Free Agency: love it or hate it

[Wulfran]

This isn't a hockey thread per se because it is something that is present in all our professional sports. Its in my mind because yesterday the free agent frenzy started in the NHL at 11:00 am EDT. It was a pretty hectic first 24 hrs with most of the biggest available names getting deals done already.

Scott Gomez moving to the Rangers from the Devils
Daniel Briere going to the Flyers from the Sabres
Chris Drury going to the Rangers from the Sabres
Brian Rafalski going to the Red Wings from the Devils
Mathieu Schneider going to the Ducks from the Red Wings
Ryan Smith going to the Avalanche from the Islanders
Jason Blake going to the Leafs from the Islanders

There were a bunch of other deals made with players of a lesser stature that I'm not going to list because they don't mean much unless you're a hockey fan. I know other sports see this and fans get used to it to an extent but I wonder about the influence on the games and the fanbases. It wasn't long after the Superbowl that the NFL free agent season opened up and teams were trying to lure players to help them rise to the next level, be it making the playoffs or advancing further. Does the ability of players to be so mobile cut into the fan loyalty and is that part of the reason fan support seems to be flat across the board? How do you reconcile the movement of players when a favorite goes to a hated rival? What about the building the process and the impact on it, when you have a team that has competent scouting and coaching staff drafting and developing players, only to lose them to someone else who can wave a bigger bundle of cash at the right time (like the Sabres in losing Briere and Drury); does it provide less incentive to be good at scouting/drafting/player development?

Or am I just feeling it because my team lost three of their key pieces and there doesn't look like much left to replace them with (my Isles lost their top 2 forwards and arguably top defenceman), while a team I hate (the cocksucking Ranger bitches, I hope they all get hurt and miss the playoffs and that asshole Sather gets fired, the poxed sheepfucking dirtbag) made the big splashy moves?

[Pherr the Dorf]

Sharkies locked up Thorton till 2011, weeeeeeeeeeeeee

[Trek]

I think the Kings use a combination of both to reach the pinnacle of a bottom dweller. They do have quite a talented bunch of kids tho and look to be building around them. I would have loved to see Drury or Smith in a Kings uni but I am happy with the signings they made today. Handzus, Calder, Priessing and Nagy are a good fit, tho I am concerned that Handzus isnt fully healed or wont fully heal and become our next Bure. I still am holding out hope that the Kings can nab Stuart which would give the Kings one of the best Defenses in the league I believe even if Modry is in it. I hear rumblings of Souray, but I am not sure I want him in L.A.. But even a good/great D wont help Cloutier, but if Labby can be solid I think the Kings can maybe sneak into the 7 or 8 spots. If the Kings continue building around the draft I think they will be solid contenders in the next couple of seasons.


Personally I think it takes a combination of both farm/FA's to build a great team, if you develope some good talent a good staff will know what they need from the FA market to solidify the club.

[Waran]

Add one Wulf! I don't think this one is "less stature" than the others you listed, although not as "flashy" as some of the other moves.

Paul Kariya moving to the Blues from the Predators (3 year = $18 mil)

Couldn't resist the color change woot!

Paul Kariya as a Note, this town is buzzing! The Blues actually made the front page of the sports section in town (which has always been dominated by Cardinals coverage.)

At the very least, Kariya's signing has given a kick start to the fan base here. Plus #1 draft pick Eric Johnson will be playing this year. Hopefully, this is the start of great things to come after the rebuild Oh and by the way, if you buy 2 full season tickets tomorrow during and after the press conference, you get a signed Paul Kariya jersey! It's open to the public and I'm sure there will be a big showing.

You could consider this a splashy move I guess by the Blues, but it's given a better outlook on the team/credibility in the eyes of the fan base, instead of the lack of excitement since the return of Keith Tkachuk. This move, and a continued competitive team will get Blues fans back into the arena. The fans are there, the players are there, the team is back in the right direction...lets start the SEASON!!!!

