Let's take a look at some of the activities that have gone on during the free agency period:
Winners:
Vancouver Canucks - After losing in the Western Conference semifinals for the second straight year, it was obvious that the Canucks were lacking depth in their defense. A trade that brought defenseman Keith Ballard to the team and the free agent signing of Dan Hamhuis, certainly bolster the Canucks' back-end and will surely boost them to be a favorite to win the Conference.
Pittsburgh Penguins - Losing Sergei Gonchar to the Ottawa Senators prompted the signings of Zbynek Michalek and Paul Martin to round out a solid group of defensemen.
Losers:
Evgeni Nabokov and Marty Turco - The two high priced goaltenders looking for lucrative deals came up short in the offer department as they became unrestricted free agents on July 1st. Prior to free agency, the Philadelphia Flyers acquired negotiating rights to Nabokov sending a conditional draft pick to San Jose had the Flyers been able to sign Nabby. Now that Nabokov and Turco have decided to play the open market, the deals they've been looking for now seem to be absent from many teams with cap issues. It would be no surprise to see Nabby head to the KHL.
Question Marks:
Many were wondering what the bleep is Darryl Sutter thinking!? The Calgary Flames' GM have re-signed forward Olli Jokinen to a two-year $6 million deal seven months after being traded from Calgary to New York. Also coming back to the Flames is forward Alex Tanguay after spending last season with the Tampa Bay Lightning scoring 37 points in 80 games. Tanguay had a career year with the Flames during the 06-07 season scoring 81 points in 81 games. One would think that Sutter's reign as GM is on the line if these moves do not pan out well for the Flames.
No comments:
Post a Comment