Bolts Extend St. Louis' Stay

A contract extension pops up out of the blue for Martin St. Louis, giving him another four years after the 2011 season, giving him a deal through the 2015 season.  The deal is said to be worth $22.5 million over the four seasons, making it a salary cap hit of $5.625 million for each year. 

St. Louis has been a cornerstone piece of the Lightning for the past nine seasons, hitting the 40-goal plateau in 2007 and helping the Lightning win the Cup in 2004.  This deal will ensure that he is still around to help out the team and their new GM Steve Yzerman for quite a while yet.

In 2010, St. Louis had a fantastic season with a new partner in crime, Steven Stamkos, as they both finished in the top 10 in pool scoring.  St. Louis finished with 94 points in all 82 games and there should be a renewed sense of confidence that these two will be playing together for at least another five seasons, barring Stamkos being moved at any point.

This deal does not affect the Lightning's salary cap number for 2011, but it's still good pointing out.

Winchester Re-Signs in Ottawa

Minor signing sees the Ottawa Senators re-sign restricted free agent forward Jesse Winchester to a new 2-year deal worth $750,000 per season. Winchester played in 52 games for the Senators and picked up 13 points, not much of a fantasy player from that stand point, but is a roster player that has re-signed.  Look for him in the new team table and salary cap figures soon.

Hurricanes Get Babchuk Back

The Hurricanes are going to play 'remember me' with Anton Babchuk, who signed to a new 1-year, $1.4 million deal on Thursday. Babchuk, a restricted free agent, played in Russian in 2010 and will make his return to the Hurricanes to try and infuse some offense from the blueline.

In 2009, Babchuk's last season in the NHL, he topped out at 35 points in 72 games, which is a pretty good clip for a defenseman in the league. He might come out of nowhere and give someone a really good pick-up in your fantasy draft. I would rate him well going into the draft, personally.

Tanguay Goes Back to Calgary

It apepars that the Calgary Flames have decided to bring back Alex Tanguay into their fold with a new 1-year deal worth $1.7 million. Tanguay played two seasons in Calgary, the 2007 and 2008 seasons, and played fairly well, putting up some reasonable numbers before jumping ship to Montreal. The new deal will see him make a reasonable number against the cap and try and give some help to Jarome Iginla again.

With the Lightning in 2010, Tanguay did not have a great year, scoring only 10 goals and 27 assists in 80 games, relegated to some poor ice-time numbers by the end of the season and was likely just unhappy being there.  A return to Calgary may perk those numbers back up to something a bit more respectable.

The Flames are filling up their roster quite well and there is still plenty of time left in this off-season for tinkering, so GM Darryl Sutter must have a concrete idea of where he is taking this team. After the Tanguay signing, I now have the Flames sitting at 19 players at $55.9 million against the cap.

Flyers Re-Sign Coburn

The Flyers jump on the signing board by re-signing one of their own defensemen, Braydon Coburn, to a new deal. Coburn earned himself a 2-year deal worth $3.2 million per season, putting him back on the Flyers team table for at least a couple more years... or until a deal is done to help relieve the pressure from the cap.

Coburn ranked 98th among defensemen in scoring with 19 points (5 goals & 14 assists) in 81 games for the Flyers and was a solid player for them in their playoff run.

The Flyers are now spending all of their goalie money on defensemen, which is probably a good move, since it was their defense that really got them to where they finished... in the Stanley Cup Finals.

Gonchar Signs in Ottawa

The Ottawa Senators have gotten into the pool nice and early with a pretty massive splash, signing Sergei Gonchar to a new 3-year deal worth $5.5 million per season, plus a no-trade clause.

Gonchar had an excellent year, despite injuries, with the Penguins in 2010, finishing with 11 goals and 39 assists in 62 games, ranking him 6th among defensemen in scoring.

I don't think I would be expecting the same kind of scoring rate with the Senators, but he will add some definite quality to the power play in Ottawa and likely be a good influence on young players like Erik Karlsson and Jared Cowen over his stay.  At age 36, I would be weary of the 3-year deal, especially for such a big cap hit, because it is an over-35 deal and those count against the cap, even if the player retires early.

Paille Re-Signs in Boston

The Bruins have re-signed forward Dan Paille to a new 2-year deal early on in this free agency period. Paille will have a cap hit of $1.075 million per season, which is nice and light for the Bruins, giving them good depth.

