Changes You'd Like in the New Collective Bargaining Agreement

By Glen Miller

I recently read an article up on The Hockey News written by Adam Proteau discussing some of the changes he would like to see made to the new CBA when it is negotiated, hopefully before the summer of 2012. Today he included a second piece with a few of the changes that Toronto GM Brian Burke has recommended. This got me thinking a little bit about some of the things that could be improved come the next round of negotiations. I also thought I would give you, the loyal readers, a chance to voice your opinions as well. What changes would you like to see in the new CBA?

I know the current CBA doesn’t expire officially until September of 2012 but it’s a slow period around here and I also thought that after 4 seasons we have had enough time to evaluate the CBA and make some recommendations on improving it. To me it almost seems as if it was just yesterday they were playing the first season of this current CBA. It’s hard to believe that it has already been 4 years but at the same time I realize that the next three years until the current CBA expires will likely fly by as well so now is a good time to give this topic some thought.

The biggest change that the new CBA brought to the game was the Salary Cap. As I’m sure we all know, this institution provides for both a salary cap ceiling and a salary cap floor; the amounts of each were to be determined by “Hockey Related Revenues”. This gave franchises the assurance that NHL payrolls would never account for more than a set percentage of the revenues that the league was generating. The bone given to the NHLPA was the floor which mandated that every team in the NHL would spend a minimum in player salary. This system was designed to create a fair, more level playing field for all 30 teams in the NHL. Unfortunately, it hasn’t worked as advertised.

Just like their contemporaries in every other league with a salary cap system, NHL Managers quickly found ways to circumvent the salary cap system. The big thing that some Managers are doing is signing players to ridiculously long term, front-loaded contracts; so long that the neither the team nor the player has a realistic expectation that the player will be around at the conclusion of the term. Two examples of this type of contract are the deals signed this off-season by Marian Hossa with the ‘Hawks and the extension awarded to Chris Pronger by Philadelphia. In both cases, the terms of their contracts will see the players reach the age of 42 before expiring. The clubs front-loaded the deals so that the players will receive most of the money in the first half of the deal; the period that they will likely still be active. Hossa for example receives salaries of $7.9 million per for each of the first seven seasons, a period which currently at age 30, Hossa is still likely to reach as an NHL player. So instead of paying fair market value for the players the clubs will be on the hook for substantially less of a cap hit than they would have if they had signed the player to a more conventional contract.

Philly may have goofed though by signing Pronger to a seven year deal which accounts for roughly a $5 million cap hit per. There is a provision that penalizes a team’s salary cap number for the full duration of a contract if they sign a player 35 or older and that player retires after the first year. So, if Pronger plays 4 seasons of his new deal (the period in which Pronger will earn most of his salary) and retire at age 39, the Flyers would still be on the hook for the cap hit for the remainder of the cap hit. The Flyers are arguing that since Pronger was actually 34 when he signed the extension that provision of the CBA doesn’t apply. The NHL counters that the since the extension doesn’t actually take effect until Pronger turns 35 that the provision indeed applies.

Proteau mentions in his article that it is likely that a “term-limit” will be placed on contracts in the new CBA. You know, I find this exceptionally humorous. The NHL owners fought for and won a salary cap in the last round of negotiations because they felt they needed a cap to control the out of control spending on free agents; the same out of control spending that is perpetrated by NHL GM’s who report to their respective owners. Now the GM’s (presumably with the approval of their owners) have found a way to bypass the spending limit by awarding front-loaded, long-term deals. Now the owners want to negotiate a way to keep GM’s (and THEMSELVES!!!!!) from circumventing the salary cap that they pushed for because these same GM’s and owners couldn’t control their OWN spending. JEEZ!!!!

Two items that Brian Burke was quoted as desiring to change in the new CBA is the “Four-Recall Rule” and the inability of teams to pick up part of the salary for players traded away. The Four-Recall Rule means that teams can only recall 4 players from their AHL affiliate after the NHL trade deadline up until the point in which the AHL affiliate is eliminated from the playoffs or eliminated from contention for the playoffs. This can handicap a team in the playoffs in terms of depth. A team whose AHL affiliate is in the playoffs may not be able to have players called up to the big club during the playoffs if the parent club has already used their 4 call-ups. I agree with Burke on this one. Injuries can happen and for a team to have to play with a short bench because of a rule designed to protect the fans of AHL teams would be preposterous. Unfortunately, that’s what it is all about when you are a minor league affiliate of another pro team.

The other item in which Burke would like to be changed in a new CBA is the right of a team to pick up part of the salary of a player who is dealt to another team. He theorizes that this would make it easier for teams in the salary cap world to make trades. For example, if a big market team wanted to move a player with a large salary to a small-market team in order to create cap space then they would be allowed to pick up part of the salary with no effect to the salary cap. Currently, many teams that do not spend to the cap limit do so because of self-imposed budget restrictions. Basically, it has nothing to do with assuming the cap hit; it has everything to do with not being able to pay the remaining salary. That would not be an issue if Burke gets his wish.

I have to say that I again agree with Burke. Some argue that allowing this would benefit the big-market teams at the expense of the small-market teams. I say that if the small-market teams play their cards right and insist on the big-market club not only picking up a portion of the salary but also including other assets then the small-market club benefits. The bottom line is that teams are successful because they are well-run. Yes, being able to spend to the cap limit is advantageous when it comes to retaining your own players but invariably tough decisions will need to be made by every team, big and small; it is the smart GM’s and the well-run franchises that make the right decisions more often than not.

Another change that many people are pushing for is the elimination of no trade clauses in contracts. Dany Heatley and Mats Sundin have recently invoked their no trade clauses to block their teams from trading them to a destination that they didn’t want to go. I say too bad. These clauses were negotiated in good faith. The teams and the owners keep looking to the CBA to prevent them from shooting themselves in the foot. If they want to negotiate a no trade clause into a contract to help entice a free agent to sign with them then they are just going to have to live with that. I for one would like to see GM’s held accountable for bad negotiating and make them pay for their own mistakes.

