After keeping NHL fans guessing for months as to his future
plans, Joe Sakic made it official on Wednesday, re-signing a one-year, $6
million contract with the Colorado Avalanche.
It’ll be Sakic’s twentieth NHL season, all spent with the
same franchise which he’s captained since1992-93.
This could be one of the more trying seasons for the
Avalanche, as they are no longer considered among the league’s elite teams and
are no longer a lock for a playoff berth.
The knock against the Avs heading into this season is they
lack capable goaltending and while there are some promising youngsters on the
roster will be relying on aging veterans to carry the load.
Sakic would be considered among that last group as he
attempts to bounce back from a trying season where injuries limited him to only
44 games, although he did manage 40 points, nearly a point-per-game
performance.
The Avs captain had one of the best seasons of his career in
2006-07 with 102 points, and if he can return healthy and regain that
high-scoring form the Avalanche’s chances of making the playoffs could
significantly improve.
But “Burnaby Joe” can’t carry the load by himself, and he’ll
need help from a supporting cast of aging talent (Ryan Smyth, Milan Hejduk,
Darcy Tucker) and promising youth (Paul Statsny, Marek Svatos, Wojtek Wolski)
to get the job done.
The deadline for
Club-Elected Salary Arbitration notification is July 6, 2008 at 5 p.m.
ET. Hearings will be held in Toronto from
July 20 to August 4, 2008."
More significant is the fact that these players are now ineligible to receive offer sheets from rival teams.
The Florida Panthers needed to address a lack of offensive
depth after trading away Olli Jokinen nearly two weeks ago.
GM Jacques Martin appears to have found that replacement by
signing veteran left winger Cory Stillman to a three-year, $10.6 million
contract.
Stillman has proven to be a reliable 50-60 point man in
recent years, including an 80-point performance in 2003-04, yet he hasn’t been
able to stick with one team for long, as the Panthers will be his fifth team
since 2002-03.
He’ll help fill that gap but they’ll still need to bring in
a first line center or else elevate Stephen Weiss and bring in a second line
center.
Avalanche GM Francois Giguere said he wouldn’t be making any
big splashes in this summer’s UFA market but wasted little time bringing in
some affordable grit and experience in Darcy Tucker, signing the former Leafs
to a two-year, $4. 5 million contract.
The Toronto Maple Leafs bought out Tucker’s contract last
week and there were concerns that in his mid-thirties age and injuries might be
catching up to him.
Still, Tucker is only two years removed from a 28 goal, 61
point season and if he can stay healthy and bounce back could be a valuable
addition to the Avalanche.
Most hockey fans outside of Colorado have little idea who Jeff
Finger is, but many in Canada will get to know him starting next season.
Finger today signed a four-year, $3.5 million contract with the
Toronto Maple Leafs, who only play in Canada’s biggest hockey market.
Despite the efforts of Leafs GM Cliff Fletcher to clear some
cap space to continue the team’s rebuilding plan he doesn’t have enough to bid
competitively for the big name free agents available this summer, leading many
to suspect he’d seek more affordable free agent signings.
Finger’s signing certainly fits the bill. At 28 he’s only a
second-year NHL player but showed promise in his second season with the
Colorado Avalanche last season, with 19 points in 72 games and a solid
plus-minus of +12.
It may not seem like much of a move but Finger could go on
to become one of Fletcher’s better signings and a good addition to the Leafs
blueline.
**UPDATE** Originally this was reported as $3.5 million over the four years. It's now being reported by TSN as $3.5 million per season.
That changes my analysis completely. At $3.5million over four years it would've been more than affordable, nearly doubling Finger's $475K he earned last season.
But $3.5 million per season? The hell???
Sorry, but that's crazy money for a guy who only played one full NHL season. I realize Fletcher's doing like most GMs and paying for potential but that's far too much for a blueliner of his caliber at this stage of his career.
As if the pressure of playing in Toronto weren't bad enough, Finger's now going to have to justify that $3.5 million per season.