Paille had 20 points in 76 games, making him a long shot for most fantasy drafts.

Flyers Trade for Defenseman

			2009-2010 NHL Statistics				2011 Cap Info
To Philadelphia	Position	Age	GP	G	A	P	Years	Cap Hit
Andrej Meszaros	Defense	24	81	6	11	17	4	$4 million
--------------
To Tampa Bay	Position	Age	GP	G	A	P	Years	Cap Hit
2012 2nd Round Pick

A trade highlights the early action on July 1st, as the Flyers moved to acquire an offensive defenseman in Andrej Meszaros from Tampa Bay for a 2nd round pick in two years. Meszaros had more of a claim to fame in Ottawa and really didn't make a big splash in Tampa with a new group of blueliners. He can now go to Philadelphia and fit in behind Pronger and Timonen, work with less pressure and possibly increase his scoring rate.

This is a good move for Meszaros, but the Flyers are taking on a big lump of salary with this deal, putting $4 million against the cap in this deal. The Flyers now stand at 16 players signed on for $52.7 million. It's a good thing they got their goaltending tandem signed for cheap, just so they could make this move for a defenseman.

I guess we should consider the Flyers move for Dan Hamhuis toasted with this deal.

Biron First to Sign, Rangers Get Him

The Rangers open up the free agent frenzy with the signing of Martin Biron to a new 2-year deal worth $875,000 per season.  That should sort out the back-up goaltender situation well in the Big Apple.  Henrik Lundqvist could really use some quality help and the Rangers could use it at a reasonable price and it looks like they got both in Biron. 

In 2010, the Biron made 29 appearances with the Islanders, amassing a record of 9-14-4, with 1 shutout and 1 assist for 21 pool points.  Biron ranked 46th among goalies in pool points, but might take a bit of a drop playing behind Lundqvist, but should pick up a better win-loss ratio with the Rangers, in theory.

Two More Re-Upped in Phoenix

The Phoenix Coyotes re-signed a pair of players on the eve of the free agent frenzy, putting pen to paper with defenseman Sami Lepisto and goaltender Al Montoya. Both players are not due to make big money with the club, Lepisto signed a 1-year, one-way deal worth $800,000 and Montoya signed a 1-year, two-way deal worth $750,000.

Lepisto, 25, should be on the Coyotes opening night roster after playing 60 games with the club in 2010, scoring 1 goal and adding 10 assists. Those numbers do not make him a great fantasy pick-up, but if he can get some regular ice-time, his progress may improve with greater confidence.

Montoya, 25, has been a project goalie between the Rangers and Coyotes in his career, but hasn't found a way to break through and become anything more. He'll remain in the Coyotes system, but with Ilya Bryzgalov and Jason LaBarbera signed on for 2011 already, he'll have to really excel to have his shot, barring injury.

Some Buyouts on the Eve of Frenzy

NATHAN OYSTRICK BUYOUT FROM CAPGEEK.COM
2010-2011: $197,083
2011-2012: $183,333

The Ducks did end up letting go of Nathan Oystrick on Wednesday, which should come as no surprise. He wasn't going to fit in and there was no sense of keeping his salary on the board any longer.

ROBERT NILSSON BUYOUT FROM CAPGEEK.COM
2010-2011: $-83,333
2011-2012: $416,667

The Oilers moved ahead with the buyout of Robert Nilsson, which opens up another spot on the Edmonton roster for some young talent. Nilsson had one year left on his deal and should be a reasonable pick-up for a team in need of a second line winger.

VILLE KOISTINEN BUYOUT FROM CAPGEEK.COM
2010-2011: $266,667
2011-2012: $466,667

The Panthers decided to dispense Ville Koistinen to the free agent wire on Wednesday as well, as he didn't really fit the bill for the Panthers. Koistinen has had a hard time cracking the NHL and I wouldn't be surprised if he went back to Europe to hone his craft.

TODD FEDORUK BUYOUT FROM CAPGEEK.COM
2010-2011: $308,333
2011-2012: $375,000

Tough guy Todd Fedoruk was not in the short-term plan for new GM Steve Yzerman and the Lightning in 2011, so he contract was moved for a reasonable hit against the cap for the next couple of seasons.  The Lightning should save about $700,000 in cap space this year and lose out on the full $375,000 next year.

