HockeyThese NHL GMs may heat up summer months

Beginning of Story Content

(Readers's note to start: This will be the second-last edition of 30 Thoughts. The final one will be published July 5.)

Last week, Glen Sather told Larry Brooks of The New York Post that the Rangers were not going to be a major player in free agency. I was relaying this news to a former player, who responded, "And you believe him?"

Upon further review, however, you can see how this might be the most boring free agency summer since the lockout.

There aren't many difference-makers available, and there aren't many big spending teams with cap room. Several other organizations (Carolina, for example) want to take their payrolls down to $44 million US.

So, if you're a general manager looking to improve his team, you're doing one of two things: hunting around the bargain bin or looking to make a trade. And, there are a lot of players available. Teams willing to take on a little extra salary will be in a position of power. They'll be able to extract draft picks, prospects, maybe even good players that cap-strapped teams (Chicago) really don't want to dump.

So, with a little under two weeks to go until Draft Day, here are the GMs who will determine how things shake down.

*Steve Tambellini, Edmonton. With the No. 1 pick, Tambellini controls the draft, although I'm not sure that selection is where he'll make his most dramatic move (see 30 Thoughts). He promised to change the team's culture, and now we're really going to find out where he's going. Buyout season began Monday (until June 30), and you have to think he'll go that route if he can't find takers for some combination of Ethan Moreau, Patrick O'Sullivan and Robert Nilsson. He'll also try to deal Sheldon Souray, and I'm curious to see if Ales Hemsky could be available for the right price.

The Oilers know that they aren't getting prime free agents, no matter how much they try to overpay. So, Edmonton must build via trade and/or the draft.  But, with a new, young core, Tambellini will get players he believes to be a positive influence. 

*Peter Chiarelli, Boston. I put Tambellini first, but the real action may be at this table. The Bruins have four of the first 45 picks (2, 15, 32 and 45). It is believed they badly want Taylor Hall. Chiarelli will attempt to move up, although Tambellini may not be interested. If not, the Bruins can try to add a second pick (other teams believe they like Moncton defenceman Brandon Gormley). Or, he can try to get another team to take one of his big contracts. (How about Dennis Wideman? The Bruins have a lot of money tied up on their blue-line and Zdeno Chara is a UFA next summer. So, for that matter, is Patrice Bergeron.) 

Chiarelli needs flexibility. He's also got an owner tired of crushing second-round playoff defeats. This is a big season for Boston. 

*Dean Lombardi, Los Angeles. Lombardi is not afraid to make a bold move, and this might be his last chance for a while. He's got $7.5 million coming off his cap next summer in Michal Handzus and Justin Williams, but that's going to Drew Doughty and Jack Johnson.

Lombardi targets people, then goes out and gets them. He wooed Ryan Smyth (with Colorado's permission) before convincing Captain Canada to waive his no-trade. It's believed Lombardi wants to land one of the two major prizes - Ilya Kovalchuk or Patrick Marleau (who he drafted). And, the expectation is that the Kings will get one - as long as Lombardi feels the price isn't ridiculous. If sticker shock does push him away, Lombardi could turn to the trade option, particularly if he's willing to deal either Jonathan Quick or Jonathan Bernier. Any GM willing to sell a high-ceiling goalie is in a great position. That brings us to ... 

*Pierre Gauthier, Montreal. Gauthier's got the power over the goaltender's market. In the season-ending player meetings, he didn't tell either Jaroslav Halak or Carey Price his plans for next season. He's got to know neither of them wants to come back under the status quo. (Both, however, would be happy to return as the No. 1.)

It's my opinion that Gauthier has to trade Price and keep Halak. Halak is going to get a big number either on a new deal or in arbitration, but he's the people's choice and that's a big factor here. If Halak goes and Price struggles, it's a double disaster for Montreal.
There are a lot of teams out there who would love to provide Price with a second chance. He needs a fresh start. And, Gauthier knows he can get two good pieces for him.
Plus, the Canadiens GM also decides whether or not Tomas Plekanec hits the market.

*Stan Bowman, Chicago. By now, every fourth-grader knows of this team's cap problems. The vultures are circling overhead. Several tried last summer (San Jose inquired about Patrick Sharp before getting Dany Heatley), but the Blackhawks held on, went for it and won the Cup.

That can't happen this time around.

You have to assume that Cristobal Huet will not be on the roster next season. He'll either be off the cap in AHL Rockford, or in another organization. Trading him is going to cost the Blackhawks a first-round pick and maybe a second player. The Maple Leafs showed interest at the deadline. Earlier there was a belief the Islanders might do it, solely in an attempt to hit the cap floor. So we're looking at Sharp, Kris Versteeg or Dustin Byfuglien. The good news for Chicago is that Bowman should be able to create a bidding war. His biggest challenge: tampering with the team's terrific chemistry. You could see this is a special group. That doesn't happen often. It will be a delicate operation to avoid that.

