The shrinking cap is causing a major market correction for many unrestricted free agents right now.
The list of UFAs is as long today as it was yesterday. High supply. Low demand. Prices are low for the second tier UFAs. In most every other UFA market, veteran contributors like Brenden Morrow, Damien Brunner, Mason Raymond, Brad Boyes, Teemu Selanne, Mikhail Grabovski, and Tim Connolly to name a few, would be already signed with their new teams. Not now. The new NHL collective bargaining agreement calls for a league-mandated shrinkage in cap spending this season. Say goodbye to $70.4 million and say hello to $64.3 million.
Connolly, the former Buffalo Sabres center (most recently of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Marlies) counts himself among the forgotten ones. Have job, Connolly will travel.
Problem being, no one is calling Connolly's agent, J.P. Barry, to inquire about the status of his long time client. Rumors of Connolly's retirement have been greatly exaggerated. Barry to the Syracuse Post Dispatch on Wednesday that Connolly, 32, is
not retiring. Barry says Connolly wants to keep playing. The first wave of the UFA market came and went in October. The second phase has been slow to materialize, with 30 NHL GMs currently re-assessing their lineups to see exactly what ingredients they have in their organizations right now. There are three and a half weeks remaining until NHL training camps open and Barry says that Connolly, hopes to receive a few contract offers in the next month.
"Right now, Tim wants to take some time and find the right situation for himself,'' Barry said Wednesday. "He's being patient. I think he's just taking a pause now. He's been through some injuries. He just wants his body to heal. I think there will be a demand for him when he decides to play. I think he understands most of the teams are going to look at younger players first.''
Take the Sabres for example. Darcy Regier knows what Connolly can do. The GM is eager to see what his troika of young centers Mikhail Grigorenko, Zemgus Girgensons, and Johan Larsson can do in their first official Buffalo Sabres training camp. Regier has three young stud centers that he's ready to evaluate in seven exhibition games. Why would he want to take a flyer on an oft-injured, seriously depreciated 32 year old Connolly?
In case you forgot, the final year of Connolly's $4.5 million contract buried by the Leafs in the AHL, where he played 28 games in 2013. He scored five goals and added seven assists.
Playing in Europe is not an option right now for Connolly.
"I'm sure we're going to get more calls here in the next month,'' Barry said. "We'll wait and see what oppoortunities present. He's a pro. He understands the situation.''
Connolly, the #5 overall pick by the NY Islanders in 1999, was traded to Buffalo for Michael Peca. He has played in 697 NHL games for the Islanders, Sabres and Leafs, compiling 131 goals and 300 assists.
Here's Connolly's last sequence of action for the Buffalo Sabres. Brutal hit, Terrible luck with injuries.
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Time now for Colorado Avalanche Numerology:
Tell me what the following three numbers have in common:
3.12
31.4
$10+ Million
The Avalanche can boast all they want about the all-world forwards, led by Landeskog, O'Reilly, Duchene, MacKinnon, Tanguay, Stastny, and Parentau, among others.
Who is going to block enemy shots? Who is going to defend in the Avs end of the rink? Who is going to break the puck out to the high-octane forwards?
Erik Johnson cannot skate 60-65 minutes a game.
Patrick Roy and Joe Sakic should be very anxious right now with their sad sack collection of pedestrian defenders, which includes: Cory Sarich, Andre Benoit, Jan Hejda, Ryan Wilson, Matt Hunwick and Tyson Barrie.
Former first overall pick in the NHL Draft, Erik Johnson is the exception to the rule in Denver right now. He's the only D who is worthy of praise. The rest of the D corps is a group of
has-been's and
never-will-be's.
3.12: Colorado Avalanche's team GAA in 2013. 26th ranked in NHL.
31.4: Colorado Avalanche's shots against in 2013. 24th ranked in NHL.
$10+ Million: Colorado Avalanche's available cap space for 2013-14.
Patrick Roy better call Darcy Regier to discuss a trade for an NHL echelon D, before Avs training camp begins on September 11th.
Ten NHL-quality D will show up to Sabres training camp for physicals on 9/11. Among them will be:
Tyler Myers
Christian Ehrhoff
Hank Tallinder
Mike Weber
Mark Pysyk
Alex Sulzer
Rasmus Ristolainen
Chadd Ruhwedel
Jamie McBain
Brayden McNabb
Myers, Ehrhoff, Tallinder, and Weber are assured of jobs. the other five D will slug it out for the 5th and 6th jobs.
Pysyk is all but a lead pipe lock to secure a starting six job based on his rock solid 2013 performance in Buffalo. Sulzer is intriguing to me. He has played so well with Ehrhoff ever since the Hodgson trade at the 2011 trade deadline, however, he may be nudged out of Buffalo by Ristolainen, who will make a serious run at a starting six job. If Ristolainen lands one, then Sulzer, and, McBain, who was acquired from Carolina in exchange for Reggie Sekera, will become the odd men out. Sulzer was free to test the market as a UFA, however, chose instead to re-sign in Buffalo. Why would he have re-signed in Buffalo if he knew that he would be traded? For this reason, I think that Sulzer is a keeper. Which
Ruhwedel and McNabb would be top pair guys in Rochester. Both have played NHL games and Rolston would have no hesitation calling one or both up to Buffalo in the event of injury or inconsistent play from an incumbent-veteran.
Were I Regier, I would entertain trading McBain and Sulzer to Colorado.
Buffalo has a surplus of D. The Avs have a Vitamin D deficiency. However, the Avs have a surplus of forwards.
Looks like the two teams can help one another by trading assets.
A player that I would be focused on, were I Regier, is rambunctious RW Steve Downie.
The Atlantic Division will be nastiest division in hockey now that Toronto, Montreal, Boston, and Tampa have loaded up on bangers. Downie is a former first rounder (29th overall in 2005) who can throw hands and can scored. Look at his production from 2009-10 while with Tapa when he scored 22 goals, added 24 assists and collected 208 PIMs. He was =14 that season. Injuries have hampered him since then.
There's nothing wrong with adding jam and sandpaper to a youthful lineup. At age 26, Downie has one year year remaining on his current deal which will make him a $2.65 million cap his this season.
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