Rigamarole - A Foot In Crease - Episode 2.44

www.afootinthecrease.com

Restricted free agents…the NHL’s version of the girlfriend your buddy just broke up with…yes she’s available, but really only in theory. Make a move and your breaking the code between friends leaving a lot of people unhappy. Clearly after seeing how the events we will refer to as “The Thomas Vanek Affair” played out, signing another team’s restricted free agent to an offer sheet leaves the general managers involved with similar unharmonious feelings toward each other. Frankly though I don’t get it!

When Kevin Lowe presented a 7 year deal $50 million deal to Thomas Vanek last week, Sabre GM Darcy Regier’s fuming a short two hour drive away in Buffalo likely contributed to the unbearably high temperatures in Southern Ontario. To paraphrase in a nutshell, Reiger’s response to Lowe’s offer was along the lines of how dare you try sign our player to an inflated contract and put us in a lose-lose situation. Don’t match and the Sabres lose a very talented young player with only draft picks as compensation. As a result, the Sabres did match but now end up having to pay Vanek far more than they likely were prepared to at this point in his career. Sabres managing partner Larry Quinn indicated they are more than prepared to now do the same to the Oilers if the opportunity came along.

So now the Oilers have the Sabres out looking to make a similar move just to spite them for playing within the rules of the business. If they didn’t want Vanek to be exposed to other teams, they should have made like Ray Shero and the Pens and signed Vanek to a long term extension long before he reached restricted free agency. Why bother having the rule in place if every time someone decides to use it, it results in childish name-calling and vindictiveness. It’s a business; there should be no personal feelings involved. Allow your player’s contract to run out to either restricted or unrestricted free agency, your taking a risk. Deal with it. But hey, all that was just rigamarole.

Rigamarole - A Foot In The Crease - Episode 2.43

www.afootinthecrease.com

July 1st signaled the beginning of open season on the NHL’s free agent market bringing with it, the busiest week of the year in terms of player movement. For talent hungry GM’s, the time had come to hunt down their players and make their moves. With all the dollars being thrown around this past week, a number of players became very rich. For us whose job it is to report on all this action, I frankly become quite desensitized to just how much money this is when I read this guy gets $30 million and that guy gets $50 million. I’d like just one of those millions but that’s a whole other issue.

Naturally with lots of movement comes winners and losers in the NHL’s silly season. By signing Daniel Briere, Kimo Timonen and Scott Hartnell and adding Scottie Upshall, Joffery Lupul, Ryan Parent, Jason Smith and Martin Biron through trades, Philadelphia could experience a Penguins-like turnaround next season. Mark the Flyers as the big winners. The Rangers big signings in Drury and Gomez should improve them as well. If the Leafs can stay healthy, they should be a playoff team this year. Keep in mind with a weaker roster and numerous injuries, the Leafs only missed by one point. Consider the Islanders, Devils and most of all the Sabres to be the big losers. They will be but a shadow of their former selves next season.

In the west, replacement not improvement was the name of the game. Anaheim is likely to lose Niedermayer and Selanne to retirement so Brian Burke replaces them with Schneider and Bertuzzi. Detroit loses Schneider to Anaheim so Ken Holland fills his shoes with Rafalski. Colorado and LA should be better next year after making splashes of their own but not to the same extent as teams from the East. Undoubtedly some of these major signings will turn out to be busts, but with nothing but dollars standing in the way of potential improvement, how can you blame GM’s for getting out their cheque books. But hey, all that was just rigamarole.