In the wake of the Edmonton Oilers successfully signing away Dustin Penner from the Anaheim Ducks, there’s been precious little in actual free agent signings to report.
Several decent UFAs are still available, including Mike Peca, Ed Belfour, Danny Markov, Andy Sutton and Ossi Vaananen, and of course endless speculation on the respective futures of Peter Forsberg and Teemu Selanne, but there’s been little real news on their status of late.
As the month of August progresses and the start of training camp nears perhaps some of these players will be signed. In the meantime, here’s the latest signings:
The Ottawa Senators signed defenseman Luke Richardson to a one-year, $500K contract.
Bit of a surprise there as it was expected Richardson’s 20-year NHL playing career was over after seeing action in only 27 games last season for the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Don’t expect to see too much of him in a Senators uniform. He’s mainly a depth signing and his contract is a two-way deal, meaning he’ll get substantially less cash if he’s demoted to the minors which, given the depth of the Sens defense corps, is a strong possibility.
Speaking of depth defensemen, the Pittsburgh Penguins signed former Los Angeles Kings blueliner Mike Weaver to a two-way contract. Weaver played in 39 games with the Kings last season.
He’s not very big (5’9, 180 lbs) but does play a decent physical game, which could make him a valuable pickup should injuries strike the Pens blueline corps in the upcoming season.
Another defenceman signed this week was former Maple Leafs blueliner Karel Pilar, inked by the Atlanta Thrashers.
Pilar was once considered a promising d-man for the Leafs but a heart ailment sidelined him throughout the 2005-06 season and he only saw ten games with their farm club in 2006-07.
If Pilar has made a full recovery from his heart ailment this could turn into a steal of a signing for the Thrashers.
The Columbus Blue Jackets signed former Washington Capitals center Kris Beech to a one-year contract.
It’s hard to believe now that Beech was considered the centerpiece of the package that brought Jaromir Jagr from Pittsburgh to Washington back in 2001. Despite his strong skating and playmaking ability Beech has yet to blossom into a star player as he was once projected to become.
Columbus could end up being the last stop of his NHL career unless he can step up his offensive production.
The New Jersey Devils signed former NY Islanders forward Arron Asham to a one-year, $700K contract.
I’ve always like Asham’s aggressive defensive style since his days as a Montreal Canadien. “The Little Buzzsaw” is one of those high-energy players who’ll never become a star but is always a fan favorite for their style of play. I think he’ll fit in well with the Devils defense-first system.
Just shocking to see Markov and Sutton still on the board. So many teams need defensive help and those two guys are dependable.
Still flabbergasted that Buffalo, after their UFA losses, didn't move to sign Comrie, Peca and Markov. Comrie isn't a number one center, but with Buffalo's style of not really having a defined number one line, he wouldn't have to face the pressure of being a top line guy. Not to mention, his speedy game would be a fine compliment to that team. In the Ottawa series, they lacked a shut-down defensive forward and a ####er in the back. With Peca and Markov those holes would be filled.
Will be interesting to see where Markov and Sutton land. Both will prove to be fine acquisitions for whichever team snares them in the coming weeks.
Spec, what are your thoughts as to why they are still available? Too high of salary demands? Those must be retreating this late in the UFA signing period, no? Do GM's collectively feel these guys are not fit their gameplan?
Richardson is a future coach in the NHL. He may not have played much last season, but he definitely helped that D with coaching, leadership and advice.
Edmonton would be smart to target Allison for a 1 year 1-1.5 million dollar contract. He'd keep the power play clicking. I wonder what Markov is asking for. It's embarssing to have #### Tarnstrom back with the Oil.
2. Over a couple of beers last night me and a couple of friends were talking about the Habs. The question came up who was the greatest Hab of all time. Now understand picking one would be like picking the greatest Yankee.
I feel the Havs have one of the GRANDEST historys in all of sports. Only the Yankees and Celtics can rival it.
But what I would like to know is who you think. I know your a Habs fan
I voted for Rocket
MY one friend said Roy and the other said Guy LaFlur
I'm rather surprised Asham didn't get re-upped on the Island. As for Markov, he's clearly priced himself out of the market. Can't blame a guy for trying, since there was a lot of money getting handed out at the start of the offseason, but he's never been much more than marginal. He does play with a lot of intensity though, and eventually the price has to drop or he'll be playing overseas. Belfour will most definitely be back in the league when the first injuries happen, and it's probably better for him to have more time to rest at this point anyway. As for Beech, wow, there's a name that must resonate with Pens fans and not in a good way. Nice to know they've moved way beyond those days.