Latendresse Signs Extension

The Wild removed one of their potential restricted free agents from their priority list on Wednesday night, re-signing Guillaume Latendresse to a new 2-year deal worth $5 million.  Latendresse was acquired from Montreal in the regular season and he made quite an impact with the Wild after the joining the club, it was hard not to like him in Minnesota.  This new 2-year deal is definitely a sign of their adoration for the guy and it will see to it that they love him for another couple seasons.

After the trade from Montreal, Latendresse played in 55 games for the Wild, scoring 25 goals and 12 assists, giving the Wild a better shot at making the playoffs, to which they fell short of, but not for a lack of trying.  In total, between Montreal and Minnesota, Latendresse finished the year with 27 goals and 13 assists in 78 games, which shows you how badly he needed to get out of Montreal.  Those final totals ranked him 191st overall in pool scoring, 138th among forwards, but his Wild totals may make you upgrade his projections for the 2011 season drafts.

Forwards	Defense	Goalies
Mikko Koivu	Marek Zidlicky	Niklas Backstrom
Andrew Brunette	Cam Barker
Martin Havlat	Brent Burns
Antti Miettinen	Nick Schultz
Guillaume Latendresse	Greg Zanon
Kyle Brodziak
Cal Clutterbuck
Chuck Kobasew
Brad Staubitz
James Sheppard
Pierre-Marc Bouchard

The Wild are coming along quite well in terms of their cap space and team being built. With this signing, the club now has 17 players signed on for an annual cap hit of $47.8 million, which is really good these days. I haven't seen much word as to how much the Wild are prepared to spend as a whole in 2011, whether or not there will be a ownership-imposed budget this year, but it won't be long until we see how it will all play out with the frenzy coming up.


If there was ever a poster boy for "a change of scenery will do a guy some good," look no further than Latendresse.  With a new deal in his back pocket, a team that has made good use of his talents so far, he could be in line for a pretty good year with the Wild... or he could also become complacent, which is a worry for me, fantasy-wise.  Right now, I would give him the benefit of the doubt with a note by his name that says to keep an eye on him in training camp, but I would rank him a little higher than his 2010 point totals may suggest, but not by too much.  I'm sure we can all get him for a bargain pick this coming year.

Flyers Re-Sign Leighton

The Philadelphia Flyers have decided on giving Michael Leighton what was owed to him for his good work in the Stanley Cup playoffs in the Spring.  Leighton was signed to a new 2-year deal with the Flyers, worth $3.1 million, which works out to be a $1.55 million cap hit for each year.  I don't think this is the Flyers giving up on a big name goalie quite yet, but at least they now have some insurance if they cannot land a Marty Turco or Evgeni Nabokov on Thursday.


Leighton only made 34 appearances in the regular season between the Hurricanes and the Flyers, picking up a record of 17-9-2 with the Flyers, also picking up 1 shutout and an assist for 37 pool points in 2010, ranking him 32nd among all goaltenders in the league.  Leighton was claimed off of waivers from Carolina in December and became very handy to the Flyers when all of their injury woes were happening in the crease.  In the playoffs, Leighton went 8-3-0 with 2 shutouts and helped guide the Flyers to the Stanley Cup Finals.  It was a pretty good run for himself, gaining a little more notoriety for his name.

Forwards	Defense	Goalies
Mike Richards	Chris Pronger	Michael Leighton
Jeff Carter	Kimmo Timonen	Brian Boucher
Daniel Briere	Matt Carle
Scott Hartnell
Simon Gagne
James Van Riemsdyk
Ian Laperriere
Blair Betts
Ville Leino
Riley Cote

Now the Flyers have two goalies on their current roster, keeping both Leighton and Brian Boucher, who were probably the team's better goalies in the 2010 season anyways and their roster is beginning to take some sort of shape. As you can see, the Flyers have 10 forwards, 3 defense and both their goalies now for an annual salary cap hit of $48.7 million, not including any buyouts or penalties at the moment.  In theory, this would give the team $10.7 million to work with to fill in their defense and add depth players up front.  Not sure if that's the way they are going to make a championship team, but it's a start.


It sounded like the Flyers took a good run at both Nabokov and Turco already, before the Free Agent Frenzy actually begun, so the rejection obviously made the Flyers brass think a little bit more about what actually got them to the Finals and it wasn't the marquee goalie in the end.  Their money might certainly be better served on their blueline anyways, giving both Chris Pronger and Kimmo Timonen a hand.  This frenzy is going to be a good one for the Flyers.

