Sign a 30 year old to a 12 year guaranteed contract? Hmmm...

I'm not 100% sure on how the buyout system works, but I wouldn't be surprised to see some push from owners/GMs who have these decade long deals to make it so that a buyout's cap space is equal to the actual amount of money being paid out then, thus allowing these guys to get out with only a $1 million hit or something.

Hell, they've got 1, probably 2 CBA's to work on to get it.

Roloson signed with NYI

The Hawks also signed Marian Hossa's Slovakian BFF Tomas Kopecky. I bet that was part of the arrangement.

Sports radio in Chicago should be entertaining the next couple of days.

Toskala to the Oilers?:D

HaHa...

Can't say I will miss Hossa all that much. He notoriously did what he does best; disappears in the playoffs. I do believe that his playoff performance with the Pens was an aberration, not the norm.

I also do not believe this makes Chicago all that much better. During the regular season? Possibly. During the playoffs? Not so much. They are an up and coming team and will be a serious contender. However, I don't see them challenging the Wings yet.

Knuble to Washington for 2.8 per year for 2 yrs.

Nieds signs with the ducks...1/6M

Good article about Holland and the Wings

Around the Rink – NHL Free Agency Edition « Official Blog for the Detroit Red Wings

Buhlin-Wall to the Oilers. 4 years/$15 million in total. You do the math.

who?

Nikolai Khabibulin

Oh, never heard that nickname before. Wow, bad move for Edmonton IMHO. Did they give up on Toskala? :p

Hal Gill is a Canadien: 2 years at $2.5 m per

Mike Rupp is a Penguin: 2 years at $825K per

Ian Laperriere is a Flyer: 3 yerars at $1.17 m (I'm surprised by this. Isn't this pretty close to what Colorado offered him?)

Burnside is underestimating the effect on the Caps of losing Federov.

Pretty pumped about the Hawks getting Hossa. I liked Havlat but he just got injured way too much. Not sure how you guys can think that's not an improvement considering they make the same amount. It also takes away a 40 goal scorer from their biggest conference rival.

I think it's a huge improvement. I'd much rather have Hossa than Havlat and he's cheaper (cap-wise) to boot. I think the Blackhawks will be good enough to challenge for the Central Division title for sure (for whatever that's worth). They certain closed the (already narrow) gap with the Wings.

I don't disagree with the Havlat/Hossa comparison, but who is going to play goalie? I also think the Hawks defense core is sub-par. Just my opinion though.

I really felt like Seabrook stepped up come playoff time, and helped to compensate for Campbell's disappearance (relative to his 7m cap number at least). But I agree that goaltender needs to be addressed. The book is wide open on Huet, and the Wings picked him apart.

I love Khabibulin to the Oilers. Jets goalie to my current fav NHL team.

Despite struggling in Game 4, Huet was great in Game 5.

I think the Hawks are set up quite nicely for many years to come (assumign the cap remains relatively static).

Pavel Kubina to the Thrashers for Garnet Exelby.

There's more to the deal apparently, but those are the main parts.

I see Huet as another along the lines of Jose Theodore. Did pretty well in Montreal but when he left, the flaws in his game seemed to become apparent in a hurry. I am not sold on him.


Kubina really has fallen hasn't he?

Komisarek to the Leafs: 4 years at $4.5 million per.

With Orr, Exelby and Komisarek, I think Brian Burke is finally getting the type of team he wants.

Jackets join the fray, by signing Sami Pahlsson to a 3 yr deal at 2.7 per.

Expensive, but I think the Jackets still have to overpay to get anyone to play for them.

CR or Hawks fans, how's he looked the past season? He seems like the perfect 3rd line center in a Hitchcock system.

:( on the Kubina - XLB (and Colin Stuart) trade.

There's little reason to think the Thrashers won't suck again next year as we prepare to watch Kovy depart, but at least Exelby was popular. At worst he was probably the second most popular guy on the team with the fans, despite frequently being out of position, he was at least entertaining to watch at times.

This trade could revolutionize the way people struggle to find any reason to go to Phillips Arena as long as DW is the GM.

Gaborik to the Rangers, 5 years, $5.75 million.

Think he regrets turning down 10 / 78 million from the Wild last fall?

