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Posted by Kerrzy on Friday, June 30, 2006 |
If you’re looking for some drama and reality TV is not your thing, turn your attention toward the NHL this summer.
With top-flite players like Chris Pronger on the trading block, and players like Ed Belfour, Bill Guerin, Ed Jovanovski and half of the Edmonton Oilers becoming free agents as of Canada day, things should get interesting quite quickly.
But who’s going where?
A NUMBER ONE GOALIE:
There are teams aplenty looking for goalies, and word is that Martin Biron is only signing his qualifying offer with the Buffalo Sabres so that they will trade him off this summer.
Biron, who has been with the Sabres since 1995-96, wants out after losing the number one spot last season to rookie Ryan Miller part way through the year, although he posted a 21-8-0 record with a .905 save percentage.
Biron is likely the number one of the possible number one’s, but the other top goalies that could be looking for new homes this summer are Ed Belfour, Manny Legace, Dwayne Roloson, Martin Gerber, Martin Prusek, Mike Dunham, Brian Boucher, Johan Hedberg, Patrick Lalime and John Grahame.
While Grahame, who was verbally run out of Tampa by head coach John Tortorella could make a solid backup somewhere else in the league, a lot of these other names are goaltenders that have had good seasons at some point, but then lost the plot somewhat with their respective teams and haven’t yet resurfaced as steady number ones.
Players like Prusek, Boucher, Lalime and Hedberg have all played exceptionally well at some point, Prusek and Lalime with the Senators, Boucher with the Flyers, and Hedberg for a while with the Penguins, but after moving around a bit, none of these goalies really had a chance to make their mark on a new team, or else they played for a horrible team like the St. Louis Blues, where Chris Pronger's wife apparently wants to go back to.
SOLID BLUELINERS:
It looks like Todd Bertuzzi may be joined in Florida by former teammate Ed Jovanovski if he decides not to return to the ‘Nucks, and since he’s been spending all of his time in Florida with his family, speculation is that he’ll wind up back where he started in 1995 with the Panthers.
Moving along to fellow Canadian Olympic defenseman, Chris Pronger is on his way out of Edmonton after requesting a trade a day before the ’06 entry draft.
According to Sportsnet.ca, Pronger will be making a conference call Tuesday about his reasons for wanting out of Edmonton, but the fact of the matter, and really the only important thing in terms of summer moves, is that he definitely wants out of Edmonton.
The Oilers apparently want a quality forward, a quality d-man and a first round draft pick for Pronger, their large but unhappy defenseman. Whether or not that’s what they’ll get is yet to be seen but there really aren’t any solid rumors out there just yet that haven’t been quashed by recent signings like Bryan Mccabe in Toronto or Wade Redden in Ottawa.
Speaking of Ottawa, reports from TSN.ca are saying that taller-than-Chris-Pronger defenseman Zdeno Chara will test the free agent market before making any moves.
Another Canadian team member, Rob Blake is yet to sign on with the Avalanche for the upcoming year.
Some other notable free agent defensemen are Brian Leetch with the Boston Bruins who might just have another season or two in the tank, Jaroslav Spacek from the Edmonton Oilers who had a strong regular season and an okay playoffs, ex-Oiler Tom Poti, who I’ve never thought was really that good, and Eric Desjardins of the Philadelphia Flyers who, in my mind, has been a solid d-man for years with Philly.
HELP UP FRONT:
The Dallas Stars are giving up Jason Arnott and Bill Guerin, with Guerin likely taking a large pay-cut wherever he goes after a sub-par season with the Stars which could be chalked up to not adapting to the new NHL.
Arnott may be the steal of the off-season. Why the Stars wouldn’t keep him around is beyond me after his a 32-goal, 76-point season in Dallas, maybe he wanted too much money. Sure, Jason Arnott is a like-him-or-hate-him type of player, but I’ve really come to enjoy watching him play, and after being hated out of Edmonton, that is saying quite a bit.
If Peter Bondra decides to return this year, he may well be a steal again this season. Bondra was on pace for a 50+ goal season with the Thrashers last year, but only notched 21 goals after suffering a serious injury and returning late in the season. Does anyone remember what Bondra signed for last year?
$505,000...and he was closing in on 50+ goals. The word out of Atlanta though, is that he is expected to retire.
Along with Chris Pronger, the Edmonton Oilers will likely be losing forwards Mike Peca, and Sergei Samsonov, with Radek Dvorak also leaving. Dvorak didn’t have a great year, but Peca and Samsonov will be great additions to any team.
The other potential movers of note this summer are Anaheim’s Jeff Friesen, Atlanta’s Marc Savard, Mark Recchi and Doug Weight from the Hurricanes, Jeremy Roenick from the Kings, Patrick Elias and Jamie Langenbrunner from the Devils, Jason Allison and Eric Lindros from the Leafs and Anson Carter and Trevor Linden from the Canucks.
After re-signing both of the Sedin twins to three-year contracts, I expect the Canucks to try and keep hold of Carter, but the big story will be J.R. who apparently really wants to play in Canada, and has been working out harder than ever before to rebound from last year’s “embarrassing†season with the Kings.
LOSING FIGHTERS?
In a fun twist of fate, Georges Laraque, Donald Brashear and Tie Domi have all been ousted, it seems, by their current employers. I guess overpaid fighters are going the way of the dinosaur, especially since Laraque cleared $1-million this past season though he averaged next to no ice time per game.
Moral of the Story: I’m also a free agent, but I’m working all summer so I might miss the phone call if it comes. Hopefully they’ll leave a message.
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Jim Kerr |
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(735 reads) |
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Comments
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Re: Potentially Kinetic '06: Who's on the move this summer?
by kohoforever on Monday, July 03, 2006
Roloson actually won't be looking for a new home as the oil just signed him for 3 more years
Re: Potentially Kinetic '06: Who's on the move this summer?
by Turner17 on Saturday, July 01, 2006
Great read....
Check this out for all the moves on Canada Day...
http://www.nhl.com/news/2006/07/276374.html
Some of the highlights include Zdeno Chara going to Boston and Jovonoski going to Pheonixx
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