Versteeg Sent to Toronto

			2009-2010 NHL Statistics				2011 Cap Info
To Toronto	Position	Age	GP	G	A	P	Years	Cap Hit
Kris Versteeg	Forward	24	79	20	24	44	2	$3.1 million
Bill Sweatt	Forward	21	0	0	0	0	0	RFA
--------------
To Chicago	Position	Age	GP	G	A	P	Years	Cap Hit
Viktor Stalberg	Forward	24	40	9	5	14	1	$850,000
Chris DiDomenico	Forward	21	0	0	0	0	2	$678,000
Philippe Paradis	Forward	19	0	0	0	0	0	RFA

It's fair to say that most of us saw the exodus of at least one or two more big Blackhawks coming before this was all said and done, so seeing Kris Versteeg on his way out of Chicago should not come as a surprise to anyone.  His destination, Toronto, does surprise me a little bit, possibly moreso the timing of the deal than anything, but I shouldn't be surprised that they had their stick in the fire as well.

So, the Blackhawks sent Versteeg and Bill Sweatt, an unsigned prospect, to Toronto for Viktor Stalberg, a speedy Swedish winger, Chris DiDomenico, a late round pick with ties to the World Juniors for Canada, and Philippe Paradis, a former first rounder.  It's a hefty deal, which does not burden the Blackhawks to any great extent salary-wise and gives Toronto a Stanley Cup-winning forward to add to their collection.

In what is supposed to be a salary dump for the Blackhawks, they did manage to pick up a few good prospects out of Toronto for an established player, so the hefty price was paid by someone to get Versteeg out of town.  You know, before the Blackhawks became too desperate and shipped him off for less.


This deal does shift some numbers around for the 2011 salary cap totals and they are beginning to look better for both teams.  Okay, mind you these totals are without any sort of buyouts and they just include who would be on my team tables in the middle of the Summer, so bear with me and the numbers.  Currently, the Blackhawks have 13 players signed on to their roster for a cap hit of $51 million, only giving them about $8.4 million for 10 players on their roster.  That will have to be a lot of quality depth to fill on their roster.  The Maple Leafs, on the other hand, now have 16 players on their roster for a cap hit of $49 million, giving them $10.4 million for 7 players, which looks a lot healthier at the end of the day.  The Leafs can still be solid players in the free agent frenzy that begins on Thursday.


It's hard not to like this deal, if you were a Leafs fan.  Versteeg is a quality forward, that plays with a ton of work ethic, something you could argue that has been lacking in Toronto for a while now.  You can build line-ups in your head between now and the beginning of preseason and like what you see, but it will be the on-ice product that everyone is looking for from this deal.  The Blackhawks didn't do too badly for having to make the dump of salary, I am weary of Stalberg actually making the team in Chicago, since he was a bit of a flake for the Maple Leafs at the best of times.  Wait and see, I guess.

Brind'Amour Hangs Them Up

Another great career has come to an end with the announcement that Rod Brind'Amour has hung up his skates after 21 seasons in the NHL. Drafted 9th overall in 1988, the 39-year old Brind'Amour has had quite the full career, including a Stanley Cup as captain of the Hurricanes, a couple Selke trophies and a top notch reputation in the league as one of the hardest working players to playt the game. He will now take a job in the Hurricanes front office, now that he's officially off the ice.

Brind'Amour played in 1,484 career games between St. Louis, Philadelphia and Carolina, amassing 452 goals and 732 assists (1,184 points), which ranks him 46th all-time in the NHL and that's nothing to shake a stick at.  He had career highs of 37 goals in 1993 with the Flyers and 62 assists & 97 points in 1994, also with the Flyers.

In 2010, Brind'Amour was really tailing off the scoresheet, only picking up 10 goals and 11 assists in 80 games, really developing into that 3rd line centre role, taking key face-offs for the team and such.  Unfortunately, his defensive numbers slipped dearly and he had a couple of terrible years in the plus/minus column, -23 in 2009 and -29 in 2010.  Nevertheless, he should be remembered for the great years he put in to the NHL and his Stanley Cup run for the Hurricanes.

Strike him from your 2011 Draft lists.