I have never been a huge fan of the National Hockey League’s annual “dash for cash” otherwise known as the day when NHL teams can sign unrestricted free agents because it is here where the NHL’s salary troubles start. It is the time of the year where teams looking to solve their roster problems show up with checkbook in hand and think they can spend their way to a solution. Team owners and their general managers wine and dine free agent players hoping that they will fill holes on their rosters.
While the new NHL/NHLPA collective bargaining agreement (CBA) is supposed to limit how big a contract as well as how long a contract can be, the previous attempts at salary control have failed in large part because those same owners and GMs found loopholes they used to “defeat” the previous salary cap. The question as to which team’s lawyers will find this CBA’s loopholes remains to be seen but if you are a fan of a team hoping that your team will find help in this year’s free agent crop then be very careful for what you are asking for.
While this year’s class was spiced up by the addition of Vinnie Lecavalier after the Tampa Bay Lightning choose to buy out the remaining 7 years of his contract, the rest of the free agent class can be seen more as the “the few, the old and the unemployed.”
The “Few” refers to the lack of impact players coming from this pool as unlike previous years where teams could find those who could turn a franchise around, that won’t be the case here. If you are looking for players who can play stopgap roles then you could find a bargain or two.
Already many of the players who would have been “impact” players had they hit the free agent market have resigned with their teams like Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry of the Anaheim Ducks. Under the old CBA it would have been hard for the team to have been able to keep both but when a system favors the team which already holds the rights to a player then you will see more and more of the “impact” players staying put and not testing the free agent waters. Nathan Horton of the Boston Bruins said he was going to “test” the free agent market but given his injury history (his shoulders have been injured almost annually going back to his rookie season in 2003-2004) could be a risky move but will wind up being courted in part due to his skill set and the lack of serious high end players.
The “Old” refers to how many of the players are that are over 30 as this group might be the largest in years as you have 6 players who are 40 or older, 40 players who are 35-39, and 82 who are 30-34. There is a saying once employed by a current NHL GM which goes “Young players can get better while older players just get older” and that’s a lot of older players looking for teams.
The “40’s gang” includes Teemu Selanne of Anaheim, Jaromir Jagr of Boston, and Daniel Alfredsson of Ottawa who are all first ballot future Hall of Fame players but while Selanne and Alfredsson if they don’t retire will most likely resign with their respective teams, Jagr will most likely look for another NHL paycheck from someone. What really is telling is how many of the players are in the 35-39 age group but yet can still find themselves NHL jobs at an age where many used to consider retirement. Vinny Prospal is a great example of it as he has had 2 straight strong seasons with Columbus and if he wants to will find someone willing to sign the 38 year Czech winger.
Now it is open to debate these days whether one can still consider those who are 30-34 years old as old but this is the group where teams will find players who can still contribute on a regular basis. If you take a Ray Emery of the Chicago Blackhawks and his 17-1-0-3 1.94 goals against and 0.922 save percentage and there will be serious interest in Emery since he is just 30 and appears to have rebuilt his career from the disaster with the Ottawa Senators.
The “unemployed” represent those who spent most of last season playing in the AHL or sat in their team’s press box. Those players are too many to break down but put it this way if the player is under 27 and an unrestricted free agent then odds is he is one of the “unemployed.” That isn’t to say that a smart GM could not find some bargain players who could help his team.
Players like Matt Gilroy of the Rangers who spent all but 15 games in the press box is a good example of a player who one should consider as “unemployed” and perhaps better off considering the KHL or elsewhere in Europe as an option. Or his teammate Roman Hamrlik who seriously should consider retirement after first being waived by the Washington Capitals then spending most of the season in the press box playing in 12 games for the Rangers mainly as a last resort on the part of the Rangers.
Of course the biggest question is how many GMs are going to look to pay some of the previous salaries that many of these free agents got thanks to the previous CBA? A guy like Mike Riberio of the Washington Capitals at 33 put up a 13-36-49 stat line while playing close to 18 minutes a night which over an 82 game season would have been an 83 point season matching Riberio’s career high. But is he worth a 5 million dollar cap hit under today’s lower salary cap ceiling?
No not at all but if the NHL owners and GMs haven’t learned from their previous mistakes which led to 2 lockouts then who knows there could be someone foolish enough to offer Riberio a 6 million dollar deal. If one does make such a poor offer then it could start the NHL on the road to yet a 3rd lockout when this brand new CBA expires in 2022.
We could say let the buyer beware but these are NHL GMs and owners who have a long history of not spending their money wisely. There will be some bad contracts offered of course but hopefully those will be few and far between.
Starting his hockey writing career in 1997 at a site called Ranger’s Fan Central, Jess Rubenstein joined the Blueshirt Bulletin in 2004 covering New York Ranger prospects. Jess also writes at the Prospect Park which covers the prospect world but with the main focus on Ranger and New York Islander prospects. ◉
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