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Eastern Conference outlook
The free-agent season is about to begin and with demand exceeding supply by a wide margin, expect some wild activity in the first 72 hours.
Not everyone will get involved of course, because even with a new salary cap limit of $56.7 million, a number of teams have to stick to tighter budgets. In fact, a number of them will be hard pressed to reach the $40 million floor.
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| Teams will line up for the services of Brian Campbell. (Getty Images) |
Anaheim Ducks: The Ducks have lots of salary juggling to do this summer, certainly enough to prevent them from being active in this year's free agency. Anaheim is pushing the $52 million mark in salary for next season with 19 players signed already, and the Ducks still have to find room to bring Teemu Selanne and Corey Perry back. So the Ducks really won't be shopping. More likely GM Brian Burke will get his payroll situation in place before the training camp opening deadline by making some trades.
Calgary Flames: The Flames have already done a lot of their offseason work with the draft day deal that landed forward Michael Cammalleri and last week's re-signing of potential free agents Daymond Langkow, Craig Conroy, Eric Nystrom and Curtis McElhinney. Calgary now has 18 players under contract for next season, which in essence means the core of its lineup is intact for next season. The Flames will be looking for some prospects to crack the lineup and fill in the holes, so they aren't likely to be busy with free agents.
Chicago Blackhawks: The Blackhawks franchise was revitalized both on and off the ice last season, and has enough core young talent to make it a potential contender for the next several years. That makes Chicago a destination for the game's top free agents to once again consider. Right now, the Blackhawks are looking for a puck-moving defenseman and have enough cap room to make a serious run at Brian Campbell. But with nearly $17 million coming off the books after next season when the contracts of Nikolai Khabibulin, Martin Havlat and Robert Lang expiring, Chicago has the potential to get creative with long-term deals.
Colorado Avalanche: The Avs could be big players in free agency because they have only $28 million committed in salaries. But first they have to figure out what to do with several veterans who are eligible for the open market. It's a given there is a place for Joe Sakic, should he decide on delaying retirement, and that would bump up the payroll by 25 percent immediately. But the bigger concern in Colorado is determining whether Adam Foote and Peter Forsberg can still provide a better return than putting the dollars to use elsewhere. The Avs have already told goaltender Jose Theodore he wasn't worth the asking price.
Columbus Blue Jackets: Look for the Jackets to be among the most aggressive teams when the market opens. That may not translate into success when it comes to attracting players because Columbus isn't usually the first choice for many of them. But second-year GM Scott Howson was bold at the draft and is trying to accelerate a program for a team that has never made the playoffs. And he has some tools because the Jackets have only $25 million committed in salaries for next season. Columbus needs offensive help, most notably on the top line where Rick Nash continues to be hampered by the lack of an appropriate playmaking center. A potential target for Columbus is Brendan Morrison, who has spent the better part of this decade as the set-up man for Markus Naslund in Vancouver.
Dallas Stars: The Stars are almost at the $50 million mark in salaries for next season, so they aren't likely to be active in free agency. And the thinking in Dallas is they don't have to be. Maybe that's because Dallas will start next season with much of the lineup that went to the conference final. There are some holes to fill up front because Niklas Hagman, Antti Miettinen and Stu Barnes aren't expected back, and the Stars could use a better backup goalie, but they'll be looking for bargain-priced players to fill those roles.
Detroit Red Wings: If Detroit manages to keep defenseman Brad Stuart, a deadline pickup who had a strong playoff run, it should be enough for the Red Wings to meet their goals for free agency. Stuart may have to settle for a bit below his market value, but getting to stay with a Stanley Cup champion that has most of its lineup intact is a good enticement. The Red Wings have 16 players signed for next season, including their top three defenseman, their goalie and 10 regulars up front, and their combined salaries are only about $41 million next season, which gives them lots of cap space.
Edmonton Oilers: Oilers GM Kevin Lowe took the free-agent world by storm last summer when he made two runs at restricted free agents, the type of players previously off limits by gentleman's agreement. Lowe landed one of his targets, but his action had an inflationary impact on the rest of the league and isn't likely to be repeated by him this time. But with $12 million in cap space, chances are Lowe will still be aggressive.
Los Angeles Kings: Los Angeles has a lot of cap room and could use a major splash to regain some visibility in a market that is dominated by Anaheim. But GM Dean Lombardi also believes in building a team methodically, and getting center Jarret Stoll and defenseman Matt Greene from Edmonton on Sunday fills some gaps he might have tried to address in free agency.
Nashville Predators: The ownership situation has developed another problem but at least for now it is not affecting the ability of GM David Poile to plan for next season. Nashville has already settled on the core of the roster by re-signing key players, most notably defenseman Shea Weber, to multi-year contracts. And overall, the Predators will be in the mid-range between the cap limit and floor, so anything they do with free agents will be low profile, perhaps finding an enforcer type to replace Darcy Hordichuk. Former Penguins forward Georges Laraque could be a candidate.
Minnesota Wild: They're going to lose Brian Rolston and Pavol Demitra, and maybe Pierre Marc Bouchard, so there will be a big hole to close on the offense next season. The Wild will have the money to do it because only $34 million has been committed for next season, but as a general rule, Minnesota has refrained from being active in free agency.
St. Louis Blues: The Blues will increase their payroll slightly next season to about $48 million, but they are not expected to make any major headlines in free agency. St. Louis is still at least a couple of years from being a legitimate playoff contender and the philosophy now is to let the young players develop enough to lead the team there.
Phoenix Coyotes: The Coyotes can't really afford to be a player in the free-agent sweepstakes because they are a financial basket case, despite still having to get to the $40 million salary cap floor. So if anything, Phoenix will be shopping the bargain basement racks looking for some additional pieces. There is a bright side, though, because Phoenix has some fine looking young players who are developing with added ice time under coach Wayne Gretzky.
San Jose Sharks: What the Sharks do will depend on Brian Campbell. San Jose has tried hard to re-sign the defenseman they picked up at the deadline, and Campbell isn't entirely averse to the idea. He fit in well with the team down the stretch and played a key role in San Jose' great finish. But Campbell is said to be interested in moving back East and there are many teams lining up for a crack at him. If he leaves, the Sharks will have to find a replacement, but more likely it will come through a trade than free agency.
Vancouver Canucks: New GM Mike Gillis isn't popular among his colleagues after taking the job away from Dave Nonis and it showed with the problems he had trying to make trades at the draft. Now though, Gillis, a former agent, will deal with his old colleagues, and that might be more his speed. Vancouver needs to bolster its offense, especially if Markus Naslund and Brendan Morrison hit the open market as expected. But the Canucks have $20 million in cap room and Gillis is expected to be aggressive in using it.
