Silly Season 2009: Free Agents and Trades--Who Goes Where?

I'm starting to feel that the Senators management is going to need a major upheaval. Too much nonsense has happened in the last two years that make Ottawa an unappealing place to "work".

SpezDispenser wrote:

Neely4Life wrote:Ottawa needs to deal a few pending UFA's and some other guys that might not have a NTC this up coming season as well then.

It really is time for Ottawa to rebuild in a big way. The window is not only closed, it got slammed on our fingers.

Why? What changed? We're still on target for 3 years down the road. Heatley won't stay, he'll be dealt this summer. I don't think anything catastrophic has happened personally. And I love the coach, I'm starting to come around with our D, we just need to deal Heatley and get on with it.

People might hate me for saying this, but the guys with the most value come trade deadline day in Ottawa (when The Sens are completly out of it) is A Train. I love the guy but teams might pay out the a$$ for him, especially with that cap hit. A team going for it may very well give up that young prospect and a 1st rounder for the guy.

With guys coming up they are going to need that time in the 5, 6 spot and A Train is about as expendable as he will ever be.

N4L is right, but the flip side is that he's a good role model for the kids coming up and he's shown a real dedication to the team - I'd hate to think how much more damage it would do to the reputation of the Senators if they sent away one of their most loyal and dedicated soldiers

SpezDispenser wrote:

Sens4thecup wrote:What do we have that's worth dealing and has some value? (Players without NTC/NMC)

If we can't reach a deal with him soon, Volchenkov. I shudder at the idea, but it's gonna be batted around a bit this summer.

Heatley will be moved. We need to be patient.

I still love the idea of Volchenkov for Alzner, although at this point we should probably start looking at improving our forward situation.

It's a far cry from the years of leading the league in goals.

Acrobat wrote:N4L is right, but the flip side is that he's a good role model for the kids coming up and he's shown a real dedication to the team - I'd hate to think how much more damage it would do to the reputation of the Senators if they sent away one of their most loyal and dedicated soldiers

It's something that might have to be done to start to build the front end though. It would be awful to see him go but a team that is looking for some help on the blueline for the upcoming season may very well give up a few assets to grab him.

Neely4Life wrote:

Acrobat wrote:N4L is right, but the flip side is that he's a good role model for the kids coming up and he's shown a real dedication to the team - I'd hate to think how much more damage it would do to the reputation of the Senators if they sent away one of their most loyal and dedicated soldiers

It's something that might have to be done to start to build the front end though. It would be awful to see him go but a team that is looking for some help on the blueline for the upcoming season may very well give up a few assets to grab him.

Unfortunately, he's not the type to be a "rent-a-player" for a cup run, then come back home

No shot, but our blueline is loaded, sadly, he is expendable in that sense. His character and heart are not though... but they are an asset that is very valuable.

That's why I'm so hesitant to see him go - right now, the character and heart are probably more important than the skill level

We can probably move forward keeping him. Guys like him are hard to find, whereas an offensive player can be purchased at the right price. I'm worried about him wanting Komisarek money though. We can't do that.

You have 3 or 4 guys in Ottawa who can lead this team, I love A Train as much as anyone, but still, choices are going to have to be made, and if there is a position in Ottawa that is extremely expendable, its the 3, 4 -left handed D man.

$4.5M? stretch out a contract to beyond retirement, then figuring on early retirement given his style of play, the cap hit becomes a non-issue.

On that front - can you sign a contract to last to age 45 or 50 or whenever? I know it sounds ridiculous, but if signed before 35, then as long as the final years drop to league minimum, retirement negates the actual value but cap hit can be brought down tremendously (and unless you end up with a Chelios or give them a NMC/NTC, you can be fairly certain that they'll retire once they're sent down, so the team still has a degree of control).

Thing is, I think if you look at the future blue-line (Cowen, Karlsson, Wiercioch et al), a Volchenkov-type defenceman would really complement them beautifully.

Unfortunately, at 27, Volchie might be reduced to near-Jason-Smith effectiveness by the time those three (hopefully) become top-pairing calibre defencemen.

Thats exactly it, and at 27 and a low cap hit, his value may never be higher than it is now.

Neely4Life wrote:Thats exactly it, and at 27 and a low cap hit, his value may never be higher than it is now.

IMHO Neely is correct in this respect...solid d-men like Volchenkov have tangible value, and there are more than a few teams who would welcome his combination of character and ability.

The available UFA pool continues to shrink and we are moving into the 'trading' part of the summer.

Bryan Murray may find himself among the GMs who decide on looking towards the future, rather than simply next season.

These GMs take the view that accumulating young, inexpensive talent means they have to forego short term success for the opportunity to build a strong team over the long term.

Dean Lombardi and John Davidson are two examples whose clubs are starting to emerge as a result.

The next few months will show us which GMs follow that philosophy; which ones have decided that spending now to go for the Cup is worth the risk; and which ones are somewhere in between.

Interesting how some observers praise Ken Holland for signing his stars to 'lifetime' deals (Zetterberg, Franzen et al) and then are 'surprised' when other GMs follow suit. Getting 'creative' with the cap is now part of the business...and a necessary one.

How many mid-range UFAs will remain unsigned? While about 50 deals were done over the last few days, I believe some 300 UFAs are on the market. We may see what NHLPA Director Paul Kelly meant when he called some players 'cap casualties'--players out of contract who can't find new homes--very soon.

Here's the updated UFA list from TSN:
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/feature/?id=11850

TSN's Matt Cullen also has an article today that reviews a number of UFA signings, especially the less flashy ones.
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=283421

Are these players 'worth the money?' is always the question asked...but the answer is simply that the market dictates the price.

You either play the game, or you watch the others...

Is there a 'right' or 'wrong' way to build your team? The contrast between Pittsburgh and Detroit's approaches in winning their respective Stanley Cups, and what the previous winners, Anaheim and Carolina, have done since then, reveals that the answer is far more complex than most of us imagine.

The Rangers just signed Tyler Arnason to a two-way contract, as well as Corey Locked and Pierre-Alexandre Parenteau. I'm kind of shocked Arnason accepted the fact that it was a two-way, but after only amassing a paltry 22 points last season, guess that's what he deserves.