Thirteen potential UFAs who figure to attract attention

Source : Nhl.com



The free-agent frenzy is scheduled to begin at noon ET on Friday, and with as many as two compliance buyouts available to all 30 NHL teams this summer, some additional intriguing players are expected to hit the open market.

Here are 13 of the most notable potential unrestricted free agents who were likely to be available Friday (listed in alphabetical order):

Danny Briere

Danny Briere admits to being disappointed over being bought out by the Flyers, but said now he's looking forward to the opportunities he'll have to continue his career elsewhere.

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A compliance buyout from the Philadelphia Flyers, Briere is 35 years old and coming off his worst season in more than a decade with 16 points and a minus-13 rating in 34 games. However, few forwards have excelled in the Stanley Cup Playoffs as well as Briere has over his career.

He has 109 points in 108 career playoff games, including 30 points in 23 games during the Flyers' run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2010.

Briere reportedly has a lot of teams interested in him, and it has to do in part with his performance in the playoffs. He's also two seasons removed from scoring 34 goals.

Ilya Bryzgalov

It will be interesting to see if any team takes a flyer on the eccentric former Flyers goalie, who was issued a compliance buyout despite having seven years and $35.5 million left on a nine-year, $51 million contract.

Bryzgalov became known for his brutal honesty, his wild opinions, his unique interests and beliefs as well as his feuds with the media in Philadelphia. He also won 52 games over two seasons but couldn't help the Flyers reach the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2012-13, when he appeared in 40 of 48 games and posted a 2.79 goals-against average and .900 save percentage.

The Edmonton Oilers reportedly pushed for Cory Schneider before the Vancouver Canucks traded him to the New Jersey Devils, so maybe they'll be in the market for Bryzgalov. The New York Islanders haven't re-signed Evgeni Nabokov, so it's conceivable that if he walks they could inquire about Bryzgalov.

David Clarkson

Clarkson scored 15 goals in 48 games in 2012-13 and 30 goals in 80 games in 2011-12. He is reliable and resilient, having missed two games over the past three seasons. He's coming off a three-year, $8 million contract, which was somewhat of a bargain for a 30-goal scorer who brings a physical element as well.

The Devils want Clarkson back, but his agent said he will hit the open market July 5 to see what his value is. For comparison purposes, Clarkson is a slightly cheaper option than Nathan Horton. Clarkson is from Toronto and the Maple Leafs could use a player like him.

Ryane Clowe

Clowe, a rugged left wing, is coming off multiple concussions, but when healthy he is a top-six forward with a history of performing well in the playoffs.

The New York Rangers would like to re-sign Clowe, but it may not be possible because of their salary-cap situation and the fact Derek Stepan, Carl Hagelin, Ryan McDonagh and Justin Falk need new contracts. Clowe is coming off a four-year contract that paid him $3.625 annually.

Clowe had 19 points in 40 games split between the San Jose Sharks and Rangers in 2012-13. He had three goals and five assists in 12 games after being traded to the Rangers, but was injured for most of the playoffs and appeared in two of 12 games. He has 46 points in 70 career playoff games.

Pascal Dupuis

Dupuis was so good on a line with Sidney Crosby he enticed the Pittsburgh Penguins to give him a four-year contract worth $15 million. Dupuis scored 20 goals in 48 games in 2012-13 after scoring 25 in 82 games the previous season. Dupuis, who was making $1.5 million in each of the past two seasons, did it without a regular role on the power play.

The Penguins added him to a group that includes Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, Chris Kunitz and Brandon Sutter getting or expected to get raises for the 2014-15 season.

Andrew Ference

The Bruins have some younger, cheaper defensemen on the rise (Torey Krug, Matt Bartkowski, Dougie Hamilton) and a need to replace two right wings, Horton and Jaromir Jagr, so it would appear Ference's days in Boston are over. He had quite a ride, winning the Stanley Cup in 2011, getting back to the Final last month, and becoming one of the most community-driven athletes in the city.
Ference is 34 years old and coming off a three-year contract that paid him $2.25 million annually. He can play in a top-four role and brings a little bit of everything to the table. There should be teams lining up to sign him to a short-term deal.

Valtteri Filppula

Filppula is interesting for teams seeking a second-line or third-line center. He earned $3 million annually on a recently completed five-year contract with the Detroit Red Wings, who were in the market for Vincent Lecavalier, a sign they could have been willing to let Filppula walk.
Filppula has played center for most of his career but spent a good portion of 2012-13 at left wing in a top-six role. He struggled with 17 points in 41 games before scoring six points in 14 playoff games.

