The Ottawa Senators continue to make affordable signings in this summer’s UFA market to bolster their roster, signing former Penguins agitator Jarkko Ruutu to a three-year, $3.9 million contract.

Ruutu’s new salary will be $1.3 million per season against the Senators cap, which is only a slight boost over the $1.15 million he earned with the Penguins last season.

His addition will provide addition grit to the Sens forward lines.

Once upon a time, in the bad old days before the salary cap, the NY Rangers had a reputation for making expensive, questionable signings of older unrestricted free agents.

After spending the first three years under a salary cap spending wisely (more or less), Rangers GM Glen Sather has returned to his team’s old free-spending ways on aging talent, signing Wade Redden to a six year contract worth $6.5 million per season.

That’s right, Redden, whose last two seasons in Ottawa merely highlighted he was a defenseman in decline, will not only earn the same salary per season as he did under his old contract, he’ll keep earning it…for the next…six….years!

I’m sorry, no offense, Rangers fans, but your front office has taken a collective leave of its senses.

And they’re apparently still in the hunt for Marian Hossa and Mats Sundin and haven’t ruled out re-signing Jaromir Jagr, but as TSN’s Bob McKenzie noted, they’ll have to dump some salary because they have about $8-$9 million in available cap space, which won’t leave enough to land one of those aforementioned big fish and still have enough cap room to flesh out the roster.

They were in good shape before taking on Redden, heck, I could’ve even understood their signing him for two years at that salary, but not at six years. They’ve saddled themselves with a declining asset that could prove to be a cap headache down the road.

Of course, in the words of Dennis Miller (when he used to be funny), that’s just my opinion, I could be wrong. For your sake, Rangers fans, I sure hope so.

The Columbus Blue Jackets were looking to bolster their defense this summer and feel they’ve addressed that need by signing Mike Commodore to a five-year, $18.75 million contract.

That’s $3.75 million against the Blue Jackets cap hit, but one wonders if the Jackets might’ve been better off re-signing Ron Hainsey to that kind of money. Perhaps there were some issues there.

Commodore doesn’t have the same offensive skills as Hainsey but is a better all-round blueliner, capable of playing a strong physical game in his own zone and able to chip in offensively.

He had his best seasons with the Carolina Hurricanes, including helping them win the 2006 Stanley Cup, but after being dealt to the Ottawa Senators last February looked lost in too many games, although that might’ve also had something to do with how the Sens were struggling down the stretch last season.

Considering some of the signings made today Commodore’s could turn out to be a good one if he regains his form in Columbus playing for Ken Hitchcock.

The Ottawa Senators have found a replacement for the recently bought out Ray Emery, signing former Bruins goalie Alex Auld to a two-year contract worth $1 million. $2 million. 

That ‘ll make him a more affordable cap hit to the Senators cap, and Auld will be hoping to stick with the Senators for a while and perhaps re-establish himself as a potential starter he was once envisioned to be with the Vancouver Canucks earlier in the decade.

Adam Hall’s solid performance this season for the Pittsburgh Penguins, especially during the playoffs, landed him a three –year contract extension worth $1.8 million.

Sorry about that, folks, the feed I received had Hall re-signed with the Penguins. He in fact signed a three-year, $1.8 million contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning. My apologies for the confusion.

The Pens also signed former Calgary Flames forward Eric Godard to a three year contract.

Thus far the Penguins have retained two of their UFA forwards but of course they were the most affordable to re-sign. It remains to be seen if they can retain Marian Hossa and defenseman Brooks Orpik.

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.

The Florida Panthers have announced placing center Jozef Stumpel on waivers in what could be a prelude to buying out the remainder of his contract.

Stumpel has one year at $2.25 million remaining on his current contract. He’d been a consistent 50-point player throughout this decade but last season struggled with injury posting his lowest offensive totals in a decade.

It’s possible he could play overseas next season but he might test this summer’s NHL UFA market where he could be an affordable depth.

The Vancouver Canucks have claimed center Kyle Wellwood off waivers from the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Not a bad move by the Canucks as this is an affordable way to bring some depth at center. Wellwood has the potential to be a second line scorer but the injury prone center must improve his conditioning to reach that potential.