There you have it people; some thoughts from other sources on potential changes to the CBA. I have offered my opinions on these ideas so how about offering your opinions. What about your own ideas for the new CBA. Speak up hockey fans, I can’t hear you!!!

Tanguay to Phoenix - Updated 9:00AM

As reported first here this morning around 7:00, I received confirmation from a source around 2:00AM that Tanguay had indeed agreed in principle to a contract with the Coyotes. It seems as if my source was extremely on target, because word is now coming in that it is all but complete. It is rare that I am the first to break anything, as my sources are not widespread by any means, but I was very confident in putting this up because I knew the accuracy of my source. I first reported a deal for about 3 years worth $5 million per season, and it appears that it will be fairly accurate to the true deal.

According to my source right now, the deal is about 99.9% done, just waiting on final paperwork to be approved by the NHL office and a press release to be passed from the Coyotes.

Updated - 11:00AM: The delay for the announcement may be the time difference. Apparently, the deal may have been agreed upon late in Phoenix, which would mean three hours later here on the East Coast. This morning, as Eklund reported, several teams mentioned they were still in on the hunt. This may be because Phoenix hadn't submitted anything to the league offices and nothing was deemed as officially done. It is only 8:00AM in Phoenix right now, and I expect to hear something by 3:00PM Eastern Standard Time.

Updated - 9:00AM Wednesday: This is the reason I don't do rumors, because of the fact that when even the slightest thing changes, the entire deal can be thrown off. I spoke with my source last night who apologized sincerely to me, but he said that something happened internally. Apparently when Tanguay's party and the Coyotoes "closed out the deal" on Monday night, both sides had confused the number they agreed too in terms of salary per year. Upon revisiting the "final touches" on Tuesday morning, both sides realized a big mistake was made, and the deal has been held off for now. Phoenix is still leading the pack by far, and something may get done quicker than expected. It is very unfortunate because Tanguay and the Coyotes make sense.

I will let you know more as soon as I get it. And trust me, this will be one of the few times a rumor is ever followed on this site.

-Justin

Is Tanguay a Fit for the Rangers?

By Glen Miller

As Justin mentioned in his blog, the hockey world is slowing down as most of the marquee free agents are off of the board, the draft is over and we just kill time until the season stars. Of course I anticipate there to still be some action as a few appealing free agents remain on the open market and some teams, the Bruins (and Rangers potentially) for example, are in the position of having to clear salary cap space either to re-sign key RFA’s or because they are already over the salary cap limit.

Perhaps the most appealing UFA left on the market is former Avalanche, Canadien and Flame Winger Alex Tanguay. Justin mentioned in his blog that he felt Tanguay would be a good fit for a team like the Rangers. He reasons that Tanguay would be the perfect, playmaking complement to Marian Gaborik. I’ve decided to chime in on that thought with this post.

A quick look at Tanguay’s career numbers show an impressive Points Per Game (PPG) average of .88. That would prorate to just more than 72 points over a full 82 game schedule. His career mark for Goals Per Game (GPG) is .29 which calculates to just under 24 goals per 82 games. Tanguay also boasts a relatively low number of Shots Per Game (SPG) averaging just 1.5 per game over his 9 year career. More noted goal-scorers like Marian Gaborik and Alex Ovechkin have career SPG marks of 3.4 and 5.5 respectively. Judging just by these numbers it appears that Tanguay is more of a playmaker than goal-scorer.

Tanguay’s production over the last four seasons has been a little better than his career numbers. He has recorded .92 PPG over those last 4 seasons while spending time with 3 different teams; Canadiens, Flames and Avalanche. That represents 3 more points per full, 82 game schedule than his career average.

Injuries were a factor in last season’s slight drop-off in performance as he averaged .82 PPG while missing 28 games with a separated shoulder. That should be of no concern for this upcoming season as he should be completely healthy and at 29, Tanguay would appear to have plenty left in the tank. Additionally, Tanguay has averaged more than 73 games per season over the course of his 9 year career.

All things considered, Tanguay would appear to be a great fit for this Rangers team. Despite the Rangers obvious need for a Center, Tanguay’s ability to play on either side of Center would enable him to play with Gaborik. His playmaking ability would seem to complement Gaborik’s goal-scoring very well. He has been fairly durable throughout his career and with a career mark of +157 he would seem to be a capable player in all 3 zones.

Certainly the question of whether Tanguay would fit in on the ice has been satisfactorily answered but the harder question is how to fit Tanguay’s salary under the salary cap. The Rangers currently have only about $3.5 million available under the salary cap (not counting Tyler Arnason and Brian Boyle) according to NHLSCAP.com (note: Since Korpikoski and his $700,000 salary were dealt to Phoenix for Lisin, I deducted that from the numbers on the site). Currently we have 11 Forwards (Gilroy is a Defenseman, not a Forward), 7 Defensemen and 1 Goalie under contract. Steve Valiquette is thought to have signed a contract but it has yet to be announced. If we assume that he signed for $750,000, then we are left with just around $2.75 million to play with. Brandon Dubinsky is a RFA as is Nik Zherdev who is awaiting an arbitrator to award his salary figure.

If you believe that Dubinsky will ultimately sign for something similar to Ryan Callahan, $2.3 million average annual salary, then that would eat up almost all of the cap space. In that scenario, it appears even more likely that Sather would walk away from the arbitration award in Zherdev’s case. The Rangers have a couple of players that would be candidates for demotion to Hartford, Aaron Voros and Pat Rismiller, but since each only carries a cap hit of $1 million the club wouldn’t save that much by doing so.

