Unrestricted Free Agency Begins! What it Means to Your Pool

I like a lot of things that some teams were doing yesterday, and I am more than a little surprised at the amount of action in Day 1 of the UFA season. In fact, this action will pressure the quiet teams to get moving and scoop up what remains out there before someone else does, so it will be a while yet before things calm down. Here are the some of the signings with impact, from a fantasy perspective…

First, some quick ‘one-offs’:

Johan Hedberg is the perfect backup for Atlanta. He’ll play 15 games and perform admirably. Furthermore, if starter Kari Lehtonen gets hurt, as he has been prone to do thus far in his NHL career, Hedberg can fill in just fine for 25 games as a starter…Ditto for John Grahame in Carolina backing up Cam Ward, except Ward doesn’t have Lehtonen’s injury history…Still on the subject of goaltenders, Chicago has a great one-two punch with Nikolai Khabibulin and now newly-signed Patrick Lalime. Both have a lot to prove, and I think that both will prove it this year. In Chicago, though, they’ll still lose a lot of games…Nikita Alexeev has signed with Tampa Bay, but don’t expect the potential star that he was three years ago. His stock has fallen, his numbers in semi-pro leagues are down, and although he has a shot at a second-line spot, I wouldn’t expect even 45 points from the big winger this year…One European signing I do like is Karel Rachunek to the New York Rangers. With Sandis Ozolinsh’s future (and personal issues) in question, and Tom Poti an unrestricted free agent, Rachunek will be a Top 2 defenseman on the team, and should have a reasonable shot at 45 points. His health would be his only barrier – he’s a little injury prone…Mike Sillinger going to Long Island does not make any sense. They already have Mike York and Alexei Yashin up the middle, and Shawn Bates and youngster Petteri Nokelainen round out the other two centermen. They’ll likely put Bates on the wing, but still the signing makes no sense. Maybe they got him so they could trade him at the trade deadline like everyone else does every year! Do NOT expect even 50 points from Sillinger on this team this year…

Now, the ‘big’ signings:

Patrick Elias stays put. While Brian Gionta produced virtually the same numbers whether Elias was in the lineup or not, Scott Gomez had just 36 points in 43 games that he wasn’t in the lineup – and 48 points in 39 games that he was.

Boston grabs Zdeno Chara and Marc Savard. The poetry pairing of Chara and Mara form an awesome duo that should see Chara approach 50 points this year and Paul Mara surpass it. With Patrice Bergeron already having solid chemistry with Brad Boyes and Marco Sturm – unquestionably the top line – you will no doubt see Marc Savard playing with Glen Murray on the right side and perhaps Petr Tenkrat on the left side. Just a bit of a downgrade from Ilya Kovalchuk, methinks. Savard is an elite setup man, and that should help Murray get back over the 30 goal mark. As for Savard – his 90+ point days are over. However, 80 should be a reasonable target. Tenkrat is the real wildcard here, as he hasn’t seen the NHL in a few years. He could garner anywhere from 40 to 65 points – depending on the chemistry with Savard.

Tyler Arnason gets chance at new life in Colorado. Arnason will become the new second-line center in Colorado, and I suspect his season will be start fairly well and then taper off towards the end as coach Joel Quenneville tires of his lackadaisical attitude. He will line up with either Wojtek Wolski or Andrew Brunette on the left side, and Marek Svatos on the right. Right now, nobody is competing with him for that spot. A 55-point comeback season is possible on this team for him.

Jason Arnott in Nashville. How do you not like the Predators as a solid Stanley Cup contender? With last year’s team, plus Alexander Radulov and Jason Arnott, they are a force. They now have two full scoring lines and can stick David Legwand to center the second one.

Los Angeles grabs Alyn McCauley, Scott Thornton, and Rob Blake. Defense, defense, and defense. They upgraded their zone protection with all three, and Blake will step in as the No.2 (yes, I said No.2) power play quarterback behind Lubomir Visnovsky. The latter should repeat with a 60+ point season, and Blake should hit 50 again.

Matt Cullen gets a plum spot on the second line. The Rangers signed Matt Cullen with the idea that he will center their second line. Coming off a career season, this opportunity will ensure that he repeats it. Expect a much better job than what Steve Rucchin did there last season.

The Leafs lock up their ‘big four’. For the next four years, Toronto’s Top 4 defensemen will be Bryan McCabe, Tomas Kaberle, Pavel Kubina, and Hal Gill. A youngster such as Steffen Kronwall, Ian White, or Carlo Coliacovo could push Gill to the No.5 spot, but you get the idea. Toronto did well to ensure that new goaltender Andrew Raycroft will get every opportunity to turn his career back around by not relying on rookies on the blueline. Kubina should be a 45-point player on this team.

for more of a ‘fantasy take’ on the free agents, visit www.DobberHockey.com