Thomas, Gillis, Ballard, DiPietro, Bobrovsky, Coyotes, Clarkson
THOMAS
-Tim Thomas is probably the most intriguing free agent to hit the market. Thomas is a talented goaltender who is a competitor, but no one really knows how good he'll be with a year off. Will he be as good? Can he still be a starting goalie? I don't know. In eight NHL seasons, Thomas has built up an incredible resume that includes four All-Star appearances, two Vezina trophies, a Stanley Cup and a Conn Smythe Trophy. He's 39 years old, so you have to wonder how much gas is left in the tank.
-Teams interested? The Islanders probably could have used him but they decided to not toll his contract, so that could be a sign that they won't go for him. The Philadelphia Flyers are an obvious fit, but it would also come with a media frenzy that maybe Thomas wants to stay away from. If he wanted to try out a Canadian team, the Calgary Flames need a goalie and they could use a mentor to help Reto Berra and/or Karri Ramo make their North American transition. If Thomas is willing to start the year as a back-up, the Edmonton Oilers are looking for a 1A type of goalie, and the Oilers were the team who signed him in 1998 before Tim transferring back to Finland.
GILLIS
-The criticism that Mike Gillis is getting is epic. Canucks fans, how would you feel if Brian Burke came back to Vancouver and replaced Gillis? Burke and Tortorella would be the best pair for media comedy.
BALLARD
-The curious case of Keith Ballard. I still think Ballard can be a good d-man in this league, but Vancouver was just the wrong team to play for. He was constantly being a healthy scratch, and when he did play, Alain Vigneault never played him more than third pairing minutes at best. Injuries also plagued his time in Vancouver, that started immediately after he was acquired from Florida for Michael Grabner and a 1st round pick (yikes). He played a solid defensive game, but had a one mistake limit before being benched.
-I think it's interesting that Vancouver only waived him instead of unconditionally waiving him. This could mean many things. 1) Maybe Vancouver gives Ballard a normal buyout because they plan on using their amnesty buyouts on David Booth and Roberto Luongo. 2) Maybe Vancouver doesn't mind keeping him and trying him out with a new coach. 3) Maybe Gillis wants to give an impression to teams interested that this is the only chance to grab him. He's got a 4.2M cap hit, so if they do buyout Ballard, it's because they want to save some cap room for RFA Chris Tanev on the blueline, who could command 2M+, while continuing to be active on the free agent market. I'll throw another option at you: Vancouver keeps Ballard and trades Alex Edler, with help from him because of his NTC. Perhaps Edler doesn't like the new coach.
-There will be teams interested in Keith Ballard, maybe not at his current cap hit, but at a cheaper rate. Ballard provides a team with a mean ability to hip check, a guy who can block shots and even fight or score on the odd occasion. Three Canadian teams could use a D-man: Calgary, Edmonton, and Toronto. Another team to consider is the Detroit Red Wings, who need blueline help and are known for turning guys who seem to be in a state of career flux into solid players.
DIPIETRO
-The worst contract in the history of the NHL is going to be bought out by the New York Islanders. It's Yashin 2.0 for Charles Wang. DiPietro's career was really killed by injuries and you have to wonder if he'll ever start an NHL game ever again
BOBROVSKY
-I like this deal a lot for both sides. Bobrovsky gets a nice pay day with a cap hit around 5.6M, but it's still relatively cheap for a Vezina winner. It's a short term deal, so if Bobrovsky is a one year wonder (and the hope is he's not), CBJ doesn't have to worry about a long commitment of paying him. Bobrovsky is back on the case!
-Jarmo Kekalainen is already proving that he's one of the best general managers in the NHL. He made a fantastic trade that involved basically zero future pieces when he acquired Marian Gaborik, he reasonably signs both Artem Anisimov and Sergei Bobrovsky, he still has cap space to play with and his draft yesterday was quite good. I was a huge fan of all three of Alex Wennberg, Kerby Rychel and Marko Dano, and Jarmo also drafted rugged D-man Dillon Heatherington and Portland Winterhawks forward scorer Oliver Bjorkstrand on top of that. Kekalainen has made all of the right moves and together with John Davidson, I really hope this team makes the playoffs and takes full advantage of the move to the Eastern Conference. I am excited to see what moves are still coming.
