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My Quick Takes on The First Four Days of Free Agency, View on Rangers |
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Happy Fourth of July to all those celebrating.
I started doing the below on my blog the first day of free agency, but continued it on my own the past several days. Noted below is many - not all - of the free agent signings in order of signing with a quick one-liner for each. What was written has not been changed, so it's possible, though unlikely, my view might have been changed over what transpired as free agency chugged along. Some of what was written was done so in the prism of how it impacts the Rangers, but for the most part, I tried to evaluate it without focusing on New York. I broke up the list into groups of 10 to make it easier to read and the Rangers signings are bolded.
- Manny Malhotra - one year deal for $850k with Montreal
- Christian Ehrhoff - one-year deal for $4mil with Pittsburgh
- Benoit Pouliot - five years and $20 mil from Edmonton
- Mark Fayne - four years and $14.5 mil from Edmonton
- Paul Stastny - four years, $28 mil to St. Louis
- Michael Cammalleri - five years, $25 million to New Jersey
- Clayton Stoner - four years, $13 million to Anaheim
- Tom Gilbert - two years for $5.6 mil to Montreal
- Dan Boyle - two years and $9 million to Rangers
- Jussi Jokinen- four years and $16 million to Florida
I would have liked Malhotra and his faceoff ability, especially at that price, for the fourth line, despite his poor puck possesion. Pitt got a great deal with Ehrhoff, who obviously really wanted to go there based on dollars and years. Think we are all blown away on what Pouliot got and pretty fair deal for Fayne, maybe a year too long, but dollars at a reasonable price and he helps out a weak Edm defense. Stastny went where everyone thought he would go and gives the Blues a 1-2 combo of Stastny-Backes while Dallas now has Seguin-Spezza after the trade earlier today. In addition, St. Louis did not have to go 6-7 years to get him. Cammalleri surprised me a bit, both in years and dollars and fact he went to New Jersey but he should help that offense. Stoner was someone several on the blog wanted as a Stralman replacement, especially since Gorges went to Buffalo and Gilbert signed in Montreal. Of course, all that was obviated by the Rangers adding Boyle. Years were what I expected, dollars less so, since he was offered more elsewhere. Jokinen was a maybe for the third line in NY, but he took the cash and plays with Barkov, Bjugstad, Huberdeau and Ekblad in Florida. Look for him to have a very good year on Barkov's wing.
- Mason Raymond - three years for $9.5 million to Calgary
- Dave Bolland - five years and $27.5 mil to Florida
- Ales Hemsky - three years and $12 mil to Dallas
- Anders Lindback - one year at $950k to Dallas
- Ryan Miller - three years at $6.5 mil per to Vancouver
- Thomas Greiss - one-year, $1 mil, signed by Pitt
- Brooks Orpik - five years and $27.5 mil to Wash
- Brian Gionta - three years and $12.75 mil to Buffalo
- Matthieu Perreault - three years and $9 to Winnipeg
- Jonas Hiller - two years for $9 mil to Calgary
Raymond was another maybe for the third line but not at those years or dollars, but it may be solid for Calgary, who had to overpay a bit to get him. Agreed with Jokinen signing, not the Bolland one, too much for a third-line center. Hemsky gives Spezza a possible running mate, at a decent cost, while Lindback is a decent back up to Lehtonen, though Dallas might have been able to do better. Miller was rumored to go to Vancouver, but that's a bit higher than I thought but it is a relatively short-term deal. Guess Jacob Markstrom gets relegated to the AHL again. If MAF struggles again, Pitt has a nice back up in Greiss, who stood in well for Mike Smith when he was injured last season (updated, thanks to those who pointed out my mistake and I was thinking Alex Stalock when I referenced Griess). The Orpik signing is a headshaker, both years and dollars but he does bring leadership which was lacking in Wash. A player needed by Wash but one who seemed to regress last season. Gionta joins Gorges in providing leadership in Buff and $ were to help hit floor, but that's expensive for leadership. Really good signing by the Jets, gives them a second center in Perreault with upside and he is someone I really wanted in NY. Hiller seemed to regress last year but Calgary clearly wanted a goalie they view as a #1 with Kari Ramo as the back up
- Justin Peters - two years, $1.9 mil to Washington
- Thomas Vanek - three years, $19.5 mil to Minnesota
- Stephane Robidas - three years to Toronto
- Dominic Moore - two years and $3 mil back in NY
- Tanner Glass - three years at $1.45 mil per in NY
- Martin Havlat - one-year, $1.5 million with NJ
- Matt Moulson - five years, $25 million with Buffalo
- Jarome Iginla - three years, $16 mil with Colorado
- Anton Stralman - five years and $22.5 mil with Tampa
- Brad Richards - one year and $2 mil from Chicago
Peters gives Wash a nice back up to Holtby as he played fairly well when Cam Ward was out last year. Vanek had long been rumored to go to Min, where he played college hockey. You have to wonder if his poor playoffs resulted in an offer of less years or he opted for it to build back up his credentials. Robidas is a nice add to the Leafs blue line. I am very happy with Moore re-signing and $ are slightly less than what I expected. I can't say the same thing about Glass, towards bottom or last in possession per extra skater the past several seasons and would have rathered they kept Dorsett or re-signed Carcillo, who would have been cheaper. Havlat has been injury prone but when healthy last year, his 1.85 points/60 min of 5x5 would have ranked second behin Jagr on Devils. Moulson goes back to where he dealt last year as Buff needs to get up to floor, though still think they are in the McDavid and Eichel sweepstakes but a few years down the road, watch out. Iginla was rumored to be deciding also between TB and Van, Colorado gets a solid, aging winger. How will he stand up to the speed in the Western Conference and does he play with Duchesne or MacKinnon? Rumor is with MacKinnon and Landeskog, heck of a line. Very good deal for Tampa in getting Stralman, who may just be scratching the surface of how good he will be. Five years maybe a year high but $ around $500k to a mil less than expected but he makes that up with no state taxes in Florida. Nice trio with Stralman, Hedman and Garrison plus Carle and Gudas. Richards lands in a great spot in Chicago and allows Tuevo Teravanian to develop while filling a second/third line center and PP role on the cheap.