The other option to clear payroll room would be to trade a player like Michael Rozsival. There were rumblings at one point that Columbus was looking to add an offensive-minded defenseman; preferably one with a right-handed shot. It might make some sense to explore a trade with Columbus; perhaps a Rozsival for Raffi Torres deal makes sense given Columbus’ plethora of wingers? A move like that would save the club $2.75 million against the cap. If Rismiller and Voros were sent to Hartford then we’d have about $5 million available under the cap. Would Tanguay be willing to sign a deal that paid him $3.5 - $4 million with the Rangers to skate with Gaborik. It might be worth it to ask. Here’s what our lines might look like if these moves came to fruition:

LW Tanguay, C Dubinsky, RW Gaborik

LW Higgins, C Drury, RW Callahan

LW Avery, C Anisimov, RW Kotalik

LW Brashear, C Boyle, RW Torres

Lisin could skate on a line in place of Brashear or Boyle with Higgins moving to Center for Boyle. Perhaps this isn’t exactly a lineup to rival that of the 1980’s Oilers or today’s Penguins but with 7 or 8 guys capable of scoring 20+ goals the Rangers shouldn’t be near the bottom of the league in scoring this season.

Our defense would be thin with Redden, Staal and Girardi the only returning defensemen that accrued more than a handful of games at the NHL level. The hope here is that Gilroy is NHL-ready and can contribute offensively while two of our youngsters like Corey Potter, Michael Sauer, Michael Del Zotto and Bobby Sanguineti demonstrate that they can handle a regular shift at this level.

Even though it is a possibility, I don’t see Sather making all of these moves. He and Torts seem set on adding a center if they do anything and are counting heavily on Rozsival to bounce back and be an effective player this year. Tanguay would certainly bring playmaking ability to the forward ranks that is lacking but his addition would require a great deal of maneuvering to stay under the cap ceiling. What are your thoughts my fellow Rangers’ fans?

Center's-a-Plenty

Do you recall about two to three years ago when a simple look at the Islanders prospects would bring about a nauseating feeling? Between lack of depth and lack of quality, the Islanders were truly a team without any hope to compete in the future. After his first two seasons as general manager were quite unsuccessful, Garth Snow decided that it was time for the New York Islanders to do it right, and that it was time for them to begin building from within. With the constant struggle of luring premium talent to a run-down facility and a team that has long struggled to be competitive, this was the only proper way to go about running the organization properly.

If we are to look at the Islanders prospect pool today, there is a calmer feeling than there was three years. I am not saying that the overall feeling is that great, considering the Islanders prospect pool is still on the weaker side, however, a sense of calmness is there, as the Islanders are finally doing it right.

An article that I wrote last week delved into the Islanders massive depth that they currently have in net, and Garth Snow’s ideology of building from the net out. Today, I take a look at the depth that the Islanders have accumulated in the center position. Long considered to be a tremendous weak spot for the organization, the Islanders now have a tremendous amount of highly skilled depth down the middle.

New York Islander’s Net Depth Chart at Center (Top 12):

1. Doug Weight

2. John Tavares

3. Joshua Bailey

4. Frans Nielsen

5. Richard Park (although a right wing as well)

6. Trevor Smith

7. Corey Trivino

8. Justin DiBenedetto

9. David Ullstrom

10. Casey Cizikas

11. David Toews

12. Anders Lee

Obviously, players listed in the slots numbered one through five will be appearing with the New York Islanders in the upcoming season. As has been discussed tremendously, John Tavares may be placed in a wing position to begin his NHL career as he learns about the responsibilities that entail being a first-line center in the NHL.

As you can see, the Islanders have great depth at the center position. While it is not considered to be the best depth at center in the NHL by any means, it still presents itself as a top-10 to top-15 center depth in the NHL. Let us take a quick look at the players listed in slots six through twelve, and I will provide a quick excerpt on what their talent will allow them to accomplish.

Trevor Smith: An undrafted player that was signed out of the Univeristy of New Hampshire, Smith has demonstrated that his not being drafted was unjust. Known to very tenacious on the puck and a quick skater, Smith has excited the Islanders scouts tremendously, and it is shaping up to be a very nice signing. Last year in the AHL, Smith posted great numbers, and he was even able to make his NHL debut with the Islanders.

What to Expect: Considering his late entrance into the NHL, Smith is taking his time in developing into a solid professional hockey player. It will at least take one more year in the AHL before Smith will even be able to compete for a roster spot in the NHL. His upside in the NHL will be nothing more than a third-line center, and he will be hard pressed to hold down that position with the talent the Islanders have in the system. Although he is ranked at number six, it is mostly because he is the furthest along in his development, and he would be the next person to make the jump into the NHL.

Corey Trivino: A small, but extremely quick and talented player, Trivino played last season for Boston University and had a fairly decent year on a pretty good team. Drafted in the second round by the New York Islanders in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, Trivino was a nice pick-up by the Islanders considering many felt he had first round talent. The reason he fell into the second-round were because of concerns with his size.

What to Expect: Trivino possesses a lot of talent, skill, and speed. What he doesn’t posses is size. Before he can make the jump into the professional ranks, Trivino is going to need to put on a pretty fair amount of muscle so that he can withstand the physical abuse he will take during the games. If he is able to do this, you may see Trivino sign a contract in time for the 2010-2011 season, unless he wants to complete four years at school. He has the potential to be a good second-line center in the NHL, and time will tell if he can fill out that potential.

Justin DiBenedetto: Talk about the ultimate wild card. In the 2007-2008 season, his draft year, DiBenedetto skyrocketed to the top ten in the OHL in scoring, which was mostly attributed by scouts as a product of his linemate, Steven Stamkos. Last year, when everyone began to doubt his abilities, DiBenedetto shined once again, leading Sarnia in scoring and finishing again in the top-echelon in scoring in the OHL without the help of Stamkos. Drafted in the sixth round by the New York Islanders, little was expected of DiBenedetto, but he has proven all critics wrong thus far.

What to Expect: After finishing out last year in the AHL with the Sound Tigers, and getting a taste of what it is like to be a part of a professional hockey system, you can expect a competitive spirit like DiBenedetto to come to camp prepared for the challenge. He should easily be at top-six forward for the Sound Tigers next year, and it is even expected that should injuries occur, you could see DiBenedetto make his NHL debut. It is hard to predict where he will finish considering his “wildcard” status, and how he has proven so many wrong, but judging by his numbers in recent years, it is safe to say he has the talent to be a top-six forward in the NHL. Do not take my word on this one, as even professional scouts and talent analysts are having trouble understanding where DiBenedetto will wind up! He could prove to be a late-round gem.

