With the free agency market attracting the bulk of attention for most hockey fans this weekend, we thought that a run-down of the top blueliners available on July 1, 2008 would be some excellent weekend reading.
With some help from our friends in Canes Country, the list of available defenseman is as follows:
- Brian Campbell
- Wade Redden
- Mark Streit
- Michal Rozsival
- Brooks Orpik
- John-Michael Liles
- Rob Blake
- Ron Hainsey
- Steve Montador
- Mark Eaton
- Adam Foote
- Bryan Berard
- Brad Stuart
- Paul Mara
- Bret Hedican
- Dmitri Kalinin
- Jason Smith
- Andreas Lilja
- Sean Hill
- Marek Malik
- Karel Rachunek
- Aaron Miller
- Dick Tarnstrom
- Wade Belak
- Jim Vandermeer
- Mike Commodore
- Petteri Nummelin
- Patrice Brisbois
- Andrei Zyuzin
- Nolan Pratt
- Keith Carney
- Jaroslav Modry
- Luke Richardson
- David Hale
- Jeff Finger
- Jason Cullimore
What the media and some hockey insiders are predicting
There will be a huge bidding war for Brian Campbell.
Last year, Wade Redden’s game took a nosedive and Ottawa is no longer interested in him. Redden is still a proven leader and a top-qulity rearguard who will demand some large coin in the open market
Concerning Brooks Orpik. Okay, here goes. Many say they wouldn’t touch Orpik with a ten foot pole, and it has nothing to do with that cheap hit on Erik Cole. There is no denying that the defenseman had a great playoffs this past season and did an outstanding job in the Finals against the Wings, but what else has he done?
He’s scored one goal in the past 2 years. He was healthy scratched by his coach at one point this year because of uninspired play. But the blueliner will command a long term contract in excess of 3, maybe 4 million a year based upon 3 months of performance. In my opinion, he shouldn’t get it.
In some ways he reminds me of Mike Commodore. “Commie” had an outstanding playoffs in 2006. He was hitting everything that moved and was a real force in front of the net. At one point he looked like he would command too much money when he hit free agency and the Hurricanes wouldn’t be able to afford him. How times have changed.
I just have a feeling that Orpik will sign a big, fat contract and you will never hear from him again. Time will tell on that.
Rob Blake and Adam Foote will likely be looking to join a cup contender and will not be interested in upstart franchises or those lurking around the bottom of the standings.
Marik Malik, Bret Hedican, and Sean Hill should all be absolute last resorts for most teams.
Good Bangs For Your Buck!
John-Michael Liles is probably at the top of the list. He earned 1.4 million last year while scoring 6 goals and 26 assists, totals which were lower than previous years for him. The Avs are reportedly still trying to sign him, so he might not be available come “D Day”.
If he can be signed in the 3 million a year range, the Hurricanes, among other teams just might bite. That’s a big “if” though because several teams seem interested in Liles.
Mark Streit had a breakout year for the Habs last year while scoring 13 goals and 62 points. He’s a proto-type offensive defenseman who only earned 600K last year. Streit is pretty much a wild card because it’s very unpredictable how much a team might be willing to risk on him. In addition, Streit played forward for much of the season with Montreal.
Michal Rozsival is an under-rated, steady defenseman who played for the Rangers the past couple of years. Last season he earned 2.3 million and scored 13 goals with 25 assists. He shouldn’t be looking for huge money and might be in the right price range.
Ron “Hollywood” Hainsey is another Montreal refugee who found his game elsewhere. (Sergei Samsonov can relate). He earned 900K in Columbus last year while scoring 8 goals and 24 assists. He won’t be at the top of the wish list, but he wouldn’t be a bad pickup either.
Steve Montador, Jason Smith, Dmitri Kalinin, and Mike Commodore could all be at or near the bottom of the wish list. Don’t look for them to be signed on July 1st because it will take a few days for the teams who couldn’t get their first choices to regroup and select from the left-overs, so to speak.