For his sake and that of the Leafs, I sure hope he does.
- The Colorado Avalanche wasted little time finding a
replacement for the departed Jose Theodore, signing former Toronto Maple Leafs
goalie Andrew Raycroft to a one-year contract worth $800K.
Raycroft has experience as a starter but spent most of last season
with the Leafs backing up Vesa Toskala. He’ll likely back up Peter Budaj, who
inherits the Avs starting goalie job with Theodore’s departure, but this could
be a good opportunity for Raycroft to regain his form and his confidence, which
were badly shaken in his final season in Toronto.
-The Phoenix Coyotes were in the market for an experienced
physical defenseman after trading away Nick Boynton to Florida as part of the
deal for center Olli Jokinen.
They’ve found a good one in Kurt Sauer, inking him to a
four-year contract (financial terms yet to be disclosed).
Sauer has plenty of experience in that role with the Ducks
and Avalanche and he should be a welcome addition to the Coyotes blueline.
They’ve also added some grit up front in rugged forward Todd
Fedoruk by signing him to a three-year contract (financial terms not yet
disclosed), who’ll ensure rival teams don’t take liberties with skill players
like Jokinen and Shane Doan.
The Washington Capitals have signed a starting goaltender
but it’s not Cristobal Huet.
In a move that obviously means Huet’s short tenure with the
Capitals is over, the club has signed former Colorado Avalanche netminder Jose
Theodore to a two-year contract worth $9 million, which breaks down to $4.5 million per season.
The Caps had been negotiating with Huet right up to the last
minute in hopes of re-signing the French netminder, whom they acquired at the
trade deadline from the Montreal Canadiens for the bargain price of a second
round pick.
But given the lack of quality depth in starting goalies in
this year’s market the Huet camp appears to have decided to test their value on
the open market. It was rumored they were seeking a three-year contract at over
$5 million per season.
The Capitals might have been unwilling to pay it but another
team seeking goalie depth probably will.
As for Theodore, this past season was a return almost to the
form that won him the Vezina and Hart trophies in 2002, and was arguably the
main reason the Avs made the playoffs after suffering a rash of serious
injuries to their roster.
His post-season record remains erratic, as he followed up a
strong performance in the opening round of the 2008 playoffs against the
Minnesota Wild with a poor one in the Avs second round humiliation by the
Detroit Red Wings.
Minnesota Wild general manager Doug Risebrough wasted little
time in finding a potential replacement for departed veteran forward Brian
Rolston, bringing back a blast from the Wild’s past by signing UFA forward
Andrew Brunette to a multi-year contract (terms not yet disclosed) three year, $7 million contract.
Risebrough also brought in some offensive depth to his
blueline by acquiring defenseman Marek Zidlicky from the Nashville Predators in
exchange for prospect Ryan Jones and a second round pick in the 2009 entry
draft.
Brunette, who played three seasons with the Wild from 2001
to 2004, expressed his interest in returning to the Wild late last week when
questioned by a reporter. The
34-year-old winger spent the last three seasons with the Colorado Avalanche
posting up 63,83 and 59 point performances, and had 8 pints points in 10 playoff games
for the Avs this spring.
The Predators were expected to shop Zidlicky, who’d fallen
down their depth chart with the rise of young d-men like Shea Weber and Ryan Suter,
for a scoring forward so it’s surprising they dealt him for only a prospect and
a draft pick.
Zidlicky has two more years at $3.5 million per season left
on his contract so perhaps Predators GM David Poile made this move in
anticipation of signing or acquiring a scoring forward.
The Los Angeles Kings last night dealt defenseman Lubomir
Visnovsky to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for center Jarret Stoll and
defenseman Matt Greene.
As per the LA Times this move clears over $10 million in cap
space for the Kings although it’s uncertain if they’ll be making any
significant moves in the UFA market. It’s been rumored they might re-sign Brad Stuart, whom they
deal to the Detroit Red Wings at the February trade deadline.