David Ullstrom: Drafted in the 4^th Round of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, the Islanders may have found another great pick in a later round. Ullstrom is of quite large stature, measuring in at 6 foot 3. What intrigues the Islanders scouts even more is the fact that not only is he big and strong, but he is also an excellent skater with a great top speed.

Defensively is where Ullstrom is still on a major learning curve. He struggles a little bit on his backcheck, and his decisions in the defensive zone are somewhat obscure, however, he is working on that. After a very impressive World Junior tournament, Ullstrom had the Islanders very excited. It will be a very important year for his development in the Swedish Elite League.

What to Expect: Ullstrom is a very, very talented player with a lot of upside. He is quick, smart, tactical, and very shifty, much like many of the other Swedish players who play in the National Hockey League. He will be playing one more year in Sweden, hopefully in the Swedish Elite League, and he will be competing for a spot on the Swedish team at the World Junior Championships, which should be his barring injury. Ullstrom has the ability to develop into a second line center in the National Hockey League, as his offensive skills are quite impressive. It will be reliant upon his defensive development if he is to make it to the NHL, and whether or not he can be a center in the NHL.

Casey Cizikas: Please, for the time being, forget about his off ice incident. It was something that happened in the past, and he is trying to get over it as much as possible. It should not be something that allows our vision to become skewed. Cizikas is really a very promising prospect in the Islanders system. With a great mix of hands, speed, vision, and talent, Cizikas simply fell as far as he did in this past year’s draft because of his off-ice issues, and the fact people were waiting to see how his court case played out. According to some scouts, Cizikas was able to be an early-second round talent because of his skill and size, and he could very well play out to be a great pick up.

What to Expect: Cizikas is a determined player who wants to prove that he is also a good guy. As for maturity, the incident he has experienced has definitely expedited his maturation. He has potential to be a great player, and he has the skill to do as well. This upcoming year in the OHL will tell us a lot about the kind of player he is, and whether or not he will be ready to make the jump. I would expect him to finish out this year in the OHL, and possibly go back next year for one final year before the Islanders decide whether or not to sign him. He has the potential to be a solid third-line center, with second-line potential, but time will tell how well that progresses. His determination can only help his cause.

David Toews: Drafted in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, Toews is a good player with a solid work ethic. While his brother definitely takes the limelight off of him, Toews has quietly and slowly walked in the footsteps of his brother. After playing and dominating for Shattuck St. Mary’s, Toews has moved onto the University of North Dakota. The depth at his college has allowed his coach to take his time in developing his players, and this will not be any different for Toews. David appeared in about half the games for North Dakota this year, and he played fairly well.

What to Expect: I wouldn’t expect to see Toews leave college early for professional hockey, but that all depends on how everything unfolds. He has the potential to be a solid third-liner, but if he doesn’t live up to his billing, he could find himself stuck as a fourth-liner or in the AHL as a call-up.

Anders Lee: A very big and strong player, Anders Lee has always stood out on the ice for his size. Gifted as a center in hockey, and as a quarterback in football, Lee is a very athletic person who not only excels in both of his sports, but in the classroom as well. After reading several articles I received from several of his friends, I believe that Lee does have great potential. Apparently, he has made up his mind, and he will be following his career dream in hockey. This works out well for the Islanders, who only had to give up a sixth round pick to grab the very big and fast centermen. Gifted with lower-round talent, Lee only fell this far because of his indecisiveness between hockey and football. Furthermore, the Islanders were considering taking Lee in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, but opted to pass due to his uncertainty. Now that it is certain, it will be interesting to see how it all plays out.

What to Expect: I must admit that I have not seen any of Lee’s games, and I only have a little to go by. Apparently, Islander scouts are very high on the kid, and he has a tremendous amount of potential because of his size and strength. The fact that he chose hockey over football is a good start, and I will be interested to see how it plays out. The fact that several people from his hometown sent me emails advocating the player himself tells me a lot about his character and his popularity among his peers.

As you can see, the Islanders have quite the plethora of centermen. With John Tavares and Joshua Bailey being listed as the only ones with top-line potential, there will be a lot of fighting going on to fill out the rest of the center positions in the future. It will be interesting to see how it all plays out, but healthy competition like this can only be good for the team.

Now that Snow has the center position looking fairly well, it is time for his to begin looking elsewhere!

Please let me know what you think about the list, and whether or not you agree or disagree. All comments and questions can be left in the comments section below, you can email me at IslesNet@Gmail.Com .

Take Care,

Justin

Bruins Wheeling and Dealing

By Glen Miller

The Bruins finally completed their long-expected move to shed cap space by dealing Defenseman Aaron Ward back to the Hurricanes in exchange for F Patrick Eaves and a 4^th round draft pick. Eaves was immediately placed on waivers so that the club could buy him out. However, most of us expected the Bruins to use their new-found cap space to re-sign RFA Forward Phil Kessel. Instead the Bruins signed UFA Defenseman Derek Morris to a 1 year, $3.3 million deal.

Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli had stated previously his desire to add a puck moving blue liner to the roster. Morris is certainly an upgrade over Ward in that respect while also being 6 years younger than Ward. Around the time of the entry draft the Bruins were rumored to be close to dealing Kessel to the Leafs in exchange for D Tomas Kaberle. That deal fell apart over the mistaken understanding that a draft choice was to be included in the deal as well. Therefore it shouldn’t be a surprise that Chiarelli added a player like Morris to the Bruins lineup.

What is surprising is that the Bruins still don’t have the cap space to re-sign Kessel. The addition of Morris and subtraction of Ward puts the Bruins more than $3 million over the salary cap limit. With Kessel likely to command at least a salary in excess of $3 million, the Bruins will need to find a way to drop another $6 million if they want to keep Kessel. If they decide to trade the RFA, they don’t have the cap space to take back roster players so a package of draft choices will likely be the currency Boston will require in exchange for Kessel’s services.

