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The Senators are in the market for help, but it won't come cheap, writes Allen Panzeri.
The Ottawa Citizen April 19, 2009 4:02 AM
Ottawa Senators general manager Bryan Murray has spoken often about his desire to acquire another top-six forward this summer.
What he needs just as desperately -- at least until Erik Karlsson is ready to play full time in the NHL, which won't likely be for another year -- is a No. 1 offensive defenceman, someone like Wade Redden in his prime. After goaltending, it was the biggest hole in the team last season. There wasn't anyone to start the offence. As a result, it went nowhere. To wit, it struggled to score goals all season.
If Murray doesn't get such a defenceman, he'll be crossing his fingers all year that Alexandre Picard, Chris Campoli or Brendan Bell, if he's re-signed, can do the job.
There wouldn't be a lot of comfort in that.
The problem, though, is that the field of free-agent defencemen is slim this year.
At the top of the list is Florida's Jay Bouwmeester, followed by Montreal's Mike Komisarek and Vancouver's Mattias Ohlund.
Anaheim's Scott Niedermayer is a free agent, but he's not going anywhere. His brother and teammate Rob is also a free agent. They'll re-sign with the Ducks to stay together or -- who knows? -- retire?
Bouwmeester, 24, would be lovely to have, but he also figures to be too expensive.
He made $4.75 million U.S. this year and is expected to get $8 million a year in his new contract. To accommodate that, the Senators would have to dump a couple of salaries to clear room under the cap.
This is not to say Murray won't be in on the bidding.
If he isn't thinking about every way to sign and afford Bouwmeester, he shouldn't be general manager.
The betting is that Bouwmeester ends up in Toronto or Edmonton (his hometown). His desire, it is said, is to play in a hockey market.
Komisarek and Ohlund would be good second choices, but they're both longshots, as well.
The Canadiens certainly want to keep Komisarek, so they'll make an attractive offer, but there's also scuttlebutt that Komisarek, who is from Long Island and would like to play at home, would listen to the Islanders.
The Canucks would also like to keep Ohlund, but they may not be able to afford him since they have the Sedins, Henrik and Daniel, to re-sign. Not to mention Mats Sundin.
After Bouwmeester, Komisarek, and Ohlund, there are some solid players, but not much in the way of a bona fide star.
Some area players might merit a look, though.
Those in this group include Kurtis Foster of the Minnesota Wild and Carp; Cory Murphy of the Tampa Bay Lightning and Kanata; and Kent Huskins of the San Jose Sharks and Almonte.
Coincidentally, Huskins was signed by the Ducks in 2005 just as Bryan Murray was leaving as Anaheim's GM to coach the Senators.
None of the three would have the impact of a Bouwmeester or a Komisarek, but they would be relatively cheap. Huskins made $650,000 this year, Murphy made $875,000, and Foster made $1.025 million.
Up front, the biggest decision Murray has to make is whether he wants to re-sign Mike Comrie.
Comrie made $4 million last year and didn't do himself any favours by getting only three goals and four assists in 22 games with the Senators. Even at $2 million a year -- a shave Comrie isn't likely to take -- that'd be a hefty price.
So, who else as a top-six forward?
The prize of this free-agent season is Marian Hossa, but he's unaffordable and appears set to re-sign with the Detroit Red Wings.
P.J. Axelsson of the Boston Bruins ($1.85 million last season) will be available, but he's 33 and not really a top-six forward.
Maxim Afinogenov of the Buffalo Sabres ($3.5 million last season) will also be available, but he's too expensive.
One candidate who's certain to attract interest is Dominic Moore, now with the Buffalo Sabres. He's only 28 and made just $900,000 last year, but the word is he's looking for a big raise. There's also speculation he wants to return to the Toronto Maple Leafs, who traded him to the Sabres when they couldn't sign him before the trade deadline.
One intriguing name with a connection to Murray is left-winger Travis Moen of the San Jose Sharks. As Murray was packing his boxes to leave Anaheim for Ottawa, the Ducks were signing Moen as a free agent.
Ottawa fans will remember it was Moen who got credit for the goal in Game 6 that clinched the Stanley Cup, though it was more properly an own goal that went in off Chris Phillips.
Moen is not a top-six forward, but he is hard to play against and the Senators need as many of those types as they can get.
