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Carolina Hurricanes Blogger •
My turn at playing Canes GM last week focused mostly on yes/no decisions on 08-09 Canes who are free agents this summer. After a good 08-09 season and run all the way to the Eastern Conference finals, with some contract/budget limitations for this summer and with more players coming off contract next summer, I would expect this summer to be a calm 1 with regard to the free agent frenzy. But there are a couple holes that need to be filled eventually and the usual list of players available to the highest bidder starting July.
So here is my 2 cents on which players might make sense for the Canes to at least look at.
First, the shopping list:
Assuming things go as planned with restricted free agents and the prioritized unrestricted free agents who were wearning Canes uniforms only a few weeks ago, there is no need to fill in a bunch of depth. Most of that is there. Instead, GM Jim Rutherford might look to fire a couple focused shots at guys who fill bigger needs.
Looking at right now and then leaning out another year, I think the shopping list goes like this:
1a) A top-tier defenseman capable of pairing with Joni Pitkanen to make a decent number 1 pairing.
1b) A scoring wing with a decent offense arsenal to fill out Staal's line with a pure 1st line player.
Assuming no new openings created by a trade, I really think that is the extent of what the Canes might be shopping for that would be an immediate need (not necessarily a must have - they can be competitive with neither of these). I think there is a 2nd tier of needs that are more likely addressed next summer, but could be addressed sooner if an offer you can't refuse comes along this summer.
2a) A 2nd line center. A combination of Cullen, maybe a recharged BrindAmour and possibly Jokinen provide enough options that this can probably wait until next summer when Cullen comes off contract. Longer term, I think the Canes want younger and bigger in this spot, so even if he stays Cullen probably falls to #3. But most likely this is a summer of 2010 question.
2b) The 4th top 4 defenseman for Corvo's spot. First, it is very possibly that this spot is filled going forward by none other than Corvo himself. He and Gleason fit well together in terms of style of complementary skill sets, and they only look better if they become a 2nd pairing instead of a 1st. And if you wait out 09-10, there is even a chance that 1 of the kids surprises and gives you a top 4 for next season in the super cheap price range. Best bet again is that this is a summer 2010 question unless something too good to pass up arises.
So it would be more exciting and stir much more debate for me to name a bunch of players who could fill various needs and make sense for the Canes this summer. But the less exciting truth is that I think GM Jim Rutherford's list of potential unrestricted free agents is very very short.
For 1a-The top-tier defenseman to pair with Pitkanen. We are looking for the big/physical/nasty/stay-home type that complements Pitkanen's skating and puck-moving abilities. 1a is the guy who cleans the front of the net. 1a is the guy who retrieves the puck on the boards and gets it to Pitkanen headed the other way. 1a is the guy who cleans up the occasional Pitkanen or forward mess. Also to pair with Pitkanen, he is a right shot. If you get another left side defenseman who does not fit with Pitkanen, you make the middle of the defense deeper and better. But this misses the aim which is to get better at the top.
I really see only 1 guy who fits this description - Mike Komisarek. If I could pick only 1 addition this summer (a reasonable 1), he would be it. He is the perfect complementary player in terms of skill set to go with Pitkanen. He is coming off a mediocre season in Montreal, so just maybe he can be had for a reasonable $4.5M/year not the "it's going to take a crazy bid to get him" $6M-6.5M/year.
The only other guy who comes close is Ohlund. For the right price, I would take his more proven track record and the slightly higher age that comes with it. The big issue is that he is another left defenseman which just bumps either him or Pitkanen to a 2nd pairing which makes the team deeper but helps little at the top end.
For me, everyone else looks like a good 2nd pairing option, and I just do not care to spend the money there. Our issue is not depth on defense. It is the ability to put 2 guys out there against the other team's best line knowing they can get the job done.
The other guys that others might like:
--Boynton. He is the right type of player in terms of playing physical and nasty and being a right shot, but he is more of a 4th defenseman whose mobility just is not enough to be a true 1st pairing guy.
--Scuderi. He was great in the playoffs. Might he be a guy just hitting his prime? Sure-and that is exactly what you will have to pay for to get him. But might he also be a guy who just played his best year of hockey? I fear so. The problem is that you pay for the best you can possibly get, but people underestimate the possibility that he is something less than that going forward. He was a borderline top 4 at best for a bunch of years coming into this one. The chance of him returning to that makes him too expensive for me.
--Beauchemin. First, there is the major surgery recovery thing. Then you have to consider that he has played the past years with the other guy being the better defenseman (and 1 of the best in the league) with Pronger and Niedermayer around. Might he be capable of being the top guy himself? I think there is a decent possibility of that. But I am not going to be the 1 who pays a fortune for something that he has not proven he can do yet.
--Mara. He is another left shot and looks much more like a #4 than a #2 anyway. If I were filling out the middle part of my defense, I would be high on him. He is big. He brings some nasty. He is at least acceptable on the power play with a big shot and okay puck handling ability. But again, I am looking very specifically for a top pairing guy, and Mara comes up short.
