Free-agency moves since lockout: Some good, and some ugly busts
A world of instant gratification demands that winners and losers be pronounced immediately.
The problem is the reality that only time will tell. With parity dominating the NHL landscape as it has since the lockout, much of what happens during the frenzied first few days of free agency makes hope spring eternal for those securing some cream from a particular year's crop.
Sometimes it is even justified. Just ask the Montreal Canadiens. They barely made the playoffs this spring but did some real damage once they did in no small part because of the contributions of Mike Cammalleri, Brian Gionta, Hal Gill, Travis Moen and Jaroslav Spacek, all signed on the opening day of free agency last summer.
Then again, it doesn't always work that way, something the Edmonton Oilers are reminded of as they continue looking for the most economical way to get rid of Sheldon Souray. Of course Edmonton had the best intentions when it signed Souray to a five year, $26.25 million deal a couple of years ago.
But so did all the other teams that have plunked down big bucks since the end of the lockout when the world has gone crazy at the start of each post-lockout free-agency period.
Here's a look back at who was worth it and who was not.
Best signings
1. Scott Niedermayer (Anaheim Ducks, Aug. 4, 2005): With his brother Rob already in the lineup, Anaheim was able to entice Niedermayer to the West Coast. The move transformed the franchise that had been to the playoffs only three times in its first 11 seasons. Anaheim reached the conference finals immediately and won the Stanley Cup the following season, when Niedermayer was named the playoff MVP.
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| Brian Rafalski has been a good tandem with Nicklas Lidstrom in Detroit. (Getty Images) |
3. Ray Whitney (Carolina Hurricanes, Aug. 7, 2005): The smallish left wing moved on last week to Phoenix, but Whitney left a big mark in Raleigh in his time there. He was a 70-point player, a leader in the dressing room and most important, a star of Carolina's 2006 Stanley Cup run with nine goals in the playoffs.
4. Sergei Gonchar (Pittsburgh Penguins, Aug. 3, 2005): Like Whitney, Gonchar is another veteran who moved on last week, but the hole he left will be harder to fill. Defensemen with his kind of offense don't grow on trees and Gonchar's skills had a critical impact on the great attack Pittsburgh has developed with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.
5. Brian Rafalski (Detroit Red Wings, July 1, 2007): Rafalski was often in the shadow of Scott Stevens and Niedermayer in New Jersey, but he has been consistently productive throughout his career and since joining the Red Wings, a perfect complement to Nicklas Lidstrom.
6. Marian Gaborik (New York Rangers, July 1, 2009): An instant classic on Broadway. Gaborik was signed to produce offense and he accounted for nearly a third of everything the Rangers produced last season. He won't be able to carry New York to a Stanley Cup without getting some help from others, but he's trying.
7. Craig Anderson (Colorado Avalanche, July 1, 2009): No one tagged him with the "next Patrick Roy" label so Anderson was able to be himself. That turned out to be pretty good for the Avs. With Anderson turning in a Vezina-quality season in his first as the designated starter, Colorado went from being in the draft lottery to challenging for the division flag and making the playoffs.
8. Daniel Briere (Philadelphia Flyers, July 1, 2007): Briere was one of the biggest names of his free-agent class and signed a mega-contract that left a lot of people disappointed for its first three seasons. Briere put up decent numbers when healthy, but showed his worth by being instrumental in the Flyers' run to this spring's Stanley Cup Finals. He would have gotten Conn Smythe votes had they won.
9. Mikael Samuelsson (Vancouver Canucks, July 3, 2009): He was a good role player in Detroit who became a little too expensive for the job he had. But Samuelsson turned into one of the prize catches of last summer, becoming a 30-goal scorer for the Canucks.
10. Jason Arnott (Nashville Predators, July 2, 2006): Arnott had a tough final season in Nashville because of injuries. But he brought a lot to the table as captain with a Stanley Cup on his résumé and in his first three seasons averaged nearly 30 goals and 60 points.
Worst signings
1. Sean Avery (Dallas Stars, July 2, 2008): He was a disruptive force in the dressing room, an embarrassment to the organization and not very good before being dumped after just 23 games. Oh, and he ended up costing coach Dave Tippett and co-GM Brett Hull their jobs.
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| The Toronto Maple Leafs gave defenseman Jeff Finger $14 million for four years. (Getty Images) |
3. Cristobal Huet (Chicago Blackhawks, July 1, 2008): One of the biggest mistakes of the Dale Tallon regime. Huet signed a monster deal to take over the job from Nikolai Khabibulin, but couldn't. This past season, he sat watching rookie Antti Niemi lead the team to the Stanley Cup. His contract is one of the reasons Chicago must purge its roster this offseason.
4. Jeff Finger (Toronto Maple Leafs, July 1, 2008): What, the Leafs couldn't go for a whole arm? OK, bad joke but one of many that Finger has become the victim of for simply saying yes to a ridiculous offer. Toronto signed him to a four-year, $14 million deal after he played just one nondescript full season for Colorado. These days, he is at best a seventh defenseman.
5. Alexei Kovalev (Ottawa Senators, July 6, 2009): Kovalev still commands first-line money even though he produces third-line numbers at age 37. When he feels like it, that is. And as Ottawa realized last season, it's not all that often.
6. Michael Nylander (Washington Capitals, July 2, 2007): As close to a total bust as it gets. Nylander was already getting on in years when Washington signed him, and didn't produce much in his first two seasons. Last year he didn't play for the Caps and they are now paying him to stay away for the next two seasons.
7. Alexander Mogilny (New Jersey Devils, Aug. 16, 2005): New Jersey brought him back after the lockout, giving him a two-year deal for $7 million. But Mogilny was only a shadow of his former self, playing 34 games and then being shunted to the minors to clear his salary off the cap.
8. Jeremy Roenick (Phoenix Coyotes, July 4, 2006): This might have been the only time in Roenick's impressive career that he was a detriment instead of a boon to a team. Roenick's lack of offense was less the problem in his one-season return to the desert than the off-ice distractions he created for his young teammates and coach Wayne Gretzky.
9. Martin Gerber (Ottawa Senators, July 1, 2006): This signing ended up doing less for the Senators than the Dominik Hasek disaster coming out of the lockout. Gerber had a role in Carolina's 2006 Stanley Cup win and Senators GM Bryan Murray knew him from their Anaheim days together. But Gerber couldn't handle the pressure of an intense market or a big contract, and was under fire for his three seasons in Ottawa.
10. Scott Gomez (New York Rangers, July 1, 2007): This could be ranked higher on the list of goofs, because Gomez never lived up to what was expected from a $50 million player. Of course, he isn't necessarily cut out to be a first-line center, but that's another story. The bright side for the Rangers is that they found someone to pawn his contract off on when Montreal took him in a trade.
