“Hello, My NHL Franchise Is Screwed.”
June 6th, 2008 Posted in UncategorizedWith the Stanley Cup finals over, two good things have emerged from it’s finish. One, we have a huge NHL offseason to look forward to this summer, and two, we’ve seen the last of Sidney Crosby’s ghastly playoff mustache … for now. In the meantime, there are a handful of NHL general managers who have their work cut out for them this summer, and I’m breaking it down by the numbers.
Anaheim - Brian Burke has already set a deadline for unrestricted free agents Teemu Selanne and Scott Niedermayer on whether or not they will return to the club next year. And with his club currently taking up $49M of the imposed $56M salary cap, he faces the challenge of trying to keep restricted free agent Corey Perry away from offer sheets. Imagine the things Burke would do if Edmonton’s Kevin Lowe gets greedy again…
Colorado - Francois Giguere is at a crossroads in Denver with many of his team’s cornerstone players facing free agency. Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg, Andrew Brunette, JM Liles, Adam Foote and Jose Theodore are all unrestricted players who made a combined 25.35M last season and it appears only half of them may stay in Colorado. In addition, his younger players like Marek Svatos, Wojtek Wolski and McLeod and McCormick are all restricted free agents.
Los Angeles - If Dean Lombardi’s Kings are going to get anywhere close to the playoffs next season, they’ll have to decide right now which direction they are going to go with in goal. The team used six different goaltenders last season and he must decide if Jonathan Bernier is ready. The blueline is in bad shape with only three defencemen signed on for next season (Preissing, Johnson, Visnovsky).
Minnesota - Doug Riseborough’s Wild failed miserably in the postseason and the news gets worse. The only place the team looks set is in goal with Niklas Backstrom. Pavol Demitra, Brian Rolston and Keith Carney are all unrestricted and prominent centre PM Bouchard is restricted. And with Marian Gaborik hinting of leaving Minnesota for greener pastures next season, Riseborough may be forced to move his hand on a possible blockbuster trade.
Ottawa - GM-Coach Bryan Murray is in a serious hole. His team was vanquished in a four-game sweep in the first round, faces the impending loss of top defenceman Wade Redden, and perhaps most importantly, still has Ray Emery on his roster. Never mind the first two headaches, because Ray Emery is a migraine. While Murray was able to lock up the core of Heatley, Spezza, Alfredsson and Fisher for the next four years, Emery is still making 3.5M a season and with the market for goaltenders low, it will be hard to find a suitor.
Philadelphia - GM Paul Holmgren did a magnificent job rebuilding the Flyers last offseason but can lightning strike twice? His heroics in signing Daniel Briere and acquiring Kimmo Timonen paid wonders, but Holmgren’s team could be pressed right up against the cap if anyone tries to lure prizes Jeff Carter and RJ Umberger via an offer sheet. Simon Gagne’s head still might not be screwed on tight, Sami Kapanen just retired from the NHL and the Flyers may lose Mike Knuble and Jason Smith to free agency.
Pittsburgh - This may be the busiest team of all for GM Ray Shero. Roberts, Malone, Laraque, Ruutu, Hall, Dupuis, Orpik and Conklin are all unrestricted free agents, while Marc-Andre Fleury is restricted and is sure to get at least 4.5M to 5M. In addition, Shero is wary of the fact that two of his best young talents in Evgeni Malkin and Jordan Staal will be RFA’s next summer. The Penguins brass must also decide whether or not they can throw $7M+ at having Marian Hossa, who had an outstanding playoff, return to the team.
Vancouver - Mike Gillis has definitely been thrown into the pressure cooker right from the get-go. Before he decides to get his feet wet in the unrestricted free agency pool, he has to figure out what to do with UFA’s Markus Naslund, Brendan Morrison, Trevor Linden and Aaron Miller, four players who played a big part of the Canucks’ success and disaster last season. Backup Curtis Sanford is also unrestricted. Gillis must decide quickly whether or not to put his stamp on the team now and sign an array of new players, or keep pieces of the Burke-Nonis regime and retain Naslund, Morrison or Linden’s services. The upcoming NHL Entry Draft will also be a critical time for Gillis to make his mark on his new club.
And there you have the franchises I would like to call “The Unenviable Eight”. Certainly they are not the only NHL clubs who have work to do this offseason, but it is clear that these teams’ respective general managers have a larger workload than the others. It will be a short three months before training camp opens again in September.
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6 Responses to ““Hello, My NHL Franchise Is Screwed.””
By Anonymous on Jun 6, 2008
good read.
By Skeeter on Jun 9, 2008
Good read, but I am surprised at the poll results. While the Canucks do need a lot of work, they at least have a number of pieces in place (namely Luongo and the blueline) while the LA Kings are a complete disaster everywhere and need a lot more work than us.
By Anonymous on Jun 9, 2008
Trade Luongo, he sucks.
By 'G on Jun 9, 2008
Ottawa’s situation intrigues me the most. Asides from the Emery situation, it’ll be interesting to see how the team chooses to build upon their core. It’s still shocking to remember how badly the team plumeted when it mattered the most and it’s going to be a mystery to what kind of team shows up in 08/09.
By Adam on Jun 9, 2008
Vancouver’s situation is especially remarkable if you’re a Vancouverite. Everyone claimed 06/07 was the year of change, and rightfully so, as Nonis and co. brought in many new faces and a new defensive style. However, this is the year where our franchises face for many years now could potentially be missing come October. Markus Naslund Trevor Linden and Brendan Morrison specifically, as these Canuck fixtures who gave us the “home sweet home” feel, even as Roberto Luongo was taking the team under his wing, could be moved, giving the team yet another identity, in the midst of a team that’s known for its seemingly endless identity crisis.
By Jon on Jun 24, 2008
Hey everyone,
Great Blog!
Because this I don’t own the team, I think this is a great time for the Vancouver Canucks.
My prediction for the future: The Canucks tank for the next 3 years and Mike Gillis gets fired but does more for this franchise than anyone else ever will.
Mike Gillis will make changes in the culture of this team that will never be able to be undone. He is setting up a guiding coalition that will take drafted players and develop them into NHL caliber players and in 3 years because of public pressure he will be a sacrificial lamb, be fired, and the new GM will feast off of the best farm system anywhere in the NHL.
Once Mike Gillis has finished setting up his vision of a developmental system what GM will ever be able to come in here and throw that all away. This isn’t just a goalie, or a defense hes put together that can be traded away at anytime, this is a entire business model on how to run a competitive team.
This is something that Dave Nonis never did with this team. Nonis recycled the same old employees and did the same management style as Pat Quinn, and Brian Burke. It didn’t work for them, and it was never going to work for Nonis.
I don’t blame Nonis, in fact I was sad he was fired but for the long term future of the Canucks it had to be done. Every other NHL team is still stuck in the dark ages when it comes to how to run a team. This is no different than running a grocery store, you can change the faces but if the culture, vision, and strategy never change than your results never change either.
Also
Florida.. blows.. worst franchise in the league by far.. Ballard and Boynton for Jokinen.. good thing they don’t have any fans.