The "he just is not a top pairing guy" argument is what I say to about every other free agent defenseman not named Niedermayer or Bouwmeester (and I do not figure Raleigh to be a probable destination for either of them).
As far as the scoring wing goes, most of the 2009 options are veteran placeholders for the real thing. Pittsburgh showed that you can get by with this kind of player in the playoffs. In fact, a big part of this summer's wing free agent list just etched their names on the Cup -- Guerin, Fedotenko, Sykora, Satan. But I think most of these kind of guys are better picked up at the trade deadline where the cost is a draft pick not in the summer when the cost is a 2 or 3 year commitment.
As for the big names:
--Gaborik. Just too big of an injury risk for a team that is not desperate to do something. I pass.
--Hossa. Seems too unlikely and also too expensive.
--Havlat. Again the injury thing and also the price.
--Cammalleri. Again price.
--Sedins. No room for 2.
First, though it is not the ideal long-term solution, I think it is important to note that the Canes can get by (and even be good doing so) if they go with the 08-09 formula of plugging a decent physical player like Ruutu or Cole into this slot. So the team is not in a do or die situation. Because of that, I think Rutherford will look very selectively and opportunistically (meaning cheaply) if at all.
I am on record as liking Brian Gionta but only if the price is right - something like $2M/year. If someone else is willing to bet that Gionta returns to 35-40 goal form and will pay almost $4M for it, they can have him. But at a bargain price, I just might take a chance on a guy who is only 30 years old and has a decent bag of offensive tools.
There are a few other guys who could fit short-term for the right price. I would pass in a second on 3 years on Kovalev and probably even 2, but if I could have him for 1 year he still has the offensive skills to complement Staal and Whitney on their right side. Tanguay is another decent scorer who could fit for the right price. But ultimately, I think Rutherford is shopping for something bigger and better than he can afford in the free agent market and could be forced to make a big trade next summer when a couple guys come off contract and there is a little money available.
Summary: I really like Komisarek to fill the spot next to Pitkanen as long as the price is not crazy. I think the long list of decent defensemen is a trap because it just makes the middle of our defense better. We can do this with players we have. The real area for potential improvement is the top pairing. At forward, I think the shopping list is just that 1 wing to play with Staal. I do not see any perfect options, figure this most likely gets put on hold until next summer, but I do like Brian Gionta for a short contract (2 years) at a discounted price. I just do not see any of the big name wings ending up in Raleigh and figure Rutherford has to address this next summer most likely via trade.
Give me Komisarek for 4 years at $4.5M/year, and most of the rest of last year's team, and I am happy and ready to go for October.
Go Canes!
So here is my 2 cents on which players might make sense for the Canes to at least look at.
First, the shopping list:
Assuming things go as planned with restricted free agents and the prioritized unrestricted free agents who were wearning Canes uniforms only a few weeks ago, there is no need to fill in a bunch of depth. Most of that is there. Instead, GM Jim Rutherford might look to fire a couple focused shots at guys who fill bigger needs.
Looking at right now and then leaning out another year, I think the shopping list goes like this:
1a) A top-tier defenseman capable of pairing with Joni Pitkanen to make a decent number 1 pairing.
1b) A scoring wing with a decent offense arsenal to fill out Staal's line with a pure 1st line player.
Assuming no new openings created by a trade, I really think that is the extent of what the Canes might be shopping for that would be an immediate need (not necessarily a must have - they can be competitive with neither of these). I think there is a 2nd tier of needs that are more likely addressed next summer, but could be addressed sooner if an offer you can't refuse comes along this summer.
2a) A 2nd line center. A combination of Cullen, maybe a recharged BrindAmour and possibly Jokinen provide enough options that this can probably wait until next summer when Cullen comes off contract. Longer term, I think the Canes want younger and bigger in this spot, so even if he stays Cullen probably falls to #3. But most likely this is a summer of 2010 question.
2b) The 4th top 4 defenseman for Corvo's spot. First, it is very possibly that this spot is filled going forward by none other than Corvo himself. He and Gleason fit well together in terms of style of complementary skill sets, and they only look better if they become a 2nd pairing instead of a 1st. And if you wait out 09-10, there is even a chance that 1 of the kids surprises and gives you a top 4 for next season in the super cheap price range. Best bet again is that this is a summer 2010 question unless something too good to pass up arises.
So it would be more exciting and stir much more debate for me to name a bunch of players who could fill various needs and make sense for the Canes this summer. But the less exciting truth is that I think GM Jim Rutherford's list of potential unrestricted free agents is very very short.
For 1a-The top-tier defenseman to pair with Pitkanen. We are looking for the big/physical/nasty/stay-home type that complements Pitkanen's skating and puck-moving abilities. 1a is the guy who cleans the front of the net. 1a is the guy who retrieves the puck on the boards and gets it to Pitkanen headed the other way. 1a is the guy who cleans up the occasional Pitkanen or forward mess. Also to pair with Pitkanen, he is a right shot. If you get another left side defenseman who does not fit with Pitkanen, you make the middle of the defense deeper and better. But this misses the aim which is to get better at the top.
