh.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Roy a Flame - Updated
And I don't mean the arrogant, retired goaltender.
According to the Flames website, the disgraced Tampa Bay enforcer is now a Calgary Flame.
If this it true, I have to say Im dismayed and annoyed by this move. Roy is as useless a player as Godard and probably a worse enforcer. He was suspended by the Lightning last year after an incident involving the Philadelphia Flyers, where he lost a fight to Riley Cote and then proceeded to lose his mind on the bench.
This addition does nothing for the Calgary Flames (besides make them even more generally hate-able I suppose). Actually, it makes them worse.
My esteem for Calgary's off-season is surely and gradually being eroded. Blech!
EDIT - NHL.com says he's a Flame too.
EDIT II - Inside the Flames declares it official and notes the contract to be a one-year, 550k deal (meaning one-way I guess).
Lefebvre notes that this is "Mark Smith all over again" in that the Smith signing was leaked prior to the official announcement thanks to an anonymous roster update by the NHL. I would like to extend that comparison in saying that, like Smith, Roy is a needless addition to an already full line-up.
Questions now that this is for real:
1.) What does this do to Brandon Prust, who also has a one-way contract? I mean, the Flames now have 15 forwards signed for next season. Only Dustin Boyd is on a two-way contract and there's little chance of him spending time in the minors (especially if the org doesn't want to start receiving letter bombs from me). Marcus Nilsson might still go away, but that still leaves Calgary carrying 14 forwards (and 8 defensemen!). Not to mention the several million the club is over the cap. Either there's some kind of deal to get rid of some of these guys in the works...or the QC Flames are going to have an expensive roster next season.
2.) Sutter stated explicitly that the Flames "had no room on the roster for a 4 minute/night player" on the radio just 3 weeks ago. Course, I believed him, partially because it was so god-damned kick-you-in-the-crotch obviously true that is was hard not to take his word for it. Now I have to assume that Sutter either doesn't really mean anything that he says to the press (very possible) or that he's a slave to his whims.
3.) WTF is the point of this game of musical chairs GMs keep playing with goons? I mean, for godsake, if goons were worth a damn, you'd think a club might actually hold onto one for longer than a season or two. In Sutter's case, why the hell wouldn't he just sign Godard to a 3 year deal if he feels it's so necessary to have a pugilist on the roster all the time? For that matter, why didn't he sign Simon long-term? Or Oliwa? Why didn't he sign Roy beyond this season? Why keep swapping in a new meathead every off-season or two? Doesn't make a lick of sense to me.
Final Update - Mirtle links me and adds some words on the Roy signing. He also links to one of his previous posts outlining the uselessness of enforcers, which saves me from having to write something in the same vein. Some of the worthwhile bits:
The average enforcer in this study has played 16.5 games at 5.45 minutes per game for a total of about 90 minutes of ice time this season. In that time, against the worst opposition in the league, their teams have scored an average of 1.56 goals, allowed 2.66, and been out shot 38-30.
At best, they're not a liability. At worst, they cripple their team, allowing somewhere in the neighbourhood of two goals per 60 minutes more than the rest of their team while generating almost zero offence or shots on goal.
If I'm a coach or GM, isn't there a better option at the bottom of the roster?
According to the Flames website, the disgraced Tampa Bay enforcer is now a Calgary Flame.
If this it true, I have to say Im dismayed and annoyed by this move. Roy is as useless a player as Godard and probably a worse enforcer. He was suspended by the Lightning last year after an incident involving the Philadelphia Flyers, where he lost a fight to Riley Cote and then proceeded to lose his mind on the bench.
This addition does nothing for the Calgary Flames (besides make them even more generally hate-able I suppose). Actually, it makes them worse.
My esteem for Calgary's off-season is surely and gradually being eroded. Blech!
EDIT - NHL.com says he's a Flame too.
EDIT II - Inside the Flames declares it official and notes the contract to be a one-year, 550k deal (meaning one-way I guess).
Lefebvre notes that this is "Mark Smith all over again" in that the Smith signing was leaked prior to the official announcement thanks to an anonymous roster update by the NHL. I would like to extend that comparison in saying that, like Smith, Roy is a needless addition to an already full line-up.
Questions now that this is for real:
1.) What does this do to Brandon Prust, who also has a one-way contract? I mean, the Flames now have 15 forwards signed for next season. Only Dustin Boyd is on a two-way contract and there's little chance of him spending time in the minors (especially if the org doesn't want to start receiving letter bombs from me). Marcus Nilsson might still go away, but that still leaves Calgary carrying 14 forwards (and 8 defensemen!). Not to mention the several million the club is over the cap. Either there's some kind of deal to get rid of some of these guys in the works...or the QC Flames are going to have an expensive roster next season.
2.) Sutter stated explicitly that the Flames "had no room on the roster for a 4 minute/night player" on the radio just 3 weeks ago. Course, I believed him, partially because it was so god-damned kick-you-in-the-crotch obviously true that is was hard not to take his word for it. Now I have to assume that Sutter either doesn't really mean anything that he says to the press (very possible) or that he's a slave to his whims.
3.) WTF is the point of this game of musical chairs GMs keep playing with goons? I mean, for godsake, if goons were worth a damn, you'd think a club might actually hold onto one for longer than a season or two. In Sutter's case, why the hell wouldn't he just sign Godard to a 3 year deal if he feels it's so necessary to have a pugilist on the roster all the time? For that matter, why didn't he sign Simon long-term? Or Oliwa? Why didn't he sign Roy beyond this season? Why keep swapping in a new meathead every off-season or two? Doesn't make a lick of sense to me.
Final Update - Mirtle links me and adds some words on the Roy signing. He also links to one of his previous posts outlining the uselessness of enforcers, which saves me from having to write something in the same vein. Some of the worthwhile bits:
The average enforcer in this study has played 16.5 games at 5.45 minutes per game for a total of about 90 minutes of ice time this season. In that time, against the worst opposition in the league, their teams have scored an average of 1.56 goals, allowed 2.66, and been out shot 38-30.
At best, they're not a liability. At worst, they cripple their team, allowing somewhere in the neighbourhood of two goals per 60 minutes more than the rest of their team while generating almost zero offence or shots on goal.
If I'm a coach or GM, isn't there a better option at the bottom of the roster?
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
More Cowbell
So Inside the Flames is saying Calgary has signed...get this...
Jamie Lundmark. Again.
No contract details, but it's a curious move considering his failure to do anything useful last go-round, the fact that the Flames already have 14 forwards and the fact that the team is already around 3M over the cap. Not to mention the plethora of centers already choking the organization.
Although, to be fair, it is a two-way deal. And that probably means Lundmark is going to be veteran fodder for the farm and an emergency injury call-up for the parent squad. But still...weird.
Oh Sutter! You so crazy!
Jamie Lundmark. Again.
No contract details, but it's a curious move considering his failure to do anything useful last go-round, the fact that the Flames already have 14 forwards and the fact that the team is already around 3M over the cap. Not to mention the plethora of centers already choking the organization.
Although, to be fair, it is a two-way deal. And that probably means Lundmark is going to be veteran fodder for the farm and an emergency injury call-up for the parent squad. But still...weird.
Oh Sutter! You so crazy!
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Grading the off-season
I'd like this to be something of an open thread so everyone can share their impressions of the Flames activities this summer. I'll get things started, please add your own in the comments if you're so inclined.
- Alex Tanguay for 25th pick. Thumbs down.
Even given the restraints of the situation (Tanguay unhappy, NTC, need for cap-space) I still don't like the Tanguay deal. In the end, the Flames gave up an elite ES player (whose contract suddenly looks pretty damn good) for a late first round pick. It's going to be tough to replace his contributions.
- Mike Cammalleri for 17th pick. Thumbs up.
Cammalleri is a 26 year-old center/winger who has already scored 30 goals and 80 points in this league. He's already a significant threat on the PP and still has room to grow to his ceiling. At 3.35M, his should be one of the better value contracts on the team.
- Rene Bourque for a second round pick. Thumbs up.
Even before the deletions of Tanguay and Huselius the Flames were thin on the wings. Bourque is a low-cost acquisition who is a proven NHL player. He fills out the organizational depth, has room to improve and is fairly inexpensive (1.3M).
- Tim Ramholt for Kyle Greentree. Thumbs up.
I'd already given up on Ramholt as a prospect, so I see this a potential "something for nothing" deal. After watching him in two straight preseasons and looking at his AHL numbers, it was pretty clear that the Swiss Miss had stalled in his development and had been passed by a couple of younger guys in the Flames system.
On the other hand, Greentree is a big, scoring winger who managed 24 goals in his first professional season last year in the AHL. His play even warranted a couple of games in the big league with the Flyers. He'll be a welcome addition to the organizations prospect cupboard in general.
- UFA signing - Curtis Glencross. Thumbs up.
GlenX. Glengarry Glencross. Flames killer. Whatever you want to call him, Glencross is a clear upgrade over many of the guys the Flames had skating in the bottom 6 last year, even if you take his nice little run in Edmonton as a bit of a fluke. He's as fast as Lombardi, aggressive and has the potential to actually score every so often. Best part is, he's cheaper than Primeau.
- UFA signing - Daymond Langkow. Thumbs up.
Langkow has been the model of consistency since becoming a Flame (and for most of his career). Whether for 4.5M per or 5M per, he should provide value for his contract, at least through years one and two. The length of the deal may prove problematic, but that remains to be seen.
- UFA signing - Todd Bertuzzi. Thumbs down.
Even as a hockey move, the Bert signing is a questionable one. He's injury-prone, on the decline and his rates/reviews from last season are hardly positive. There were and are currently better options on the open market (eg: Gelinas, Willaims).
The price and term are good, meaning relatively low risk. If Bert excels then I'll change my mind.
Other: Giordano re-signing (thumbs up), Van Der Gulik resigning (thumbs up), Prust re-signing (thumbs down - only because it's a one-way deal), McElhinney re-signing (thumbs up), Nystrom re-signing (ambivalent).
Did I miss any? Agree/disagree?
- Alex Tanguay for 25th pick. Thumbs down.
