Canucks Land Hamhuis, Malholtra

Defenseman Dan Hamhuis was one of the big prizes on this year's free agent market, so much so that his rights were traded twice in the weeks leading to today. In the end, the Vancouver Canucks were the big winners, signing the 27-year old to a six-year contract worth $4.5 million per season.

Before that deal was actually finalized, there were a slew of teams trying to pry him away from the Canucks. But he chose to head to Vancouver regardless of what other teams were piling on.

The addition of Hamhuis creates a bit of a logjam at defense, where the Canucks already had seven players, including the newly acquired Keith Ballard. But Kevin Bieska or Christian Ehrhoff could go on the trade block, which would clear some cap space and completely justify Hamhuis' signing.

He will provide Vancouver a solid defensive presence with the ability to play a ton of minutes and protect his zone. He won't put up a lot of points, but a 25-to-30 points is always a possibility for him.

The Canucks also landed forward Manny Malholtra, who last played for the San Jose Sharks. Coming off a 14-goal, 33-point campaign, Malholtra will see a raise from the measly $700,000 earned last season to a whopping $2.5 million in each of the next three seasons. He has done a fair share of moving in his time - starting with the Rangers and making stops through Dallas and Columbus. But he has grown his game in each location and the 30-year old is now a pretty solid asset in the NHL. He might not be worth $2.5 million, necessarily. But he's earned his payday and should add some good depth the Canucks' roster as a checking line forward.

Devils Add Volchenkov, Tallinder On D; Snag Hedberg To Backup Brodeur

 

The New Jersey Devils were one of those teams to watching heading into this free agency period. Not only were they the rights holder before today to the hottest UFA on the market - Ilya Kovalchuk, but they were also in danger of losing Paul Martin while being linked to Tomas Kaberle and Dan Hamhuis.

Well, Kovalchuk still hasn't signed anywhere as of this writing and Martin in now a Pittsburgh Penguin. But what the Devils did was build upon their strength - defense.

General Manager Lou Lamoriello committed $39 million to defensemen Henrik Tallinder and the prized defensive-defenseman of this class, Anton "A-Train" Volchenkov, while also forking over a one-year, $1.5 million deal (bonuses and no-trade clause included) to backup goaltender Johan Hedberg.

Volchenkov is not a sexy pickup but one that will make the Devils even more frustrating to play against. He is a top-notch shutdown defender who is well-regarded for his shot blocking and penalty killing. The 28-year old is limited offensively and will miss games throughout the season thanks to putting his body on the line so frequently. But when he's there, it will be even tougher to score against New Jersey. Volchenkov will be around for the next six years on his this contract and will earn $25.5 million, or $4.25 million per season. The deal also includes a no-trade clause.

Tallinder, 31, is another shutdown defenseman who Lamoriello grabbed, in part, because of his mentoring ability. According to ESPN's Pierre LeBrun:

One thing Lamoriello mentioned to me is that he's got young Swedish kids on D and he loves the way Tallinder helped Tyler Myers in Buff

Outside of teaching the kids, Tallinder will be another presence in the Devils' zone and limited offensive abilities on the other end. In a full 82-game slate last year, he posted four goals and 16 assists for 20 points.
He will cost New Jersey $13.5 million over four seasons - an annual cap hit of $3.375 million.

Of course, neither of these signing addresses who will replace Martin's offense, who will be the power play quarterback and if the Devils intend on having any defenseman actually join the rush next season. But good luck to any opposing forward who wishes to get past the neutral zone.

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In addition to adding to the options guarding the crease, the Devils secured their No. 2 inside it. Playing the role of the guy who will see about three games while Martin Brodeur takes on the other 79 this year is Johan Hedberg. Hedberg is as good a backup as any team could get this summer and comes on over for $1.5 million in a one-year deal that includes bonuses and a no-trade clause. That's a bit expensive for a backup, especially a backup to Brodeur. But maybe, just maybe, this is the year the Devils play him less? If so, the extra expense for a proven 37-year old veteran is worth it.

Penguins Add Paul Martin To The Mix

 

When Sergei Gonchar bolted from the Pittsburgh Penguins for a $16.5 million deal with the Ottawa Senators, General Manager Ray Shero turned around and inked Zbynek Michalek previously with the Phoenix Coyotes to a five-year, $20 million deal. And while Michalek is a solid, young defenseman, he is no Gonchar in the puck-moving, power play quarterbacking, offense producing department.

It turns out, he wasn't exactly the substitute Shero had in mind for Gonchar. Instead, the real replacement is 29-year old Paul Martin, who signed on for the next five seasons and will earn $5 million in each of them.

Martin is a good player and did receive plenty of interest from teams around the NHL. But this does beg the question of why Shero didn't just tack on an extra $500,000 per year and give Gonchar what he'll be earning in Ottawa for two less years. Gonchar is one of the best offensive forces from the blue line and is basically a 50- to 60-point threat with a true effectiveness in running the power play. Martin, on the other hand, was pretty much a 30-point generator in New Jersey and never topped the six-goal mark. He is basically half a Gonchar at virtually the same price.