The Ottawa Senators have parted ways with tough guy Brian McGratton, shipping him to the Phoenix Coyotes in exchange for a fifth round pick in 2009.

McGratton’s presence should make teams in the Western Conference think twice about taking liberties against the Coyotes best players. He’s a restricted free agent but the Coyotes shouldn’t have too much trouble getting one of the league’s best brawlers under contract.

Former NY Islanders goaltender Wade Dubieliewicz has reportedly signed a two-year contract with AK-Bars Kazan of the newly formed Kontinental Hockey League.

Dubielewicz rejected a contract offer from the Islanders and was eligible for UFA status in July.

The Ottawa Senators locked up a key part of their roster on Friday, re-signing forward Chris Kelly to a four-year $8.5 million contract, breaking down as just over $2.1 million per season against their cap.

Kelly was eligible for unrestricted free agency in July and it had been speculated the Senators might lose him to the UFA market because of cap constraints. He’s a versatile checking forward who can play center or wing and also chip in offensively.

His signing could make it tougher however for the Senators to find sufficient cap space to re-sign key free agents such as Andrej Meszaros, Antoine Vermette, Cory Stillman and Mike Commodore.

The Ottawa Senators and Los Angeles Kings on Friday placed goaltenders Ray Emery and Dan Cloutier on waivers in the first step toward buying out the remainder of their contracts.

Emery, 25, has two years at $3.167 million per season remaining on his contract while Cloutier, 32, has one year at $3.1 million remaining on his.

Once the two clear waivers the Senators and Kings can then buy them out.

It’s quite the downfall for two netminders who, while not among the elite of the NHL, were once considered very good starting goaltenders.

Emery has re-signed his current contract with the Senators last summer but a combination of injury and other issues saw him lose his starter’s role to Martin Gerber last season.

Cloutier’s decline over the past three years was injury-related, specifically a nagging hip ailment which required surgery two years ago.

It’ll cost the Kings two thirds the remaining value of Cloutier’s contract spread over twice the remaining tenure, meaning it’ll be just over $1 million per season over the next two years.

Emery, because he’s under-26 at the time of the buyout, is only entitled to a one-third buyout of his remaining contract value over twice the remaining tenure, breaking down to over $560K per season for the next four years.

Both will become unrestricted free agents in July. Emery might still find employment in the NHL but Cloutier’s NHL career is probably over.

He’s the great mystery man of the NHL who’s yet to play a game on pro hockey’s biggest stage yet he’s apparently had the general managers of 20 NHL team panting for his services.

He’s comparable to the Loch Ness Monster, in that you’ve heard of him but never seen him (with apologies to TSN analyst Glenn Healy) except on grainy YouTube video clips.

He’s been called the next Daniel Alfredsson or Marian Hossa but at the same time is considered in some quarters an over-rated talent.

He’s considered talented enough to be a potential top-six forward in the NHL, yet had 37 points in 54 games in the Swedish Elite League.

He’s Fabian Brunnstrom and he’s apparently close to signing with an NHL team for next season.

Brunnstrom, 23, is considered a late bloomer by the standard of NHL prospects. By that age most have paid their dues in juniors or the minor leagues to make the NHL, or face a life-long career playing in the minors or in Europe, or the stark reality that a pro hockey career isn’t attainable.

And he’s not content just to sign a entry-level contract with an NHL team. No, Brunnstrom wants to sign with a team that’ll give him the best opportunity to break into the league immediately.

Until the Vancouver Canucks fired Dave Nonis as general manager they were believed not only the front-runners but also close to having him under contract, but now he and his agent are considering other clubs.

The Detroit Red Wings are believed among those on the short list for his services but they apparently won’t guarantee anything beyond the opening month of the season to evaluate his performance before committing a full-time roster spot for him.

The Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators are also believed on the list and it’s rumored the Leafs may now be the front-runners.

But is Brunnstrom worth the hype?

Most of it has appeared over the last couple of months, a period when player movement is non-existent and the start of the annual unrestricted free agent spending frenzy is still over two months away.