*Doug Wilson, San Jose. After Bowman, no contending GM has a bigger job with his current roster than Wilson. He despises signing players in free agency, feeling July 1 leads to more mistakes than any other time of year. But, he's losing Rob Blake to retirement. Patrick Marleau's decision will be huge for the franchise. Even if you don't like Evgeni Nabokov, the Sharks lack a proven commodity behind him - unless you think Thomas Greiss is the next Antti Niemi.

Then, there's RFAs Joe Pavelski and Devin Setoguchi. Pavelski, in particular, is due a huge raise. Wilson must also decide where he's going with Joe Thornton, a UFA next summer.

That's a lot of work, and some potentially huge holes to fill.
 
*Brian Burke, Toronto and Mike Gillis, Vancouver. They don't exchange Christmas gifts, but are more alike than they care to admit. Stubborn and determined, both are bright and unafraid to make bold moves. Like Wilson, Gillis is not a huge fan of free agency. But, his blue-line needs help and he's got to address it. Plus, he's got a good young goaltender newly signed to an attractive two-year deal. Only he knows, however, if he's serious about dealing Cory Schneider.

He has said several times he will not trade Cody Hodgson.

Unlike Gillis, Burke is not dealing from a position of strength. He doesn't have a pick in the first two rounds. And, aside from Tomas Kaberle, doesn't really have an asset to give up that excites too many other teams.

Even Kaberle is flawed, since Western teams are wary he'll want to sign an extension.
But, he's got to do something. Boston's got his first-round pick next year, too, and another high selection would be a disaster. Plus, he's Brian Burke, so you know he'll try to commandeer the spotlight.

*Scott Howson, Columbus. As we discussed in 30 Thoughts last week, the fourth overall pick is available, although it will not come cheap.

*Dale Tallon, Florida. It's hard to predict what he'll do, since he just got the job. Nathan Horton's no-trade kicks in July 1, which means that the Panthers have a very quick, and very important, decision to make. Other teams are also curious to see if there's anything going on with Stephen Weiss. Tallon likes big, physical centres - although it should be noted Weiss has a no-move.

At the GM meetings in Philadelphia, he indicated a willingness to keep Tomas Vokoun, saying a young team needs a goalie that can win games by covering up mistakes.

*Doug Armstrong, Blues. The Blues have almost $30 million in cap space, pending negotiations with Erik Johnson, Chris Mason and David Perron this summer; David Backes and TJ Oshie next summer. They spent $18 million on Paul Kariya three years ago, so will take a big shot if they feel it's warranted.

It's hard to tell, though, what their financial situation is now that the team's largest investor is pulling out.

*Finally, Steve Yzerman, Lightning. Why? Because we all want to see what he'll do.

30 THOUGHTS

1. Don't know how many of you saw it, but haven't stopped thinking about the Mike Richards interview after Game 6 of the Cup Final. He said the difference in the series was Chicago had four lines scoring, "and we had only thee." He was referring to himself, Jeff Carter and Simon Gagne. He added it would haunt him all summer. Bob Clarke was right when he said you can't teach that, and it's why the Flyers are in great hands with Richards owning the captaincy.

2. If I had to guess, I'd say Edmonton is going to stay at the top of the draft. Before the GM meetings, another front-office boss predicted the Oilers wouldn't trade, saying they are starting over and "there is no better way to excite your fan base than unveiling a No. 1 overall pick. It's as much a marketing tool as anything else ... It's sexy." So, I asked Tambellini about it and he agreed, calling selecting first "an exclamation point" on the team's rebuilding process; "a great opportunity" for the franchise.

3. What also stood out was his answer to another question: What would it take to get him to move? "Honestly, I can't imagine what it would take for me to actually say this makes sense for the Edmonton Oilers organization that I move this pick," he said. "I guess I always have to be open to suggestions, but I can't really think of what that is right now." Compare that with Burke, telling anyone willing to listen that he wanted a big winger who can score and some secondary toughness in exchange for Kaberle.

4. Very, very classy of the Blackhawks to make sure Tallon's name will be on the Cup and that he'll get a ring. Good organizations make those decisions.

5. Patrick Sharp's rep is that he shoots either high glove or low blocker. (He admitted that when I asked about it.) There were a couple of times you could tell the Philly goalies were guessing, and guessed wrong.

6. David Bolland credits Martin Havlat with making him better. "I used to just skate up and down the middle of the ice, dumping it in," Bolland said last week. "Finally, (Havlat) said to me, 'Why don't you try and make a play?'"

7. Patrick Kane's family and friends were thinking, "Oh my God, what are you doing?" as he celebrated his Stanley Cup winner. Turned out, they were just as confused as the rest of us.

8. Leafs coach Ron Wilson called that "a goal scorer's goal ... (Kane) shot it because he saw the opening and knew if he put it there, he'd score."