Even given the restraints of the situation (Tanguay unhappy, NTC, need for cap-space) I still don't like the Tanguay deal. In the end, the Flames gave up an elite ES player (whose contract suddenly looks pretty damn good) for a late first round pick. It's going to be tough to replace his contributions.
- Mike Cammalleri for 17th pick. Thumbs up.
Cammalleri is a 26 year-old center/winger who has already scored 30 goals and 80 points in this league. He's already a significant threat on the PP and still has room to grow to his ceiling. At 3.35M, his should be one of the better value contracts on the team.
- Rene Bourque for a second round pick. Thumbs up.
Even before the deletions of Tanguay and Huselius the Flames were thin on the wings. Bourque is a low-cost acquisition who is a proven NHL player. He fills out the organizational depth, has room to improve and is fairly inexpensive (1.3M).
- Tim Ramholt for Kyle Greentree. Thumbs up.
I'd already given up on Ramholt as a prospect, so I see this a potential "something for nothing" deal. After watching him in two straight preseasons and looking at his AHL numbers, it was pretty clear that the Swiss Miss had stalled in his development and had been passed by a couple of younger guys in the Flames system.
On the other hand, Greentree is a big, scoring winger who managed 24 goals in his first professional season last year in the AHL. His play even warranted a couple of games in the big league with the Flyers. He'll be a welcome addition to the organizations prospect cupboard in general.
- UFA signing - Curtis Glencross. Thumbs up.
GlenX. Glengarry Glencross. Flames killer. Whatever you want to call him, Glencross is a clear upgrade over many of the guys the Flames had skating in the bottom 6 last year, even if you take his nice little run in Edmonton as a bit of a fluke. He's as fast as Lombardi, aggressive and has the potential to actually score every so often. Best part is, he's cheaper than Primeau.
- UFA signing - Daymond Langkow. Thumbs up.
Langkow has been the model of consistency since becoming a Flame (and for most of his career). Whether for 4.5M per or 5M per, he should provide value for his contract, at least through years one and two. The length of the deal may prove problematic, but that remains to be seen.
- UFA signing - Todd Bertuzzi. Thumbs down.
Even as a hockey move, the Bert signing is a questionable one. He's injury-prone, on the decline and his rates/reviews from last season are hardly positive. There were and are currently better options on the open market (eg: Gelinas, Willaims).
The price and term are good, meaning relatively low risk. If Bert excels then I'll change my mind.
Other: Giordano re-signing (thumbs up), Van Der Gulik resigning (thumbs up), Prust re-signing (thumbs down - only because it's a one-way deal), McElhinney re-signing (thumbs up), Nystrom re-signing (ambivalent).
Did I miss any? Agree/disagree?
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
Stevenson signs in Atlanta
Some exceedingly minor Flames news here. What the hell -- it's the off-season, right?
Grant Stevenson has apparently signed with the Atlanta Thrashers. The 27 year-old forward was the QC Flames top scorer last year, managing 30 goals and 73 points in 80 games. He was 10th overall in terms of AHL scoring and one of the top PP producers in the league. His are pretty decent results considering Calgary's farm team was pretty bad last year, particularly in the offense department. With better line mates, Stevenson is a probably a top 5 AHL player in 07/08.
I didn't get to see too much of Stevenson live last year. When I did watch him (preseason) I liked what I saw and I thought he was one of the best "fringe" players on the ice (him and Dustin Boyd stuck out to me). I think he would have been a more worthwhile gamble for the parent club over and above guys like Godard and Smith - but that's just me.
Here's hoping he gets a chance with Atlanta (and he probably will, considering their roster). I dont think he'll ever be an impact NHL player, but he strikes me as a useful 4th line/2nd unit PP guy or injury fill-in.
Grant Stevenson has apparently signed with the Atlanta Thrashers. The 27 year-old forward was the QC Flames top scorer last year, managing 30 goals and 73 points in 80 games. He was 10th overall in terms of AHL scoring and one of the top PP producers in the league. His are pretty decent results considering Calgary's farm team was pretty bad last year, particularly in the offense department. With better line mates, Stevenson is a probably a top 5 AHL player in 07/08.
I didn't get to see too much of Stevenson live last year. When I did watch him (preseason) I liked what I saw and I thought he was one of the best "fringe" players on the ice (him and Dustin Boyd stuck out to me). I think he would have been a more worthwhile gamble for the parent club over and above guys like Godard and Smith - but that's just me.
Here's hoping he gets a chance with Atlanta (and he probably will, considering their roster). I dont think he'll ever be an impact NHL player, but he strikes me as a useful 4th line/2nd unit PP guy or injury fill-in.
Monday, July 07, 2008
Flames Sign Dispicable F'ing (*&$(*&$(*&!
Sigh.
Let's get this out of the way.
I hate Todd Bertuzzi. I didn't like him prior to the Moore incident and I had no use for him as a human being afterwards. His conduct since, including implicating the Canucks management in the Moore civil case, has only deepened my contempt for the man. He's a violent criminal whose cowardly, injurious act destroyed another man's NHL career and altered his life forever. He also strikes me as a dour, surly, taciturn bully and a potential dressing room cancer.
I've been a Flames fan since I can remember. I watched them lose in the finals in '86 and then win the Cup in Montreal three years later. I stuck by them during the terrible Young Guns years and I turned the other cheek when Marchment was brought on board. I'm probably a Flames fan for life now; my support is forever tied to this Franchise. But I won't raise my arms or my voice for Todd Bertuzzi. I can accept that he's "paid his debt" (insofar as he served his disgustingly light sentence) and I won't begrudge him the remainder of his hockey career - but I don't have to like the guy and I refuse to apologize for him now that he's a Flame. I'll cheer for the goals he scores next year only grudgingly and only because he's wearing Flames colors. Any potential success enjoyed by the team will be tainted - distasteful however sweet.
These are the last words I'll have on this issue. I'll reserve my analysis on Bertuzzi from here on in to strictly pragmatic (ie; his usefulness as a hockey player) terms.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
*as if spoken through gritted teeth*
Bertuzzi probably improves the Calgary Flames, albeit marginally and only because the top 6 forward depth was so painfully thin. I can't speak to what effect the ogre will have on the dressing room, but he can still sort of play...in a lazy, morose and occasionally injured fashion. But he still has soft hands and is tough to move off the puck.
Last season, Bertuzzi scored 14 goals and 40 points for the Ducks in 68 games. He enjoyed the best possible linemates (Getzlaf and Perry?) according to behindthenet and saw some pillowy soft competition (-0.06). His ES advanced stats appear fairly pedestrian given his favorable surroundings, however: 1.98 ESP/60, +0.6 CORSI, 2.98 GF/60 and +9 (Getzlaf was +29 by comparison). Im sure Earl will chime in here (already has in the post below I see) to fill in the gaps with some qualitative takes on his performance for the Ducks. Personally, Bertuzzi has seemed tentative and uninvolved to me since his downfall a few years ago; I don't know if this has to do with his on-going injury concerns or his mental baggage, but, echoing the man himself - "it is what it is".
Perhaps more disconcerting are Bertuzzi's PP numbers from last year. His PP/60 of 2.55 was lower than Doug Weight and MA Bergeron and lower than Iginla's ESP/60 rate of 2.85 (!). That's a really minuscule efficacy rate for a supposed top 6 forward. The kicker is, the team scored 6.80 goals/60 while he was on the ice with the man advantage - so either Bertuzzi was contributing and was unlucky enough that his contributions never ended up on the score sheet, or he happened to share the ice with guys that were actually getting results.
Anyways, Bertuzzi will likely have a similar role in Calgary as he did with Anaheim last year, although with lesser linemates. Example -
Cammalleri-Langkow-Lombardi
Boyd?-Lombardi-Bertuzzi
I would expect the 2nd line to be heavily sheltered in this configuration, with Iginla's trio taking on all comers, another "checking" unit seeing tough competition as frequently as possible with Lombardi's line left to pierce the soft underbelly. One of my concerns looking at that combination now is whether Bertuzzi will be able to keep up with water-bugs like Boyd and Lombo - especially given that one of the primary accusations leveled at the latter player is his trouble "playing with" line-mates due to speed differences. I guess we'll see how it plays out.
Bottom-line:
The good - Bertuzzi is a proven top 6 forward who firms up this squads depth chart where it's desperately needed.
The bad - I'll leave it to Robert Cleave, who said it best in the comments below:
Slow, takes a lot of minor penalties, on the decline. Sure he didn't play defence for the Flames last year?
Seriously, I'm not sure even a league minimum 1 year deal is worth the hassle. He's not exactly known to be a great teammate, and this would put the lie to Sutter's claims of more youth and speed up front. Does Sutter think being in Calgary will get any more out of Bertuzzi than being in Detroit or Anaheim did? Those were two pretty stable environments, and he didn't do much. He had good linemates in both places, and a management group in Anaheim that were in his corner. Leave him to the Atlantas of the league.
The best news is he's only signed for a single year and the dollar figure isn't prohibitive (1.95M).
Here's hoping Keenan can squeeze some use out of the big lug.
UPDATE - I'll add the blogosphere reactions as they come in.
Mirtle.
Puck Daddy Wyshnyski.
Nick doesn't like it either.
Jes Golbez.
Jibblescribbits looks forward to hating the Flames.
Duhatschek frowns disapprovingly:
It was six years ago, in the 2001-02 season, that Bertuzzi chased Iginla and his former Canucks' teammate Marcus Naslund for the NHL scoring title. Iginla finished first with 96 points, Bertuzzi third with 85. Bertuzzi is slow by today's NHL standards, but Iginla's normal centre, Daymond Langkow, isn't exactly fleet of foot either. Once again, the operating philosophy in Calgary seems to be out of step with the rest of the league. As everyone else moves to young and fleet, Calgary continues to load up on experienced and physical. That's the polite way of putting it. It'll be up to Bertuzzi to prove he is more than just old, slow and cranky.
