Leafs to start total rebuild on July 1—by Kevin O’Connor
TORONTO,ONT- Not a day has gone by that the Toronto Maple Leafs are not grabbing hockey headlines. The continuous media attention that follows the Leafs has been multiplied by 100 percent since the NHL Draft in Ottawa and the upcoming free agency period.
General Manager Cliff Fletcher continues to spring clean the Leafs roster to turn a disappointing franchise into a success. This was no more evident when the news came that Montreal Canadians had been granted permission to talk with Mr. Blue and White, Mats Sundin.
Fletcher did not stop there announcing that injury-prone Kyle Wellwood and netminder Andrew Raycroft were both being placed on waivers. Veteran Darcy Tucker also fell victim to the spring clean when it was announced that the remainder of his contract would be brought out.
But in a team going through transition these roster spots need to be filled. A successful draft in Ottawa has set the mark for the future but only Luke Schenn is capable of coming in straight away. If Sundin does go to the Habs that will free up a lot of cap space as the Leafs have roughly $44 million committed to next season. With the buyout of Tucker and Sundin gone this will give an estimated $17million to spend if the projected salary cap is correct.
Fletcher has already ruled out veteran players and with top choice Ryan Malone going to the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Leafs will look at other players who can come in and bring something to the table now, but won’t be over the hill when the players that are still going for the transition are ready.
Phoenix Coyotes forward Radim Vrbata fits the mould and at age 26 is a good age for the team. The right winger will also be fairly priced at just under two million dollars. Another player that also could come in is dare I say, Sean Avery. A player that thrives off the media would definitely have his work cut out in Toronto, but whoever he plays for his work rate and passion cannot be overlooked. With the connection with Head Coach Ron Wilson I wouldn’t rule out his former player Patrick Rissmiller at San Jose Sharks possible following his coach as a third line center.
As doubts continue over Bryan McCabe the Leafs will look for a defender to come in to play first or second pairing. Mike Commodore is available at around $1.5 million and will be a good asset to the Leafs. In net the Leafs will need a new back up to come in for the departed Raycroft but I wouldn’t rule out an offer to Leafs Scott Clemmensen who is very cheaply priced.
If the Lightning failed in their bid to sign Malone the Leafs will have offered big money. But apart from that I cannot see the Leafs pulling out the big money contracts for players like Marian Hossa or Jaromir Jagr. The only player that could benefit is Mats Sundin himself as Fletcher hasn’t ruled out Sundin playing for the Leafs. The Leafs free agents that should be re-signed are Dominic Moore and restricted free agent Matt Stajan.
Don’t expect too much from July 1 as the Leafs will be very cautious who they bring in as the re-build continues.
Contact the author at Kevin.oconnor@prohockeynews.com
Mike Gillis in charge of getting Canucks back to playoffs-by Shellie Lima
The Canucks have been cleaning house. The changes began with a new General Manager, Mike Gillis, a former player representative who assumed his new responsibilities in May. Gillis has made a point to make some changes in the management of the Canucks in hopes of improving their chances for future seasons. Gillis has extended the contract of Coach Alain Vigneault, but fired the assistant coaches Mike Kelly and Barry Smith. Gillis and Vigneault will work together to find a replacement.
But, enough of the management changes, let’s look at the roster. There are a number of players that will become unrestricted free agents on July 1, and a few Restricted Free Agents.
Unrestricted Free Agents include Brendan Morrison who was plagued with two significant injuries this season. He played in only 39 games, chalking up nine goals and 16 assists. Rumor has it, that Morrison may be on the block this year, but no one will know before July 1. A Canucks fan-favorite, Markus Naslund, played in 82 games and had 25 goals, with 30 assists during this last season. Naslund, a native of Sweden, has been the team captain for the last seven years. In January, he reached his 1,000 career NHL game, but there are those who believe his time with Vancouver has run out. The hard-working Byron Ritchie played in 71 games, netting 3 goals and 8 assists while perennial tease Brad Isbister played in 55 games and had 6 goals and 5 assists. On defense Aaron Miller played in 57 games, with one goal, eight assists and 32 penalty minutes while Mike Weaver played in 55 games had one assist and 33 penalty minutes. Backup goaltender Curtis Sanford played in 16 games with a 4-3-1 record, a goals-against average of 2.83 and a .898 save percentage.
Of the Restricted Free Agents, only Drew MacIntyre has yet to receive a qualifying offer. So, that could leave him available after the July first date. Players who did receive offers include Mike Brown, Rick Rypien, Ryan Shannon, Zach Fitzgerald and Nathan McIver, each of whom received a qualifying offer on June 27.
It’s clear that Gillis will be on the hunt and many of these players will be let loose to go their separate way. The Canucks want to build their team with more forwards that can score and blue liners that aren’t afraid to get in the thick of things. At this point it’s all just time to wait and see what comes down the pike now.
Contact the writer at shellie.lima@prohockeynews.com
After Green it’s all about depth retention—Pro Hockey News staff report
For once, the Capitals are as focused on the NHL’s free agent signing period as they were on the entry draft – evidence of the team’s arrival as a legitimate playoff contender. And with a pair of overachieving rookies and the quartet of rent-a-players acquired at the trade deadline all on the market, Washington’s front office will have a busy summer.
Most of the attention is on 22-year-old defenseman and restricted free agent Mike Green, who is coming off a brilliant rookie campaign during which he led NHL blueliners with 18 goals. Many suspect Green could get an offer sheet similar to the one Dustin Penner received from the Edmonton Oilers last summer, The ‘Caps have room to sign him for the
Photo courtesy of the NHL
Center Brooks Laich is another RFA who thrived under Coach Bruce Boudreau’s system and could get some looks. The 25-year-old journeyman scored 21 goals and 37 points while showing an eagerness to do the dirty work in the corners. Washington needs this kind of depth player to augment its collection of skilled forwards, led by league MVP Alex Ovechkin and Niklas Backstrom.
In goal, the Caps are eager to sign unrestricted free agent Cristobal Huet, acquired in a steal of a deadline deal from the Montreal Canadiens for a second-round draft choice. Huet supplanted longtime starter Olie Kolzig and was a huge factor in the team’s playoff drive, winning 10 starts in a row. His playoff performance against Philadelphia, however, was a bit less than stellar. Huet can expect to at least double his $2.875 million paycheck. But with prospects Simeon Varlamov and Michal Neuvirth in the pipeline, the question, as with Green, is more about the length of any prospective deal.
In a perfect world, the Caps would like to retain their two other trade deadline acquisitions: physical fourth-line forward Matt Cooke and veteran center Sergei Fedorov, who tallied nearly a point a game down the stretch and proved an effective two-way player. Fedorov would command $2.5 million to $3 million while Cooke is in the $1.5 million to $2 million range. Neither would break the bank, but would make it difficult to Washington to acquire more veteran depth players.
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