[Canelek]

The Flyers are still going to suck next year, regardless. =(

Time for Hextall to come out of retirement, eh? Those open-netters he was known for in the playoffs would certainly help their GF numbers.

[Xouqoa]

I think the Rangers will be the Cup champions in 2008... as much as I hate to admit it.

Drury, Jagr, Gomez, Shannahan... yikes.

Anaheim will be very good again too, especially with picking up Schneider and Bertuzzi from Detroit.

[Waran]

Thoughts on the Isles - Guerin pickup Wulf?

Loved his great play when he was with us and definitely sad to see him go. He hopefully will do the same for ya!

[Wulfran]

Yes, Waran, Kariya is one of the top deals (I missed the press releases/headlines earlier) and I don't know that he make St. Louis instantly competative, but he definately should gain the Blues some credibility with the fans. It all depends on how the rest of the team is built. The defence and goaltending still have some huge question marks around them. Eric Johnson should help but how much weight do you throw on a rookie that has shown he can make questionable decisions at times? In time Johnson WILL be a great one but how long will it take to season him? Is Manny Legace the man or do they look for a replacement? How about Souray for the point on the PP?

Guerin and now Comrie on Long Island, to borrow a horse analogy, look like thoroughbreds in a quarterhorse corral. I think the talent level on Long Island has taken a serious hit and I don't think it can be built back with the free agents that remain. DiPietro showed he can play last season and he may keep them in a lot of games (like Luongo did for Vancouver last year and in Florida in years past) but I don't think they have the punch to win. And unfortunately Milbury had a tendency to trade away draft picks and kids (which Snow emulated to get Ryan Smyth) so the cupboard is a little bare. Hopefully we'll get a good pick in next year's draft because this season already feel painful.

- I like what Anaheim has done is keeping the toughness up and the Defense with Hnidy, Schneider, Bertuzzi and resigning May.
- LA should be making Trek happy: they've made some decent moves but their problem is it only boosts them equal to some of their conference rivals. Its a tough place and will be competative.
- I like what Pittsburgh did in adding some steadyness on D and some experience at forward with Sykora and Sydor: good mentors for the young talent they have
-Toronto signing Blake was a good move as Sundin now has a fast guy who can score to take advantage of his playmaking. If they mesh, it could be a steal; if not and Blake's attitdue sours, well...
- I don't think the Rangers are instant Champions: they got 2 great centers but Shanahan is UFA and their over-rated goalie is an RFA and the they have to be freaking on cap space now. Broadway seems to bring out the worst in some players as well, they just don't seem able to adapt to it. I'd laugh if someone put out an offer sheet to Lundqvist that the Rangers couldn't afford to match
- I can't believe Detroit is gambling on Hasek again: the rumour mill had them interested in Giguere if he made to free agency but the Ducks resigned him in advance. Ray Emery of Ottawa is there, albeit restricted... maybe someone else will tender sheets to him or Lundqvist like the Oilers did to Vanek.
- I applaud Edmonton for signing an offer sheet to an RFA like Vanek and showing their fans they want to build their club, I also applaud the Sabres for sending the same message by announcing they will match the offer and keep him.

There has been a lot of movement in the last 4 days. The "analyst" part of me finds it fascinating but the fan is still pretty bummed out and looking ahead I'm not convinced this type of flurry is good for the game. How do you build loyalty to your players from the fans and from the players to the team when they swap jerseys so often? I was happy to see Jerome Iginla sign another extension with Calgary because he has been the face of the Flames for over a decade, but how many other teams can claim that? What will happen with Sidney Crosby a couple years down the road; he's looking like he's becoming the face of the league but will he stay a Penguin for life or (gods forbid!) end up in Ranger blue or some such? I love football but they have had more liberal player movement for years and I always find it hard to keep up with it and as such have a harder time bonding with one team or another. I'll use Waran as an example: as a good hometeam supporter he wants to replace his faded old jersey but who's name does he get on the new one? Its easier to build that fan support when you have stable organizations and I don't see that with all the movement.