For the Oilers it’s a more intriguing move, setting up the
possibility that Joni Pitkanen may have played his final season in Edmonton and
could either be dealt or signed away via offer sheet. Visnovsky is a
puck-moving defenseman but the Oilers were also believed in the market for a
scoring forward, which Pitkanen might land them in a deal.
The Tampa Bay Lightning have gotten a jump on the UFA market
in a big way over the weekend, acquiring the rights of forwards Ryan Malone and
Gary Roberts from the Pittsburgh Penguins and forward Brian Rolston from the
Minnesota Wild.
Malone re-signed a seven year, $31.5 million contract with
the Lightning on Sunday, which breaks down as $4.5 million per season against
their cap but is front-loaded to pay him between $7-$8 million per season in
the first two seasons, while Roberts is believed close to signing has signed a one-year, incentive-laden contract with the Bolts paying him a base of $1.25 million that could rise to $2.07 million if he achieves his bonuses.
It remains to be seen if they’ll get Rolston signed as it
could cost them around $5 million per season but evidently the Lightning’s new
ownership aren’t concerned about it otherwise they wouldn’t have wasted their
time.
If the Bolts should get all three under contract it’ll have
only cost them a third round pick in 2009 to the Penguins and a conditional
pick in 2009 or 2010 to the Wild.
While these moves should excite the Lightning fanbase it is
troubling to see them loading up at forward whilst doing nothing so far to
address their weaknesses in goal and on the blueline.
This summer’s UFA market is now short two defensemen as the
Colorado Avalanche announced Sunday the re-signing of Adam Foote and
John-Michael Liles.
Foote’s contract is for two-years, $6 million, which will
count as $3 million per season against the Avalanche’s cap, while Liles’ new
deal is reportedly four years at over $4 million per season.
It wasn’t unexpected to hear of Foote’s re-signing but Liles
was long rumored to be on his way out of Colorado, and he might’ve received
over $5 million on the UFA market. His agent however last week expressed a hope
that his client would be retained. Retaining both should provide stability to
the Avs defense corps.
Read 'em and weep. Or rage. Or laugh. Or question my sanity. Whatever, just keep it clean and remember, if I didn't pick your team to win, don't take it personally, it's just an opinion, and as the great Toe Blake once said, "predictions are for gypsies". I look forward to your responses, but please, if you disagree, keep it clean, and let's just have some fun, ok?
I'll have the Eastern Conference preview and predictions on Tuesday, April 8th.
Detroit Red Wings vs Nashville Predators: Wings won the season series 5-3. Detroit was the top team in the NHL this season, while the Predators barely scraped into the post-season on the last week of this season. The Predators are well coached and possess good goaltending, a solid defensive system and a dangerous first line centered by Jason Arnott, but have yet to win a playoff series and were barely above .500 down the stretch. Red Wings are deeper in talent and experience and have proven capable of adjusting to a more physical post-season style. Questions have arisen of late regarding their aging goaltending tandem of Hasek and Osgood and injuries have dogged them in the second half. This could be a closer series than expected but ultimately Detroit’s depth will see them through. RED WINGS IN SIX.
San Jose Sharks vs Calgary Flames: Flames won the season series 3-1, but down the stretch the Flames were merely a .500 club whilst the Sharks were red-hot, losing only once in regulation in their last 22 games. The Sharks received Vezina-worthy goaltending from Evgeni Nabokov and possess a good defense corps buoyed by recently acquired Brian Campbell. Their offense has significantly improved in the second half, led by Joe Thornton who’ll once again try to answer his critics with a strong post-season. The Flames playoff hopes will once again rest with captain Jarome Iginla, goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff and blueliner Dion Phaneuf. However, Kiprusoff has had an average season, Phaneuf has yet to step it up in the post-season and concerns over their offensive depth should once again hold them back. SHARKS IN SIX.
