Loading ...NHL Free Agency Part 5
OK, the Pacific Division has probably been the quietest of the league’s six sectors, with the exception of a couple of huge developments that have just recently taken place (see San Jose), but that doesn’t mean that there isn’t anything to talk about.
San Jose Sharks: Well, the insolent Dany Heatley has finally gotten his wish. After
Dany Heatley: "Yeah, I'm a total baby, and arguably the ugliest player in the NHL, but I'm also an all-star."
demanding a trade from the Ottawa Senators because he just couldn’t get along with new head coach Cory Clouston, but yet refusing a deal that would have sent him to Edmonton earlier in the summer, Heatley has finally landed in the Shark Tank. Despite what seems to be an intense immaturity on Heatley’s part, he remains one of the most talented forwards in the NHL and has to again make San Jose a Cup contender. Of course, that has been said every year for the last several when discussing the perennial underachievers who always implode in the playoffs, including a first-round ousting last season to the eighth-seeded Anaheim Ducks. Now, everyone’s reputation is really on the line bringing in the problem child known as Heatley, as the Sharks had to sacrifice some of their depth, giving Milan Michalek and Jonathan Cheechoo to the Sens. Granted, it was the right move for the San Jose brass, and with Joe Thornton as a linemate, Heatley could conceivably challenge Alex Ovechkin for the goal-scoring title this campaign. Also remember, Cheechoo is a couple of years removed from his 56-goal season that’s looking more and more like a fluke. However, the acquisition of Dany far from makes the Sharks foolproof. They traded defensemen Christian Ehrhoff and Brad Lukowich to Vancouver to make cap space, and they lost defensive forward Mike Grier to the Buffalo Sabres. Of course, they still have a great core, and they re-signed all their really important players, such as Rob Blake and Ryan Clowe. Of course, I believe this somehow will all be for naught, as there’s a sneaking feeling that the Sharks are simply cursed and will see another first-round exit this year after finishing high.
Anaheim Ducks: At the trade deadline last season, the Ducks acquired talented young defenseman Ryan Whitney from the Penguins in exchange for forward Chris Kunitz in a move that was beneficial for both clubs (especially for Pittsburgh). This year, the Ducks will have Whitney for a full season, as well as fellow late-last-season acquisition D-man James Wisniewski to complement the signing of backliner Nick Boynton from Florida. Of course, let’s not forget that the Ducks still have future first-ballot Hall of Famer Scott Niedermayer on the blue line (I don’t care how old he is), so their D is fine. Don’t worry about the loss of Chris Pronger. Additionally, Anaheim will most likely throw out a top line of Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry and Cherry Hill’s own Bobby Ryan, who was a Calder Trophy candidate last season. This could potentially be the best line in hockey this season. Their second line should consist of Teemu Selanne, Joffrey Lupul (grabbed from Philly in the Pronger deal) and the newly acquired Saku Koivu who I think still has gas in the tank… not too shabby. The Ducks are a tough team that likes to push people around (punctuated by one of my favorite goons, George Parros, who sports one of the best porn ‘staches I’ve ever seen), but can play any style, so they should be fun to watch and could be a dark horse in the West. They’ll deal with a minor goalie controversy in camp, as Jonas Hiller stole the starting job away from Jean-Sebastien Giguere last year, but that will shake itself out soon enough.
George Parros: "Hey, don't mess with Koivu, or I'll knock you out with my mustache."
Los Angeles Kings: Ah, the lowly Kings. While L.A. has largely been an afterthought in the NHL over the last couple of campaigns, they made some decent moves this off-season to add to their group of very talented young players who just haven’t completely gelled yet due to inexperience. They made a solid deal with the Colorado Avalanche to snag gritty left-winger Ryan Smyth in exchange for D-men Kyle Quincey and Tom Preissing. Then, to make up for their losses on defense, the Kings signed Rob Scuderi from Pittsburgh. He may not be a household name, but Scuderi has a Stanley Cup ring for his efforts last year, and he will provide a solid stay-at-home presence in L.A. which they’re sorely lacking. Additionally, if Justin Williams (acquired late last season from Carolina) can stay healthy for a full season, he could be a force to reckon with to go along with Anze Kopitar, Dustin Brown and Alexander Frolov. However, there’s just one problem: THE KINGS DON’T HAVE A GOALIE! They haven’t had one in a very long time and seemingly still haven’t learned their lesson. I think their last good puck-stopper was Kelly Hrudey, and people really only thought he was good because of that gay blue headband he used to wear. This year, they’ll probably lean on Jonathan Quick, or maybe even Erik Ersberg, or youngster Jonathan Bernier… yeah, I don’t know about them, either. Who knows? Who cares? They may actually be better off signing Almost Athletes reader Brian Gaffney. At least he has some gumption. Maybe even my cousin Lew could take the job. He has goalie experience.
Phoenix Coyotes: Other than business turmoil over ownership and location of the team, not to mention the absence of coach Wayne “The Great One” Gretzky at camp (yeah, seriously), there’s not much to speak of here. While the Coyotes will miss the playoffs again this year, they did manage to sign D-man Adrian Aucoin from Calgary, and he will lend some stability to a group that could really use it. Honestly, Phoenix has so many backliners on their roster I have no idea who their starting six will be. Additionally, they managed to re-sign a couple of role players that they acquired last year in Scottie Upshall and Peter Prucha, and grabbed Taylor Pyatt from Vancouver. These guys could flourish under a full year of Gretzky’s tutelage (if he remains with the team), but the Coyotes have a ton of work to do… poor Shane Doan. He’s one of my favorite players and arguably one of the most underrated in the league, yet he has been toiling in the desert for years.
Dallas Stars: Um… well, they re-signed Jere Lehtinen for a year, but his best days are behind him… wow, well they’ll be happy to get Brendan Morrow back after losing him to injury last year… OK, they still have Mike Ribeiro, Brad Richards and Loui Eriksson was a nice surprise last year. However, it’s time to face facts: Mike Modano isn’t getting any younger (in fact, the whole team is somewhat old), they don’t have a ton of good depth and the loss of incredible (albeit old and injury-prone) defenseman Sergei Zubov to the KHL is really going to hurt. On a positive note, the team brought in goalie Alex Auld from Ottawa to take some of the pressure off talented starter Marty Turco, but I can’t escape the feeling that it’s going to be a really long year in Dallas.
I don’t know about the Gaffney reference. Brian Gaffney is the Derrick Coleman of the Tansboro Dek Hockey League. He walks back on defense and has a shoot first mentality.