NHL Free Agency: New Faces, New Places

by Jesse Liebman

Editorial. Photos by AP News

While the summer months drag on, hockey fans continue to count down the days to opening night in October. There are a multitude of reasons to look forward to a new season; a retooled roster is one of them.

In the span of two weeks since the free agency period started, the landscape of the NHL has changed dramatically, with many players now calling a new city home. Last Call’s Jesse Liebman is here to grade some of the major moves and speculate on some that have yet to be made:

• On draft day Anaheim defenseman Chris Pronger was dealt to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for Joffrey Lupul, Luca Sbisa and draft picks. Days later he was signed to a seven-year extension, meaning the bruising blueliner will likely finish his career as a Broad Street Bully. The move gives Philly arguably the best defense corps in the Atlantic division, but cap problems may arise due to the length of the contract. Pronger isn’t getting younger either. (Grade: B)

• Jay Bouwmeester had spent years playing for a non-playoff hockey team in the Florida Panthers. His decision to sign with the Calgary Flames suggests Bouwmeester means business. GM Darryl Sutter is getting a top-pair defenseman who will be able to form a one-two punch on the powerplay with Dion Phaneuf. (Grade: B+)

• Marian Hossa was viewed as the top player in this year’s UFA crop. The right-wing signed a mammoth twelve-year deal with Chicago that will keep Hossa in the Windy City for the duration of his career. This is a great deal for both sides, as Hossa will add Stanley Cup Finals experience to a youthful team, having been on the losing side for two straight years. This is also a team where Hossa will not be expected to be the star, with Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane leading the way. (Grade: A).

• Marian Gaborik’s career was good in Minnesota playing Jacques Lemaire’s tight defensive system – in New York he’ll have the chance to be great under John Tortorella. The Slovakian sniper is perhaps the NHL’s best in a one-on-one situation and has incredible speed and dynamic finishing ability. He’s had injury problems in the past, but Gaborik has said he now has a clean bill of health. Couple that with the trading of Scott Gomez’s albatross of a contract, and this deal looks all the more sweeter. (Grade: A-)

• Martin Havlat thrived playing in Chicago, only to find himself on the outside looking in when it came time to negotiate a contract. A move to Minnesota will only fuel Havlat’s competitive fire. And sure, with Lemaire no longer behind the bench for the Wild, the team might actually start approve of offensive creativity. Sadly, you cannot replace Marian Gaborik. (Grade: B-)

• Mark Recchi’s deal with the Bruins is great and all, except people are forgetting something: he’s 41. He may still have the competitive drive, but Recchi is no longer the winger who terrorized the rest of the NHL playing with Eric Lindros in the 1990s. Plus, this now presents a challenge for Bruins’ GM Peter Chiarelli to lock up RFA Phil Kessel. (Grade: D+)

• Lastly, I’d like to talk about a deal that hasn’t been made yet. Forget Sean Avery; Dany Heatley has done nearly everything to declare himself the most hated man in the NHL. Rebuffing Ottawa’s attempts to sign him to a contract extension, he then put the Sens in hot water when he refused to waive his no-trade clause to go to Edmonton when a deal was in place. As of now Heatley is still and Ottawa Senator, but don’t be surprised if you hear that some other teams such as the New York Rangers are involved in trade discussions. If I were Rangers’ GM Glen Sather, however, I’d have to ask the following question: is this headache worth the risk? Survey says, no.