Nearing halfway, player investment bargains, busts
Money matters more than ever these days in the NHL. For teams, that makes personnel decisions -- finding the right players to fill gaps while spending money wisely -- even more critical.
Some teams did a very good job getting value for their dollars in the free agent and trade market during the offseason, others not so much. With the NHL approaching its halfway point, here's a look at the bargains and busts.
Bargains
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| Matt Moulson (left) and hometown pal John Tavares (right) have helped enliven the Isles. (Getty Images) |
2. Maxim Afinogenov: The talented Afinogenov never lived up to his immense promise in Buffalo and struggled to find a job when the Sabres let him go after the season. He ended up taking a steep pay cut when Atlanta signed him for $800,000 after a training camp tryout, but Afinogenov has found a fit alongside Ilya Kovalchuk and Nik Antropov and is one of the Thrashers' top producers.
3. Kyle Quincey: Colorado picked up Quincey in a trade for Ryan Smyth in a deal where getting the veteran's cumbersome contract off the books was the biggest priority. The Avs made out even better by getting this young defenseman, who is a very good puck mover and earns only $525,000. Quincey leads Colorado in ice time, puts up points and is among the leaders in blocked shots.
4. Vaclav Prospal: The Rangers got a great deal because Tampa Bay bought Prospal out of the final three years of his $14 million contract, and they signed him in August for just over $1 million. Prospal has put up very solid numbers, and instead of butting heads with coach John Tortorella as he did with the Lightning, he has become the Rangers' second-best player behind Marian Gaborik and is also an alternate captain.
5. Antero Nittymaki: The Lightning signed him mainly to back up Mike Smith, but Nittymaki has increased his role because he has been the better of the two goalies. In fact, Nittymaki's goal-against and save percentage numbers are among the best in the league. At a $600,000 salary, he's earning about a quarter of what his partner gets.
6. Steven Reinprecht: The Panthers acquired Reinprecht from Phoenix because they needed a veteran who could add depth and some scoring punch up front. Florida then signed him to a deal that averages about $2 million over three years. But with injuries to scoring forwards David Booth and Cory Stillman, Reinprecht has stepped and put up points like a more expensive producer.
7. Mikael Samuelsson: Remember how much the Canucks paid Mats Sundin last season and how little they got in return? Now think how much better spent the $2.5 million for Samuelsson is. The ex-Red Wing's transition to Vancouver has been smooth, and he is one of the team's leading scorers. Samuelsson's biggest impact may be on a much-improved power play where he has picked up half his goals.
8. Manny Malhotra: Malhotra got squeezed out of Columbus when the Jackets signed Samuel Pahlsson, so the Sharks were able to add a solid third-line checking center who is good on faceoffs to their expensive roster for only $700,000. He has been an integral part of the league's best penalty killing unit and has provided some offense as well, helping to fill the void when Joe Pavelski was hurt.
9. Nigel Dawes: Calgary claimed Dawes off waivers from the Coyotes and signed him to a one-year deal for $800,000. Dawes never quite lived to the expectations he would be a top-six forward in Phoenix or with the Rangers before that. He's not getting those kinds of minutes with the Flames, either, but the speedster has put up good numbers anyway.
10. Robert Lang: Lang severed his left Achilles' tendon last season in Montreal, an injury that could have threatened the 38-year-old's career. But his rehab has proven successful in Phoenix, where he signed a one-year deal for $1 million. Lang is second on the team in scoring.
Busts
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| Martin Havlat hasn't found a Wild groove. (Getty Images) |
2. Alexei Kovalev: This is almost the same story, although he will get $5 million for only two seasons while Havlat's deal is for five years. Kovalev is supposed to help fill some of the offensive void left in Ottawa by Dany Heatley. But the skilled veteran has looked less than inspired on many nights, and his stats reflect it.
3. Ales Kotalik: Lots of Rangers free-agent signings have drawn snickers over the years, and Kotalik's $9 million over three years was among them. New York seemed destined for the last laugh when the former Sabres forward had a great start along with the rest of the team. Kotalik had a big impact on the power play early, but has gone stone cold and without a goal for more than a month.
4. Jonathan Cheechoo: Ottawa had a better package for Heatley from Edmonton, but the Senators ended up with few options other than San Jose; Milan Michalek has been good as part of the return. Problem is Cheechoo has not. Like Kovalev, the one-time league goal-scoring champion was supposed to help make up for Heatley. Cheechoo's deal pays him $3.5 million this season and next, but he doesn't skate well anymore and he doesn't score much, either. Cheechoo had 12 goals last season and has only three so far, with the first coming in the second month of the season.
5. Saku Koivu: Maybe it has something to do with the overall implosion in Anaheim, but Koivu hasn't really taken advantage of leaving behind the pressure-cooker situation he had in Montreal. The Ducks expected that when they signed him to a one-year deal for $3.25 million, figuring he and fellow Finn Teemu Selanne would provide mutual sparks. It worked to an extent on the power play before Selanne was hurt, but Koivu has been disappointing.
6. Alex Tanguay: Like Robert Lang, Tanguay's career with the Canadiens ended because of injury, but the left wing couldn't find a job until training camp was open because he had an inflated view of his worth. Tanguay eventually signed for half of what he made last year, although $2.5 million for one season was a reasonable gamble by Tampa Bay for someone who used to score in the 25-goal range. But playing often with Vincent Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis, Tanguay has scored only four goals.
7. Mike Komisarek: He was one of the marquee free-agent signings by Toronto last summer, and a bit of a coup for the Leafs since he came from historical rival Montreal. Komisarek got a five-year, $22.5 million deal because he is envisioned as a No. 1 type defenseman. But even before Komisarek missed a month with injuries, he didn't play like one.
8. Aaron Ward: Nothing has gone right in Carolina, and bringing back Ward for $2.5 million hasn't helped. Ward has the lowest plus-minus rating among defenseman, but considering the number of minutes he plays and the context of the Hurricanes as a group, his numbers could be worse. He's a guy who could help a contender, so a trade could make him more valuable down the stretch.
9. Ville Koistinen: Florida needed a Finnish-born player for their season-opening set in Helsinki, so they signed the journeyman defenseman who spent parts of the past two seasons in Nashville. Problem is they signed him for two years at an average of $1.2 million per. Koistinen scored a goal back home, but has done little since. He ended up in Pete DeBoer's doghouse, getting little ice time and being waived this week.
10. Tomas Kopecky: Chicago brought him along with Marian Hossa from Detroit as part of its summer free-agent spree, but Kopecky was only a minor character with the Red Wings and is even more so with the Blackhawks. He is effectively a fourth-line center, so he isn't really expected to put up points and hasn't. But a minus-7 is ugly in that role, especially on team like the Blackhawks. The real problem is Chicago has some serious salary cap issues, and the $1.2 million a season Kopecky is getting is overvalued in that context.