HABS
-Adding some more intel to what I said about their draft. I had one person tell me that he doesn't believe that Michael McCarron will end up being like Milan Lucic, but more like Bryan Bickell.
-Mark my words: Sven Andrighetto has the skill to be not only a top six forward, but also the best forward on the Montreal Canadiens when he's finished developing. He's that talented. Was clearly the best player for Switzerland at the World Juniors and showed incredible flash in the QMJHL, an absolute point producing machine.
COYOTES
-Glendale's big day is today, and I'll be surprised if they are feeling supportive. The dead horse has been beaten long enough, too much public tax money has been used already, and it's time for this team to move to either Seattle or Quebec City, although I'd prefer Quebec City.
HORTON
-I've been hearing rumors suggesting that Craig MacTavish and the Oilers would have interest in Nathan Horton. This would be a mistake. It would cost way too much to bring him in, and his speed and injury history make it questionable to give him a contract that's over 5M when you have some key RFAs to sign in your future.
RANGERS
Just for future reference:
2013 RFAs: Stepan, Hagelin, Zuccarello, McDonagh
2013 UFAs: Clowe
2014 RFAs: Brassard, Kreider, Del Zotto
2014 UFAs: Lundqvist, Biron, Girardi, Stralman, Callahan, Boyle, Pyatt, Powe, Asham
2015 UFAs: Staal, Dorsett
If Glen Sather wanted to step down, I feel terrible for the GM who would have to clean the mess.
CLARKSON
-Some GM is going to overpay him big time on July 5. He's tough to play against, a hitter/fighter/scorer all in one package, and I can see Toronto being the team who brings the bucks.
ZUBRUS
-A cap hit of 3.1M for 3 years? Yikes, he's probably worth closer to 2M, maybe 2.5M at best.
DOMI
-Like I said, I like the Josh Morrissey pick for Winnipeg, but it sure would have been nice for the Jets to have drafted Tie's son. One spot too soon.
Thanks for reading!
-Tim Thomas is probably the most intriguing free agent to hit the market. Thomas is a talented goaltender who is a competitor, but no one really knows how good he'll be with a year off. Will he be as good? Can he still be a starting goalie? I don't know. In eight NHL seasons, Thomas has built up an incredible resume that includes four All-Star appearances, two Vezina trophies, a Stanley Cup and a Conn Smythe Trophy. He's 39 years old, so you have to wonder how much gas is left in the tank.
-Teams interested? The Islanders probably could have used him but they decided to not toll his contract, so that could be a sign that they won't go for him. The Philadelphia Flyers are an obvious fit, but it would also come with a media frenzy that maybe Thomas wants to stay away from. If he wanted to try out a Canadian team, the Calgary Flames need a goalie and they could use a mentor to help Reto Berra and/or Karri Ramo make their North American transition. If Thomas is willing to start the year as a back-up, the Edmonton Oilers are looking for a 1A type of goalie, and the Oilers were the team who signed him in 1998 before Tim transferring back to Finland.
GILLIS
-The criticism that Mike Gillis is getting is epic. Canucks fans, how would you feel if Brian Burke came back to Vancouver and replaced Gillis? Burke and Tortorella would be the best pair for media comedy.
BALLARD
-The curious case of Keith Ballard. I still think Ballard can be a good d-man in this league, but Vancouver was just the wrong team to play for. He was constantly being a healthy scratch, and when he did play, Alain Vigneault never played him more than third pairing minutes at best. Injuries also plagued his time in Vancouver, that started immediately after he was acquired from Florida for Michael Grabner and a 1st round pick (yikes). He played a solid defensive game, but had a one mistake limit before being benched.
