HOCK.ly - Future of Hockey Content Free Agency Edition | Page 37

TEAM REPORTS

CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS

The Champs are hoping this a much less painful offseason than the one in 2010. There’s no questioning they have their salary cap challenges, but with the emergence of certain players as well as potential minor graduates, they appear to be in decent shape. Stan Bowman does not have a lot of time to get to business though.

Playoff hero and current UFA, Bryan Bickell is his main priority. After earning close to league minimum the last 3 years, Bickell and his agent will be seeking closer to 3.5-4 million annually. The Hawks have to be very careful not too spend to much on the burly left winger, however, replacing him through free agency would prove to be extremely difficult.

For a big Bickell signing, another player from the infamous killer B’s may be dealt to relieve some cap space. Dave Bolland is reportedly being shopped aggressively by Bowman and should garner a nice return. Look for the Hawks to reacquire some draft picks after dealing this year’s 2nd and 3rd rounders for Johnny Oduya in 2012 and Bolland could help with that.

The Hawks will likely send Stalberg, Emery, Mayers and Handzus home with a parting gift with the latter two potential retiring. There is a chance that Michal Rozsival returns but only if he stays at a friendly cap hit.

Marcus Kruger and Nick Leddy should be resigned shortly as Bowman’s 2 main RFAs. Leddy may pose a problem in contract negotiations but except Hawks management to play hardball.

Crawford will see a new companion sitting on the bench as his backup this upcoming year. Antti Raanta with his 1.4 million dollar cap hit may be that person unless Bowman finds a slightly cheaper option.

If the Hawks are unable to shift some dollars they better hope Ben Smith, Jeremy Morin, Adam Clendening and Ryan Stanton can help

this team with their attempt to repeat.

Tyler Cameron @tycam Hockeyindependent.com

EDMONTON OILERS

The Oilers are at a crossroads. They have the best young talent in the league and the most impressive in years. They have cap space now, but with great talent comes great paydays and that is inevitable with these young Oilers.

With Eberle and Hall looked in, new GM Craig MacTavish will reportedly buyout Shawn Horcoff, who has 11 million left over the next couple of years on his contract. While that is a logical choice, Ales Hemsky might be a tougher decision is MacTavish cannot find a suitor for him on the trade market. With only one-year remaining, it shouldn’t be too hard but don’t expect a huge return.

Sam Gagner leads the way in priority, as he is an RFA, reportedly looking for 4-5 million per season. There is the thought that he could be moved though if he’s not resigned here shortly. Magnus Paajarvi and Theo Peckham are also on the RFA list and should be retained. Jumping to pending UFAs, Nikolai Khabibulin, Ryan Jones, Ryan Whitney and Mark Fistric appear to be testing the open waters.

It’s also no secret that the Oilers are looking for an upgrade between the pipes. Jonathan Bernier started the goalie movement and there are plenty of whispers of a couple more available. There isn’t much on the free agent wire as of July 5th and as much as Oiler fans cringe at potentially bringing in that crazy cat Bryzgalov. However, if he ever recaptured his magic from Phoenix, the Oliers would be completely terrifying.

Keep an eye on Craig MacTavish to make a couple shock and awe trades and/or signings as he’s looking to shake up this team in a big way. Look no further than relieving Ralph Krueger from his coaching duties to replace him with Dallas Eakins. There are some exciting times ahead.

Tyler Cameron @tycam Hockeyindependent.com

NY ISLANDERS

Free agency is rapidly approaching, and more and more players continue to add to growing list of who's available in this summer's market. With the cap ceiling set to drop next season, several teams have begun using their compliance buyouts (see Ilya Bryzgalov and Vincent Lecavalier), making them available for the rest of the league on July 5th. Furthermore, the potential for a few trades lie within the 2014 NHL Entry Draft this Sunday in order to help shed further salary without using the compliant buyout option.

So what does this mean for the New York Islanders? Plenty.

The Isles are coming off a season where they have inspired hope to the fan base and earned respect from the rest of the league. In order for the Isles to sail this ship north, they will have to add key veterans to fill the holes left by players such as Mark Streit, Brad Boyes and potentially, Evgeni Nabokov.

GM Garth Snow may look to kick the tires of the Buffalo Sabres in regards to what it will take to trade for goaltender Ryan Miller. If the price is too high, the free agent market has Mike Smith, Chris Mason and Ray Emery currently without contracts, among others including the aforementioned Bryzgalov.

Other key UFA's to fill the holes on the front lines include Jarome Iginla, Patrik Elias, Nathan Horton, Michael Ryder and Mike Ribeiro, all in addition to the previously mentioned Lecavalier. The latter would be a perfect fit on the top two lines that would add a veteran scorer that has the experience to help lead this team to another playoff berth and a future Stanley Cup.

