The first day of free agency in the National Hockey League is always full of action and 2009 was no different. There were some good deals and some not so good deals, and still some names still available.
Players Who Changed Teams
Mattias Ohlund: Ohlund heads from the Vancouver Canucks to the Tampa Bay Lightning at a respectable cap hit of $3.75 million per season but a rather long term for a 32-year-old at seven years.
Marian Hossa: Hossa signed a whopper of a deal with the Blackhawks, 12 years, $52.8 million total, for an annual cap hit of $5.23 million.
Marian Gaborik: The New York Rangers filled the space made available with the Gomez trade, bringing in the oft-injured Gaborik. It’s a risky contract that will pay him $7.5 million over the next five years.
Martin Havlat: Wild GM Chuck Fletcher found a replacement for Gaborik, signing Havlat to a six-year, $30 million deal.
Jaroslav Spacek: Bob Gainey’s first splash of the day came via 35-year-old blue-liner Spacek. The Czech defenseman inks a three-year contract at $11.5 million ($3.833 million cap hit). Should Spacek retire at any point during the duration of the deal, the Canadiens will endure the cap hit for the remainder of the contract.
Hal Gill: Prepared for the departure of Mike Komisarek, Gainey added a newly-minted Stanley Cup champion to his blue line corps in the 6-foot-7, 250-pound Gill. It’s a two-year pact worth $4.5 million total.
Mike Komisarek: Sought after by reportedly as many as 10 teams, Komisarek landed a five-year, $22.5 million deal (cap hit of $4.5 million) with the Maple Leafs. It includes a limited no-trade clause; every September, he will submit a list of 12 teams to which he’d accept a trade.
Mike Cammalleri: A day after acquiring Scott Gomez, Gainey found him a scoring winger in Cammalleri. The 27-year-old signed on for five years, at $6 million per season.
Brian Gionta: Montreal added to their collection of smaller forwards with Gionta inking a five-year, $25 million deal. He’ll find a familiar face in former Devils teammate Gomez.
Mike Knuble: The Washington Capitals added a veteran presence to their roster in Knuble. He signs on for the next couple of seasons with the same cap hit as his most recent contract, $2.8 million.
Samuel Pahlsson: His experience should help a young Blue Jackets roster. Pahlsson inked a three-year, $7.95 million deal.
John Madden: A Devil since he broke into the league in 1998-99, Madden is headed to the Blackhawks for one year and will earn $2.75 million in 2009-10.
Donald Brashear: Brashear leaves behind Ovechkin and Co. to join the New York Rangers. The deal is two years, $1.4 million per season.
Ian Laperriere: Philadelphia added more grit to its lineup with veteran Laperriere. It’s a three-year contract worth $1.17 annually.
Goaltenders with New Teams
Dwayne Roloson: Roloson wanted a two-year contract, something the Oilers weren’t willing to offer. The New York Islanders were and the veteran goaltender and his $2.5 million annual salary will be a solid back-up option to the oft-injured Rick DiPietro.
Nikolai Khabibulin: The Edmonton Oilers weren’t without a No. 1 stopper for long, picking up Khabibulin for a somewhat lengthy four years – he’s 36 – at $3.75 million per season.
Ty Conklin: The journeyman netminder who has been a part of every NHL outdoor game to date has landed with the St. Louis Blues for two years, $1.3 million per season.
Craig Anderson: Colorado is hoping his solid 2008-09 campaign wasn’t a fluke, inking the former Panthers backup to a two-year, $3.6 million deal.
Mathieu Garon: Columbus added a solid No. 2 in goal to back-up Steve Mason. Garon, most recently of the Pittsburgh Penguins, inked a two-year contract worth $1.2 million annually.
Scott Clemmensen: The 31-year-old is headed down to Florida to serve as backup to Tomas Vokoun. The Panthers signed him to a three-year pact worth a total of $3.6 million.
Other Players That Changed Teams
Numbers are the contract total; the former team is in parentheses.
• Matt Walker: Lightning, 4 years, $6.8 million (Blackhawks)
• Tomas Kopecky: Blackhawks, 2 years, $2.4 million (Red Wings)
• Colton Orr: Maple Leafs, 4 years, $4 million (Rangers)
• Fredrik Sjostrom: Flames, 2 years, $$1.5 million (Rangers)
• Steve Begin: Bruins, 1 year, $850,000 (Stars)
• Mike Rupp: Penguins, 2 years, $1.65 million (Devils)
• Steve Montador: Sabres, 2 years, $3.1 million (Bruins)
• Vernon Fiddler: Coyotes, 2 years, $2.2 million (Predators)
• Greg Zanon: Wild, 3 years, $5.8 million (Predators)
• Brian Boucher: Flyers, 2 years, $1.85 million (Sharks)
• Jason LaBarbera: Coyotes, 2 years, N/A (Canucks)
Who is Staying Put
Not every free agent will be on the move. A few have re-signed with their most recent teams.
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