Here's a story from the Flames site on the Bertuzzi signing, with comments from Iginla and Bert himself:
"Jarome is 100 per cent why I am a Calgary Flame. It was exciting talking to him" said Bertuzzi, who signed a one-year deal as a free agent with the Flames on Monday. "We respected each other when we played against each other. I have always respected how Jarome has played and been in that market. He probably could have gone somewhere else be he has always stayed. I'm looking forward to being his teammate.
...
Iginla, who played on Canada's Olympic team with Bertuzzi, said Bertuzzi is a tough competitor and that he is looking forward to playing with him. "I'm excited he is going to join our club. I look forward to playing with him and doing some good things. I know when I played iwth him in the past there was a lot of chemistry. I know there are a lot of guys on our team that are excited."
Sunday, July 06, 2008
Bertuzzi?
I shouldn't be posting anything before it's more certain, but there's some major smoke signals indicating Bertuzzi is coming to the Flames.
My analysis will be forthcoming should this prove accurate.
For now -- *puke*!
EDIT - Confirmed by TSN. My invective filled tirade is forthcoming.
My analysis will be forthcoming should this prove accurate.
For now -- *puke*!
EDIT - Confirmed by TSN. My invective filled tirade is forthcoming.
From bargain shopping to selling lemons
I've already stated elsewhere that I think Sutter has two primary objectives remaining this off-season: addressing the forward depth issue and ridding the team of bad contracts. The post below takes aim at the first issue. This one is concerned with the second.
By my count, Calgary currently has 5 contracts in the organization that are good bets to be poor value deals next year. They are, in order from worst to least-worst:
Rhett Warrener (2.35M)
Anders Eriksson (1.5M)
Wayne Primeau (1.4M)
Marcus Nilson (1M)
Adrian Aucoin (4M)
Total - 10.25M
Four of the five could be replaced internally right now without too much fuss. Only Adrian Aucoin's departure might require some sort of addition to the roster to cover his contributions (Paul Mara or Marek Malik for instance). This is because Aucoin is the only real *regular* roster player of the bunch.
As everyone is no doubt aware, Warrener, Eriksson and Nilson have already passed through waivers with nary a bite. The buy-out deadline has come and gone, meaning the only way to get rid of their dollars is to either send them to the minors once the season rolls around - an expensive and therefore not ideal solution - or find them a new home somewhere else. It seems a daunting task, although this is a league where Jeff Finger landed a 3.5M/year long-term contract, so anything is possible.
In terms of trade value, one need only invert the list above, although one can never know how these players are perceived elsewhere. Maybe Lindy Ruff wants Warrener back? Perhaps there's someone who thinks Anders Erik...no, I can't even finish that one.
Two things may work in Sutters favor as he peddles his unwanted-s around the NHL:
Firstly, the relatively high cap floor. Right now, there are 5 teams below the minimum total salary of 40M - NYI, PHX, CLB, ATL and LAK - and many of them are in desperate need of both forward and defensive depth (just take a gander at the Islanders "team"). If clubs like LA and ATL continue to strike-out out in the UFA game, they'll be needing a few "salaried player for nothing" deals. Which works perfectly for the Flames.
Secondly, there are organizations like OTT that have failed to address specific needs with the free-agent market gradually draining down to the dregs. The Sens lost Commodore and Redden to free agency and have yet to replace either of them, for example.
With these things in mind, here's my list of clubs that will be looking to take a dump with the Flames...so to speak.
Los Angeles Kings -
LA currently has just 27.756M committed to next season. They have a handful of RFA's yet to sign (Stoll, Moulson, O'Sullivan, Richardson, Harrold) so let's bump them to 35M, assuming they get all the kids under contract. That means the Kings will likely have to add a minimum of $5M to the roster by October.
With Blake deciding to retire a Shark, LA is tragically thin on the back-end. As Rudy Kelly from Battle of California notes:
The Kings are really, really boned. According to Rich Hammond, the Kings had 3 targets this off-season and were expected to acquire 2 of them. Those men were Rob Blake, Brad Stuart, and Brooks Orpik. Because of this, Lubo became expendable and we traded him. (Whoops!) Blake boned us, Brad Stuart signed with the Red Wings (who are just going to fuck everyone next year), and Orpik signed a really long deal to stay with the Penguins. So, basically, the Kings are boned on defense. Here's what we have right now, not assuming prospects:
( )-Johnson
Greene-( )
Preissing-Gauthier/Harrold
LA has impressive kids in the fold, including Hickey, Teubert and Drew Doughty though none of them can be expected to step in and be difference makers next year (I believe they're all still teenagers in fact). Also, take note that newly acquired Denis Gauthier is listed - somewhat erroneously - as an NHL defenseman. The ex-Flame was buried by Philly in the minors and has only seen 60 NHL games in the last 3 seasons. At 32, it's probably generous to list him in the top 6.
Candidates to go to LA? Pretty much every Flame listed, although one would think Adrian Aucoin would be particularly attractive to a team whose only PP capable blueliner is Tom Preissing. Hell, even Warrener and Eriksson might start looking good to Lombardi if he still hasn't picked anyone else up by last call.
Atlanta Thrashers -
The Thrash have about 31M committed so far. They also have a terrible GM, dreadful depth and aren't exactly a desired destination for most UFAs. Behind the newly inked Ron Hainsey, Atlanta has the likes of Niclas Havelid, Garnet Exelby, Ken Klee and Tobias Enstrom on the back-end. Like LA, Eriksson and Aucoin would probably be a welcome addition to that blueline, although I doubt Adrian would waive that troublesome NTC to join the woeful Thrashers.
Marcus Nilson and, yes, Wayne Primeau might also be useful to ATL, with their forward lines boasting guys like Jim Slater, Brad Larsen, Bryan Little and Chris Thorburn. The Thrashers have 10 "NHL" quality skaters under contract, plus Jordan Lavallee and Colin Stuart (?) knocking on the door. If Waddell fails to plumb the depths of the UFA pool he'll be in desperate need of any kind of NHL-capable skater he can get his hands on.
New York Islanders -
Are almost exactly like the Thrashers in their dearth of NHL quality players, although they are actually right at the salary cap floor (39.6M). They do, in fact, have 6 defensemen already signed, although the list looks more like an AHL depth chart after Mark Streit (Sutton, Witt, Martinek, Campoli, Meyer).
The forwards ranks are even more laughable: with the departure of Fedotenko, Jon Sim looks to be their top-line LWer as of today. New York only has 9 forwards signed so far, with first-rounder Kyle Okposo poised to make the squad out of camp and RFA Sean Bergenheim needing to be re-inked. I think Marcus Nilson, who can still be an effective bottom-6 presence, would be a welcome addition to this roster.
Ottawa Senators -
The Sens would really only need one of the Flames anchors: Adrian Aucoin. They have just 3 NHL caliber defensemen signed (Volchenkov, Phillips, Schubert) with RFA Andrej Meszaros looking to score a big contract. They lost their primary PP option to free agency (Redden) and failed to attract the better UFA options. In time, Aucoin's 10 goals and 20 PP points may start to look mighty tempting to Bryan Murray, especially since the Flames won't be asking for much in return.
Did I miss anyone?
By my count, Calgary currently has 5 contracts in the organization that are good bets to be poor value deals next year. They are, in order from worst to least-worst:
Rhett Warrener (2.35M)
Anders Eriksson (1.5M)
Wayne Primeau (1.4M)
Marcus Nilson (1M)
Adrian Aucoin (4M)
Total - 10.25M
Four of the five could be replaced internally right now without too much fuss. Only Adrian Aucoin's departure might require some sort of addition to the roster to cover his contributions (Paul Mara or Marek Malik for instance). This is because Aucoin is the only real *regular* roster player of the bunch.
As everyone is no doubt aware, Warrener, Eriksson and Nilson have already passed through waivers with nary a bite. The buy-out deadline has come and gone, meaning the only way to get rid of their dollars is to either send them to the minors once the season rolls around - an expensive and therefore not ideal solution - or find them a new home somewhere else. It seems a daunting task, although this is a league where Jeff Finger landed a 3.5M/year long-term contract, so anything is possible.
In terms of trade value, one need only invert the list above, although one can never know how these players are perceived elsewhere. Maybe Lindy Ruff wants Warrener back? Perhaps there's someone who thinks Anders Erik...no, I can't even finish that one.
Two things may work in Sutters favor as he peddles his unwanted-s around the NHL:
Firstly, the relatively high cap floor. Right now, there are 5 teams below the minimum total salary of 40M - NYI, PHX, CLB, ATL and LAK - and many of them are in desperate need of both forward and defensive depth (just take a gander at the Islanders "team"). If clubs like LA and ATL continue to strike-out out in the UFA game, they'll be needing a few "salaried player for nothing" deals. Which works perfectly for the Flames.
Secondly, there are organizations like OTT that have failed to address specific needs with the free-agent market gradually draining down to the dregs. The Sens lost Commodore and Redden to free agency and have yet to replace either of them, for example.
With these things in mind, here's my list of clubs that will be looking to take a dump with the Flames...so to speak.
Los Angeles Kings -
LA currently has just 27.756M committed to next season. They have a handful of RFA's yet to sign (Stoll, Moulson, O'Sullivan, Richardson, Harrold) so let's bump them to 35M, assuming they get all the kids under contract. That means the Kings will likely have to add a minimum of $5M to the roster by October.
With Blake deciding to retire a Shark, LA is tragically thin on the back-end. As Rudy Kelly from Battle of California notes:
The Kings are really, really boned. According to Rich Hammond, the Kings had 3 targets this off-season and were expected to acquire 2 of them. Those men were Rob Blake, Brad Stuart, and Brooks Orpik. Because of this, Lubo became expendable and we traded him. (Whoops!) Blake boned us, Brad Stuart signed with the Red Wings (who are just going to fuck everyone next year), and Orpik signed a really long deal to stay with the Penguins. So, basically, the Kings are boned on defense. Here's what we have right now, not assuming prospects:
( )-Johnson
Greene-( )
Preissing-Gauthier/Harrold
LA has impressive kids in the fold, including Hickey, Teubert and Drew Doughty though none of them can be expected to step in and be difference makers next year (I believe they're all still teenagers in fact). Also, take note that newly acquired Denis Gauthier is listed - somewhat erroneously - as an NHL defenseman. The ex-Flame was buried by Philly in the minors and has only seen 60 NHL games in the last 3 seasons. At 32, it's probably generous to list him in the top 6.