To replace Streit, the Isles might target homegrown talent like Rob Scuderi, who is originally from Syosset and won a Stanley Cup with the L.A. Kings last season. However, if the Isles looked to explore the trade route, Kris Letang has reportedly turned down an 8-year, $56 million offer from the Pittsburgh Penguins. Would the Pens trade their best defenseman to a division rival? Crazier things have happened, although the price would likely be high.

Bottom line is that the New York Islanders have the cap room to spend or trade for players that other teams no longer can afford. This opportunity has come at a perfect time as the organization has proven they are playoff capable as they are preparing for a monumental move to a brand new facility in Brooklyn. It is unlikely that Snow will become a spending machine next week, but one would have to assume that he will be more aggressive this summer as he looks to bolster his team's chances of competing for the Stanley Cup beyond the first round of the playoffs. Rob McGowen, TheCheckingLine.com

NY RANGERS

For better or worse, the 2013-14 New York Rangers in all likelihood will look a lot like the 2013 Rangers circa the trade deadline. Heading into free agency, the New York Rangers have 17 players under contract, taking up almost $51 million of the $64.3 million salary cap. The top priority for Glen Sather will be taking care of their own restricted free agents. Ryan McDonagh, Derek Stepan and Carl Hagelin all must be re-signed. Mats Zuccarello, who demonstrated he belongs in the NHL after a stint in the KHL, should be re-signed as well. A decision will need to be made on whether or not to keep defenseman Michael Sauer in the fold. Sauer has not played since December 5th, 2011 due to post-concussion symptoms and what little info that's trickled out indicates he's nowhere ready to resume playing.

Those signings, plus the somewhat risky retention of Brad Richards, leaves the Blueshirts with little room to be major players in free agency. Ryane Clowe is the biggest UFA name on the Rangers own roster and he has expressed interest in staying. Clowe suffered two concussions after being acquire and would likely have to take less than the $4 million ($3.625 million cap hit) he made in 2013 for that to happen. Should they choose to part ways, the Rangers might want to kick the tires on a player like Stephen Weiss, who himself is coming off a wrist injury.

After witnessing the horror show that were Roman Hamrlik and Matt Gilroy (both UFAs that should not be back), the Rangers would be wise to try and bolster their defense. Stu Bickel is not the answer. Neither is Dylan McIlrath since possibly sitting night in and night out as a healthy scratch would do nothing for his development. The top six of McDonagh, Girardi, Del Zotto, Stralman, Staal and Moore seem set. Bringing in a free agent veteran, such as Marek Zidlicky, should be explored, but of course that depends on what he's looking for in a contract. Should that fail, re-signing Steve Eminger, serviceable as a 7th defenseman, at around the same $750,000 price tag would be another option.

Cris Cohen, HockeyIndependent.com

OTTAWA SENATORS

The Sens have a problem. They aren’t complaining though. Too many young players infused into their lineup currently and may look to trade for more veteran talent using those pieces. They are particularly strong up the middle with Turris, Zibanejad and Smith helping out 1st line pivot Spezza.

The cap is not an issue for Ottawa as Bryan Murray is in a good position. With no ugly, long-term contract, it’s unlikely he uses either compliance buyouts. The team could even make a high risk/high reward move with that juicy cap space, while saving two get-out-of-jail free cards.

He only has two major RFAs (Condra, Wierioch) which should get done in short order. The biggest question mark is Daniel Alfredsson who has just confirmed he will be returning for another season. The 40 year old made $4.88 million last year and will likely sign a one-year deal for approximately the same.

With little turnover and stars in the making, Jack Adams winner Paul MacLean is looking to take this team to the next level. The exceptional goaltending is awaiting some more scoring help to build off that 2.33 goals/game in the regular season last year.

If you see Murray active on the draft floor, moving younger roster players for picks and/or prospects, it would be safe to assume he’s got his eye on higher end free agents. They could use help on defence but a scoring winger is rumoured to be on Murray’s radar.

Tyler Cameron @tycam Hockeyindependent.com

TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS

The perils of free agency are well documented and for the Toronto Maple Leafs it may be best to avoid it altogether this summer, unless they want to add inexpensive depth players similar to Jay McClement. While the likes of Stephen Weiss may be tempting as a first-line centre addition, his value may be inflated due to the nature of free agency and the limited pool of players available.

With the cap decreasing to $64.3-million, it may be in the Leafs’ best interest to avoid making a big splash in free agency, and opt to compliment their current core instead. Furthermore, the Leafs still have six restricted free agents to sign (Nazem Kadri, Joe Colborne, Frazer McLaren, Carl Gunnarsson, Cody Franson, and Mark Fraser). Toronto also has gaping holes to rectify on defence, so exploring better options on the trade market is probably the logical route as the likes of Rob Scuderi and Ron Hainsey are the best free agents available.

Ron Guillet, TheCheckingLine.com