The NHL’s free agency flurry opened on July 1^st with fast and furious action. It’s tough to keep up with all the movement, but I’m going to give it the old college try and break things down by division. Maybe by the end of the summer, everything will be sorted out. How about we start with the Northeast?

I'm good.

Montreal Canadiens: It looks like I might owe GM Bob Gainey an apology… maybe. While I was not a fan of him trading for Scott Gomez (again, the most overrated player in the NHL) from the Rangers, I certainly was a fan of his slew of other signings. Pulling Brian Gionta away from New Jersey was a great move, and reuniting him with former Devils teammate Gomez (who I must begrudgingly admit, is a decent passer) might be what the doctor ordered. Equally good, if not more so, is the luring of Calgary’s Michael Cammalleri. This kid is really superb and his 39 goals last year wasn’t a fluke. Also, signing D-men such as current World Champion Hal Gill and offensive backliner Jaroslav Spacek (from Buffalo) more than makes up for the loss of Mike Komisarek. However, are the Habs really a better team now? I seem to remember them coming into the season equally stacked last year, and towards the end of their campaign, they just looked lost. Also, I still say goaltender Carey Price isn’t ready for the NHL. Good luck with all that. Like I’ve said before, it’s not easy being a Montreal fan, but it could be worse. They could be Toronto Maple Leafs fans. That brings me to:

Toronto Maple Leafs: Well, one has to hand it to the Leafs, they’re certainly trying to get tougher, but are they trying to get better? Granted, bringing in Komisarek from Montreal, Francois Beauchemin from Anaheim, and Garnet Exelby in a trade with Atlanta for Pavel Kubina certainly makes them a rough and tumble defensive squad. Couple that with the signing of resident goon Colton Orr (from the Rangers), and I wouldn’t want to mess with Toronto this year. However, offensively they gave up a lot in Kubina, and it looks like Tomas Kaberle (the best player on the team) is heading out of town, too. Up front, when one’s best forward is Jason Blake, that person has problems. Nothing against the diminutive Blake, he’s solid, but it’s kind of like having Tinkerbell without Peter Pan. My prediction: Another long year in Toronto.

Ottawa Senators: So far, other than re-signing tough guy Chris Neil, their only major move has been pulling Alexei Kovalev away from Montreal. Yes, it’s a big move, but I’m lukewarm on this. Kovalev is certainly strong (he’s closing in on 1000 points), but he’s been prone to inconsistency over the years. Considering the whole Dany Heatley situation (yes, he’s still there and he’s still unhappy), the Senators need a steady presence and lots of leadership, and I don’t think Kovalev provides either. Things are going to get really ugly in Ottawa this year, and I think it will cost them a playoff spot.

Oh man, this isn't a good situation for me.

Boston Bruins: There’s not much to talk about here. Re-signing Mark Recchi for one year was a good move. That old man can miraculously still play, and I have a soft spot for former Flyers, anyway. Signing Steve Begin from Dallas was a nothing move in my opinion, but the Bruins have a really good mix of veterans and youngsters already, and they should be good for a while. Their only problem would be the potential loss of defensive stalwart P.J. Axelsson (currently unrestricted) to another team, but they will probably win the division again anyway.

Buffalo Sabres: Does anyone care about this team? I sure don’t. I miss the days of former coach Ted Nolan when he would basically just put a goon squad out on the ice. At least that was fun. Sure, they have good players, but the franchise just seems soulless and boring to me. Oh yeah, we’re talking about free agency… Well, they signed semi-solid D-man Steve Montador away from Boston, and blah, blah, blah.