[Trek]

- LA should be making Trek happy: they've made some decent moves but their problem is it only boosts them equal to some of their conference rivals. Its a tough place and will be competative.

If LaBarbera plays as good as I think he should, we will be competitive. As it stands right now the Kings should make the playoffs. Once that happens anything is possible if you have great D and a few guys that can make plays. I am still happy about Preissing and Stuart, and if Nagy can stop being a lazy POS he could be a steal. I am not sure what is going to happen with Cammy yet, he is very solid and led LA the last few years, I would hate to see him leave but would be happy with the compensation we would get from any team taking him out of LA. As much as I hate Cloutier, I think he might actually be decent behind Labby. I think LA did a very good job this offseason upgrading every position that we lost someone at and improved a couple we didnt.

[Xouqoa]

Hasek will be fine as long as he stays healthy. If he plays like last year I have 0 problems with him coming back another year.

Detroit does need to look ahead to the future though, and find a prospect or work out a deal with an established goaltender that they can bring in for 2009. I was hoping they would pick up Vokoun from the Nashville fire sale.

[Al]

Buffalo needs to rethink their policy concerning contract negotiations during the season. Hell, I'd be happy if they would negotiate before another team made an offer. Fuck... Vanek made less than $950,000 this past season, now he's set to make $10M this coming season. And they wouldn't even offer Briere a 10% raise? He said that he would play for the Sabres as long as they wanted him! The offer they made was exactly what he was making, just over 5 years instead of the 1 year deal he had. Why not give Vanek a 1000% raise! He brought marginally more goals to the ice than a number of other players this year! We have all sorts of room now that that low life fucking ALL-STAR MVP signed a long term small raise contract with our rivals. And don't get me started on Drury or Zubrus...

This entire situation could have been averted by a late February chat with all of the players who were due for contracts at the end of the season (or at least the top 3 players on the fucking team). Out of those 3 they only got to keep 1, and that 1 is only 23 years old and getting ready to play in his 3rd season in the NHL. While that could be a good thing, it could also be a bad thing. I hope it pans out, but I also (secretly, although not so much anymore) hope that the Rangers or Flyers or Devils beat them out of the playoffs this season.

I hope Briere wins 6 cups and goes to the Hall of Fame. I also hope Darcy gets hit by a bus.

[Wulfran]

Buffalo needs to rethink their policy concerning contract negotiations during the season. Hell, I'd be happy if they would negotiate before another team made an offer. Fuck... Vanek made less than $950,000 this past season, now he's set to make $10M this coming season. And they wouldn't even offer Briere a 10% raise? He said that he would play for the Sabres as long as they wanted him! The offer they made was exactly what he was making, just over 5 years instead of the 1 year deal he had. Why not give Vanek a 1000% raise! He brought marginally more goals to the ice than a number of other players this year! We have all sorts of room now that that low life fucking ALL-STAR MVP signed a long term small raise contract with our rivals. And don't get me started on Drury or Zubrus...

This entire situation could have been averted by a late February chat with all of the players who were due for contracts at the end of the season (or at least the top 3 players on the fucking team). Out of those 3 they only got to keep 1, and that 1 is only 23 years old and getting ready to play in his 3rd season in the NHL. While that could be a good thing, it could also be a bad thing. I hope it pans out, but I also (secretly, although not so much anymore) hope that the Rangers or Flyers or Devils beat them out of the playoffs this season.

I hope Briere wins 6 cups and goes to the Hall of Fame. I also hope Darcy gets hit by a bus.

In the context of the way the system presently works, I think Regier screwed up too, by not trying harder for extensions before Drury and Briere became free agents but Vanek was out of his hands except for the decision to match Edmonton's offer or watch his 3rd premium player walk away. Zubrus was a rental so don't feel too bitter about him: he never cost you that much to get him and everyone knew the risks in acquiring him. Briere and Drury (and Vanek if they would have lost him too) hurt because these were guys that were drafted or acquired with draft picks/assets within the organization. The one thing to take heart in, if you're a Buffalo fan, is that they have drafted very well and done a good job at developing their young players... and to be honest after losing to Ottawa in the playoffs, I think there were some signs that a shake up of some sort was needed on the team (not necessarily losing the top 2 guns but...).

