I take you back to a conversation I had with an NHL GM this past weekend in Montreal. He was saying that, for the first time in a while, July 1 might be a little quieter than normal and the signings might be spread out over the course of the summer.
Ah, no.
The July 1 fireworks were as explosive as ever. Marian Hossa, Marian Gaborik, Martin Havlat, Mike Cammalleri, Brian Gionta, Mike Komisarek, Mattias Ohlund and Nikolai Khabibulin all changed teams for big bucks.
Recession? Ha!
But let's see how the second-wave free agents get treated. That's where we might see a tightening of the collective belt. The high-end guys above -- not to mention the Sedin twins' re-signing in Vancouver and Jay Bouwmeester's saying yes to Calgary -- all got their high-end money. But will the craziness filter down to the middle group of free agents? I'm not so sure. I think you might see a group of players sitting there in August wondering how the heck they lost out on the game of musical chairs.
In the meantime, there are still teams wanting and players to get.
Alexei Kovalev is an interesting case. By now, I think it's clear he likely won't be returning to Montreal after the Habs added Cammalleri, Gionta and Scott Gomez to their lineup. In fact, a source close to Kovalev suggested the Canadiens were pretty much out of the picture now unless something drastic happened. So, where now for the talented yet enigmatic player?
One would think Los Angeles would be a fit, given that the Kings struck out on Gaborik and Havlat. Sure, they signed blueliner Rob Scuderi on Thursday, but here's a young and talented team screaming for a big-name addition up front. But as of late afternoon Thursday, the Kings had not touched base with the Kovalev camp, and another source told ESPN.com the team was not interested in Kovalev's services.
One name that won't go away when it comes to the Kings is Colorado Avalanche forward Ryan Smyth, who has a no-trade clause in his contract.
Other random thoughts:
• Where will Saku Koivu end up? The betting money is obviously on Minnesota, although not as much for his burning desire to play with his brother Mikko as for the Wild's burning need for a No. 2 center. There definitely have been talks between the two camps, a source confirmed to ESPN.com. Then you wonder whether Saku wouldn't mind playing with his old buddy Teemu Selanne in Anaheim. Either way, there will be a new captain in Montreal next season. It's clear Saku is leaving the Habs but does so on good terms; a source said Koivu had a good chat with Canadiens GM Bob Gainey this week before free agency opened Wednesday.
• I like what the Atlanta Thrashers have done in the past two days. GM Don Waddell had a wish list before the offseason -- a top-four blueliner and a top-six forward. Check those both off. Trading for Pavel Kubina and signing Nik Antropov fit the bill. The team's top four blueliners are now Kubina, Zach Bogosian, Ron Hainsey and Tobias Enstrom. Not bad at all.
• Also deserving credit is Florida Panthers interim GM Randy Sexton, who Thursday night signed UFA Jordan Leopold to a one-year deal worth $1.75 million, meaning he was able to get a top-four blueliner and a third-round pick from Calgary in exchange for Bouwmeester's rights Saturday. Of course, Bouwmeester will be sorely missed, but the point is that he was walking out the door no matter what and Sexton still was able to recoup some nice value at the 11th hour.
Keep that in mind at the March trade deadline when a bubble team doesn't sell off a pending UFA; there's still time to trade him in June and get some value back. Sexton also gets kudos for reacting to the loss of free-agent goalie Craig Anderson by signing Scott Clemmensen at only $3.5 million total for three years and keeping David Booth, a cornerstone of the franchise, with a six-year deal.
• And finally, how about the job by GM Jim Rutherford of the Carolina Hurricanes? He didn't buckle to June 30 pressure and refused to meet the contract demands of Erik Cole and Chad LaRose, so both went on the open market July 1. Guess who came back home after a glance at the market? Rutherford definitely risked losing both players, but his patience saved him money.
Pierre LeBrun
