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With big names such as Kevin Shattenkirk, Alex Radulov and Karl Alzner off the board, NHL clubs have transitioned from the wildly frenetic pace of the July 1 frenzy to looking for Plan B options in free agency or if they can find an answer for their area of need in the trade market.
For teams like the Montreal Canadiens, the music has stopped and found them without a legitimate first line center, weakened offensively with Radulov’s departure to Dallas and with Alex Galchenyuk and Andrei Markov unsigned.
Does that mean that GM Marc Bergevin trades Galchenyuk to get a center in Matt Duchene? Does he re-sign the 38-year-old Markov for his asking price of $6 Million per season? Will he replace Radulov with another ex-KHLer in Ilya Kovalchuk or the venerable Jaromir Jagr??
Another team that may be looking to make an impact move is the Carolina Hurricanes. GM Ron Francis has been busy making additions to his young squad, trading with Chicago for goaltender Scott Darling, signing veteran winger Justin Williams and the latest being the acquisition of center Markus Kruger from Vegas.
The Canes also added to his already stacked blueline by trading for Trevor van Riemsdyk (who played with Brett Pesce at the University of New Hampshire). That gives Francis six defenseman under the age of 26 and two blueline prospects in Haydn Fleury and Jake Bean waiting in the wings.
Even with the addition of veterans Kruger and Williams, many feel that head coach Bill Peters does not have enough offensive firepower to get Carolina in the playoffs, but Francis has valuable commodities that a number of teams would be interested in.
With the signing of free agent winger Patrick Marleau, the Toronto Maple Leafs added a leader to their dressing room and a consistent offensive performer on the ice, but it also gives GM Lou Lamoriello options in potentially swapping forward depth to bolster the blueline.
Marleau’s $6.25 Million salary over the next three years can mostly be offset by Nathan Horton’s $5.3 Million cap hit being placed on LTIR, which means that the Leafs do not have to deal winger James van Riemsdyk to clear cap space, but moving him may be the best way that Toronto can improve their defense to contend in the East.
It might be an attractive scenario for Carolina to acquire the elder van Riemsdyk to reunite him with his brother and extend the 28-year-old, while the Leafs would get a Justin Faulk or one of the young blueliners they need without giving up any of their young assets.
Lamoriello could re-sign Roman Polak or other right-handed shooters like Cody Franson or Dennis Wideman as a stop-gap, but that would put Toronto right up against the cap and not significantly improve their back end.
Adding Marleau is clearly a signal that the Leafs want to be competitive next season, but that will not be possible if they do not make a corresponding big move to upgrade their blueline. *******If you are interested in sponsorship or advertising your business in the Greater Toronto / Southern Ontario area on this column, please send a message for more information by clicking on the “Contact… button at the top of the page.******* KINDLE USERS: Please sign up for Maple Leafs Buzz, which includes a free-of-charge 14-day trial and is just 99 cents per month afterwards. For more information click here.