Candidates to go to LA? Pretty much every Flame listed, although one would think Adrian Aucoin would be particularly attractive to a team whose only PP capable blueliner is Tom Preissing. Hell, even Warrener and Eriksson might start looking good to Lombardi if he still hasn't picked anyone else up by last call.
Atlanta Thrashers -
The Thrash have about 31M committed so far. They also have a terrible GM, dreadful depth and aren't exactly a desired destination for most UFAs. Behind the newly inked Ron Hainsey, Atlanta has the likes of Niclas Havelid, Garnet Exelby, Ken Klee and Tobias Enstrom on the back-end. Like LA, Eriksson and Aucoin would probably be a welcome addition to that blueline, although I doubt Adrian would waive that troublesome NTC to join the woeful Thrashers.
Marcus Nilson and, yes, Wayne Primeau might also be useful to ATL, with their forward lines boasting guys like Jim Slater, Brad Larsen, Bryan Little and Chris Thorburn. The Thrashers have 10 "NHL" quality skaters under contract, plus Jordan Lavallee and Colin Stuart (?) knocking on the door. If Waddell fails to plumb the depths of the UFA pool he'll be in desperate need of any kind of NHL-capable skater he can get his hands on.
New York Islanders -
Are almost exactly like the Thrashers in their dearth of NHL quality players, although they are actually right at the salary cap floor (39.6M). They do, in fact, have 6 defensemen already signed, although the list looks more like an AHL depth chart after Mark Streit (Sutton, Witt, Martinek, Campoli, Meyer).
The forwards ranks are even more laughable: with the departure of Fedotenko, Jon Sim looks to be their top-line LWer as of today. New York only has 9 forwards signed so far, with first-rounder Kyle Okposo poised to make the squad out of camp and RFA Sean Bergenheim needing to be re-inked. I think Marcus Nilson, who can still be an effective bottom-6 presence, would be a welcome addition to this roster.
Ottawa Senators -
The Sens would really only need one of the Flames anchors: Adrian Aucoin. They have just 3 NHL caliber defensemen signed (Volchenkov, Phillips, Schubert) with RFA Andrej Meszaros looking to score a big contract. They lost their primary PP option to free agency (Redden) and failed to attract the better UFA options. In time, Aucoin's 10 goals and 20 PP points may start to look mighty tempting to Bryan Murray, especially since the Flames won't be asking for much in return.
Did I miss anyone?
Friday, July 04, 2008
Bourque Signed
Calgary announced the signing of new Flame Rene Bourque today. Of course "no financial terms were disclosed" so Im not sure how much or for how long. Rumor was his qualifying offer was in the 1M for one year mark, but I'd be surprised if Sutter didn't go for a two or three year deal.
As Cruickshank/Lefebvre note, this eliminates the possibility of another buy-out window, meaning Warrener, Eriksson and Nilson will have to go away through other means (trade, demotion).
UPDATE - Inside the Flames is now including a 1.3M/year number in the above link. Apparently, the NHLPA is listing him at the same dollar figure, so it's likely legit.
**Nominally related: Although tsn was reporting the Daymond Langkow deal at 4.5m/year, the NHLPA has next season's compensation @ 5M. Either TSN was off or the Langkow's deal is front-loaded a la Kipper and the cap hit is assuaged by lower salaries in later years. Naturally, I hope it's the latter scenario.
As Cruickshank/Lefebvre note, this eliminates the possibility of another buy-out window, meaning Warrener, Eriksson and Nilson will have to go away through other means (trade, demotion).
UPDATE - Inside the Flames is now including a 1.3M/year number in the above link. Apparently, the NHLPA is listing him at the same dollar figure, so it's likely legit.
**Nominally related: Although tsn was reporting the Daymond Langkow deal at 4.5m/year, the NHLPA has next season's compensation @ 5M. Either TSN was off or the Langkow's deal is front-loaded a la Kipper and the cap hit is assuaged by lower salaries in later years. Naturally, I hope it's the latter scenario.
Cracks in the dam
I posited yesterday that the Flames have 2 glaring holes in the roster, at least one of which will need to be filled if the team is expected to be reasonably competitive next season. Let's take a closer look to see which is the more pressing concern
Deficiency the first:
Cammalleri-Langkow-Iginla
________ -Lombardi-_________ (Boyd? Bourque? Moss?)
Bourque-Conroy-Moss
Glencross-Primeau-Prust/Nystrom
Deficiency the second:
Regehr-Sarich
Phaneuf-_______
Giordano-Aucoin
Vandermeer
Clearly deficiency the first is the bigger concern. None of the potential 2nd liners were top 6 forwards last season. I think Lombardi is poised to make the leap, but he's still not the kind of player that will drive results with the likes of Moss, 22 year-old Dustin Boyd or Bourque as his wingers. I like the idea of reserving one of the top 6 spots for a kid with potential (Boyd?), but I fear the effect of a two-kid experiment (we all know how that went last year), even if Keenan decides to drop Langkow down from Jarome's line to anchor the secondary scoring trio.
On the back-end the lack of another top 4 d-man is probably manageable. All 7 players are NHL caliber defensemen and at least two of them are very, very good players capable of carrying a duo. Hell, Dion dragged Eriksson around all season last year - pretty much any of the alternatives will likely be an improvement.
Another top-6 forward is therefore the priority. Remaining possibilties:
- Demitra
- Nagy
- Havlat (trade)
- Gagne (trade)
- Williams
- Shanahan
- Bertuzzi
- Vasicek
- Federov
- Vyborny
- Morrison
- Selanne
(edited to add Demitra)
Some of these guys are centers, some would have to be traded for, some probably won't be available and some aren't even really top-6 forwards anymore. And some are reprehensible scumbags. It's not a list of ideals but it's what's left to work with.
Thoughts?
Deficiency the first:
Cammalleri-Langkow-Iginla
________ -Lombardi-_________ (Boyd? Bourque? Moss?)
Bourque-Conroy-Moss
Glencross-Primeau-Prust/Nystrom
Deficiency the second:
Regehr-Sarich
Phaneuf-_______
Giordano-Aucoin
Vandermeer
Clearly deficiency the first is the bigger concern. None of the potential 2nd liners were top 6 forwards last season. I think Lombardi is poised to make the leap, but he's still not the kind of player that will drive results with the likes of Moss, 22 year-old Dustin Boyd or Bourque as his wingers. I like the idea of reserving one of the top 6 spots for a kid with potential (Boyd?), but I fear the effect of a two-kid experiment (we all know how that went last year), even if Keenan decides to drop Langkow down from Jarome's line to anchor the secondary scoring trio.
On the back-end the lack of another top 4 d-man is probably manageable. All 7 players are NHL caliber defensemen and at least two of them are very, very good players capable of carrying a duo. Hell, Dion dragged Eriksson around all season last year - pretty much any of the alternatives will likely be an improvement.
Another top-6 forward is therefore the priority. Remaining possibilties:
- Demitra
- Nagy
- Havlat (trade)
- Gagne (trade)
- Williams
- Shanahan
- Bertuzzi
- Vasicek
- Federov
- Vyborny
- Morrison
- Selanne
(edited to add Demitra)
Some of these guys are centers, some would have to be traded for, some probably won't be available and some aren't even really top-6 forwards anymore. And some are reprehensible scumbags. It's not a list of ideals but it's what's left to work with.
Thoughts?
Thursday, July 03, 2008
Taking stock
With activity slowing down and the Flames already making the bulk of their moves, it's time to take stock of what's been done so far.
In: Curtis Glencross (1.2M/year), Rene Bourque (RFA), Mark Giordano (800k?), Jim Vandermeer(1.63M) (2.3M), Mike Cammalleri (3.35M), Brandon Prust (500k), Curtis McElhinney (650k)
Other: Pete Vandermeer, Ryan Wilson (farm filler), Kyle Greentree, David Van Der Gulik (retained), Eric Nystrom (retained), Conroy (discount retained)
Out: Kristian Huselius (1.4M), Owen Nolan (likely) (2M), Stephane Yelle (1M), Alex Tanguay (5.25M), Eric Godard (482k), Curtis Joseph (650k), David Hale (590k), Mark Smith (487k)
Other: Rhett Warrener (2.35M), Anders Eriksson (1.5M), Marcus Nilson (1M) (waivers)
Total In (not counting "other"):8.13M 8.8M + RFA (1.5M estimate) = 10.3M
Total Out (not counting "other"): 11.859M
Current cap room: 2.171M
Notes:
The Vandermeer contract above is bolded because the number in the Herald today contrasts what was reported earlier:
...defenceman/occasional forward Jim Vandermeer, retained at three years and $4.9 million
The new 1.63M is much more in-line with what I think Vandermeer is worth, so Im hoping the correction sticks.
EDIT - Apparently that's an error and the previous number (2.3M) is the correct one. Boo!
The Flames currently have 13 forwards under contract, counting Bourque who will no doubt be signed soon. They also have 8 defensemen, including the likes of Warrener and Eriksson, who are still *technically* part of the team and on the payroll despite being put on waivers last week.
Of the Flames 13 forwards, perhaps 4 of them can be considered top 6 players (Cammalleri, Iginla, Langkow, Lombardi), with maybe one or two others with the "potential" to play there now or in the future (Boyd, Bourque). The rest - from Primeau to Glencross to Conroy to Moss - are better suited to bottom 6 ("checking" or "energy") assignments.
From where we stand now, it looks like Sutter realized it was tough to hide the bottom half of the roster on a nightly basis and decided to firm up that portion of the team. Unfortunately, it's seemingly come at the expense of the upper half of the roster, with the Flames shuffling out 3 top 6 forwards (Nolan, Huselius and Tanguay) and adding only one in their stead (Cammalleri). The current party line from Sutter is "the kids have to step up", meaning Boyd, Lomabrdi and Moss (or Bourque) I suppose. If so, some heavy sheltering is going to have to happen if Keenan wants Lombardi-Boyd-Moss (or a similar configuration) to outscore anyone.
