Tuesday, May 6, 2008

The Off-Season Is Upon Us (UPDATED)

It is 'The End' my dear Blueshirts. The Dark Ranger salutes the team, the fans and the hockey Gods.

We are officially on hockey hiatus and it hurts.

Aside from the tongue twister, in looking back at last summer, the entire season and our playoff run - all in all - I think it ended how we all expected it would end. Our demise in the second round was due to our lack of defense, simply. We knew it during the season and we wanted to ignore it in the playoffs. King Lundqvist kept us in the game with his amazing ability to 'step up' when needed, but even his worldly skills weren't enough to support an empty blueline. Our forwards were stifled having to play defense, much due to our Tom Renney defensive system - and our specialty units were some of the worst in the NHL.

The Rangers were overrated this season. Plain & simple, but we discovered a youth movement along the way that gives us hope for years to come. The future is looking bright, and one needs to look no further than today to see who might be available come free agency.

Let us assume for a moment that Jaromir Jagr, Brendan Shanahan, Michal Rozsival, Martin Straka, Marek Malik, Paul Mara and Jason Strudwick are all leaving the Rangers for free agency. With the additional cap, that leaves us around $19 million to play with and target until July 1. Enjoy some links regarding 'what's next?' for our dear Blueshirts here (NY Times, pursuing the guy who ended our playoff run), here (NY Daily News, outlining the hard work ahead in the off-season) , and here-(Newsday article and the salary cap discussion).

Below is a list of all available free agents this year post season. Assuming most of our free agents were to leave this summer I'd say we need a 'real goon'(and I 'aint talkin' Colton Orr), a solid offensive defenseman (thinking Brian Campbell), and a first class forward to support Scottie Gomez (think Marian Hossa).

The list is below. Tell me how to fill that $19 million of opportunity.

Discuss:

Centers - Potential 2008 NHL Unrestricted Free Agents
Player Age Team 07-08 Salary Contract Notes
Joe Sakic37COL$6,750,000
Sergei Fedorov37CLB$6,080,000
Mats Sundin36TOR$5,500,000
Bobby Holik36ATL$4,250,000
Alexei Zhamnov36BOS$4,100,000
Doug Weight36STL$3,500,000
Martin Straka34NYR$3,300,000
Brendan Morrison31VAN$3,200,000
Craig Conroy35CGY$2,850,000
Daymond Langkow30CGY$2,442,000
Steve Rucchin35ATL$2,400,000
Bryan Smolinski35MTL$2,000,000
Sean Avery27NYR$1,900,000
Vaclav Prospal32 PHI $1,900,000
Jason Williams26CHI$1,600,000
Yanic Perreault36CHI$1,500,000
Chris Gratton31TBL$1,500,000
Mike Peca33CLB$1,300,000
Chris Kelly26OTT$1,262,000
Stephane Yelle33CGY$1,250,000
Mike York29PHX$1,000,000
Marty Reasoner30EDM$950,000
Stu Barnes36DAL$900,000
Niko Kapanen29PHX$900,000
Ryan Johnson31STL$800,000
Josef Vasicek26NYI$750,000
Dominic Moore26 TOR$700,000
Curtis Brown31SJS$700,000
Byron Ritchie30VAN$675,000
Kevyn Adams32CHI$650,000
Randy Robitaille31OTT$625,000
Jaroslav Hlinka30COL$600,000
Trevor Linden37VAN$600,000
Patrick Rissmiller28SJS$595,000
Kris Beech26 PIT$585,000
Mark Hartigan 29 DET $550,000
Jason Krog31ATL$500,000
Glen Metropolit33BOS$500,000
Zenon Konopka26CLB$500,000
Wyatt Smith30COL$500,000
Jim Dowd38PHI$500,000
Jeremy Roenick37SJS$500,000
Andreas Karlsson31TBL$500,000
Craig MacDonald30TBL$500,000
Tim Taylor38TBL$500,000 Retiring
Mike Glumac 27 STL $495,000
Mark Smith29CGY$488,000
Michael Ryan27BUF$475,000
Krys Barch27DAL$475,000
Brad Winchester26DAL$475,000
John Pohl28TOR$475,000