You have to put Beliveau in that mix as well, being a Kings fan though, I forgive you. There's also Howie Morenz, Doug Harvey, Boom Boom, Joe Malone, etc, etc...I'd rather have someone tear my liver out than pick. Same thing with picking coaches, #### Irvin? Toe Blake? Scotty Bowman?
Rocket is an obvious choice for many because, like Ruth and the Yankees, he set a standard for his team and the league and captured the hearts of many fans.
That being said, if you were to ask Vinnie Lecavalier this Q, I'm sure he would say Beliveau, afterall he wears #4 for a reason. Tough call, lets see what Spector says.
Last edited by Cup_Junkie on August 10th at 8:09 AM.
You know I love and respect you. Love your vim and respect your knowledge. But please don't say that only the Celts and Yankees can rival the Habs. Look at these stats:
Real Madrid:
League Titles - 30
Copa del Rey - 17
Champions League titles - 9
Juventus of Torino:
League Titles - 27
Italian Cup - 9
Champions League titles - 2
FC Bayern Muenchen:
League Titles - 20
DFB Pokal - 13
Champions League - 4
Those are all historical performance records by the best in their game.
Sorry The Duck. Time for the bug zapper and the sixer of good ol' Bud.
Let's mix it up, TKF, who is your favourite King of all time?
Marcel Dionne?
Wayne Gretzky?
Luc Robitaille?
Tiger Williams?
Butch Goring?
Dave Taylor?
Kelly Hrudy?
Last edited by HermanZeGerman on August 10th at 12:00 PM.
I think he was talking about north american titles...if your going to start bringing in european soccer (football), why not bring up the west indies in cricket??? or australian teams in rugby??? In north america, I'm sure not too many other teams rival the ones mentioned. They are ritch in history, heritage, fan base and...well they are just ritch!!!
LOL, sorry, just had to try and bust your balls about something....you do bring up a great point. The teams mentioned are amazing in their feilds (ya think madrid will suffer without becks in the line up?)
As for favourite king of all time, I'd have to go with the greatest player of all time, but I think Dionne is a solid #2 with Robitaille coming 3rd and I'd have to say Hrudy comes last in my books.
hey, NHL.com has an interesting question as their poll for today...Which team will have the most interesting battle for goaltending. Right now people have said that the leafs will with Toskala and Raycroft, but I have to say the habs have the most depth with Huet, Price and Halak
I would agree. I think that the battle for the starters job in Montreal will be a great storyline come September. What do you do? Go with the veteran to allow the youngsters to develop? Give the wheel to Price if he has a strong camp? He appears to have all the accoutrements of a star netminder.
While we are talking LA Kings/Carey Price, who does everyone like as the early favourite for the Calder (appears wide open this year)?
Nicklas Backstrom?
Jack Johnson?
Carey Price?
Bobby Ryan?
Jonathan Toews?
Other?
Toskala and Raycroft won't even be a battle as far as I'm concerned. I know that Raycroft has gotten it done in a limited way previously, and perhaps he will again, but I don't see that as being too much of a competition personally. Backstrom should have a decent shot if the hype is accurate, considering he'll be playing in a system that limits the opposition's opportunites to score at nearly all costs. I'd personally like to see Johnson get it, though. Always pretty cool to have a defenseman get some extra hardware.
I believe you are thinking of the wrong Backstrom...
Nicklas (with a "C") Backstrom is the young Swede who will likely be centering Ovechkin and Semin when Nylander is not on the ice.
Niklas (without a "C") Backstrom is the Finnish netminder who plays for Minnesota. Last year was his rookie season. I'm not certain he's eligible for the Calder in 2008.
You're right, I was, although I'd stand by my answer were he eligible. I will have to check those number of games played last season. I can never keep my Backstroms straight. It's like shopping in an Ikea.
If you wish me to sign the card for you,I would be most happy to.
If, however you are a collector I warn you, my signature MAY decrease the value of said card.
I'll meet you at the local Walmart, I like to watch OFF carry my bags out for me.
Cobra
I'm Lyle Richardson, also known as Spector, Foxsports.com 's "Prince of Pucks".,which is based on the fact I live in Prince Edward Island, Canada and I couldn't think of a better byline. I've been an NHL hockey commentator since 1998 on my website, Spector's Hockey, and I'm a contributing writer for Foxsports.com , The Hockey News and Eishockey News. I'm also a regular on The Faceoff Hockey Show and a frequent guest on "The Late Crew" on The Team 1200 Ottawa.