It’s tempting to dismiss it therefore as just so much overwrought media babbling by bored hockey writers in cities where the local NHL club is on the golf course rather than chasing the Stanley Cup, but then there’s that reported number of NHL teams interested in Brunnstrom: 20.

If that number is accurate it means two thirds of the league’s general managers, based on reports from their scouts, believe Brunnstrom has the goods to become a top-six forward in the NHL, maybe with time a scoring star.

That many general managers along with their respective scouting staffs aren't  suffering from collective insanity. They've obviously heard and seen enough of Brunnstrom to believe he has the potential to become a quality NHL player.

Given the shallow depth in star talent in this summer’s UFA pool and of course the high prices that would be paid to sign them, the opportunity to land a reasonably mature 23-year-old prospective top-six forward at an affordable three-year entry level contract appears too good to pass up.

But is he worth promising a roster spot to?

Apparently that depends on how desperate a general manager is to bolster his offensive depth, hence the reason the Canucks, Maple Leafs and Senators are among those interested in landing him.

The Red Wings don’t lack offensive punch, but since they’re also on the short list of suitors for Brunnstrom -and were rumored a couple of months ago close to signing him -one has to assume it’s because Brunnstrom really wants to play for them if they’d only give him a chance.

And the Wings do want to give him a chance, but as they aren’t hurting for scoring depth they can insist that he either prove himself worthy of a roster spot or spend time in the minors developing his skills. The other front-runners might not have that option.

Brunnstrom is expected to make a decision shortly as to which NHL team we’ll sign with. By this fall, hockey fans will discover if he was worth the speculation, and his new NHL team will discover if he was worth guaranteeing a roster spot.

As promised here is my Eastern Conference Quarter-finals preview and predictions.

Again, I'd love to read your comments, and if you disagree with me that's fine, but please, don't take it personally if I didn't pick your team to win or if in your opinion I haven't given them a chance. Remember, they're just one person's opinion. If I'm right, fine, if not, no big whoop.

Montreal Canadiens vs Boston Bruins: Canadiens swept the season series 8-0, enroute to locking up top spot in their division and the conference, whilst the Bruins battled injury and inconsistency to scrape into the post-season. The Bruins will try to use a physical, disciplined defensive style to shut down the Canadiens speed and to generate traffic in front of the Montreal goal. They’ll look to goalie Tim Thomas and captain Zdeno Chara to lead the way but that might not be enough to blunt the Canadiens offensive attack and league-leading power-play, led by Alex Kovalev's line. Habs rookie Carey Price is starting his first NHL playoffs but his unflappable demeanor and sound goaltending style will make it tough for the Bruins to score.  Both teams have been bit by the injury bug of late but the Canadiens are the healthier of the two. The Bruins will battle the Canadiens hard and could win a game or two but appear to lack the offensive punch and defensive ability to contain the Habs. CANADIENS IN FIVE.

Pittsburgh Penguins vs Ottawa Senators: The Sens won the season series 3-0-1 but have been in free-fall since mid-January whilst the Penguins have overcome injuries to key players to finish second overall in the Conference. The Senators have far more playoff experience than the Penguins, but they're a team wracked by dissension, shaky goaltending, inconsistent defense and with key forwards Daniel Alfredsson, Mike Fisher and Chris Kelly sidelined by injury. The Penguins lost to the Sens in five games last season but they’re a year older, wiser, healthier and better this time around. Their offensive attack, led by Evgeni Malkin and captain Sidney Crosby, could prove too much this time around for a floundering Ottawa team to shut down.  PENGUINS IN FIVE.

Washington Capitals vs Philadelphia Flyers: The Flyers took the season series 2-1-1, but struggled down the stretch whilst the Capitals were one of the NHL’s hottest team’s over the same period, catapulting them to the Southeast Division title. For the Flyers, their role is simple: shut down the Alexander Ovechkin line and generate traffic in front of Caps goalie Cristobal Huet, and they’ve got a good chance to defeat Washington. Easier said than done, as the Capitals head into this series riding a wave of momentum, spurred by Ovechkin’s amazing play, Huet’s goaltending, the coaching of Bruce Boudreau and the overall improvement of their roster. The Flyers possess more experience than the Capitals, but there are concerns about Martin Biron’s goaltending, their defensive depth and overall health. The Flyers also haven’t played the Capitals since early February and could find this club far different from the one they faced earlier in the season. CAPITALS IN SIX.