Meanwhile, to fuel the speculation, here's a list of prominent free-agent defencemen and forwards (with last season's salary in parentheses):
DEFENCEMEN:
- Jay Bouwmeester, 24, Florida Panthers ($4.875 million)
- Mike Komisarek, 26, Montreal Canadiens ($1.9 million)
- Scott Niedermayer, 34, Anaheim Ducks ($6.75 million)
- Francois Beauchemin, 28, Anaheim Ducks ($1.65 million)
- Dennis Seidenberg, 26, Carolina Hurricanes ($1.2 million)
- David Tanabe, 27, Carolina Hurricanes ($900,000)
- Rhett Warrener, 32, Calgary Flames ($2.5 million)
- Jordon Leopold, 27, Calgary Flames ($1.5 million)
- Christian Backman, 28, Colorado Avalanche ($3.4 million)
- Nick Boynton, 29, Florida Panthers ($2.95 million)
- Martin Skoula, 28, Minnesota Wild ($1.9 million)
- Kurtis Foster, 26, Minnesota Wild ($1.025 million)
- Johnny Oduya, 26, New Jersey Devils ($600,000)
- Derek Morris, 29, New York Rangers ($3.95 million)
- Dmitri Kalinin, 27, Phoenix Coyotes ($2.1 million)
- Rob Scuderi, 29, Pittsburgh Penguins ($750,000)
- Kent Huskins, 29, San Jose Sharks ($650,000)
- Cory Murphy, 30, Tampa Bay Lightning ($875,000)
- Mattias Ohlund, 31, Vancouver Canucks ($3.5 million)
FORWARDS:
- Travis Moen, 26, San Jose Sharks ($925,000)
- Steve Sullivan, 33, Nashville Predators ($3.2 million)
- Radek Bonk, 32, Nashville Predators ($1.6 million)
- Mats Sundin, 37, Vancouver Canucks ($8.6 million)
- P.J. Axelsson, 33, Boston Bruins ($1.85 million)
- Maxim Afinogenov, 28, Buffalo Sabres ($3.5 million)
- Dominic Moore, 28, Buffalo Sabres ($900,000)
- Mike Cammalleri, 26, Calgary Flames ($3.6 million)
- Rob Niedermayer, 33, Anaheim Ducks ($2.0 million)
- Petr Sykora, 31, Pittsburgh Penguins ($2.5 million)
- Todd Bertuzzi, 33, Calgary Flames ($1.95 million)
- Samuel Pahlsson, 30, Chicago Blackhawks ($1.4 million)
- Marian Hossa, 29, Detroit Red Wings ($7.45 million)
- Mikael Samuelsson, 31, Detroit Red Wings ($1.2 million)
- Ales Kotalik, 29, Edmonton Oilers ($2.5 million)
- Marian Gaborik, 26, Minnesota Wild ($7.5 million)
The Senators are in the market for help, but it won't come cheap, writes Allen Panzeri.
The Ottawa Citizen April 19, 2009 4:02 AM
Ottawa Senators general manager Bryan Murray has spoken often about his desire to acquire another top-six forward this summer.
What he needs just as desperately -- at least until Erik Karlsson is ready to play full time in the NHL, which won't likely be for another year -- is a No. 1 offensive defenceman, someone like Wade Redden in his prime. After goaltending, it was the biggest hole in the team last season. There wasn't anyone to start the offence. As a result, it went nowhere. To wit, it struggled to score goals all season.
If Murray doesn't get such a defenceman, he'll be crossing his fingers all year that Alexandre Picard, Chris Campoli or Brendan Bell, if he's re-signed, can do the job.
There wouldn't be a lot of comfort in that.
The problem, though, is that the field of free-agent defencemen is slim this year.
At the top of the list is Florida's Jay Bouwmeester, followed by Montreal's Mike Komisarek and Vancouver's Mattias Ohlund.
Anaheim's Scott Niedermayer is a free agent, but he's not going anywhere. His brother and teammate Rob is also a free agent. They'll re-sign with the Ducks to stay together or -- who knows? -- retire?
Bouwmeester, 24, would be lovely to have, but he also figures to be too expensive.
He made $4.75 million U.S. this year and is expected to get $8 million a year in his new contract. To accommodate that, the Senators would have to dump a couple of salaries to clear room under the cap.
This is not to say Murray won't be in on the bidding.
If he isn't thinking about every way to sign and afford Bouwmeester, he shouldn't be general manager.
The betting is that Bouwmeester ends up in Toronto or Edmonton (his hometown). His desire, it is said, is to play in a hockey market.
Komisarek and Ohlund would be good second choices, but they're both longshots, as well.
The Canadiens certainly want to keep Komisarek, so they'll make an attractive offer, but there's also scuttlebutt that Komisarek, who is from Long Island and would like to play at home, would listen to the Islanders.
The Canucks would also like to keep Ohlund, but they may not be able to afford him since they have the Sedins, Henrik and Daniel, to re-sign. Not to mention Mats Sundin.
After Bouwmeester, Komisarek, and Ohlund, there are some solid players, but not much in the way of a bona fide star.
Some area players might merit a look, though.