-I think it's interesting that Vancouver only waived him instead of unconditionally waiving him. This could mean many things. 1) Maybe Vancouver gives Ballard a normal buyout because they plan on using their amnesty buyouts on David Booth and Roberto Luongo. 2) Maybe Vancouver doesn't mind keeping him and trying him out with a new coach. 3) Maybe Gillis wants to give an impression to teams interested that this is the only chance to grab him. He's got a 4.2M cap hit, so if they do buyout Ballard, it's because they want to save some cap room for RFA Chris Tanev on the blueline, who could command 2M+, while continuing to be active on the free agent market. I'll throw another option at you: Vancouver keeps Ballard and trades Alex Edler, with help from him because of his NTC. Perhaps Edler doesn't like the new coach.
-There will be teams interested in Keith Ballard, maybe not at his current cap hit, but at a cheaper rate. Ballard provides a team with a mean ability to hip check, a guy who can block shots and even fight or score on the odd occasion. Three Canadian teams could use a D-man: Calgary, Edmonton, and Toronto. Another team to consider is the Detroit Red Wings, who need blueline help and are known for turning guys who seem to be in a state of career flux into solid players.
DIPIETRO
-The worst contract in the history of the NHL is going to be bought out by the New York Islanders. It's Yashin 2.0 for Charles Wang. DiPietro's career was really killed by injuries and you have to wonder if he'll ever start an NHL game ever again
BOBROVSKY
-I like this deal a lot for both sides. Bobrovsky gets a nice pay day with a cap hit around 5.6M, but it's still relatively cheap for a Vezina winner. It's a short term deal, so if Bobrovsky is a one year wonder (and the hope is he's not), CBJ doesn't have to worry about a long commitment of paying him. Bobrovsky is back on the case!
-Jarmo Kekalainen is already proving that he's one of the best general managers in the NHL. He made a fantastic trade that involved basically zero future pieces when he acquired Marian Gaborik, he reasonably signs both Artem Anisimov and Sergei Bobrovsky, he still has cap space to play with and his draft yesterday was quite good. I was a huge fan of all three of Alex Wennberg, Kerby Rychel and Marko Dano, and Jarmo also drafted rugged D-man Dillon Heatherington and Portland Winterhawks forward scorer Oliver Bjorkstrand on top of that. Kekalainen has made all of the right moves and together with John Davidson, I really hope this team makes the playoffs and takes full advantage of the move to the Eastern Conference. I am excited to see what moves are still coming.
HABS
-Adding some more intel to what I said about their draft. I had one person tell me that he doesn't believe that Michael McCarron will end up being like Milan Lucic, but more like Bryan Bickell.
-Mark my words: Sven Andrighetto has the skill to be not only a top six forward, but also the best forward on the Montreal Canadiens when he's finished developing. He's that talented. Was clearly the best player for Switzerland at the World Juniors and showed incredible flash in the QMJHL, an absolute point producing machine.
COYOTES
-Glendale's big day is today, and I'll be surprised if they are feeling supportive. The dead horse has been beaten long enough, too much public tax money has been used already, and it's time for this team to move to either Seattle or Quebec City, although I'd prefer Quebec City.
HORTON
-I've been hearing rumors suggesting that Craig MacTavish and the Oilers would have interest in Nathan Horton. This would be a mistake. It would cost way too much to bring him in, and his speed and injury history make it questionable to give him a contract that's over 5M when you have some key RFAs to sign in your future.
RANGERS
Just for future reference:
2013 RFAs: Stepan, Hagelin, Zuccarello, McDonagh
2013 UFAs: Clowe
2014 RFAs: Brassard, Kreider, Del Zotto
2014 UFAs: Lundqvist, Biron, Girardi, Stralman, Callahan, Boyle, Pyatt, Powe, Asham
2015 UFAs: Staal, Dorsett
If Glen Sather wanted to step down, I feel terrible for the GM who would have to clean the mess.
CLARKSON
-Some GM is going to overpay him big time on July 5. He's tough to play against, a hitter/fighter/scorer all in one package, and I can see Toronto being the team who brings the bucks.
ZUBRUS
-A cap hit of 3.1M for 3 years? Yikes, he's probably worth closer to 2M, maybe 2.5M at best.
DOMI
-Like I said, I like the Josh Morrissey pick for Winnipeg, but it sure would have been nice for the Jets to have drafted Tie's son. One spot too soon.
Thanks for reading!