Calgary's defense currently shares the same affliction: lots of players, most of them tailored to a supporting (ie; third pairing) role - Aucoin, Vandermeer, Giordano, Warrener and Eriksson (if they stick around - which would be bad). I don't know where Gio is in terms of his progression, but hoping he'll step into the breach is probably betting on long-odds. The other guys have even less hope of doing so adequately (past their prime or too low a ceiling).
That said, I've mostly liked what Sutter's done so far. I have three primary of hopes going forward:
1.) Warrener, Eriksson and Nilson go away somehow. Sutter has said the players wont be bought out and has hinted that they may still be given a shot to "make the team". But he's also suggested they can't all be here come October:
"We're not buying players out," said Sutter, who had raised that very possibility last week. "They sign (contracts), they honour them, it's simple."
Still, it stands to reason the blue-line ranks will be thinned before opening night. "Robyn (Regehr) and Cory (Sarich) and Dion (Phaneuf) and Jimmy and Gio, they're all still young guys and they're all going to improve," said Sutter. "Then you have the three veterans (Eriksson, Warrener and Adrian Aucoin), those three are going to fight for spots to play on our team. And they're not all going to be here, that's obvious."
Let's face it: Only Aucoin has any chance to "play on the team". He's also the only one who would have any value to other clubs in a trade. The only way I can see dumping the likes of Warrener, Eriksson and maybe even Nilson is by giving them up to a club the needs salary to reach the cap floor (LAK, for example).
2.) One of the remaining anchors is dealt. If you look at the Flames salary commitments, 2 players stand out like sore thumbs: Wayne Primeau @ 1.4M (Calgary's 5th highest paid forward) and Adrian Aucoin @ 4M (tied with Regehr for 2nd highest paid defenseman). Assuming Warrener and co. go away, Aucoin and Primeau are the last two bad value deals the Flames have on the books. I'd like to see at least one of them take a walk before the season begins.
3.) One of the big holes is plugged. Be it a top 6 winger or a top 4 defensemen, Sutter should be looking to solidify the top of the rotation in some manner before the season begins. I like the additions so far, and some of the (potential) purges, but the team is going to struggle to compete if it goes into the year with glaring holes in both the front and back-ends.
That's it so far. I didn't get into the cap-space concerns (2.171 remaining with Bourque yet to be signed) because that area is pretty fuzzy. If items 1 and or 2 above come true, the Flames probably dont have any concerns in that area.
Still lots of time and potential moves left. Im worried about the team's competitiveness as the roster stands currently but am liking the general direction of the management thus far.
In: Curtis Glencross (1.2M/year), Rene Bourque (RFA), Mark Giordano (800k?), Jim Vandermeer
Other: Pete Vandermeer, Ryan Wilson (farm filler), Kyle Greentree, David Van Der Gulik (retained), Eric Nystrom (retained), Conroy (discount retained)
Out: Kristian Huselius (1.4M), Owen Nolan (likely) (2M), Stephane Yelle (1M), Alex Tanguay (5.25M), Eric Godard (482k), Curtis Joseph (650k), David Hale (590k), Mark Smith (487k)
Other: Rhett Warrener (2.35M), Anders Eriksson (1.5M), Marcus Nilson (1M) (waivers)
Total In (not counting "other"):
Total Out (not counting "other"): 11.859M
Current cap room: 2.171M
Notes:
The Vandermeer contract above is bolded because the number in the Herald today contrasts what was reported earlier:
...defenceman/occasional forward Jim Vandermeer, retained at three years and $4.9 million
EDIT - Apparently that's an error and the previous number (2.3M) is the correct one. Boo!
The Flames currently have 13 forwards under contract, counting Bourque who will no doubt be signed soon. They also have 8 defensemen, including the likes of Warrener and Eriksson, who are still *technically* part of the team and on the payroll despite being put on waivers last week.
Of the Flames 13 forwards, perhaps 4 of them can be considered top 6 players (Cammalleri, Iginla, Langkow, Lombardi), with maybe one or two others with the "potential" to play there now or in the future (Boyd, Bourque). The rest - from Primeau to Glencross to Conroy to Moss - are better suited to bottom 6 ("checking" or "energy") assignments.
From where we stand now, it looks like Sutter realized it was tough to hide the bottom half of the roster on a nightly basis and decided to firm up that portion of the team. Unfortunately, it's seemingly come at the expense of the upper half of the roster, with the Flames shuffling out 3 top 6 forwards (Nolan, Huselius and Tanguay) and adding only one in their stead (Cammalleri). The current party line from Sutter is "the kids have to step up", meaning Boyd, Lomabrdi and Moss (or Bourque) I suppose. If so, some heavy sheltering is going to have to happen if Keenan wants Lombardi-Boyd-Moss (or a similar configuration) to outscore anyone.
Calgary's defense currently shares the same affliction: lots of players, most of them tailored to a supporting (ie; third pairing) role - Aucoin, Vandermeer, Giordano, Warrener and Eriksson (if they stick around - which would be bad). I don't know where Gio is in terms of his progression, but hoping he'll step into the breach is probably betting on long-odds. The other guys have even less hope of doing so adequately (past their prime or too low a ceiling).
That said, I've mostly liked what Sutter's done so far. I have three primary of hopes going forward:
1.) Warrener, Eriksson and Nilson go away somehow. Sutter has said the players wont be bought out and has hinted that they may still be given a shot to "make the team". But he's also suggested they can't all be here come October:
"We're not buying players out," said Sutter, who had raised that very possibility last week. "They sign (contracts), they honour them, it's simple."
Still, it stands to reason the blue-line ranks will be thinned before opening night. "Robyn (Regehr) and Cory (Sarich) and Dion (Phaneuf) and Jimmy and Gio, they're all still young guys and they're all going to improve," said Sutter. "Then you have the three veterans (Eriksson, Warrener and Adrian Aucoin), those three are going to fight for spots to play on our team. And they're not all going to be here, that's obvious."
Let's face it: Only Aucoin has any chance to "play on the team". He's also the only one who would have any value to other clubs in a trade. The only way I can see dumping the likes of Warrener, Eriksson and maybe even Nilson is by giving them up to a club the needs salary to reach the cap floor (LAK, for example).
2.) One of the remaining anchors is dealt. If you look at the Flames salary commitments, 2 players stand out like sore thumbs: Wayne Primeau @ 1.4M (Calgary's 5th highest paid forward) and Adrian Aucoin @ 4M (tied with Regehr for 2nd highest paid defenseman). Assuming Warrener and co. go away, Aucoin and Primeau are the last two bad value deals the Flames have on the books. I'd like to see at least one of them take a walk before the season begins.
3.) One of the big holes is plugged. Be it a top 6 winger or a top 4 defensemen, Sutter should be looking to solidify the top of the rotation in some manner before the season begins. I like the additions so far, and some of the (potential) purges, but the team is going to struggle to compete if it goes into the year with glaring holes in both the front and back-ends.
That's it so far. I didn't get into the cap-space concerns (2.171 remaining with Bourque yet to be signed) because that area is pretty fuzzy. If items 1 and or 2 above come true, the Flames probably dont have any concerns in that area.
Still lots of time and potential moves left. Im worried about the team's competitiveness as the roster stands currently but am liking the general direction of the management thus far.
Wednesday, July 02, 2008
Flames after Day One
In many ways the first day of free agency was a rousing success from a Flames perspective. Sutter didn't get sucked into the vortex of stupidity that seems to claim so many GM's during the frenzy, and so managed to avoid giving ridiculous difference maker money to just okay players. What he did do was:
- Trade a 2nd round (conditional) draft pick to CHI for LW Rene Bourque. Bourque is (of course) a native Albertan who managed 10 goals and 24 points in 60 games last year, mainly in a checking/PK type role. He's 6'2" and known for his hard shot and quick stride. According to behindthenet, Bourque faced decent competition last year (0.03) with lackluster linemates (-0.02) and managed to stay in the black (+1). His GA/60 of 2.32 was actually one of the better rates out of all the regular skaters on Chicago as well.
Bourque is obviously in Calgary to firm up the Flames weak left side. I don't know if he can skate in a scoring role (ie; a 2nd liner) but he's a better option for a shut-down line than, say, Eric Nystrom (who is the same age and basically got taken to the cleaners by all comers last season). Depending on what Sutter has to pay to sign Bourque (still an RFA), this looks like a shrewd pick-up.
- I discovered this morning the Flames have apparently snatched up UFA Curtis Glencross. We certainly "saw him good" last year, as both a Blue Jacket and an Oiler. He had a nice little run at the end of the year in Edmonton, but I dont think those rates will hold up over the long run. What the Flames probably have here is a competent 30 point guy that can hold his own in the bottom 6. In addition, now he wont be kicking our asses every time we see him. Depending on the terms (still undisclosed) I like this move as well. Maybe Calgary will actually have a competent bottom end of the rotation next season?
- Speaking of which, Sutter resisted the urge to re-sign Mr.liability Eric Godard, who ended up in Pittsburgh. Sometimes the best moves are the ones you dont make.
- In the Glencross link you probably noticed the pending Vandermeer re-signing. Not sure what to make of that yet, since the Flames back-end position is a little murky. We know Gio is in the fold, just not what he's going to make. Ditto, now, for Vandy. If he's cheap, then great. I would still like to deal Aucoin and use his money to sign a more capable blueliner for that gap in the top 4, but if not, oh well...I like what we have now more than what we started with last year.
- Sign up Prust, the aforementioned Giordano, Van Der Gulik and newby Ryan Wilson. Wilson is an undrafted defender who led all OHL blueliners in scoring as an overager last year (7G 64A 71pts). He was also the Sting's Captain and was apparently considered one of the hardest hitting d-men in the league. He's always put up points (61, 75, 71 last three seasons), so it's a bit of a head-scratcher as to why he was never drafted. I've heard in places his skating is an issue, but...hell seems like a worthwhile gamble to me. Put me down as "in favor".
