The number of notable free agents still available in this
summer’s NHL UFA free agent market has shrunk considerably, and over the past
two days the list grew even smaller with the announced signings of veteran forwards
Pavol Demitra and Sergei Fedorov.
Demitra signed with the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday, while
on Wednesday the Washington Capitals announced a one-year, $4 million contract
enticed Fedorov to return.
Neither signing was unexpected. Demitra’s former agent is
Canucks GM Mike Gillis and it’s been rumored for some time that Demitra would
land in Vancouver, while the Capitals made no secret of their willingness to
bring Fedorov back into the fold.
Demitra will be expected to replace the offensive gap left by former
captain Markus Naslund, who signed last week with the NY Rangers as a UFA, but
it seems at this point he’s scarcely an upgrade. Demitra and Naslund had
virtually the same number of points last season and unlike Naslund has been
frequently hampered by injury over the past four NHL seasons.
If the injury bug continues to bite Demitra next season it could
have an adverse effect on his performance which won’t bode well for a Canucks
team hoping to bolster their offensive production.
Fedorov isn’t the superstar he once was during his days with
the Detroit Red Wings and appeared last season headed toward retirement or playing out his
days in Russia until he was dealt by the Columbus Blue Jackets to the
Washington Capitals, where he enjoyed an offensive resurgence, with 13 point in
18 regular season games and five points in seven playoff games.
$4 million seems a bit steep for a declining star like
Fedorov but the term is right and he brings other intangibles, such as
experience and leadership, to a young Capitals team. If he can contribute even 50 points this
season and help the Caps advance beyond the first round of the playoffs that
will be consider $4 million will spent.
The Blue Jackets shipped out another potential UFA veteran, trading forward Sergei Fedorov to the Washington Capitals in exchange for prospect Ted Ruth.
Federov’s stock – particularly his offensive production - has been in significant decline since he signed with Anaheim as a UFA back in 2003, something a trade to Columbus in 2005 was unable to fix.
Still, Fedorov proved himself valuable in a defensive role over the last two years with the Blue Jackets, able to play every forward position as well as defense when called upon.
His versatility could make him useful in a defensive role for the Capitals and some might expect him to center fellow Russian Alexander Ovechkin's line, but it’s expected he’ll be plugged into Washington’s second line.
Fedorov might also be able to fill a leadership role for the relatively young Capitals as they battle down the stretch for a playoff berth.
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.