Minnesota Wild vs Colorado Avalanche: Wild won the season series 5-2-1 and clinched the Northwest Division, while the Avs battled through injuries to finish sixth overall. Minnesota is one of the best defensive teams in the league so expect them to aggressively check the Avs and make the most of their offensive opportunities, led by offensive star Marian Gaborik. There is however concern over their lack of depth at center, and if the Avalanche can match their physical play the Wild could find it rough going. The Avs have experienced leadership in Sakic, Forsberg, Smyth, Foote and Hejduk, rising young players like Paul Statsny and solid netminding in Jose Theodore. Still, most of their key players are long in the tooth and it remains to be seen if they have enough in the tank for a long playoff grind. WILD IN SIX.
Anaheim Ducks vs Dallas Stars: Stars won the season series 5-3, but down the stretch these were two teams going in different directions, with the Stars floundering and the Ducks surging. Anaheim is the defending Stanley Cup champion, possess a proven playoff goalie in JS Giguere, the deepest blueline corps in the league and can wear down opponents with their physical play. The Stars enter this series with too many questions. Can Marty Turco win big in the playoffs? Can they recover from the loss of Sergei Zubov to injury? Can Brad Richards find his scoring groove in the post-season? Can they physically match up against a driven Ducks team? DUCKS IN FIVE.
With the NHL season almost over, here’s a look at how the top free agents of 2007 (based on salaries of $5 million or more per season) have fared in the first season of their current contracts.
Oh, and for those nitpickers wondering why I’m doing this now (and my review of my season preview last Friday) given the handful of games remaining, it’s because I’m preparing to cover the upcoming playoffs and won’t have the time to do this at season’s end.
Anyway, stats are as of March 31, 2008,along with their projections in November 2007 and January 2008. The regular season ends on April 6, 2008. I’ll leave it up to you, the readers, to decide if they’re worth the money they’re getting.
Enjoy!
Daniel Briere, Philadelphia Flyers - 2007-08 salary: $10 million. Salary cap hit: $6.5 million.
November 2007: on pace for: 41 goals, 61 assists, 102 points. January 2008: on pace for: 32 goals, 49 assists, 89 points. March 31, 2008: 78 GP, 31 goals, 40 assists, 71 points, -23
Scott Gomez, New York Rangers – 2007-08 salary: $10 million. Salary cap hit: $7.357 million.
November 2007: on pace for: 14 goals, 44 assists, 58 points. January 2008: on pace for: 18 goals, 57 assists, 75 points. March 31, 2008: 77 GP, 16 goals, 53 assists, 69 points, +5.
Thomas Vanek, Buffalo Sabres – 2007-08 salary: $10 million. Salary cap hit: $7.143 million.
November 2007: on pace for: 21 goals, 36 assists, 57 points. January 2008: on pace for: 23 goals, 25 assists, 48 points. March 31, 2008: 79 GP, 32 goals, 28 assists, 60 points, -5
Kimmo Timonen, Philadelphia Flyers – 2007-08 salary: $8 million. Salary cap hit: $6.33 million.
November 2007: on pace for: 10 goals, 38 assists, 48 points. -14 January 2008: on pace for: 12 goals, 33 assists, 45 points. –2 March 31, 2008: 77 GP, 8 goals, 36 assists, 44 points, -3
Ryan Smyth, Colorado Avalanche: - 2007-08 salary: $7.5 million. Salary cap hit: $6.25 million.
November 2007: on pace for: 21 goals, 28 assists, 50 points. January 2008: on pace for: 22 goals, 34 assists, 56 points (sidelined until late-February) March 31, 2008: 53 GP, 14 goals, 23 assists, 37 points, -3
Chris Drury, New York Rangers – 2007-08 salary: $7.1 million. Salary cap hit: $7.05 million.
November 2007: on pace for: 17 goals, 34 assists, 51 points –3. January 2008: on pace for: 21 goals, 34 assists, 55 points, -21 March 31, 2008: 78 GP, 23 goals, 31 assists, 54 points, -4
Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit Red Wings: 2007-08 salary: $6.7 million. Salary cap hit. $6.7 million.