Defenseman - Potential 2008 NHL Unrestricted Free Agents
PlayerAgeTeam07-08 Salary Contract Notes
Wade Redden30OTT$6,500,000
Rob Blake37LAK$6,000,000
Adam Foote35 COL$4,600,000
Mattias Norstrom35DAL$4,250,000
Brad Stuart27 DET$3,500,000
Darius Kasparaitis34NYR$3,116,000
Paul Mara27NYR$3,000,000
Aaron Ward34BOS$2,750,000
Teppo Numminen38BUF$2,600,000
Oleg Tverdovsky31LAK$2,500,000
Marek Malik32NYR$2,500,000
Bret Hedican36CAR$2,432,000
Michal Rozsival28NYR$2,300,000
Dmitri Kalinin26BUF$2,250,000
Keith Carney37MIN$2,100,000
Dick Tarnstrom32 CLB$2,000,000
Jason Smith33PHI$1,976,000
Brian Campbell28 SJS$1,750,000
Mark Eaton30PIT$1,600,000
Bryce Salvador31 NJD$1,500,000
Aaron Miller35VAN$1,500,000
Andrei Zyuzin29CHI$1,475,000
Glen Wesley38CAR$1,400,000
John-Michael Liles26COL$1,400,000
Karel Rachunek27NJD$1,400,000
Richard Matvichuk34NJD$1,368,000
Mike Commodore27 OTT$1,300,000
Jim Vandermeer27 CAL$1,225,000
Nolan Baumgartner31DAL$1,200,000
Jaroslav Modry36 PHI$1,200,000
Petteri Nummelin34MIN$1,200,000
Jan Hejda29CLB$1,000,000
Andreas Lilja31DET$1,000,000
Ron Hainsey26CLB$900,000
Chris Chelios45DET$850,000
Branislav Mezei26FLA$850,000
Steve Montador27FLA$800,000
Steve McCarthy26ATL$725,000
Bryan Berard30NYI$725,000
Kurt Sauer26COL$719,000
Joe DiPenta28ANA$700,000
Magnus Johansson33 FLA$700,000
Patrice Brisebois36MTL$700,000
Alexei Semenov26SJS$650,000
Sandis Ozolinsh34SJS$625,000
Joel Kwiatkowski 30 ATL $600,000
Mark Streit29MTL$600,000
Matt Walker27STL$600,000
Mike Weaver29VAN$600,000
David Hale26CGY$590,000
Nolan Pratt31BUF$550,000
Rory Fitzpatrick32PHI$550,000
Jassen Cullimore34FLA$535,000
Alain Nasreddine31PIT$535,000
Freddy Meyer26NYI$525,000
Rob Davison27SJS$525,000
Bobby Allen28BOS$500,000
Dan Jancevski 26 DAL $500,000
Jeff Jillson26COL$500,000
Wade Brookbank 29 CAR $500,000
Sheldon Brookbank26NJD$500,000
Andrew Hutchinson27NYR$500,000
Jason Strudwick31NYR$500,000
Luke Richardson38OTT$500,000
Micki DuPont27STL$500,000
Garrett Stafford 27 DET $500,000
Andy Wozniewski27TOR$500,000
Kevin Dallman26LAK$490,000
Jeff Finger27COL$475,000
Allan Rourke27EDM$475,000
Sean Hill37MIN$475,000
Mike Mottau29NJD$475,000
Matt Carkner26OTT$475,000
Ryan Caldwell26PHX$475,000
Brad Norton32SJS$475,000
Doug Janik27TBL$475,000
Bruno St. Jacques 26 ANA $475,000


Goaltenders - Potential 2008 NHL Unrestricted Free Agents
PlayerAgeTeam07-08 Salary Contract Notes
Jose Theodore30COL$6,000,000
Olaf Kolzig37WAS$5,450,000
Cristobal Huet31 WAS $2,750,000
Dominik Hasek42DET$2,050,000
John Grahame31CAR$1,400,000
Johan Hedberg34ATL$1,150,000
Johan Holmqvist29 DAL$1,000,000
Patrick Lalime32CHI$950,000
Jocelyn Thibault32BUF$760,000
Stephen Valiquette29NYR$635,000
David Aebischer29PHX$600,000
Alex Auld26 BOS$600,000
Curtis Sanford27VAN$600,000
Michael Leighton 26 CAR $550,000
Jean-Sebastien Aubin29 ANA$525,000
Mike Morrison 27 NJD $525,000
Fred Brathwaite34ATL$500,000
Frederic Cassivi 32 WAS $500,000
Scott Clemmensen 29 TOR $500,000
Ty Conklin 31 PIT $500,000
Dan Ellis 27 NAS $500,000
Jordan Sigalet26BOS$500,000
Wade Dubielewicz28NYI$500,000


