Just some general thoughts on day one of free agency:
Florida Panthers – Dale Talon has a lot of people scratching their heads today, but I’m not one of them. Talon knows how to build a team, and the team he’s building looks a lot like the 2010 Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks. They don’t have the younger draftees, and they don’t seem to have a rookie goalie in the wings to scoop the team up, but he looks like he could be a few years away from just that. I don’t doubt the man, so long as he stays comforably away from the upper limit of the salary cap. And considering he is in Florida, that shouldn’t be an issue. Jose Theodore is the new Christibol Huet, Scotty Upshall is the new Dustin Byfuglien, and Brian Campbell is still Brian Campbell. I don’t know where Jovanovski fits in yet. The big difference here is that Florida got better. That’s been a long time coming.
Vokoun – I don’t think we will hear much from Vokoun until later, but his options are waining. It’s been suggested that the Panthers should have given him one more year, but I couldn’t imagine how that would help Vokoun. His market value is as high as it’s going to get, even as his options for locations are shrinking.
Jagr – AH HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!! But seriously, it’s probably Jagr’s last year in the NHL ever. He needed to follow the money. Heart has never been his strongest suit, but it was kind of a dick move for Ray Shero to try and tug at those heartstrings. Manipulative? Maybe. But Jagr made them pay. Hockey hate in Pittsburgh is going to be at an all time high.
Christian Ehrhoff – What a joke of a contract. Two signing bonuses? A signing bonus 4 times the amount of the salary for the year it’s handed out? Just a freaking joke. Contracts like this give the owners more ammo for the next CBA. This is the bastard child contract of Brian Campbell and Ilya Kovalchuk.
Colorado Avalanche – I’ll do more on the Avalanche later, but for now, the best I can say is that they got better. They worked towards filling holes on the club with the available market. I’ll go deeper later.
Carcillo to the Blackhawks – AH HAHAHAHAAH!!!!! Oh, how the Canucks are going to hate the Hawks twice as much next year.
Erik Cole – I would have liked to have seen him in an Avs jersey. He’s quietly good, the kind of player the fans like here in Colorado.
Overall, lots of teams got better today. I think the overall sentiment online has been, “why can’t I be a GM?” In this market, there are more role players than difference makers. If you had a hole to fill, this is the market to do it in. If you need big stud, you have few options, and you will pay for them.
More later….