New Jersey Devils vs New York Rangers. The Rangers won the season series 7-0-1 but it’s the Devils who’ll have home-ice advantage in this match-up. The last time these two met in the playoffs the Devils swept the Rangers in four, but the Rangers are a healthier, more defensively sound club this time around, and can rely on strong goaltending from Henrik Lundqvist. The Devils will again use their grinding, physical defensive style to try to wear down the Rangers, but their lack of offense could make it difficult to cash in on scoring opportunities. Ultimately the Devils hopes will rest on goalie Martin Brodeur, who had another strong performance this season and must carry that over into the post-season for the Devils to have a chance. This series should be a close one but in the end the Rangers offensive depth and improved defensive game should see them through.  RANGERS IN SEVEN.

With the NHL trade deadline now past the next notable round of player movement won’t occur until June, 2008, and most of it will be free agents signing with new teams.

While the focus as always will be on unrestricted free agents, this summer the threat of offer sheets is now a very real one, thus hockey fans will be nervously watching the contract talks of their favorite restricted free agent players as July 1st approaches.

Many teams haven’t wasted time this season, locking up their best RFA players to lengthy, long-term contracts now rather than risk another club either setting the price or plucking them away.

As a result, the list of the top RFA players has shrunk considerably since the start of the season, but there still remains some quality talent who, if unsigned by July 1st, could be tempting targets for offer sheets. It’ll be interesting to see how many of the following are re-upped by the end of June:

Anaheim: Corey Perry.

Columbus: Pascal LeClaire.

Detroit: Valtteri Filppula

Edmonton: Tom Gilbert and Joni Pitkanen.

Florida: Jay Bouwmeester.

Minnesota: Pierre-Marc Bouchard.

Montreal: Andrei Kostitsyn.

Nashville: Martin Erat, Shea Weber and Ryan Suter.

Ottawa: Andrej Meszaros.

Philadelphia: Jeff Carter.

Pittsburgh: Marc-Andre Fleury.

San Jose: Ryane Clowe

Washington: Mike Green.

The Chicago Blackhawks swung their second trade of the day, shipping veteran forward Martin Lapointe to the Ottawa Senators for a sixth round draft pick.

Lapointe was once considered one of the better checking forwards in the NHL during his years with the Detroit Red Wings. He’s still considered to have value as a checker and leader and comes with plenty of playoff experience, although his best years were with the Wings in the late 1990s.

Senators energy forward and tough guy Chris Neil is currently sidelined with an injury which may be more serious that feared and thus required a replacement like Lapointe.

It’s also hoped that Lapointe’s grit and experience might help shake up what’s believed to be a moribund Senators dressing room given how the club has struggled since mid-March. That however remains to be seen.

For now the Senators will be happy if Lapointe can contribute on the ice.

Just over two weeks from the NHL trade deadline the first major trade of the 2007-08 season has finally taken place.

The Ottawa Senators dealt forward Patrick Eaves and defenseman Joe Corvo to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for forward Cory Stillman and defenseman Mike Commodore.

With this deal Senators GM Bryan Murray lands the scoring winger (Stillman) he’d been seeking since training camp, while Hurricanes GM Jim Rutherford gets the puck-moving blueliner he’d been searching for since November.

What’s also significant about this trade is that Stillman agreed to waive his “no-trade” clause to facilitate the deal. He’s eligible for unrestricted free agency this summer and may have been told by Rutherford that he didn’t fit into their future plans. It’s also possible that Stillman could return to the Hurricanes this summer as an unrestricted free agent.

With the Hurricanes presently battling for their playoff lives Stillman obviously felt his best chance to play for another Cup champion this season lies with the Senators.

Stillman has proven himself to be a reliable top-six scorer in recent years, particularly in the playoffs, as he was a key factor in the Hurricanes’ 2006 Stanley Cup championship.