Nathan Horton

After a very strong postseason with Boston, Nathan Horton should command significant interest on the free agent market despite needing shoulder surgery.

Horton has told the Bruins he wants to test free agency. He should be a sought-after power forward even though he needs surgery to repair a dislocated shoulder.
Horton spent most of his time in Boston playing on a line with David Krejci and Milan Lucic. Horton struggled in 2012-13 with 13 goals and 22 points in 43 games but rebounded in the playoffs with 19 points in 22 games. His 2010-11 and 2011-12 seasons were cut short by concussions.

Jaromir Jagr

At 41 years old, Jagr can still play. He wasn't as productive as he was hoping to be during the Bruins' playoff run (no goals, 10 assists), but he was  dangerous with his strength and ability to control the puck on the right wing.

Jagr wants to play in the NHL next season and it's a good bet he will get another one-year contract. He had 35 points in 45 games split between the Dallas Stars and Bruins in 2012-13, when he played for $4.5 million.

Vincent Lecavalier

Already guaranteed more than $30 million for the next 14 years from the Tampa Bay Lightning because of his compliance buyout, Lecavalier agreed to terms with the Philadelphia Flyers on a reported five-year, $22.5 million deal.

Lecavalier spent most of the weekend meeting with teams, including the Detroit Red Wings, Dallas Stars, Montreal Canadiens, St. Louis Blues, Toronto Maple Leafs, Washington Capitals and Calgary Flames. They all pitched their organization and their city to the former Lightning captain, who wound up choosing Philadelphia.

There was obviously little doubt among NHL general managers that Lecavalier can be at least a No. 2 center at 33 years old. He had 10 goals and 32 points in 39 games in 2012-13. He has 135 points in 168 games over the past three seasons.

Mike Ribeiro

Center - WSH

GOALS: 13 | ASST: 36 | PTS: 49
SOG: 63 | +/-: -4

Ribeiro was the best center scheduled to hit the market before Lecavalier was bought out by the Lightning. It's debatable if anything has changed considering Ribeiro, who like Lecavalier is 33 years old but is coming off a better 2012-13 season. He had 49 points in 48 games with the Washington Capitals, who could probably use him again as a No. 2 center but have so far balked at his contract demands.

Ribeiro reportedly wants a five-year deal. Some of the same teams that are after Lecavalier could be interested in Ribeiro.

Rob Scuderi

All Scuderi does is play for winning teams. He won the Stanley Cup in 2009 with the Pittsburgh Penguins and again in 2012 with the Los Angeles Kings, who are desperate to keep the veteran stay-at-home defenseman.

Scuderi is 34 years old and coming off a four-year contract that paid him $3.4 million annually. He has not addressed his contract situation publicly, but part of the reason Kings general manager Dean Lombardi traded goalie Jonathan Bernier to the Toronto Maple Leafs was to make sure there was enough room under the salary cap to make a run at re-signing Scuderi.

Stephen Weiss

The longtime center for the Florida Panthers was limited to four points in 17 games in 2012-13 because of a wrist injury. He was considered potential trade bait until his season was derailed in early March.

Weiss, who made $18.6 million on a recently completed six-year contract, has played 654 games with the Panthers and has 145 goals and 249 assists for 394 points. He could be a slightly cheaper option for teams looking for help at center that don't want to pay Lecavalier or Ribeiro.

Habs : Canadiens have to get bigger

Source : montrealgazette.com

There’s an adage in sport that says you can learn more from losing than you can from winning.

And if there’s one thing the Canadiens should have learned from their first-round playoff loss to the Ottawa Senators it’s that they have to get bigger if they hope to succeed in the future.

For the better part of the past decade, the Canadiens have operated on the philosophy that speed and skill are the keys to success in the National Hockey League. They bought the suggestion that the post-lockout NHL signalled a new era in which good would triumph over evil, skill would trump goonery.

But all the Canadiens’ skill went for naught in the playoffs when the Senators wore the Canadiens down with a game that combined speed with a physical style. Injuries played a part in the outcome, but the bottom line was that the Senators were bigger and stronger.

Whenever the size issue comes up, Canadiens management counters with the speed and skill argument and then confuses toughness and strength.

In his post-mortem this week, general manager Marc Bergvin defended his team’s toughness and pointed to rookie Brendan Gallagher, the 5-foot-8 sparkplug who can usually be found creating havoc in front of the opposition net.