Those in this group include Kurtis Foster of the Minnesota Wild and Carp; Cory Murphy of the Tampa Bay Lightning and Kanata; and Kent Huskins of the San Jose Sharks and Almonte.
Coincidentally, Huskins was signed by the Ducks in 2005 just as Bryan Murray was leaving as Anaheim's GM to coach the Senators.
None of the three would have the impact of a Bouwmeester or a Komisarek, but they would be relatively cheap. Huskins made $650,000 this year, Murphy made $875,000, and Foster made $1.025 million.
Up front, the biggest decision Murray has to make is whether he wants to re-sign Mike Comrie.
Comrie made $4 million last year and didn't do himself any favours by getting only three goals and four assists in 22 games with the Senators. Even at $2 million a year -- a shave Comrie isn't likely to take -- that'd be a hefty price.
So, who else as a top-six forward?
The prize of this free-agent season is Marian Hossa, but he's unaffordable and appears set to re-sign with the Detroit Red Wings.
P.J. Axelsson of the Boston Bruins ($1.85 million last season) will be available, but he's 33 and not really a top-six forward.
Maxim Afinogenov of the Buffalo Sabres ($3.5 million last season) will also be available, but he's too expensive.
One candidate who's certain to attract interest is Dominic Moore, now with the Buffalo Sabres. He's only 28 and made just $900,000 last year, but the word is he's looking for a big raise. There's also speculation he wants to return to the Toronto Maple Leafs, who traded him to the Sabres when they couldn't sign him before the trade deadline.
One intriguing name with a connection to Murray is left-winger Travis Moen of the San Jose Sharks. As Murray was packing his boxes to leave Anaheim for Ottawa, the Ducks were signing Moen as a free agent.
Ottawa fans will remember it was Moen who got credit for the goal in Game 6 that clinched the Stanley Cup, though it was more properly an own goal that went in off Chris Phillips.
Moen is not a top-six forward, but he is hard to play against and the Senators need as many of those types as they can get.
Meanwhile, to fuel the speculation, here's a list of prominent free-agent defencemen and forwards (with last season's salary in parentheses):
DEFENCEMEN:
- Jay Bouwmeester, 24, Florida Panthers ($4.875 million)
- Mike Komisarek, 26, Montreal Canadiens ($1.9 million)
- Scott Niedermayer, 34, Anaheim Ducks ($6.75 million)
- Francois Beauchemin, 28, Anaheim Ducks ($1.65 million)
- Dennis Seidenberg, 26, Carolina Hurricanes ($1.2 million)
- David Tanabe, 27, Carolina Hurricanes ($900,000)
- Rhett Warrener, 32, Calgary Flames ($2.5 million)
- Jordon Leopold, 27, Calgary Flames ($1.5 million)
- Christian Backman, 28, Colorado Avalanche ($3.4 million)
- Nick Boynton, 29, Florida Panthers ($2.95 million)
- Martin Skoula, 28, Minnesota Wild ($1.9 million)
- Kurtis Foster, 26, Minnesota Wild ($1.025 million)
- Johnny Oduya, 26, New Jersey Devils ($600,000)
- Derek Morris, 29, New York Rangers ($3.95 million)
- Dmitri Kalinin, 27, Phoenix Coyotes ($2.1 million)
- Rob Scuderi, 29, Pittsburgh Penguins ($750,000)
- Kent Huskins, 29, San Jose Sharks ($650,000)
- Cory Murphy, 30, Tampa Bay Lightning ($875,000)
- Mattias Ohlund, 31, Vancouver Canucks ($3.5 million)
FORWARDS:
- Travis Moen, 26, San Jose Sharks ($925,000)
- Steve Sullivan, 33, Nashville Predators ($3.2 million)
- Radek Bonk, 32, Nashville Predators ($1.6 million)
- Mats Sundin, 37, Vancouver Canucks ($8.6 million)
- P.J. Axelsson, 33, Boston Bruins ($1.85 million)
- Maxim Afinogenov, 28, Buffalo Sabres ($3.5 million)
- Dominic Moore, 28, Buffalo Sabres ($900,000)
- Mike Cammalleri, 26, Calgary Flames ($3.6 million)
- Rob Niedermayer, 33, Anaheim Ducks ($2.0 million)
- Petr Sykora, 31, Pittsburgh Penguins ($2.5 million)
- Todd Bertuzzi, 33, Calgary Flames ($1.95 million)
- Samuel Pahlsson, 30, Chicago Blackhawks ($1.4 million)
- Marian Hossa, 29, Detroit Red Wings ($7.45 million)
- Mikael Samuelsson, 31, Detroit Red Wings ($1.2 million)
- Ales Kotalik, 29, Edmonton Oilers ($2.5 million)
- Marian Gaborik, 26, Minnesota Wild ($7.5 million)