I really see only 1 guy who fits this description - Mike Komisarek. If I could pick only 1 addition this summer (a reasonable 1), he would be it. He is the perfect complementary player in terms of skill set to go with Pitkanen. He is coming off a mediocre season in Montreal, so just maybe he can be had for a reasonable $4.5M/year not the "it's going to take a crazy bid to get him" $6M-6.5M/year.
The only other guy who comes close is Ohlund. For the right price, I would take his more proven track record and the slightly higher age that comes with it. The big issue is that he is another left defenseman which just bumps either him or Pitkanen to a 2nd pairing which makes the team deeper but helps little at the top end.
For me, everyone else looks like a good 2nd pairing option, and I just do not care to spend the money there. Our issue is not depth on defense. It is the ability to put 2 guys out there against the other team's best line knowing they can get the job done.
The other guys that others might like:
--Boynton. He is the right type of player in terms of playing physical and nasty and being a right shot, but he is more of a 4th defenseman whose mobility just is not enough to be a true 1st pairing guy.
--Scuderi. He was great in the playoffs. Might he be a guy just hitting his prime? Sure-and that is exactly what you will have to pay for to get him. But might he also be a guy who just played his best year of hockey? I fear so. The problem is that you pay for the best you can possibly get, but people underestimate the possibility that he is something less than that going forward. He was a borderline top 4 at best for a bunch of years coming into this one. The chance of him returning to that makes him too expensive for me.
--Beauchemin. First, there is the major surgery recovery thing. Then you have to consider that he has played the past years with the other guy being the better defenseman (and 1 of the best in the league) with Pronger and Niedermayer around. Might he be capable of being the top guy himself? I think there is a decent possibility of that. But I am not going to be the 1 who pays a fortune for something that he has not proven he can do yet.
--Mara. He is another left shot and looks much more like a #4 than a #2 anyway. If I were filling out the middle part of my defense, I would be high on him. He is big. He brings some nasty. He is at least acceptable on the power play with a big shot and okay puck handling ability. But again, I am looking very specifically for a top pairing guy, and Mara comes up short.
The "he just is not a top pairing guy" argument is what I say to about every other free agent defenseman not named Niedermayer or Bouwmeester (and I do not figure Raleigh to be a probable destination for either of them).
As far as the scoring wing goes, most of the 2009 options are veteran placeholders for the real thing. Pittsburgh showed that you can get by with this kind of player in the playoffs. In fact, a big part of this summer's wing free agent list just etched their names on the Cup -- Guerin, Fedotenko, Sykora, Satan. But I think most of these kind of guys are better picked up at the trade deadline where the cost is a draft pick not in the summer when the cost is a 2 or 3 year commitment.
As for the big names:
--Gaborik. Just too big of an injury risk for a team that is not desperate to do something. I pass.
--Hossa. Seems too unlikely and also too expensive.
--Havlat. Again the injury thing and also the price.
--Cammalleri. Again price.
--Sedins. No room for 2.
First, though it is not the ideal long-term solution, I think it is important to note that the Canes can get by (and even be good doing so) if they go with the 08-09 formula of plugging a decent physical player like Ruutu or Cole into this slot. So the team is not in a do or die situation. Because of that, I think Rutherford will look very selectively and opportunistically (meaning cheaply) if at all.
I am on record as liking Brian Gionta but only if the price is right - something like $2M/year. If someone else is willing to bet that Gionta returns to 35-40 goal form and will pay almost $4M for it, they can have him. But at a bargain price, I just might take a chance on a guy who is only 30 years old and has a decent bag of offensive tools.
There are a few other guys who could fit short-term for the right price. I would pass in a second on 3 years on Kovalev and probably even 2, but if I could have him for 1 year he still has the offensive skills to complement Staal and Whitney on their right side. Tanguay is another decent scorer who could fit for the right price. But ultimately, I think Rutherford is shopping for something bigger and better than he can afford in the free agent market and could be forced to make a big trade next summer when a couple guys come off contract and there is a little money available.
Summary: I really like Komisarek to fill the spot next to Pitkanen as long as the price is not crazy. I think the long list of decent defensemen is a trap because it just makes the middle of our defense better. We can do this with players we have. The real area for potential improvement is the top pairing. At forward, I think the shopping list is just that 1 wing to play with Staal. I do not see any perfect options, figure this most likely gets put on hold until next summer, but I do like Brian Gionta for a short contract (2 years) at a discounted price. I just do not see any of the big name wings ending up in Raleigh and figure Rutherford has to address this next summer most likely via trade.
Give me Komisarek for 4 years at $4.5M/year, and most of the rest of last year's team, and I am happy and ready to go for October.
Go Canes!
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