Of course the Bruins can always try to trade or demote roster players. The most likely choices for trades or demotions are probably F Marco Sturm and/ or G Tuuka Rask. Trading or demoting both of these players would result in a cap savings of $6.7 million assuming the Bruins didn’t take any salary back in a trade (Sturm – 2 years, $3.5 million per; Tuuka Rask – 1 year, $3.2 million left on their contracts).

Sturm missed 63 games combined with post-concussion syndrome and knee surgery. He did record 13 points in 19 games (.684 PPG) and has averaged .69 PPG over his last 4 seasons. He has also averaged .36 GPG over the last 4 seasons. Sturm is a solid two-way winger with enough offensive ability to contribute on most teams’ second line. With Michael Ryder, Milan Lucic, Mark Recchi, Blake Wheeler, Chuck Kobasew and Phil Kessel already on the roster at Wing, the Bruins can afford to trade Sturm and not lose much offensively.

The Bruins boast one of the more expensive goaltending tandems in the NHL with incumbent starter and defending Vezina Trophy winner Tim Thomas and highly regarded youngster Tuuka Rask set to earn $8.2 million combined for 2009/2010. It is conceivable that the Bruins could look to save some cap space by dealing Rask or demoting him to the minors. The Bruins would then risk going into the season with unproven Adam Courchaine or one of the veteran free agents like Kevin Weekes, Manny Fernandez or Manny Legace as their back-up in goal.

Chiarelli also has to budget for the pending RFA status of Forwards Blake Wheeler and Milan Lucic and the UFA status of Marc Savard. Wheeler and Lucic should find themselves in line for raises; especially Lucic. The Bruins may elect to allow Savard to leave depending on his contract demands.

Boston will certainly have their work cut out for them moving forward. They still have to address the Kessel situation and depending on the salary cap ceiling for next season, the Bruins may have to shed some additional cap space in order to keep Lucic and Wheeler. While signing Morris upgrades the Bruin blue line this season, it will make re-signing Kessel nearly impossible unless a team makes a Gomez-like trade with Boston to alleviate some of the cap issues.

New York Islanders Net Monday Morning Wake-Up

After quite the busy and hectic weekend, I am very happy to be sitting down and just getting back to what I love to do: discussing hockey.

The hockey world seems to have come to quite the standstill over the past few days, with media outlets and bloggers alike scratching their heads for an idea to write about. These are the days when we begin to see prospect articles on prospects who will never make it to the NHL, or quick posts about players that shouldn’t be with the organization, and so on and so forth. With the most excited blogging days done for at least 10 more months (trade deadline, the NHL Entry Draft, and July 1^st), it is time for us to focus on the little things. To get everyone up to par, these are a few of the things that have happened with the NYI over the past three days I have been away from the computer:

The Blake Comeau Saga: Yes, it is now at a point where it can be called a saga. After he kindly turned down his qualifying offer several weeks ago (and yes, this is normal practice for players who believe they deserve more), Blake Comeau seems to be pushing the “Sean Bergenheim” button (and since I really like Dee Karl, I will not get into any Bergenheim business because of her motherly love for him). Comeau, who has never scored more than 8 goals in the National Hockey League, is apparently seeking a contract that is not only one-way, but also one that has a substantial increase in dollar value and term than his previous one.

Let us set the record straight. Both sides agree that Comeau is an NHL player, and that if a contract is to get done, he will be with the Islanders to begin the season. The problem lies here: Garth Snow feels that Comeau should receive a contract very similar to Frans Nielsen’s (4 years, $525K cap hit per year), while Blake Comeau and his agent seem to be interested in a three to four year deal worth somewhere around $900K to $1 Million per season. Garth’s argument is going to be based on the fact that Comeau has yet to perform up to his potential in the NHL, while Comeau’s argument is going to be that he does have the potential to be a 20 goal, physical second-liner in this league.

Justin’s Opinion: I am a Blake Comeau fan. I admire his ability to skate into the opponent’s zone and find a pass, however, I feel that there is still plenty of work for him to do. If he ever wants to live up to his size and skill, Blake needs to be able to drive the net more, and he needs to find himself playing a dirty game down low. He does have the potential to put up 20 goals in this league, however, it all comes down to whether he is willing to put in that extra effort all around.

It would be foolish for the Islanders to pass on him right now, however, I do not think they should be locking up $1 million per year on a guy who has much to prove still. While I would not say he is a key player to the rebuild by any stretch of the meaning, I will say he would be a nice second or third liner to take up a roster spot. Fair deal: three to four years, one-way, $750K per season. A small portion of the cap is taken up by a player that may turn out to be a surprise, and if he isn’t, his contract is expendable.

Plus, the other option is not quite as appealing right now….

The Miroslav Satan Scenario: I refer to this situation as a scenario because it will only come to fruition if Comeau and the Islanders cannot find common-ground between the two of them. Before I even begin to analyze Miroslav Satan, I must say that I always had a soft spot for him for some odd reason, and I found his style of play to be very contradictory to the one that was imposed upon him by the defensive-minded Ted Nolan.

This past year, Miroslav Satan, now 34 years of age, played alongside two of the best forwards in the game in Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. In the 65 games he participated in, Satan notched 17 goals and 18 assists for 35 points. While these are fair numbers, these are no where near the dazzling numbers he was able to put up during his time in Buffalo. Whatever it may be, it is obvious that Satan has lost that touch that he once possessed that made him an elite player in this league.

After seeing on Twitter that Satan’s agent confirmed being in negotiations with the Islanders, I contacted my source who was able to confirm that Satan and the Islanders were, in fact, discussing a one-year contract for next year.

Justin’s Opinion: These discussions are nothing more than leverage for Garth Snow at the present time. With the Blake Comeau saga taking a turn for an awkward direction, Snow wanted to make sure he had all his lines covered and that a replacement would be waiting in the wings.

