The Last Drops in the NHL Free Agency Pool
Mats Sundin, Brendan Shanahan, Joe Sakic, and Peter Forsberg
Aug 8, 2008
The fog has lifted and, from out of the all-encompassing mayhem, the National Hockey League, as it once appeared, is no more. Players have changed sides. Some have left the league altogether. And, while some can't seem to make up their minds as to who they want to play for, others still won't even get offers altogether. For your reading pleasure, a look at the big names left testing the free agency waters.
The Aging Vets: Sundin, Shanahan, Sakic, and Forsberg
Undoubtedly a Hall-of-Fame ballot in the making. The four abovementioned have already made their careers and have taken to sit idly by and take delight in watching the carnage unfold in the National Hockey League's second season so far. As the pickings become more and more slim, the speculation grows more and more rampant. Where will these four land? Or will they opt to fade into the sunset, never to return again? Unlike a certain Brett Favre, that is... okay, and Mario Lemieux.
Sundin has at least six teams vying for his services, of which three are known: The Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Vancouver Canucks. Still, even though Vancouver offered up $20 million over two years, Sundin has yet to make his intentions clear. Similarly, Sakic is still contemplating retirement. Shanahan could undoubtedly still contribute to any team interested, but most probably only in a limited capacity as injuries have started to take their toll. Enter Forsberg and his perpetually wonky foot. There is no way to know for sure what the future holds for this foursome.
The Fresh-Faced Youngsters: Meszaros and O'Sullivan
Ottawa Senators rearguard Andrej Meszaros leads the list of still-as-of-yet restricted free agents. Meszaros had 36 points last year for the Sens, not a bad total at all considering his 22 years of age. A similar player in Tampa Bay's Matt Carle, whose production dropped off considerably in 2007-2008 with 15 points from 42 in 2006-2007, is currently making around $3.5 million. Considering Ottawa has $6.5 million left and only Meszaros left to sign, it's a decent bet he'll make around that amount of coin.
Los Angeles has a lot more room to work with, in terms of the salary cap. In fact, they have too much and, thus, O'Sullivan is likely due for an undeserved raise. Not that scoring 53 points last season was the work of a slacker, but the Kings have over $12 million to spend to reach the league's imposed $40.7 million cap floor, and just three players left to doll out that cash to in O'Sullivan, Jarret Stoll, and Brad Richardson. With an average of $4 million per player there, consider the facts that Richardson is a checking-line type player and that Stoll is coming off a relatively disappointing rebound season from one predominated by a concussion. You can thus safely figure that the lion's share of that $12 million is probably going to O'Sullivan... unless general manager Dean Lombardi can make a huge splash in that ever-smaller free agent pool. Maybe Sundin is heading to the West Coast? One can dare to dream (Lombardi being that one).
The Ones Who Jumped Ship: Jaromir Jagr and Ray Emery
Former Carolina forward Trevor Letowski just recently packed his bags for Russia to join the Kontinental Hockey League after failing to land an NHL contract. While Letowski will never be confused with Jaromir Jagr, the point remains that the Russian league is becoming a veritable option for unwanted, washed-up, or just plain feeling-unloved NHL players.
Senators goalie Ray Emery boarded his plane once it became clear to him that he would have to start his career from the ground up after almost single handedly demolishing it with his antics at practice (or antics in missing practice altogether) last year. He has changed his ways, or at least that's how he came across in a recent exclusive interview on TSN's Off The Record. Really, Emery helped to get the Sens to the Stanley Cup final two seasons ago, so it stands to reason the talent is there. And the popular adage will most certainly ring true once again: For every problem-child sports athlete, there's a coach thinking he's a good parent. Emery will undoubtedly be back sooner or later. Possibly sooner... just look at Alexander Radulov and how he apparently voided his contract with the Nashville Predators to play in the KHL by just thinking it out of existence. It must work both ways, one would think.
Then there's Jagr, a player who undoubtedly could have demanded top dollar in the league but didn't. There's something eerily admirable in him walking away from the NHL to play in the KHL. Here's a guy that lit it up these past playoffs after a sub-par regular season and decided the NHL wasn't for him anymore. He's earned a bad reputation long enough, and, as the NHL's all-time leading European-born player, perhaps he's likewise earned the chance to call his own shots by now.
As for Sundin, Shanahan, and Sakic, maybe it's high time they followed suit and made up their minds. Yeah, they're entitled to all the time in the world, but, it doesn't mean they should take it all. Fans all across the league are waiting on decisions that may never come. Former stars Joe Nieuwendyk and Steve Yzerman recently echoed sentiments that if those who can still play don't, they may end up regretting it when they no longer have the option to. With free agents dropping like flies a month and a half into the NHL's version of open hunting season, those teams courting the Hall-of-Famers in the making may very well end of making their decisions for them.