He’s currently on pace for 66 points this season, including a possible personal best of 30 goals, which should provide the Senators with that secondary scoring punch they’ve been lacking for some time.

What was surprising was that Rutherford agreed to part with Commodore, arguably his best defenseman over the last two seasons who was also quite popular with ‘Canes fans.

Still, the Hurricanes have had a dire need for a good offensive defenseman and as solid as Commodore has been defensively, he couldn’t address that offensive need, not as well as Corvo will be expected to.

Commodore should be a great fit on a Senators blueline that’s been in need of more defensive grit in recent weeks. His physical game should make him a welcome addition.

It’s been long rumored Rutherford was interested in Corvo, whose stats over the last three seasons have proven his offensive ability from the blueline. He should mesh well with Carolina’s offensive attack.

The one big fault against Corvo however is his defensive game, which can be average at best, and Hurricanes coach Peter Laviolette must put him with a more defensively responsible partner.

Eaves is a gamble for the Hurricanes. He’s been projected as a potential top six forward but injuries over the past two years have hampered his development, the most significant being a nasty concussion suffered during the opening round of the 2007 playoffs and a separated shoulder that sidelined him for 24 games this season.

It was rumored Rutherford had interest in Antoine Vermette, who’s eligible for RFA status in July, but it appears the Senators are keen to retain him, at least for the rest of this season.

If Eaves can shake off the injury bug that has plagued most of his short NHL career he could blossom into that scoring forward he’s expected to become one day.

It’ll also be easier for Rutherford to absorb the salaries of Corvo and Eaves than it will for Murray to re-sign Commodore and Stillman after this season.

Rutherford had just over $32 million committed to 12 players for next season, making it easy to absorb the remaining $5.5 million left over the last two years of Corvo’s contract and to re-sign Eaves, who earned $942K this season and is a restricted free agent at season’s end.

Murray on the other hand may have dumped Corvo’s $2.75 million per season cap hit, but it’s going to take a lot more than that to retain Stillman and Commodore. The former earned $1.75 million per season on his current contract, the latter $1.25 million, and both will be seeking significant raises this summer, which they’re bound to get on the open market if the Senators fail to re-sign them.

Murray was already facing a potential cap squeeze for next season having to re-sign Vermette, Andrej Meszaros, and Chris Kelly plus perhaps find a replacement for Wade Redden, who’ll likely be departing via the UFA market in July.

Retaining Stillman and Commodore, especially if they play well, will only make things more challenging for Murray.

In the first three months of this season the Ottawa Senators were the powerhouse of the Eastern Conference.

Unlike the Anaheim Ducks, who defeated them in the 2007 Stanley Cup finals, the Senators bolted from the gate this season playing like a team on a mission to avenge their woeful performance last spring and earn another shot at the Cup.

While the Ducks struggled through the usual “Stanley Cup hangover” that plagues finalists in recent years, the Senators were one of the best teams in the league, dominating the Eastern Conference and challenging the Detroit Red Wings for best team overall.

Goaltender Ray Emery was slow to recover from off-season wrist surgery but Martin Gerber stepped up and played well, at one point leading all Eastern Conference goalies in wins.

The Senators vaunted defense corps exhibited its usual skill, while the offense was again powered by Ottawa’s “big three” of Dany Heatley, Jason Spezza and team captain Daniel Alfredsson.

Throughout the fall new Senators GM Bryan Murray sought to bring in another scoring forward, and it seemed likely the Sens might deal from their blueline depth by the trade deadline to do so.

Otherwise, life was peachy in Canada’s capital city. The Senators were dominant, no one was even close to them in the Conference standings and they appeared destined to be this season’s “Beasts of the East”.

But since beating the Red Wings 3-2 in a nationally televised match-up on Hockey Night in Canada on January 12th, things have gone horribly wrong for the Senators, losing seven of their last ten games heading into the first full week of February, most of those losses to lesser teams.

It’s more than just a slump or a “Stanley Cup finals hangover” as some has suggested.