To be fair, there aren’t any players who will be with Bridgeport that are completely ready to make the jump to the NHL. With the absence of Comeau, it would be detrimental to the development of these players for them to make the jump so quickly, and therefore, Snow wants to make sure that a stop-gap replacement is waiting should Comeau and the Islanders turn in completely different directions. If we are to hear about the signing of Satan within the next few weeks or so, it is safe to say that we may be seeing Comeau playing elsewhere next year, and possibly in Europe.

What Will Alex Do?: This seems to be the most common topic of discussion among the hockey blogosphere at the present time. With a large majority of the better free agents signed to contracts already, Alex Tanguay seems to be taking his time in determining where he will be playing next year. It seems as if the entire hockey world is waiting to see what he does, so that the other players can begin to sign elsewhere.

To be fair, quality players still remain out there, and it is very surprising to me that these players have not found a contract last year. It is also very surprising to me, with the amount of ridiculous money that has been spent thus far, that Tanguay has not received a contract that has blown him away. At only 29 years old, Tanguay still has many more years left of quality hockey in the NHL, and it is shocking that no one has taken a gamble on him.

Justin’s Opinion: This situation has truly escalated into much more than I ever expected it too.

Even though I am supposed to dislike the Rangers, Tanguay is the type of player they need. With tremendous playmaking ability and speed, Tanguay would be a great fit on a line with Gaborik, as Gaborik is a pure goal scorer. For now, I will leave this area up to my partner, Glen.

From the Islanders perspective, I still maintain my previous stance that he would be a great fit on the island, and for more than this silly one-year deal that many media outlets are mentioning. One year would mean he plays his heart out, and then he leaves us when he sees the true contenders come calling. I believe this guy has tremendous potential, and the fact he is still available is because teams are questioning if they should go all-in or not. He will sign somewhere within the next 10 days, and I am keeping my fingers crossed for the NYI.

And last, but without a doubt the most important piece of information:

Governor Patterson’s Seal of Approval: Regardless of how you feel about him, and regardless of how you feel about his very, very shaky political standing at the present time, the fact that a governor is taking time out of his schedule to put his full approval behind the Lighthouse speaks volumes. Yes, he is a democrat, and yes, Kate Murray is a republican, but this “seal of approval” seems to supersede that, as Kate Murray will be in attendance tomorrow.

While the event will be taking place tomorrow morning at the Nassau Veteran Memorial Coliseum, and while it will most likely be a very small event in terms of size, this event will be very large in terms of effect. With a political leader backing a party, it could have the necessary snowball effect that is necessary to help push this project along even further.

For all of those who are available tomorrow morning, I would suggest going, as it will be beneficial on the whole. Also, please remember that the most important Lighthouse Meeting to date will still be taking place at Hofstra University on August 4^th. The banner is posted at the top, and I really hope you will all put your best efforts forth to get to today’s meeting or the one on August 4^th!

That about wrap’s it up for the Monday Morning hockey talk. Be sure to check out my partner Glen’s blog regarding the Boston Bruins recent activity! As always, comments and questions are greatly appreciated, and they can be left below in the comments section, or you can shoot me an email at IslesNet@Gmail.Com . Thank you, and I hope you all had a great weekend!

-Justin (IslesNet@Gmail.Com)

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of UFA Season

During the opening days of Unrestricted Free Agency, NHL General Managers behave very much like 10 year-old kids at Wal-Mart with $100 that Grandma sent them for Christmas in their pockets ready to spend. Most head drooling right into the toy department or into the electronics departments looking for the new fads, toys and games. Fights break out over who gets the new video game system or the flashy ipod. In just a few minutes they are left crying and frustrated with virtually no more money and a shiny new gadget or two that they will almost assuredly regret buying just a few days after they couldn’t wait to get it home and out of the package.

The smart ones have a plan of action. They go to the clothing section or the school-supply area and patiently search through the racks looking for the bargains and the deals. They buy the things that will match what they already have in their closets and will work with what they have in their desks. These are the kids that you know will grow up to be successes in life. It may not be flashy but at the end of the day it’s these kids that will have something useful and long-term whereas the kids that blew their wad on the flashy stuff will see their toys lying broken-down on the sideline wishing they had saved some of that money for a few of the more useful items.

You’d think that GM’s would learn. At least the kids have the excuse of youth and inexperience to fall back on. NHL GM’s are well-paid professionals whom the fans and the franchises that they represent count on to make rational, well thought out purchases; not the indulgent flavor-of-the moments that we see GM’s throw big bucks at every off-season. The salary cap was supposed to curb the irresponsible GM’s spending but all it has done is seemingly condense all of the irrationality into a couple of days of frenzied madness.

My purpose in this post will be to look at some of the wiser UFA signings and some of the more reckless UFA signings. I will only look at the players that changed teams via free agency. There will be an obvious pattern that you, the reader, should be able to easily discern after just a few of the players I mention. Alright, here we go!

The Good

Saku Koivu – Anaheim

Koivu fills a need on the Anaheim team for a 2^nd line center to line up with countryman Teemu Selanne and the recently repatriated Joffrey Lupul. Anaheim lacked secondary scoring last year and the expected chemistry between Koivu and Selanne will go far to cure that this season. The one year commitment means that the Ducks will be free to enter next years market with money to spend. It also coincides with Selanne’s stated desire to retire after this season. We know that Selanne’s presence played a large role in convincing Koivu to come to Anaheim in the first place.

Koivu still has gas in the tank after recording 50 points in 65 games with a Montreal team that struggled offensively last season. Last season’s numbers would prorate out to about 63 points in a full season. For $3.25 million that kind of ROI is pretty solid.

Nick Boynton – Anaheim

I guess Anaheim had a good off-season, huh? Boynton is not flashy; he will not put up 50 points in a season nor will he be a “shut-down” defenseman. What he is though is a steady two-way defenseman who can play a physical game and chip in on the power play. He scored 21 points in 68 games with Florida last season after being included in the return from Phoenix for C Olli Jokinen. He was also a +7, for a team that did not qualify for the playoffs, placing 5^th on the squad.