- In light of some of the deals signed recently (*ahem* Ryder, Redden, Campbell, Malone...), the Langkow contract is looking like an absolute steal (4.5M/year). For all the criticism I rain upon him, I have to admit that Sutter is excellent at signing the Flames established difference makers to good value contracts.
- All that said, the Flames still need a top winger to play on the second line behind Jarome. The good news is, some of my hypotheticals (Fedotenko, Satan, Williams) are still available. Although the roster is starting to look awfully full.
I'll update this post throughout the day as details appear.
UPDATES -
- Prusts deal is a one-way contract! Perhaps Sutter is looking for a pest to replace the pugilist? The numbers associated are: 475k the first year and 525k for year two.
- FAN960 has announced Vandermeer's deal to be 2.3M/year over 3 years. Not a fan, although it's not horrible considering the Jeff Finger contract. Oh well. They can't be all "Langkows" can they? This makes the signing of a Satan-type less likely I'd say.
- The rich get richer...Detroit signs Hossa to a one-year, $7.4M deal. I guess Hossa's looking to pad his stats on the Red Wings and then go for the long-term deal next summer. The chance to win the cup probably didn't hurt either.
- The FAN960 is claiming the Flames have also signed PETE Vandermeer. He's a 33 year-old career minor-leaguer and fighter (457 PIM in 58 games in the ECHL!). AHL fodder, at best.
- Word is, the Glencross deal is around 3 years, 1.1M/year (thanks Robert). That seems pretty reasonable.
- Dallas signs Sean Avery to a 4 year, 4M per contract. Now that the Stars have Avery and Ott, be prepared to HATE this team next year.
- Sutter on the Vandermeer signing, which is popular on the messageboards but is getting less glowing reviews around these parts:
“Jim is a young defenceman who fits in very well with our group and brings us the element of toughness that is important for our team,” said Sutter. “He is clearly a player who plays in our top six. Jim gives us five defencemen still on the up swing and we know we have them for the next 3-5 years.”
Sutter seems to think Vandermeer has some room left to grow, despite the fact he turns 29 this coming February. If true, the deal might seem alright in a year or two. If not, we'll have another buy-out candidate on our hands. Also, note the phrase "gives us 5 defencemen on the upswing." Hmm...who is being excluded here? *cough - Aucoin - cough*
- Sutter on the radio right now (1:20pm) stating the Flames will only offer Nolan a one year deal and feel committed to the younger players. Music to my ears.
- He also mentioned Daniel Ryder is reporting to the Flames development camp in a couple of weeks. Good news, although it remains to be seen if he's actually banished his demons.
- Another surprise - Sutter says Negrin has a chance to play in the NHL this year. I dont see room on this roster for a 19 year-old defender.
- Sutter on the loss of Godard/enforcer: "we can't justify a 3 or 4 minute per night player the way we're set-up right now...we lost to Vancouver several times last year and they didn't have one of those guys." Can I get an Amen! Hallelujah!
- Looking at other blog coverage today. For a laugh check out "Perhaps Fletcher Isn't the Genius We Thought He Was". Also, just about everything that comes out of Art Vandelay is hilarious. Example:
Does thinking Andrew Raycroft is an NHL goalie not automatically disqualify someone from holding a GM job. Or operating heavy machinery?
Monday, June 30, 2008
Charting the UFA Insanity
I'll keep this post going through the bonanza tomorrow and maybe the rest of the off-season, depending on where the most interesting deals land. Previously, one had to wait until the actual day of the feeding frenzy to begin the analysis, but the festivities started early this year:
Day Two (July 1) (I've moved today's analysis to the top of the post) -
- WSH Mike Green signs for 5.25M for 5 years. That's a lot of cash for a kid that's only done it once and can't play defense yet. Time will tell if this is misstep or not.
- TSN also has the Langkow deal on their UFA tracker - apparently he's up to 4.5M/year over 4 years. That's a pretty good value contract, assuming Langkow can sustain his level of play. I like.
- Corey Perry, another RFA, cashes in with a 5.35M/year deal. Man Anaheim's going to be tight to the cap this season.
- Word is Edmonton has dealt Raffi Torres for Gilbert Brule. Im not a big Torres fan, but I'd say he's currently the superior player. Brule had some big expectations coming out of Junior, but he might have been totally ruined by the BJ's rushing along his development. He's been a fringe player - at best - since he made the leap. Oilers win this one if Brule somehow finds his footing in the Stinktown. If not, clear loss. For now, it looks to me like the Oilers get smaller and worse at ES (moreso).
- Good news everyone! Don't expect Eric Godard back in Flames colors next year. Now we just have to hope Sutter stays away from other slow-moving pugilists.
- Out of nowhere, Sutter acquires 26 year-old RFA Rene Bourque for a conditional draft pic. Like Greentree, Bourque is a LWer. Unlike Greentree, he's already an established NHLer. I dont know too much about him, but his stats suggest a 3rd line-type. Nystrom just got bumped down the depth chart I'd say.
I'm in favor of this move.
- The Alberta teams are wheeling and dealing today. Kevin Lowe trades Pitkanen to the Hurricanes for Eric Cole. Huge win for the Oil here. Pitkanen was showing signs of looking for a big pay-day as an RFA and his skills are probably already replicated on the Oilers roster now anyways. In return, they get an excellent player who can produce at ES. Cole's only problem is his penchant for getting hurt. Still, a big win for comb-over here.
- Word is TBL have somehow signed Radim Vrbata as well (3 years, 3M/year is the rumor). If you had a career season as a forward last year, T-bay wants you!! The question is, who the hell is going to play defense for this club next year??
- The NHL Network is reporting the Wild have (re-)signed Andrew Brunette (sorry Kyle) and traded for the Preds Marek Zidlicky. decent moves, depending on the costs. Zidlicky is a guy I've had my eyes on for awhile, so Im disappointed Minnesota got a hold of him.
- A couple hours in and all the big fish are still swimming. Mirtle is hearing whispers (via TSN) that Sundin is being offered 10M/year (!!). Sundins a great player, but that's ridiculous.
- The Pens have re-signed Mark Eaton for 2 years, 1M/year. Dirt cheap. There goes one of the guys from my bargain bin.
- Im hearing Kolzig is headed to - who else - Tampa Bay. Hey guys, maybe you didn't get the memo, but...Kolzig isn't very good. And he's 38. Might as well stick with Ramo and Smith.
- What Im actually waiting for today is the Giordano contract announcement. It's been a "done deal" in spirit for awhile now. Time to make it official.
- Looks like Jose Theodore has landed in Washington. Good bet Huet ends up in Colorado then.
- PHX plugs the Ballard hole by nabbing Kurt Sauer. Sauer was amongst the top 3 defenders on COL in terms of QUALCOMP last year and had the best ES +/- of any blueliner (+15). Seems like a good move.
- Here's an interesting question...which potential reprehensible signing would you dislike least, Flames fans:
1.) Darcy Tucker
2.) Todd Bertuzzi (Keenan favorite lets not forget -- puke!)
3.) Todd Fedoruk
4.) Sean Avery
- TSN says the Avs have signed FAILcroft. What in holy hell are they thinking? He's proven to be a hopeless starter and probably couldn't offer anything more than Budaj in the back-up role. Baffling.
- Speak of the Devil, PHX picks up Todd Fedoruk. One of my feared hypotheticals finds a home. Phew.
- More stuff coming down now. Huet signs in CHI of all places, leaving the Avs with the woeful duo of Raycroft and Budaj. Maybe they can broker a deal for the now displaced Bulin Wall. Stillman lands in FLA while PIT scoops up Godard.
- Toronto pays 3M+/year for Jeff Finger...a defender whose first full season came at age 29. And I thought they were getting wise out there.
- TSN reports that the Canucks have submitted an offer sheet to........David Backes!? WTF?
- Another sigh of relief: Darcy Tucker lands in Colorado for 2 years, 4.5M. That's two bullets dodged to today. YAY!
- The Lightning add ANOTHER forward by signing Adam Hall. This is getting ridiculous.
- Things seemed to have slowed down a tad. Lots of rumors about Sundin to Vancouver and Hossa to Edmonton (how would they afford that?), but nothing substantive.
- Is Brad Stuart @ 3.75M for Detroit the best deal of the day? Sauer's reasonable deal might be in the running too.
Worst contracts? Finger, for sure. Green, maybe, depending on if he can replicate his successes next year. Raycroft and Kolzig finding work in the NHL is dubious as well.
- A quote from an unnamed GM on TSN just now: "Im going home...this is the most bizarre free agent market I've ever seen."
- Looks like Soupy is going to CHI. Salary estimates hover around 7M/year (over a long term...think 8+ years). Campbell is NOT that good folks. It's a bad deal if true. Double plus bad, in fact.
- TSN stating someone (not the Flames) is offering Nolan 2M+ a year over 2 years (like the Tucker deal) or so. He played alright against tough competition last year, but his offensive rates were very pedestrian...not to mention the risk of "diminishing returns" for a player nearing the big 4-0.
- Rumor is that Tampa Bay might be shopping Mike Smith (??). That would be baffling and absurd.
- Had to take a break and a bunch of stuff went down while I was away. I think I'll leave an added punditry to tomorrow therefore. Parting shot: that Redden contract is awful.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
- The Circus, aka Tampa-Bay Lightning, made separate deals to acquire the bargaining rights to pending UFA's Ryan Malone, Gary Roberts and Brian Rolston last week. Improbably, those moves are already "bearing fruit":
A few thoughts occur to me in light of Tampa Bay's pre-July machinations:
1.) Will other clubs start dealing for pending UFA's in the future? Aside from a few rare instances, trading for negotiating rights a few days before the July first deadline always seemed like a potential something for nothing proposition. If Feaster makes it 3 for 3 will other GM's start to consider it a worthwhile gamble?
2.) Should Rolston sign for a supposed $5M+/year, the Lightning will have about 30M committed to 10 forwards - and just under 15M committed to a blueline featuring Dan Boyle, Paul Ranger and a bunch of shlubs (Kuba, Lukowich, O'Brien, Picard, Lundin). Imbalance much?