Gerber, who had played so well earlier in the season, has struggled between the pipes, as has Emery, whose clashes with teammates, coaches and management overshadow his poor play.

The defense, once the Senators strength, has been anything but over the past month, with uncharacteristic breakdowns and careless turnovers in their own zone.

In the aforementioned seven losses in their last ten games the Senators offense managed to score only 10 goals, a shocking decline in offensive production.

Much of that is attributable to injuries to Heatley and Alfredsson, but it's also demonstrated the Senators lack scoring depth beyond their first line.

It was a weakness exploited by the Ducks in last year’s finals, one that the injuries to Heatley and Alfredsson clearly show remains a significant problem.

Because of these problems, the seemingly insurmountable lead the Senators had over the rest of the Conference a month ago has been whittled away.

The Montreal Canadiens, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, New Jersey Devils and NY Rangers are all now within striking distance of the Senators, with only 8 points separating first overall from seventh in the Conference as of this writing.

Sub-par goaltending, shoddy defensive play and the injuries to Heatley and Alfredsson are wearing down the Senators.

Heatley and Alfredsson should eventually return soon and there’s more than enough defensive talent on the Senators to overcome their uncharacteristically poor play. Still, rivals have taken note that shutting down the Sens first line and pressuring their defense with a swift offensive attack can be keys to success.

But it's the goaltending that's the most difficult problem to address. For all the talk of Gerber and Emery having to step up their respective performances, thus far they’ve failed to rise to the challenge, and in the case of Emery, he’s seemingly becoming more of a distraction with each passing week.

Disgruntled Senators fans can call for Emery's trade or demotion but the reality is neither is really an option. As more than one pundit has observed, there's really no suitable replacement for Emery either on the farm or via trade.

If Gerber and Emery fail to measure up, it really won't matter if the offense and defense improves, because the Achilles heel in goal will not only prevent the Senators from returning to the Cup finals but could put their dominance of the Conference at risk.

For the first time in a long time, the Senators are facing a potentially serious mid-season crisis, which if not soon addressed has the potential to put their season in jeopardy.

The fear of the offer sheet has once again resulted in another potential restricted free agent being re-signed well before the summer of 2008.

This time it's center Mike Richards, who today has reportedly re-signed a contract extension with the Philadelphia Flyers.

Reportedly Richards' new contract is for twelve years and $69 million, breaking down to a cap hit of $5.75 million per season, with a "no-trade" clause that begins in the 2011-12 season. It's the second-longest contract in the NHL, behind the fifteen-year deal of the NY Islanders' Rick DiPietro.

It's not surprising that Holmgren made this move. Richards is enjoying a breakout season, leading the Flyers in goals, assists and points, but he's also perhaps their best defensive forward, with a+10 rating and is the only player on the team to score shorthanded this season, having done it three times.

Flyers GM Paul Holmgren had earlier stated his intent to re-sign his key RFAs like Richards, including forwards Jeff Carter and RJ Umberber, and we can likely expect more re-signing by Holmgren as the season progresses.

He obviously has no intention of allowing contract negotiations with his best RFAs to drag into next summer when those players could become potential offer sheet targets.

A number of talented young players are eligible for restricted free agent status next summer, including Washington's Alexander Ovechkin, Calgary's Dion Phaneuf, Florida's Jay Bouwmeester, Nashville's Shea Weber, Ottawa's Andrej Meszaros and St. Louis' Brad Boyes

But that list has been slowly but steadily shrinking, and most if not all of the aforementioned will likely re-sign with their current teams well before July 1, 2008.

**UPDATE** James Mirtle has a very interesting take on this signing on his blog, specifically the dangers lurking behind such lengthy contracts, citing Jose Theodore, Jim Carey and Sergei Samsonov to make the case. Even NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman privately doesn't believe they're a good idea under this CBA as it offers no opportunity for re-negotiation.

I concur with Mirtle and Bettman on this. While I understand the rationale behind these contracts, the length is fraught with peril, and if the player signed to that deal ends up a spent force midway through, it's a lot of precious cap space per season tied up in one player. Even demoting said player to the minors or buying them out is still a costly experienced for a team, even if it doesn't count against their cap space.