- Matt Niskanen - seven years and $40.25 mil from Washington
- Willie Mitchell - two years, $8.25 mil from Florida
- Brian Boyle - three years and $6 mil from Tampa
- Derek McKenzie - three years, $3.9 million to Florida
- Steve Downie - one year, $1 million to Pitt
- Olli Jokinen - one year, $2.5 million to Nashville
- Radim Vrbata - two years, $10 mil to Vancouver
- Mike Santorelli - one year, $1.5 to Toronto
- David Legwand - two years, $6 mil to Ottawa
Niskanen makes Mike Green expendable and parlays one good year into a monster deal with a full NMC. A lot of money for that one breakout campaign. Mitchell will be a nice veteran presence in Florida for Ekblad. Great signing by Tampa of Boyle, who is reunited with Callahan. It had to be that Cally convinced him or his wife, who is from Orlando, wanted him to go there because there is no no reason why the Rangers could not have matched that. AV said he didn't want to give Boyle a bigger role, so maybe he will play third line in Tampa, but that's unlikely. McKenzie gives Florida a nice third/fourth line center. After striking out on a few players, Pitt gets a possible second line player, albeit one coming off of injury. Downie also is reunited with his former coach, Rick Tocchet. Nashville was spurned all over, so they turned to Jokinen. Grabovski and Kulemin seemed to have ended up as a package deal, as each were rumored to go elsewhere, Kulemin to Pitt and Grabo to Nash. The Islanders now have Taveras-Grabovksi-Nielsen down the middle while I view Kulemin as more of a third line winger. Look for the Islanders to deal some forward depth for a defenseman. Vrbata only opts for a two year deal for more money rather than the longer term ones on the table. He is expected to play with the Twins, though the $ are a bit high. Also, Vrbata will be 35 when this deal ends, so he may only get one-year deals in the future. Santorelli could see time with Phil Kessel and his ability to play center or wing makes him a useful piece for the Maple Leafs. Legwand may have been the best center left and Ottawa signed him to a solid contract. He should center the second there. I would have liked either Santorelli or Legwand for the Rangers, as each would have been a nice fit for the second or third line, so really bad effort on either by GM Glen Sather.
Rangers:
With Vrbata, Santorelli and Legwand gone, the options offensively for the Rangers have dwindled. Maybe it's having only $14.6 million left to re-sign Zuccarello, Brassard, Kreider and John Moore that is making Sather gun-shy, but it's looking more and more than three of the 12 forwards will be made up of young players with no or spotty track records. Last year, depth was a key component to the Rangers' Stanley Cup Finals, this year, that depth looks to be in major question.
So who is left? Mike Ribeiro, Steve Ott, Derek Roy, Lee Stempniak, Devin Setoguchi, Dustin Penner, Dany Heatley, Peter Mueller, Ryan Carter and Daniel Winnik are likely the biggest names left with Vrbata, Santorelli and Legwand gone. As I wrote the other day, seeing the hole down the middle in NY, if they could get Ribeiro, who has something to prove, at a decent price, or possibly Ott, that might be the first focus. I would take a shot at Mueller or Stempniak if he comes at a decent rate and then someone like Carter or bring back Carcillo for the fourth line. If none of those pan out, expect to see Miller, Fast and Lindberg making up one-quarter of the 12 active skaters nightly. When you add in Tanner Glass, you can see why many of us are concerned about the current roster construction. Maybe Anthony Duclair earns a spot in training camp, but that's a big jump for someone who payed last year in juniors to make. Right now, the Rangers have regressed from where they were at the end of the season, it remains to be seen what happens the next close to three months to narrow the gap between them and others in the Eastern Conference and Metro Division before the season starts.
New York Rangers Blogger • 
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