Anaheim needed defensive depth after dealing Chris Pronger and losing Francois Beauchemin to UFA. Boynton will provide that on an affordable ($1.5 million), short-term (1 year) deal.

Andrew Alberts – Carolina

Alberts was coming off a career season with Philadelphia and parlayed that into a 2 year contract with Carolina. He recorded 13 points and was a +6 in 79 games with the Flyers. Alberts, Like Boynton, is not flashy and won’t be confused with Scott Niedermayer or Niklas Lidstrom. He is a solid defenseman that will provide good play as the 5^th or 6^th defenseman for a playoff caliber team.

Alberts annual cap hit is just $1.05 million for each of the next two seasons. I would much rather have Alberts at that price than Mike Komisarek at $4.5 million per for 5 years or Hal Gill at $2.25 million a year for two seasons. Alberts is also still young enough that it is possible that we may not have even seen his best hockey yet.

Craig Anderson – Colorado

Anderson is a good bet to supplant Petr Budaj as the starting net minder in Colorado this season. After bouncing around between Chicago and Florida, Anderson firmly established himself as a solid back-up last year with the Panthers. Anderson even stole some starts away from the more heralded Tomas Vokoun while finishing with a .924 Save % (SP) and a Goals Against Average (GAA) of 2.71.

Anderson has certainly earned a chance to be the starter and Colorado was a good landing spot for him. The Avalanche got mediocre to outright terrible goaltending from Budaj and the departed Andrew Raycroft last year. To obtain a guy likely to at least split the goaltending job for only $1.8 million per for two years was a good move for the Avs.

Scott Clemmensen – Florida

After losing Anderson to the Avs, The Panthers did well to replace him with Clemmensen. Clemmensen subbed for the injured Marty Brodeur and helped the Devils qualify for the post-season despite the loss of the future Hall-of-Famer. Clemmensen appeared in a career-high 40 games while recording a .917 SP and a GAA of 2.39.

The Panthers had to give Clemmensen 3 years but at a very affordable $1.2 million Florida shouldn’t experience a drop-off in production in net. Basically for the same total outlay of cash ($3.6 million) the Panthers will get an extra year of service from Clemmensen than what the Avalanche will get from Anderson.

Martin Biron – NY Islanders

This was a surprising signing as Isles GM Garth Snow had already signed a running mate for franchise Goalie Rick DiPietro when he added Dwayne Roloson via UFA. This move signifies that DiPietro will not start the season on the Isles active roster. It also ensures that the Islanders will have two capable goalies to hold down the fort until DiPietro is 100%.

Biron had been asking for around $5 million per at the onset of free agency so his price came way down as he settled for just $1.4 million for one year. Biron will get a chance to build up his market value again going into next off-season while giving the Islanders a chance any night he starts. Once DiPietro is healthy again look for a playoff contender to make a move for Biron to solidify its own goaltending situation. This will bring the rebuilding Isles more young assets for the future.

Jay McKee – Pittsburgh

McKee was a highly sought after free agent 3 seasons ago when the Blues signed him away from the Buffalo Sabres. Unfortunately for the shot-blocking dynamo, McKee wasn’t able to stay in the lineup as much as he or the Blues would have liked. He missed 88 games over the last three seasons and the Blues decided to bite the bullet and buyout the remaining 1 year on McKee’s deal.

After losing veteran defenders, Hal Gill and Stanley Cup Finals stand-out Rob Scuderi to UFA, the Penguins made a wise, low risk move by bringing in Jay McKee. McKee will add depth and experience to what had become a younger blue line. If McKee can stay healthy enough to dress in 70+ games this season then I should say that Pittsburgh got a steal.

Anyone who has been paying attention to this blog will notice that all of the UFA moves I liked are short-term deals and involve depth players rather than stand-outs. I firmly believe that teams need to draft, develop and then sign their own super-stars to long term deals instead of trying to acquire them through free agency. A team has a better chance of extending their own players to cap-friendly deals than they do of importing another team’s star players at cap-friendly prices. For most of the successful organizations in the NHL, it is the depth that separates them from their rivals. UFA should be used to supply that depth.

Now on to…….

The Bad

Rob Scuderi – LA Kings

I hate to pick on the Kings; I really think that they are an improved team. I’m still not sure they will make the playoffs in the tough Western Conference but they will definitely be competitive. Scuderi is a good player too; I just think that he played his best hockey when it most mattered for the Pens last season in the Cup Finals and that he won’t be as effective for a team like the Kings. A 4 year contract that averages $3.4 million is a heavy price to pay for steady defenseman. That’s the kind of money you give to a surefire top 4 guy that will play in all situations. Scuderi will not contribute offensively much and won’t play the point on the power play. He will probably play roughly 16 – 18 minutes a night on a regular shift and killing penalties.

Too often teams put too much value in players that have just come off a good playoff run; especially if that player’s team wins the Cup. I definitely think that is the case for the Kings and Rob Scuderi. The Kings will be paying for and expecting top 4 minutes and production from a 30 year-old defenseman that didn’t crack the Pens lineup regularly until 3 seasons ago. Seems a bit risky to me.

Marian Gaborik – NY Rangers

OK, here it is. I bet most of you were wondering if I would include Gaborik in this somewhere. I admit, I thought long and hard and perhaps it was my loyalty to the Rangers or what but I almost didn’t include Gaborik in this. I am not typically an optimist so it should have been a given that I put Gaborik on this list given that he received the largest annual salary of any other UFA this off-season and his history of injuries. Those factors definitely scream BIG RISK!!!

That is definitely true and it is why I ultimately put Gaborik on this list. There were other options on the market that didn’t come with the injury history that Gaborik does; Cammalleri, Gionta, Hossa, just to name a few. There were other options that cost less per season including Martin Havlat, Alex Tanguay (presumably he will cost less per season), Alexei Kovalev and all of the other players recently mentioned above. Well, Sather decided to take the cap money saved by moving Scott Gomez to Montreal and use it on one flashy player instead of maybe signing two or three solid players.