3.) To what degree do Koules and Barrie take credit for these moves? It's pretty clear Feaster wasn't the guy who hired Barry Melrose to replace Tortorella. And one would assume Feaster had learned his lesson with big, long-term dollars after the Brad Richards albatross - except now we're looking at the Malone head-scratcher. I think we can guess that the Bolts GM has either had a very hot fire lit under his ass by the new regime, or he's simply been reduced to dancing on the end of strings.
- The Oil moved Jarret Stoll and Matt Green for PP-quarterback Lubomir Visnovsky late yesterday. Technically not really UFA related, but I feel compelled to comment anyways.
Lowe seemed to do well when looking at the guts of this deal: he got a very good player for a couple of not very good players (assuming Stoll doesn't bounce back). On the other hand, Edmonton now has 11M in cap-space invested in Sheldon Souray and Lubo-Viso (The Flames have 10.5M invested in Phaneuf and Regehr by comparison). Both defenders are excellent on the PP and neither are very capable at ES. Last season, Visnovsky faced easier opposition than Jack Johnson and Jon Klemm and still came out on the bad side of the ledger. Also, his new contract stretches to 2012/13 and apparently includes a NTC. That's a lot of dough locked up for a lot of time in two guys that can't take on the bad guy's big guns at even-strength.
Should make for a pretty good PP, I guess. Assuming Souray plays more than 25 games.
- Panthers sign young Rusty Olesz to a 6 year, 18.75M deal (3.125M/year). Management must be high on his potential because he certainly hasn't looked like a $3M player so far. His career high of 30 points in 3 seasons of play and constant injury problems sure make the Lombardi contract (1.817M/year) look pretty damn good. I've been tough on ol' Darryl recently but he certainly deserves credit for that deal.
- Word is coming down from Inside the Flames that Calgary has yet to formally buy-out Warrener (or anyone else for that matter)...with the deadline fast approaching. Not sure what to make of that - are all 3 guys to be buried in Quad Cities this year?
- Mirtle has a good post on the glut of teams that will be looking to spend big bucks this summer. The amount of big spenders (NYC, CLB, VCR, PIT, MIN, CHI, MTL, ATL) and the amounts they have to spend seems to outstrip the amount of worthwhile UFA's in my humble estimation.
Therefore: if Sutter could convince Aucoin to waive his NTC, there would likely be a market for him. An extra 4M would would come in handy: it could be used to re-sign Nolan and Vandermeer or land a Satan type player, for instance. Not to mention the fact that I dont think Aucoin will earn his money this coming season. The best time to get rid of bad value contracts is as soon as possible.
What this also means is it's going to be an effing GONG-SHOW tomorrow, and maybe the rest of the week. Expect someone to sign Wade Redden to some ridiculous contract and expect me to laugh my head off when they do.
- Adding to the Tampa-Bay Cluster-F is Vaclav Prospal, whom I completely forgot about until his announced signing today. No numbers were released, but I doubt he was cheap. That's 3/4 of "negotiating rights deals" locked up by Feaster so far.
Day Two (July 1) (I've moved today's analysis to the top of the post) -
- WSH Mike Green signs for 5.25M for 5 years. That's a lot of cash for a kid that's only done it once and can't play defense yet. Time will tell if this is misstep or not.
- TSN also has the Langkow deal on their UFA tracker - apparently he's up to 4.5M/year over 4 years. That's a pretty good value contract, assuming Langkow can sustain his level of play. I like.
- Corey Perry, another RFA, cashes in with a 5.35M/year deal. Man Anaheim's going to be tight to the cap this season.
- Word is Edmonton has dealt Raffi Torres for Gilbert Brule. Im not a big Torres fan, but I'd say he's currently the superior player. Brule had some big expectations coming out of Junior, but he might have been totally ruined by the BJ's rushing along his development. He's been a fringe player - at best - since he made the leap. Oilers win this one if Brule somehow finds his footing in the Stinktown. If not, clear loss. For now, it looks to me like the Oilers get smaller and worse at ES (moreso).
- Good news everyone! Don't expect Eric Godard back in Flames colors next year. Now we just have to hope Sutter stays away from other slow-moving pugilists.
- Out of nowhere, Sutter acquires 26 year-old RFA Rene Bourque for a conditional draft pic. Like Greentree, Bourque is a LWer. Unlike Greentree, he's already an established NHLer. I dont know too much about him, but his stats suggest a 3rd line-type. Nystrom just got bumped down the depth chart I'd say.
I'm in favor of this move.
- The Alberta teams are wheeling and dealing today. Kevin Lowe trades Pitkanen to the Hurricanes for Eric Cole. Huge win for the Oil here. Pitkanen was showing signs of looking for a big pay-day as an RFA and his skills are probably already replicated on the Oilers roster now anyways. In return, they get an excellent player who can produce at ES. Cole's only problem is his penchant for getting hurt. Still, a big win for comb-over here.
- Word is TBL have somehow signed Radim Vrbata as well (3 years, 3M/year is the rumor). If you had a career season as a forward last year, T-bay wants you!! The question is, who the hell is going to play defense for this club next year??
- The NHL Network is reporting the Wild have (re-)signed Andrew Brunette (sorry Kyle) and traded for the Preds Marek Zidlicky. decent moves, depending on the costs. Zidlicky is a guy I've had my eyes on for awhile, so Im disappointed Minnesota got a hold of him.
- A couple hours in and all the big fish are still swimming. Mirtle is hearing whispers (via TSN) that Sundin is being offered 10M/year (!!). Sundins a great player, but that's ridiculous.
- The Pens have re-signed Mark Eaton for 2 years, 1M/year. Dirt cheap. There goes one of the guys from my bargain bin.
- Im hearing Kolzig is headed to - who else - Tampa Bay. Hey guys, maybe you didn't get the memo, but...Kolzig isn't very good. And he's 38. Might as well stick with Ramo and Smith.
- What Im actually waiting for today is the Giordano contract announcement. It's been a "done deal" in spirit for awhile now. Time to make it official.
- Looks like Jose Theodore has landed in Washington. Good bet Huet ends up in Colorado then.
- PHX plugs the Ballard hole by nabbing Kurt Sauer. Sauer was amongst the top 3 defenders on COL in terms of QUALCOMP last year and had the best ES +/- of any blueliner (+15). Seems like a good move.
- Here's an interesting question...which potential reprehensible signing would you dislike least, Flames fans:
1.) Darcy Tucker
2.) Todd Bertuzzi (Keenan favorite lets not forget -- puke!)
3.) Todd Fedoruk
4.) Sean Avery
- TSN says the Avs have signed FAILcroft. What in holy hell are they thinking? He's proven to be a hopeless starter and probably couldn't offer anything more than Budaj in the back-up role. Baffling.
- Speak of the Devil, PHX picks up Todd Fedoruk. One of my feared hypotheticals finds a home. Phew.
- More stuff coming down now. Huet signs in CHI of all places, leaving the Avs with the woeful duo of Raycroft and Budaj. Maybe they can broker a deal for the now displaced Bulin Wall. Stillman lands in FLA while PIT scoops up Godard.
- Toronto pays 3M+/year for Jeff Finger...a defender whose first full season came at age 29. And I thought they were getting wise out there.
- TSN reports that the Canucks have submitted an offer sheet to........David Backes!? WTF?
- Another sigh of relief: Darcy Tucker lands in Colorado for 2 years, 4.5M. That's two bullets dodged to today. YAY!
- The Lightning add ANOTHER forward by signing Adam Hall. This is getting ridiculous.
- Things seemed to have slowed down a tad. Lots of rumors about Sundin to Vancouver and Hossa to Edmonton (how would they afford that?), but nothing substantive.
- Is Brad Stuart @ 3.75M for Detroit the best deal of the day? Sauer's reasonable deal might be in the running too.
Worst contracts? Finger, for sure. Green, maybe, depending on if he can replicate his successes next year. Raycroft and Kolzig finding work in the NHL is dubious as well.
- A quote from an unnamed GM on TSN just now: "Im going home...this is the most bizarre free agent market I've ever seen."
- Looks like Soupy is going to CHI. Salary estimates hover around 7M/year (over a long term...think 8+ years). Campbell is NOT that good folks. It's a bad deal if true. Double plus bad, in fact.
- TSN stating someone (not the Flames) is offering Nolan 2M+ a year over 2 years (like the Tucker deal) or so. He played alright against tough competition last year, but his offensive rates were very pedestrian...not to mention the risk of "diminishing returns" for a player nearing the big 4-0.
- Rumor is that Tampa Bay might be shopping Mike Smith (??). That would be baffling and absurd.
- Had to take a break and a bunch of stuff went down while I was away. I think I'll leave an added punditry to tomorrow therefore. Parting shot: that Redden contract is awful.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
- The Circus, aka Tampa-Bay Lightning, made separate deals to acquire the bargaining rights to pending UFA's Ryan Malone, Gary Roberts and Brian Rolston last week. Improbably, those moves are already "bearing fruit":
- Feaster inked Malone to a mind-boggling 7 year, 31.5M contract. That's right, the Lightning have given a retirement contract to a 28 year-old player whose peak season of 51 points came on Evgeni Malkin's wing. Malone's stock climbed thanks to his 27 goals and frequent nose-breaking in the post-season, so many figured he'd be demanding something in the 4.5/5M area. Malone, who has averaged about 40 points as an NHL winger, is going to struggle to justify those dollars and that 7 year term is going to look very silly very quickly.
- Tampa Bay has also locked up the Gary Roberts with what is apparently an incentive-laden contract. Roberts is certainly a warrior - but an old warrior. He spent most of the last season injured or playing on the 4th line. He'd probably be more valuable as a coach than a player.
- Forgetting that they actually need defensemen, the Lightning also grabbed the aforementioned Rolston, but have yet to sign him. The ex-Wild forward is one of the more coveted UFA's this summer, despite being 35, and will probably cost more than Malone (in terms of per year dollars) to ink.
A few thoughts occur to me in light of Tampa Bay's pre-July machinations:
1.) Will other clubs start dealing for pending UFA's in the future? Aside from a few rare instances, trading for negotiating rights a few days before the July first deadline always seemed like a potential something for nothing proposition. If Feaster makes it 3 for 3 will other GM's start to consider it a worthwhile gamble?