November 2007: on pace for: 24 goals, 65 assists, 89 points, +38. January 2008: on pace for: 30 goals, 66 assists, 96 points, +47 March 31, 2008: 79 GP, 31 goals, 53 assists, 94 points, +41.
November 2007: on pace for: 26-20-7, 2.50 GAA, .906 SP. January 2008: on pace for: 34-19-7, 2.33 GAA, .915 SP March 31, 2008: 34-17-6, 2.10 GAA, .923 SP
November 2007: on pace for: 12 goals, 43 assists, 55 points, +18 in 67 games. January 2008: on pace for: 10 goals, 28 assists, 38 points, +22 in 67 games. March 31, 2008: 63 GP, 12 goals, 27 assists, 39 points, +20.
Roman Hamrlik, Montreal Canadiens – 2007-08 salary: $5.5 million. Salary cap hit: $5.5 million.
November 2007:on pace for: 7 goals, 31 assists, 38 points. +24. January 2008: on pace for: 5 goals, 27 assists, 32 points, +11 March 31, 2008: 74 GP, 5 goals, 20 assistss, 25 points, +7
Michael Nylander, Washington Capitals – 2007-08 salary: $5.5 million. Salary cap hit: $4.875 million.
November 2007: on pace for: 20 goals, 52 assists, 72 points, -43 January 2008: sidelined for the season, was on pace for 21 goals, 50 assists, 71 points.
Mats Sundin, Toronto Maple Leafs – 2007-08 salary: $5.5 million. Salary cap hit: $5.5 million.
November 2007: on pace for: 39 goals, 59 assists, 98 points, +23. January 2008: on pace for: 36 goals, 53 assists, 89 points, +20. March 31, 2008: 74 GP, 32 goals, 46 assists, 78 points, +17.
Scott Hartnell, Philadelphia Flyers – 2007-08 salary: $5.2 million. Salary cap hit: $4.2 million
November 2007: on pace for: 11 goals, 18 assists, 29 points, +7. January 2008: on pace for: 21 goals, 21 assists, 42 points, 0 March 31, 2008: 77 GP, 23 goals, 18 assists, 41 points.
It’s been said that the best hockey of an NHL season isn’t truly seen until the playoffs, but in my humble opinion the race for the playoffs in the final month of the regular season can bring about excitement every bit as worthwhile as a playoff game.
This season is no exception, as once again several teams are battling to clinch the final two playoff berths in each conference, and every remaining game in this season for those teams carries the same importance as a post-season contest.
In the Eastern Conference, seventh and eighth overall are very much up for grabs, with the Boston Bruins and Philadelphia Flyers desperately clinging to those two berths, with the Buffalo Sabres, Florida Panthers and Washington Capitals breathing down their collective necks.
As of this writing, only five points separate seventh-place Boston from 11th place Florida, with the Flyers, Capitals and Sabres sandwiched between them.
Looking at the standings as of March 19th, the Bruins have 83 points, the Flyers 82, the Capitals 80, Sabres 79 and Panthers 78.
Of these five team, the Capitals and Panthers have been red-hot, both clubs winning seven of their last ten games, which doesn’t bode well for the struggling Bruins (3-4-3), Flyers (4-3-3) and Sabres (4-4-2). If the Caps and Panthers can keep up their torrid pace they could end up playoff bound.
The race isn’t quite so close in the Western Conference, as a four-point gap separates the eighth overall Colorado Avalanche from the 9th overall Nashville Predators and the Avs also enjoy a five point gap over the 10th overall Edmonton Oilers.
As of March 19th the Avalanche had the same number of points (84) as the sixth overall Vancouver Canucks and seventh overall Calgary Flames. These three clubs appear to control their destiny over their final handful of games.
Still, these three clubs cannot afford a letdown. The Predators may be struggling (4-6-0 in their last ten games) but they’re not out of the hunt yet, and with 8 games remaining still have enough time to claw their way into a berth of the Avs, Flames or Canucks stumble.