I understand that Gaborik is supposed to be past the health issues that affected him each of the last two seasons. I even believe he has a decent chance to play 70 games and put up 40 goals. I just think that Gaborik could’ve been had for less money per year and that it is foolish for Sather to have made that kind of commitment for one potentially outstanding player when maybe he could have used that cap money to improve at 2 or 3 positions. Does anyone really believe that another team would’ve offered more than $6 million per for Gaborik? Not saying I know for sure but……

Chris Neil – Ottawa

In yet another example of Sather’s brilliance (SARCASM people!!), he nearly netted the Rangers this declining stiff as well. Just a day after signing 37 year-old enforcer Donald Brashear to a 2 year deal and Gaborik to a 5 year deal, Sather had an offer of 4 years at more than $2 million annually to Neil. Fortunately for the Rangers and their fans, Ottawa ponied up a fourth year and Neil stayed. Four years ago, Neil was the prototype of what teams wanted from their enforcers in the new, obstruction cracked-down NHL; a tough player with decent enough skill to take a regular shift. Neil even recorded a career high of 33 points in 2005-2006 (16 goals, 17 assists). Unfortunately, Neil’s point per game (PPG) rate has fallen in each subsequent year from his high of .42 PPG in 2005-2006. Here, let’s take a look:

2005-2006 79 GP 33 Pts .42 PPG

2006-2007 82 GP 28 Pts .34 PPG

2007-2008 68 GP 20 Pts .29 PPG

2008-2009 60 GP 10 Pts .17 PPG

It’s bad business to give a 4 year deal to a 30 year-old tough guy with declining offensive skill; especially one who has missed 36 games in the last two seasons combined. Senator’s GM Bryan Murray caved to the pressures of possibly losing a loyal soldier by giving Neil this contract. Fortunately it was the Senators who will be stuck with this burden and not the Rangers.

And finally….

The Ugly

Martin Havlat – Minnesota

Faced with the likelihood of losing franchise star and original Wild player Marian Gaborik, new Wild GM Chuck Fletcher roped in a very similar player to fill the skates of Gaborik. Again, anticipating the inevitable question of why the signing of Gaborik was merely Bad while the Havlat signing was Ugly, I offer up a couple of points:

a) Gaborik’s health issues are supposed to be behind him; if you believe the surgeon who performed the hip procedure. As is, Gaborik has averaged 62.75 appearances in his 8 NHL seasons. If you take away the seasons in which Gaborik missed significant time due to the related hip/groin problems, Gaborik has skated in an average of 73 games per season over the other 6 seasons of his career. Havlat has appeared in only an average of 58.75 games in his 8 year career.

b) Gaborik has averaged .44 Goals Per Game (GPG) over the course of his career while playing in a system noted for being conservative and its focus on defensive responsibility with the Wild. He has also never averaged better than 20:00 of ice time per game in any of his 8 NHL seasons. Havlat has averaged .36 Goals Per Game while playing for more offensive teams with a lot of skill around him in Chicago and Ottawa. They have averaged close to the same amount of average ice time per game over their careers though Havlat does have one season in which he average over 21:30 per game. Ironically, that was his best statistical season in which he averaged .446 goals per game and about 1 point per game. The difference in GPG average equates to Gaborik scoring 6 goals more over the course of a full 82 game schedule.

Basically, the argument can be made that since Gaborik scores more goals per game and plays more games per year on average than Havlat, then Gaborik is worth more money annually. The other confounding part of the 6 year, $30 million contract is the term. Granted Havlat is only 28 but he likely won’t be producing as much in his age 33 and 34 seasons as he will in his prime years. Gaborik signed a 5 year deal that will take him through his 32^nd birthday. So it’s not a lot but those are the criteria that separate a BAD contract from an UGLY contract.

Mike Cammalleri – Montreal

Cammalleri is a pint-sized forward who is coming off a career year playing alongside Jarome Iginla in Calgary. He has averaged roughly a point-per-game in 2 of the last 3 seasons. Those were sandwiched around a miserable 2007-2008 season in LA in which he scored only 47 points in 63 games and even worse was a -16. Cammalleri has proven successful when surrounded by quality skill. At 27, he should still have plenty of life to fulfill the 5 year term on his deal.

What makes this signing ugly is the Average Annual Salary (AAS) of $6 million and the fact that Cammalleri will likely be playing with other small forwards with inconsistent offensive production. If Cammalleri doesn’t get help from his linemates up front it will severely impact his production. In addition to the acquisition of Cammalleri (5’9”, 185 pounds), the Canadiens also reeled in mighty-mite forward Brian Gionta (5’7”, 170 pounds) and traded for Scott Gomez (5’11”, 200 pounds). That comprises a very small #1 line especially in the more physical, Eastern Conference. The fact that Gionta’s and Gomez’s offensive numbers have tailed off dramatically in the last couple of seasons also gives reason to question the Cammalleri signing.

Brian Gionta – Montreal

Speaking of Gionta, after his break-out season of 2005-2006 in which he recorded 48 goals and 89 points, Gionta’s goal scoring numbers have fallen tremendously. The seasons following his 48 goal outburst, Gionts recorded just 25, 22 and 20 goals respectively. He has also only ever scored more than 60 points once in a season and that was in 2005-2006, though he did have exactly 60 last season.

Gionta is tiny by NHL standards and just hit his 30^th birthday. Guaranteeing a player on the wrong side of 30, 5 years at $5 million per season is certainly UGLY. The Canadiens were desperate to improve their offense after struggling mightily last season but adding Gionta and Cammalleri doesn’t look like the way to do it.

There you have it folks; my Good, Bad and Ugly UFA signings of 2009. Feel free to comment with your own selections but be prepared to validate your picks. If you disagree with some of mine please tell me why. Also, don’t forget to hit up the Rangers Mailbag by emailing me atgkmkiller@cox.net

Thanks for Reading,

Glen Miller