Hasek, I wasn't a believer last year and was proven wrong in the regular season. In the playoffs, I thought he was run of the mill, especially for an organization that likes to blame their goaltending for shitty playoff runs (hello Curtis Joseph and Chris Osgood!). In his mid 40s with a tendency to have groin problems, I wouldn't be happy with Hasek, especially with other goalies out there that can be had for the same or less the $5 million he just got. I know as fan you have to think positive and believe but I'm not a Wings fan per se (and I've liked a lot of their players over the years if not the whole package but they don't hold my allegiance) so I don't gotta!

[Waran]

I'll use Waran as an example: as a good hometeam supporter he wants to replace his faded old jersey but who's name does he get on the new one? Its easier to build that fan support when you have stable organizations and I don't see that with all the movement.

You hit the nail on the head my friend.

My Blues jersey currently has been nameless for sometime now. My hope is that until, by some large miracle in my lifetime, the cup comes to St. Louis, the Conn Smythe Trophy winner gets the name on my jersey. That's my wish

And believe me, I totally agree with you that with the constant team changing by players, really drags down loyalty. I would definitely never spend my money on a "named" jersey and hold off until a said player:

A> Was locked into a long term contract and was one of the high stars of the team (Visualizing this player = St. Louis Blues to the fan)
B> The above MVP
C> A player who has retired, or close to it and is held in great respect from the hockey fans here. (MacInnis, Hull, Ferderko, etc)

In the NHL, there is way too much unpredictability on if your favorite player is going to be on your team next year to be running around with his name on your back of your jersey. Imagine all the Pronger jerzees in the Scottrade Center now, and he's been on not one but two teams since leaving!

I can with a much easier decision go and buy a St. Louis Cardinals Albert Pujols jersey knowing full well that he fulfills two of the top qualifiers above. He has his own restaurant here, he's very active in the community, the Cardinals would be silly to trade him. He is the St. Louis Cardinals in the minds of many fans. Can you say that with Lee Stempniak as the St. Louis Blues? Or insert your player here (Who you see as possible trade bait) with your team here. It's just not the same as other sports leagues.

You're absolutely correct in mentioning goaltending, which is always a common problem with the Blues.

Notable failures:
Tom Barrasso - Played 6 games
Roman Turek - After filling in after Grant Fuhr, still not the answer. Weak goals
Chris Osgood - Horrible Playoff record - Was a fan favorite while here
Jamie McLennon - Slashy McSlasherson
Patrick Lalime - Takes the year off during the lockout and expects to be as good as he used to be. 4-18 W/L runs him out.
Fred Brathwaite - Mini goalie!
Brent Johnson - Staple of Blues goaltending for the early 00'

None of these guys really have stood the test of time and I hope that Legacy isn't added to this list. I imagine this year will be the tell tale year if we go out once again and look elsewhere. Calling Glenn Hall...

Defense we'll just have to wait and see as well. I'm loving that Al MacInnis has stayed on as an assistant to the Blues as he'll be able to groom Johnson and the young defense we have here.

I'm with you, I hope the Rangers choke! But not so much as I hope the Wings do! Muhahah

[Trek]

My old Kings jersey was Blake, my newest few have been blank. I'm in the same frame of mind as Waran right now as far as named jerseys. I did almost get a Lapperierre or what ever his name was spelled but he got traded about the time I was thinking about it lol

[Xouqoa]

Oh god. Oh my god. Detroit signed Dallas Drake to a 1 year contract. What the fuck?

Scotty Bowman once called him the stupid player he has ever coached. True story.

[Sylvus]

Yeah, but what does Scotty Bowman know?

In a fight between Scotty Bowman and God, who would win?

[Trek]

Yeah, but what does Scotty Bowman know?

In a fight between Scotty Bowman and God, who would win?

hmm fight or arguement?