9. Wilson also said he thought Jonathan Toews was the right choice for the Conn Smythe. "It's not just goals. It's his faceoffs (65 per cent in the Final). He leads the power play, he's their best penalty-killer, he sets the example."

10. Toews didn't want his mother to wear a Blackhawk sweater in the Philly crowd that night. She overruled him, because it was her good luck jersey.

11. I've had a theory on Marian Hossa: That he's a fantastic complementary player, but should never be your main-focus guy. Now that he's finally won and the weight of the world is off his shoulders, I suspect he'll be even better.

12. There was a belief the Flyers were looking at signing Michael Leighton to a three-year deal worth between $3-$4 million, but Paul Holmgren threw the brakes on that talk Friday. Philly needs to know it can count on Leighton to make the first save, and the Final created doubt.

13. I could (and maybe should) have put Holmgren on the GM list, but his biggest summer task should be finding a fifth and sixth defenceman Peter Laviolette trusts. Chris Pronger and Kimmo Timonen were out of gas by Game 6. 

14. Holmgren also has five guys who need to play centre. Blair Betts is a perfect fourth-line guy. He's already refused to deal Claude Giroux. The playoffs proved Daniel Briere has to be in the middle and Mike Richards is, well, Mike Richards. So what do you do with Jeff Carter, clearly uncomfortable on the wing in the final?

15. There are GMs who believe Bryan Murray should take a (momentarily) hard line with Jason Spezza and not trade him. After what the Senators went through with Heatley, you risk players saying, "How come so many guys want to leave?" Besides, Spezza is a pretty positive guy and there is a feeling he'll get over it.

16. Spezza should also realize that Cory Clouston is publicly protective of him. The coach accepts his risk and builds a structure that covers for any mistakes the centre might make. His other bench bosses haven't always been so understanding.

17. Carey Price scored a lot of points in the Montreal organization with his attitude down the stretch. He did everything he could to help Halak, and finally worked hard at getting into good shape. He committed to going on the treadmill before every practice and it made a huge difference. That won't go unnoticed by teams interested in him.

18. I don't know how he feels about him now, but, at one time, Yzerman really liked Price's game.

19. There are people around the league who really hate the All-Star Game, but it's not going anywhere. About 20 teams are interested in hosting it, with Burke saying Toronto would do it every three years if possible.

20. Asked Kelly Hrudey about onetime teammate Rob Blake. He said the thing that stood out was how Larry Robinson taught him when to make a hit and when not to run out of position. Robinson also had a huge influence on calming Scott Stevens' legendary temper.

21. The players will vote soon on whether or not to trigger the five per cent inflator on the salary cap. If they say yes, the figure will be just below $59 million. If not, approximately $56 million. The drawback with the higher number? More escrow. A higher cap is better, but players are so battered by the escrow that the inflator barely passed last summer. Union officials lobbied hard by pointing out more veterans (Cory Sarich) would be in the minors, but will it work again?

22. About a month ago, I was told John Torchetti would get an interview in Atlanta, but wasn't a top contender for the job. That's changing. It makes sense: Rick Dudley likes him and Torchetti did a great job with a young team.

23. Joel Quenneville could lose both assistant coaches, Torchetti and Mike Haviland, a finalist in New Jersey. Don't be surprised if his former St. Louis comrade, Mike Kitchen, leaves Florida for Chicago.

24. A lot of coaches around the league were very happy for Quenneville, who they feel was unjustly fired in Colorado.

25. How thin is the free agent market? Teemu Selanne was fourth among all of them in goals. (Lee Stempniak was third).

26. Understand why the Penguins are having trouble signing Sergei Gonchar. He's 36, so any deal can't come off the cap, and Gonchar wants to play for a while. The defenceman said he didn't enjoy sitting at home last season while injured; it made him want to play longer. What married guy can't sympathize with that?

27. Despite the snickering from Calgary, also understand why Toronto made Dion Phaneuf captain. Burke/Wilson recognize Phaneuf needs to mature, and they hope the "C" pushes him in that direction. During the media conference, Phaneuf listened intently as George Armstrong, Darryl Sittler and Wendel Clark talked about being the leader.

28. One reason Ilya Kovalchuk will hit the market: If the Devils give him what he wants, there might not be room to re-sign Zach Parise.

29. Very interesting theory from Stu Hackel and Jeff Klein of The New York Times. They believe the strong NHL playoff TV ratings are directly related to successes from the league's traditional cities.

30. At the beginning of this season, HNIC producer Doug Walton suggested I do a Peter King-style NHL column. That's how 30 Thoughts was born. Doug is leaving us, and I could make a cheap joke about how Sportsnet's Blue Jays broadcasts are about to get worse. But I won't. I'll miss working with you, Walton.

 

End of Story Content

Back to accessibility links