Left Wingers - Potential 2008 NHL Unrestricted Free Agents
Player Age Team 07-08 Salary Contract Notes
Markus Naslund33VAN$6,000,000
Ladislav Nagy28LAK$3,750,000
Sergei Samsonov28 CAR $3,525,000
Martin Rucinsky36STL$3,000,000
Ruslan Fedotenko28NYI$2,900,000
Brendan Shanahan38NYR$2,500,000
Gary Roberts41PIT$2,500,000
Petr Cajanek31STL$2,000,000
Cory Stillman33 OTT $1,750,000
Andrew Brunette33COL$1,600,000
Matt Cooke28 WAS $1,525,000
Geoff Sanderson35EDM$1,500,000
Scott Thornton36LAK$1,500,000
Ryan Malone27PIT$1,450,000
Kristian Huselius28CGY$1,400,000
Martin Gelinas37NAS$1,250,000
Jarkko Ruutu31PIT$1,150,000
Donald Brashear35WAS$1,100,000
Jason Chimera28CLB$1,000,000
Antti Miettinen26DAL$885,000
Pascal Dupuis28 PIT $880,000
Todd Fedoruk28 MIN $875,000
Jay Pandolfo32NJD$836,000
Jan Hlavac30 NAS $700,000
Niklas Hagman27DAL$675,000
Jody Shelley31 SJS$650,000
Eric Boulton30ATL$525,000
David Koci26CHI$525,000
Brad Isbister30VAN$525,000
Darcy Hordichuk26NAS$517,000
Kip Brennan 26 NYI $500,000
Steve Kelly 30 MIN $500,000
Matt Murley 27 PHO $500,000
Jeff Taffe 26 PIT $500,000
Ryan Bayda26CAR$475,000
Raitis Ivanans28LAK$475,000
Chris Simon35 MIN$475,000
Mathias Tjarnqvist28PHX$475,000
Mathieu Darche30TBL$475,000
Noah Clarke 28 NJD $475,000
Jeff Giuliano 28 LAK $475,000


Right Wingers - Potential 2008 NHL Unrestricted Free Agents
PlayerAgeTeam07-08 Salary Contract Notes
Marian Hossa28 PIT $7,000,000
Pavol Demitra32MIN$4,500,000
Miroslav Satan32NYI$4,500,000
Michael Ryder27MTL$2,950,000
Brian Rolston34MIN$2,432,000
Martin Lapointe33 OTT$2,400,000
David Vyborny32CLB$2,200,000
Owen Nolan35CGY$1,750,000
Mark Recchi39 ATL$1,750,000
Teemu Selanne 37 ANA $1,500,000
Georges Laraque30PIT$1,300,000
Radim Vrbata26PHX$1,225,000
Andre Roy32TBL$1,000,000
Shean Donovan32OTT$925,000
Brian Willsie29LAK$900,000
Trevor Letowski30CAR$800,000
Mike Johnson32STL$750,000
Arron Asham29NJD$700,000
Matt Bradley29WAS$700,000
Branko Radivojevic26MIN$680,000
Wade Belak30 FLA$625,000
Niko Dimitrakos28OTT$575,000
Dallas Drake38DET$550,000
Darren McCarty 35 DET $535,000
Aaron Downey32DET$525,000
Adam Hall26PIT$525,000
Josh Langfeld 29 NAS $500,000
Junior Lessard 27 TBL $500,000
Jeff Hoggan 29 BOS $495,000
Mark Mowers33ANA$475,000
Darren Haydar27ATL$475,000
Keith Aucoin28CAR$475,000
Eric Godard27CGY$475,000
Scott Parker29COL$475,000
Jesse Boulerice28PHI$475,000
Kyle Wanvig 26 TB $475,000
Craig Weller26PHX$475,000

2 comments:

  1. 1) Right now the Rangers have about 34 mil pledged for about 14 players next season. With the cap likely going up to 55-56 mil, that would leave 21-22 mil to 'spend on filling some holes, especially on defense.
    2) Might Sather try to lure a RFA? A guy like Green from washington or Bouwmeester from Florida for example might be worth an offer sheet/the lost draft picks.
    3) Also, the Flyers are right against the cap limit for next season already with guys like Carter,Umberger going to RFA they appear to not able to sign both. An offer sheet would screw them up big time.

    ReplyDelete
  2. faux...you bring up some good points re: Philly - much will depend on how far they can go beyond Pittsburgh. THAT would be precious, to take away their re-building.

    The greatest fault in Slats is that he will only approach free agents if 'he can actually get them' - "no floating or open offers" is historically his style, though he was surprised to float two offers last summer and unexpectedly get both of them (Drury, Gomez) - which as you know, got him into salary troubles with our resigning Shanny, Lundqvist and Avery shortly after.

    I do think Sather anticipated this level of salary cap available in the off-season, evidenced by his lack of trading last February; it provides him with a lot of 'playing room' to build on -- the guy is smart (not genius) and I understand him to be extremely arrogant and persuasive.

    I actually think he will do some good this summer for our Rangers!

    ReplyDelete

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