The Oilers also cannot be completely counted out, having gone on a remarkable 8-2-0 streak in their last ten games and with 8 games remaining they too have enough time to catch those ahead of them if they falter.
Wouldn’t it be great if it came down to a final game of the season for one of these teams, as it did last year for the NY Islanders?
The Isles blew a two-goal lead in their final game of the 2007 season against the New Jersey Devils but won it in a shootout thanks to a savvy poke-check by Islanders backup goalie Wade Dubielewicz, clinching the last playoff berth in the East in a thrilling contest.
Consider this battle for the final playoff spots a primer for the upcoming 2008 Stanley Cup Finals. Who knows, maybe one of these teams could go on to become a “giant killer” in this year’s post-season.
If there’s a theme for the Colorado Avalanche at this year’s deadline, it’s "Blasts From The Past".
Having brought back Peter Forsberg, the Avs today re-acquired defenseman Adam Foote from the Columbus Blue Jackets for a conditional first round pick in either 2008 or 2009, depending on if the Avs make the playoffs this season. If they make it, it's this year's pick, if not, next year's. Also, the Jackets get another pick if Foote re-signs with Colorado.
The Blue Jackets had hoped to re-sign Foote, who’s an unrestricted free agent this summer, and Foote was keen to re-sign, but it’s believed the two side couldn’t overcome a $1 million gap in the per season salary on a two-year contract.
This move could signal the Jackets are in "sell" mode, as they’re also believed shopping Sergei Fedorov and Michael Peca. Expect them to turn their focus on re-signing defenseman Ron Hainsey to keep him off this summer’s UFA market.
Foote is no longer the dominant physical force he once was during his first go-around with the Avalanche during their glory years of the late 1990s and earlier in this decade, but his experience, skills and leadership should make him a good addition on a Avs teams battling for one of the last playoff berths in the West.
One day after signing Peter Forsberg the Colorado Avalanche have added grit to the blueline, acquiring defenseman Ruslan Salei from the Florida Panthers in exchange for Karlis Skarstins and a third round pick.
Salei is an physical blueliner who can chip in offensively and has some post-season experience with the Anaheim Ducks in the late 1990s and earlier in this decade. He’s currently signed through to the 2009-10 season.
Skrastins was once considered one of the best shot-blocking defensemen in the NHL but injuries have taken a tool and his stock was in decline this season.
Should Salei play as well as he’s still believed capable he could be a welcome addition to the Avs, but it remains to be seen if Skrastins will be able to help the Panthers in their struggles to make the playoffs this season.
To paraphrase Mark Twain: Rumors of the death of Peter Forsberg’s NHL career have been greatly exaggerated.
Forsberg is not only returning to the NHL, he’s rejoining the Colorado Avalanche, the team with which he started his NHL career (when they were still the Quebec Nordiques) and for which he had his greatest NHL success.
The Avalanche announced the signing on Monday, which is bound to spark rejoicing amongst their fan base.
It follows a string of recent good news for the Avs, as team captain Joe Sakic, leading scorer Paul Stastny and gritty forward Ryan Smyth have returned from injury over the past week or so.
Getting those players back was as good as acquiring players of their caliber via trade. Signing Forsberg, for Avs fans, will be the cherry on the sundae.
Still, it remains to be seen just what type of player the Avalanche will be getting in Forsberg, who’s been plagued with problems finding skates that would make a good fit for his surgically repaired right foot.
That problem clearly affected his performance last season, split between Philadelphia and Nashville, and was what took so long for him to stage his comeback this season.
Forsberg will still need to get back into game shape, which could take a couple of weeks, but it’ll be the foot concerns that will be worth watching.
If he is playing truly pain free, he could round back into a decent semblance of his once-dominant form, which would make him a worthwhile addition to the Avalanche and bolster their playoff hopes.
If not, expect a redux of last season’s painful performance.
Best of luck for Forsberg and the Avalanche, here’s hoping this turns into more than just a failed last hurrah.
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.