EDIT: neverming, TSN had it wrong. it's $7.5 per.

Cammy to the Habs...5 years/6mil a year.

wow...Cammy got more than Gaborik???

More I didn't see yet (i scrolled thu quickly)

Cammalieri to MTL $30M over 5 years = $6M per

Komisarek to Toronto $22.5M over 5 = $4.5M per (is that not what they gave Finger!? Komisarek worth as much as Finger? WTF)

Gaborik to Rangers $37.5M over 5 = $7.5M per

Spacek to MTL $11.5 over 3 = $3.83M per

Cole stays in Carolina $5.8M over 2 = $2.9M per

Greg Zanon to Minnesota $5.2M over 3 = $1.73 per

David Booth (RFA) stays in Florida $25.5 over 6 = $4.25M per

Bunch of other minor junk: Garon to CBUS, Strudwick to EDM etc

SR i think Finger was 3.5...i may be wrong though.

Spacek to the Habs hurts the Sabres IMHO.

Dola

Just reading now Gionta to Montreal

So, when the Habs win the Cup, Gionta will sit on Gomez's shoulders, and Gomez on Cammalieri's shoulders...so that someone can hand the Cup to Hal Gill.

Jon....what's a Colin Stuart?

Is the Kovalev staying in Montreal thing false? I saw it earlier at work as $8.8 over 2, but was that simply rumor?

His agent came out saying that it wasnt true.

I don't understand the Rupp move at all for Pittsburgh-

Right now we have about 80 bottom 6 forwards, still need (at least) 1 top 6 wing and another D.

Adams, Dupuis, Staal, Kennedy, Cooke, Godard, Rupp, Talbot, Dustin Jeffrey ready in the AHL, plus about 5 other guys in the AHL who got 3rd and 4th line minutes last year.

My hope is Pascal Dupuis is being moved. He's a team guy, but he's on the 4th line and making $1.4M for the next two seasons. We can't afford that.

I really wanted Zanon, as I think Scuderi's gone, and the $1.7M price tag makes it even harder to take. Scuderi is getting probably $1M+ more than that a year.

EDIT - Zanon's deal is $5.8/3, not $5.2. So cap is $1.93 a year. Still could have fit under the Pens cap.

Gionta $25 over 5.

Habs add over $17M per year against the cap today.

Sabres got Steve Montador $3.1 over 2 years. Not going to replace Spacek's minutes, but I like Montador. Another guy I was holding out hope for in Pittsburgh if Scuderi can't be kept.

John Madden to Chicago 1 year $2.75M

Steve Sullivan stay in Nashville (how did Montreal miss this short dude?) 2 years $3.75M per

Chris Neil stays in Ottawa $8M over 4 years

Have the Rangers had a good free agent signing in the last 15 years?

It's a journeyman (at best I guess) forward that finally made it to the NHL for 33 games last year after being drafted in 2001 (and finishing 4 years at Colorado College before turning pro in 2004). A speedy 6'2", 205 lefty, hasn't broken the 30 point barrier since 1999 in the USHL. Has a knack for scoring short-handed, all three of his five goals last year came that way. One of three pro hockey playing brothers (and a sister playing at BC) including Mark Stuart of the Bruins.

edit to amend: I guess I should say "roleplaying forward" instead of "journeyman forward"

Ah, the Rangers... They just never, ever learn, do they?

If Hossa can be had for $5.2 million, how can they justify Gaborik at $7.5?

Rangers...one step forward...two back.

I can't say Gaborik is worth the money, but keep in mind that Hossa's deal is for 12 years rather than the more reasonable 5 that they gave Gaborik.

That said, what a crap signing. Damn you Sather.

So the Devils lose three forwards today... do they plan to bring any in at all? Or do you get past the top line and then it's just the Dainius Zubrus show? Can somebody just punch me in the mouth now and get it over with?

Stop over I'll do it for you. I'm not going to work tomorrow so anytime tonight is fine with me. Wear your Crosby mask and jersey.

TSN is reporting that Havlat has a verbal agreement with Minny.

So who complete's the sniper shuffle?

Hossa went to Chicago. Havlat is going to Minny. Gaborik went to the Rangers. Gomez went to Montreal, so maybe Kovalev signs on the cheap with Detroit to close the loop?