There is no denying that Gallagher is one tough customer. There’s also no denying that he gets knocked down a lot by bigger players. Bergevin noted that Gallagher continues to bounce back up, but that’s not enough. At some point, the Canadiens have to find players who can stand in front of the net and not get knocked down.

When the Canadiens went on a slide at the end of the regular season, Rene Bourque noted that Montreal was being outhit in every game. The Canadiens finished the season 20th in hits with nearly 600 fewer than the league-leading Toronto Maple Leafs.

Bergevin said he was looking for balance and that it wasn’t always easy to find players who combine speed, skill and size. He noted that every team is looking for those players.

The Canadiens had their best chance to remake the team in 2009 when Bob Gainey cleaned house. Instead of getting bigger, the Canadiens got smaller with the addition of 5-foot-7 Brian Gionta, 5-foot-9 Michael Cammalleri and 5-foot-11 Scott Gomez.

This time around, Bergevin doesn’t have the cap space for a major renovation and said he doesn’t believe free agency is the answer. The key, he said, is to build through the draft.

This is one area where the Canadiens have had some success in recent years. Eighteen of the players on the Canadiens’ roster at the end of the season were either drafted by the team or signed as undrafted free agents.

Trevor Timmins and his scouting staff have been able to identify speed, skill and character, but size is another matter. Defenceman Jarred Tinordi is 6-foot-6, the 6-foot-1 Alex Galchenyuk is going to be fine when he fills out, and we can only hope that 6-foot Louis Leblanc, the Canadiens’ first-round draft pick in 2009, does fill out.

But when you look down the list of Canadiens prospects there are too many guys like Danny Kristo, Sebastian Collberg, Charles Hudon and Gabriel Dumont who fall short of 6 feet.

With six picks in the first three rounds of next month’s draft, it might be a good idea for the Canadiens to shelve the philosophy of picking the best player available in favour of picking the best big player available.

François Beauchemin écoutera les offres, y compris celle du Canadien

Si Bob Gainey rêve de rapatrier le défenseur François Beauchemin à Montréal, il aura probablement la chance de le faire après le 1er juillet.

«Jusqu'ici, mon agent Robert Sauvé n'a reçu aucune offre des Ducks, a déclaré Beauchemin vendredi. Je pense qu'ils attendent la décision de Scott Niedermayer à savoir s'il reviendra au jeu ou non. Je devrais en savoir plus long dimanche lorsque Scott fera part de son intention.»

Beauchemin dit avoir rencontré le directeur général des Ducks après la saison. «Il m'a simplement mentionné que sa priorité était la décision de Niedermayer, a-t-il précisé. Si je deviens joueur autonome, je vais étudier toutes les avenues, y compris celle de revenir à Montréal. Je vais ensuite prendre la meilleure décision pour moi et ma famille.»

Dans un autre ordre d'idées, une rumeur circule à Anaheim selon laquelle les Ducks seraient intéressés à obtenir Saku Koivu pour jouer au centre du deuxième trio, dans le but de venir en aide à Teemu Selanne.

«Si c'est le cas, Koivu serait sûrement le bienvenu avec les Ducks», a conclu Beauchemin.

Ian Laperrière rejette l'offre de l'Avalanche

Après François Beauchemin, Bob Gainey pourrait bien être intéressé à acquérir un autre joueur québécois, Ian Laperrière. Celui-ci a, en effet, rejeté l'offre de l'Avalanche du Colorado qui lui proposait un montant d'argent inférieur à celui qu'il a touché en 2008-2009 (1,5 million de dollars).

Âgé de 35 ans, Laperrière pourra offrir ses services à toutes les équipes de la Ligue nationale à compter du 1er juillet.

Par ailleurs, à Los Angeles, le directeur général des Kings, Dean Lombardi, a nié la rumeur lancée par The Score voulant qu'il ait obtenu le vétéran défenseur Chris Pronger, des Ducks d'Anaheim, en retour d'un autre défenseur, Jack Johnson, et du premier choix des Kings cette année (le cinquième au total).

Avec les Ducks, Pronger a amassé 48 points la saison dernière (11 buts et 37 mentions d'aide) alors que Johnson, le premier choix des Hurricanes de la Caroline en 2005, a récolté seulement 22 points (9 buts et 13 aides) en 120 matchs dans la Ligue nationale.

(Source : Ruefrontenac)