2.) Should Rolston sign for a supposed $5M+/year, the Lightning will have about 30M committed to 10 forwards - and just under 15M committed to a blueline featuring Dan Boyle, Paul Ranger and a bunch of shlubs (Kuba, Lukowich, O'Brien, Picard, Lundin). Imbalance much?
3.) To what degree do Koules and Barrie take credit for these moves? It's pretty clear Feaster wasn't the guy who hired Barry Melrose to replace Tortorella. And one would assume Feaster had learned his lesson with big, long-term dollars after the Brad Richards albatross - except now we're looking at the Malone head-scratcher. I think we can guess that the Bolts GM has either had a very hot fire lit under his ass by the new regime, or he's simply been reduced to dancing on the end of strings.
- The Oil moved Jarret Stoll and Matt Green for PP-quarterback Lubomir Visnovsky late yesterday. Technically not really UFA related, but I feel compelled to comment anyways.
Lowe seemed to do well when looking at the guts of this deal: he got a very good player for a couple of not very good players (assuming Stoll doesn't bounce back). On the other hand, Edmonton now has 11M in cap-space invested in Sheldon Souray and Lubo-Viso (The Flames have 10.5M invested in Phaneuf and Regehr by comparison). Both defenders are excellent on the PP and neither are very capable at ES. Last season, Visnovsky faced easier opposition than Jack Johnson and Jon Klemm and still came out on the bad side of the ledger. Also, his new contract stretches to 2012/13 and apparently includes a NTC. That's a lot of dough locked up for a lot of time in two guys that can't take on the bad guy's big guns at even-strength.
Should make for a pretty good PP, I guess. Assuming Souray plays more than 25 games.
- Panthers sign young Rusty Olesz to a 6 year, 18.75M deal (3.125M/year). Management must be high on his potential because he certainly hasn't looked like a $3M player so far. His career high of 30 points in 3 seasons of play and constant injury problems sure make the Lombardi contract (1.817M/year) look pretty damn good. I've been tough on ol' Darryl recently but he certainly deserves credit for that deal.
- Word is coming down from Inside the Flames that Calgary has yet to formally buy-out Warrener (or anyone else for that matter)...with the deadline fast approaching. Not sure what to make of that - are all 3 guys to be buried in Quad Cities this year?
- Mirtle has a good post on the glut of teams that will be looking to spend big bucks this summer. The amount of big spenders (NYC, CLB, VCR, PIT, MIN, CHI, MTL, ATL) and the amounts they have to spend seems to outstrip the amount of worthwhile UFA's in my humble estimation.
Therefore: if Sutter could convince Aucoin to waive his NTC, there would likely be a market for him. An extra 4M would would come in handy: it could be used to re-sign Nolan and Vandermeer or land a Satan type player, for instance. Not to mention the fact that I dont think Aucoin will earn his money this coming season. The best time to get rid of bad value contracts is as soon as possible.
What this also means is it's going to be an effing GONG-SHOW tomorrow, and maybe the rest of the week. Expect someone to sign Wade Redden to some ridiculous contract and expect me to laugh my head off when they do.
- Adding to the Tampa-Bay Cluster-F is Vaclav Prospal, whom I completely forgot about until his announced signing today. No numbers were released, but I doubt he was cheap. That's 3/4 of "negotiating rights deals" locked up by Feaster so far.
Flames and Free Agency
Despite some big holes on the roster (2 top 6 forwards, a top 4 defenseman), Im actually hoping the Flames DONT make a splash in the shallow UFA pool this summer. For several reasons:
- With such a thin crop, the chances of getting a difference maker are slim-to-none. Outside of Hossa and Campbell (and even Campbell is stretching it), there aren't a lot of players that are going to have a deep impact on their new team going forward. In addition, the lack of quality will result in high demand/overvaluation/high price-tags for guys that probably won't be worth it in the long-run (see: Ryan Malone).
- The Flames are positioned to jettison some salary next summer (specifically, Adrian Aucoin's 4M) and may be able to take run at a more worthwhile UFA field then. A big contract to an average player this summer would make that less likely.
- While the ultimate goal is to win the Stanley Cup every year, many teams have to settle for more attainable objectives. Chicago and Phoenix, for instance, will probably be shooting for "just make the play-offs" this season.
Similarly, this should be a year of modest goals for the Calgary Flames. Chances are they won't be an elite team in 08/09 and should be looking at a "build/assess/maintain" strategy. Promote some prospects to the team and let some of the younger guys have a shot as difference makers (Boyd/Lombardi in the top 6, Phaneuf paired with Regehr), for example.
As such, Im hoping for one or two under-the-radar signings of cheaper, support-type players. Guys that can help the kids keep their heads above water but who won't be looking for big-dollar, long-term contracts. Targets should include established players who had bad or near career-worst seasons last year. Those kinds of players typically dont sign for big dollars and almost never sign for too long (since they'd like the chance to earn a larger number in the near future).
Some possibilities:
Michael Ryder - depending on how much interest he garners, Ryder coule be useful to the Flames. He's better than he showed last year and should be in-line to bounce-back, especially if he gets some decent PP time. He isn't that good at ES, but can be an asset if used properly.
Jason Williams - Everyone seems to have forgotten about Williams, even though he's just 27 and was on nearly a PPG pace last season before bowing out due to injury. He can play both center and wing and can quaterback a PP. His major weakness is he's fairly injury prone.
Miro Satan - Might become expensive if teams looking for offense get desperate this summer, though he might also slide under the radar. Satan had his worst season in the NHL last year (16-25-41), largely due to his worst ever shooting percentage (9.4) and lackluster teammates. He's one season removed from scoring 27 goals and is a 4 time 30+ goal scorer. Satan is also only 33, although it seems like he's been around forever. He might also be the best forward that no one is talking about.
Ruslan Fedotenko - Another NY Islander coming off a so-so season (hmmm...I see a pttaern here) Fedotenko isn't going to bring that much offense, but is fairly adept at taking on quality competition and keeping his head above water. He's fast and tenacious and may be a good linemate for Matthew Lombardi.
- Mark Eaton - although the Flames may be pretty much set on the blueline, Eaton could be a cheap but capable plug for that top 4 hole (Regehr, Phaneuf, Sarich -- Aucoin, Giordano). He was badly injured last year, but had been taking on tough competition up until that point (and doing pretty well at it - 1.94 GA/60). Eaton is like Hale in that he won't bring any offense to the table. Unlike Hale, though, he will be able to kill penalties and take on more than the other team's 3rd-liners. Assuming he's fully healed, Eaton could be useful and available for chump-change thanks to his blah counting numbers.
All these guys have warts, but such is the nature of bargain-hunting. I think all of them are worth a shot given the right kind of contract, however.
Feel free to suggest your own potential future Flames in the comments.
- With such a thin crop, the chances of getting a difference maker are slim-to-none. Outside of Hossa and Campbell (and even Campbell is stretching it), there aren't a lot of players that are going to have a deep impact on their new team going forward. In addition, the lack of quality will result in high demand/overvaluation/high price-tags for guys that probably won't be worth it in the long-run (see: Ryan Malone).
- The Flames are positioned to jettison some salary next summer (specifically, Adrian Aucoin's 4M) and may be able to take run at a more worthwhile UFA field then. A big contract to an average player this summer would make that less likely.
- While the ultimate goal is to win the Stanley Cup every year, many teams have to settle for more attainable objectives. Chicago and Phoenix, for instance, will probably be shooting for "just make the play-offs" this season.
Similarly, this should be a year of modest goals for the Calgary Flames. Chances are they won't be an elite team in 08/09 and should be looking at a "build/assess/maintain" strategy. Promote some prospects to the team and let some of the younger guys have a shot as difference makers (Boyd/Lombardi in the top 6, Phaneuf paired with Regehr), for example.
As such, Im hoping for one or two under-the-radar signings of cheaper, support-type players. Guys that can help the kids keep their heads above water but who won't be looking for big-dollar, long-term contracts. Targets should include established players who had bad or near career-worst seasons last year. Those kinds of players typically dont sign for big dollars and almost never sign for too long (since they'd like the chance to earn a larger number in the near future).
Some possibilities:
Michael Ryder - depending on how much interest he garners, Ryder coule be useful to the Flames. He's better than he showed last year and should be in-line to bounce-back, especially if he gets some decent PP time. He isn't that good at ES, but can be an asset if used properly.
Jason Williams - Everyone seems to have forgotten about Williams, even though he's just 27 and was on nearly a PPG pace last season before bowing out due to injury. He can play both center and wing and can quaterback a PP. His major weakness is he's fairly injury prone.
Miro Satan - Might become expensive if teams looking for offense get desperate this summer, though he might also slide under the radar. Satan had his worst season in the NHL last year (16-25-41), largely due to his worst ever shooting percentage (9.4) and lackluster teammates. He's one season removed from scoring 27 goals and is a 4 time 30+ goal scorer. Satan is also only 33, although it seems like he's been around forever. He might also be the best forward that no one is talking about.
Ruslan Fedotenko - Another NY Islander coming off a so-so season (hmmm...I see a pttaern here) Fedotenko isn't going to bring that much offense, but is fairly adept at taking on quality competition and keeping his head above water. He's fast and tenacious and may be a good linemate for Matthew Lombardi.
- Mark Eaton - although the Flames may be pretty much set on the blueline, Eaton could be a cheap but capable plug for that top 4 hole (Regehr, Phaneuf, Sarich -- Aucoin, Giordano). He was badly injured last year, but had been taking on tough competition up until that point (and doing pretty well at it - 1.94 GA/60). Eaton is like Hale in that he won't bring any offense to the table. Unlike Hale, though, he will be able to kill penalties and take on more than the other team's 3rd-liners. Assuming he's fully healed, Eaton could be useful and available for chump-change thanks to his blah counting numbers.
All these guys have warts, but such is the nature of bargain-hunting. I think all of them are worth a shot given the right kind of contract, however.
Feel free to suggest your own potential future Flames in the comments.
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