Perhaps Martin's numbers were just a product of the Devils' stifling defensive system and he will have greater opportunity to spread his wings in a more open game with the Penguins. And being six years younger than Gonchar doesn't hurt. But it just seems like a panic move. The Michalek/Martin combination is nowhere near the Gonchar/Dan Hamhuis duo Shero was ultimately hoping for.

Rangers Keep Christensen; Lose Shelley And Replace With Boogaard

Glen Sather started the free agency bonzana off with a solid pickup in backup goaltender Martin Biron. Since then, he's resorted back to being one of the worst general managers in the league.

Before going down that road, he did avoid one disaster by actually re-signing Erik Christensen to a two-year deal at $925,000 per season. That's only a $175,000 raise per year than what he made last season, but it's also more than the $750,000 (which is on par with what he made a year ago) he turned down in a previous offer. Christensen has generally been a journeyman, or was on the verge of becoming one, in his five NHL seasons. But after a waiver pickup by the Rangers from Anaheim, he emerged as the team's top center and perfect linemate for Marian Gaborik. In 49 games, he scored eight goals and 26 points - a stark improvement over the zero points he had with Anaheim over the course of nine games. Because his numbers aren't astronomic as a result of being fairly inconsistent, he wasn't going to get into the millions. But for the times that he does produce and is on his game, he's basically the best player on the ice and deserves a roster spot in New York.

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Shelley apparently didn't deserve a roster spot, or at least that's the way Sather saw things. A near-trade deadline acquisition by the Rangers for a fifth round pick from San Jose, Shelley stepped in as the lead enforcer (though Brandon Prust did more fighting) in place Donald Brashear and played a crucial role on a very effective fourth line for the Rangers down the stretch. And he actually scored some goals - two to be exact! That's a big deal for him.

It wasn't a big deal to Sather. He offered Shelley a one-year deal for $825,000, watched Shelley reject it and then let the man walk over to Philadelphia (maybe not literally, but it's possible) to sign a three-year deal with the Flyers for $1.1 million per season. So it's okay to sign Donald Brashear for $1.4 million per year, which the Rangers are still on the hook for next season. But to up the ante on Shelley a bit and pay the most productive and intelligent enforcer the team has had in a while (Colton Orr wasn't as good in the offensive scheme like Shelley was last year), that's a no go? Incredible. And now, he's with a division rival, that is nasty enough as it is.

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With Shelley gone, it was naturally time for Sather to play the "Replace the Enforcer" game, ala Brashear for Orr, Shelley for Brashear, ??? for Shelley. That replacement comes in the form of Derek Boogaard from the Minnesota Wild. The 28-year old, who has yet to play more than 65 games in a season and has not scored a goal in FOUR YEARS (has two total - both scored his rookie year), was granted a four-year contract for $1.65 million a season. That is undoubtedly worse than the Brashear signing.

Now, Boogaard is understandably not being brought in for his scoring prowess. But at least Shelley is able to create some chances and net a puck every once in a blue moon. Boogaard has no offensive upside and is a much less regarded fighter than Shelley. And he's $550,000 more expensive per year for an extra year.

I sure hope Donnie Walsh isn't drinking from the same fountain at The Garden, or there's zero chance LeBron James is a Knick.

Armstrong To Leafs, Niittymaki To Sharks, Auld To Montreal, O'Donnell To Flyers

 

~ Penguins fans probably would have love to have him back, but the winger most compatible with Sidney Crosby that was dealt to Atlanta in the Marian Hossa trade is now heading to Toronto on a three-year, $9 million deal. That's right, Colby Armstrong is the second top-six forward acquired by Brian Burke in the past two days (Kris Versteeg being the first.) He made $2.4 million last year, so this represents a $600,000 raise and is pretty equal to the output he provides. Armstrong is a gritty two-way player with 20-goal potential.

~ The San Jose Sharks cut the line on Evgeni Nabokov because they wanted to seek cheaper options than the $5- to 6-million he will probably find somewhere in free agency. Well, they found one, and it comes in the form of ex-Flyer/Lightning netminder Antero Niittymaki. He is on board for two years at $2 million per, which drastically lower than what Nabokov likely would have cost. But I do fear in this case that the Sharks will get what they pay for. Niittymaki is good and posted 21 wins with Tampa last year in 49 games played. But he's still just a better-than-average backup and will fail to win over 40 games a season like Nabokov did three years in a row if asked to shoulder a heavy load in San Jose.

~ Forget Dan Ellis, people. His lacking French-speaking skills won't be necessary. The Montreal Canadiens went another route for their No. 1A/2 goalie next season with Alexander Auld. Auld, who was a waiver acquisition for the Rangers late last year, is a more-than-adequate backup who will push Carey Price. Auld is there for one year at $1 million, which is by far a cheaper rate than what St. Louis will now have to dish out for Jaroslav Halak.

~ Apparently the Philadelphia Flyers need an army of defensemen, because they have quite a few and just added another. Veteran Sean O'Donnell is coming to Philly on a one-year deal worth $1 million, plus games played incentives. He's a good stay-at-home defender and worth it at that price. But the signing still begs the question, why? Or ... who's being dealt?