SB Nation - Ken Klee

Washington Capitals All‑Decade Team

J.P. — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 15:30:15 -0000

With just 34 games left in the first ten years of the new century, we thought we'd take a look back at the decade that was for the Washington Capitals, a decade that began with back-to-back Southeast Division championships (and first-round playoff exits), and will end with high hopes and expectations.

It was a decade that saw the franchise hit rock bottom and find its presumptive savior, along with a couple of other lottery picks as the organization was torn down and rebuilt the right way (including a return to the team's proper color scheme). It was a decade that saw four different head coaches (Gabby's good through December, right?) compile a 320-281-45-57 record (heading into this season) and win four Division titles - but just one playoff series in five post-season trips. And it was a decade that saw the sport take an entire season away from its fans.

On an individual player level, Caps fans saw half of the top 14 players in terms of games played in team history play their last games for the organization and watched ownership open wide its wallet, first for the wrong guy, then for the right one.

But who have been the best of the best to don the red, white and blue (or blue, black, bronze, white, etc.) in the 2000s? We've put our list together (to make it easy on ourselves, all stats begin with the 2000-01 season and go through 2008-09), and it's after the jump.

Left Wing	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	SOG
Alex Ovechkin (2005-09)	324	219	201	420	19	216	78	4	34	1,791

What more can you say about this guy? In four seasons, he's already in the top three in franchise history in goals scored, top ten in points, and top one in hardware and other assorted accolades. He's the best there is, and he's a Washington Capital. Savor it.

Center	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	SOG
Jeff Halpern (2000-06)	359	69	116	185	-19	312	16	3	14	575

No skater played more games for the Caps this decade than the Princeton grad who captained his hometown team in the first season out of the lockout. Arguments could be made for other pivots here, but we'll take this heart-and-soul leader.

Right Wing	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	SOG
Peter Bondra (2000-04)	289	135	107	242	-14	214	20	7	24	1,030

Bondra would've been the ultimate no-brainer for the 1990's team, but he was still behind only Ovechkin in 2000's goal-scoring and led the NHL in power-play goals in both 2000-01 and 2001-02 (years in which he finished fourth and sixth overall in goals scored). Add to that the fact that he brought back Brooks Laich in trade when he was moved to Ottawa in February, 2004, and his impact on the 2000's Caps is even greater.

Defense	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	SOG
Sergei Gonchar (2000-04)	290	70	162	232	4	224	26	0	6	808

The prototypical puck-moving blueliner was an All-Star in 2001, 2002 and 2003 and was a second-team All-NHL selection in 2001-02 and 2002-03. And, like Bondra, Gonchar was a key piece in the rebuild, bringing back Shaone Morrisonn and the pick that was used to select Jeff Schultz when he was traded to Boston in March, 2004.

Defense	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	SOG
Mike Green (2006-09)	242	52	92	144	12	184	26	1	8	558

Green had an historic 2008-09 regular season and that came on the heels of a season in which he led all rearguards in goals. Green is still learning the defensive side of the game, but after accumulating as minus-18 rating through his first two NHL seasons, he was a combined plus-30 in the next two campaigns.

Goaltender	GP	MIN	W	L	T/OTL	GA	GAA	SA	SV	SV%	SO
Olie Kolzig (2000-08)	439	25,886	187	188	54	1,223	2.83	12,982	11,759	.906	19

And then there's Olie. A lot was written about the netminder when he retired recently, and he deserves all of it. Godzilla is atop most franchise goaltending marks, and in the 2000s he played more games than any Cap, had three 30-win seasons (and a 41-win 1999-2000 campaign, for which he was named first-team All-NHL), and won his 300th game as a Cap. But more impressive than the numbers, Kolzig stuck it out through the leanest of lean years in Washington, seeing the franchise through the dark days and passing the torch to Ovechkin. Things might not have ended ideally for Olie the Goalie in D.C., but he'll always be one of the greatest Capitals of all-time.

Of course, hockey is a team sport and a team is made up of more than just six players, so let's fill out the lineup, shall we?

Forwards

Ovechkin-Nicklas Backstrom-Bondra

Think this line would be any good? Backstrom is already in the top five in assists this decade for the franchise and has the team's best plus-minus.

Alexander Semin-Adam Oates-Dainius Zubrus

Semin might have made the first team here had he not spent the first post-lockout year in Russia (see what you threw away, Sasha?!). Oates has the most assists per game (and is fifth in overall helpers) this decade. Zubrus is fifth in games played and can do a bit of everything.

Laich-Robert Lang-Chris Clark

Lang has the fifth-best points-per-game rate of any Cap in the 00's and is flanked by a couple of guys who can score 20 goals apiece the hard way.

Steve Konowalchuk-Halpern-Ulf Dahlen

A couple of Yanks (and Cap captains) and a Swede formed perhaps the best checking line in team history.

Defensemen

Brendan Witt-Gonchar

Witt and Gonchar brought a good combination of snarl and skill, and were key returns from the gift that keeps on giving.

Morrisonn-Green

Mo has played the second-most games on the Caps blueline of anyone in the decade and has an impressive plus-minus to show for it (not Jeff Schultz impressive, but still). He's been Green's partner for a while now, so no need to mess with a good thing.

Calle Johansson-Ken Klee

Here's a throwback pairing of a couple of guys who just got the job done on a nightly basis.

Goaltenders

Kolzig

Cristobal Huet

Brent Johnson played the second-most games in goal during the 00's, and Semyon Varlamov's 2009 playoff run deserves praise, but it was Huet's run at the end of the 2008 season that really kept the franchise on track after it had derailed earlier in the season. Had he lost just one more game in that 11-2-0/1.63/.936 stretch, the young Caps would have had to have waited another year before getting their first taste of the playoffs. Besides, we know he'd get along well with Olie in the room...

So there you have it - a decade of Caps hockey nearly in the books with the team set to enter the 10's on an uptick. Can't wait to see what the next All-Decade Team looks like.

2009-10 NHL Season Preview: Phoenix Coyotes

James Mirtle — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 16:00:19 -0000

More photos » by Rick Scuteri - AP

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Who's in: Adrian Aucoin, Vernon Fiddler, Lauri Korpikoski, Jason LaBarbera, Taylor Pyatt, Jim Vandermeer, Radim Vrbata
Who's out: Nigel Dawes, Todd Fedoruk, David Hale, Dmitri Kalinin, Ken Klee, Enver Lisin, Brian McGrattan, Brandon Prust, Steven Reinprecht

Outlook: Few eyes were on the Coyotes on-ice woes in the summer.

With the team awash in debt and owner Jerry Moyes unwilling to offset losses that rose to about $30-million on hockey operations in 2008-09 alone, the club was put into bankruptcy in early May with Canadian billionaire Jim Balsillie offering a $212.5-million stalking horse bid to buy and relocate the franchise to Hamilton, Ontario.

The resulting court battle made front page news throughout the rest of the playoffs and into the off-season, and in many ways, has overshadowed anything that GM Don Maloney did with the player personnel.

Despite the financial turmoil, however, Phoenix kept its payroll relatively level, trading Steve Reinprecht and waiving Nigel Dawes but adding some useful parts in defencemen Adrian Aucoin and Jim Vandermeer along with former 27-goal man Radim Vrbata and checking forward Vernon Fiddler.

This will again be one of the youngest teams in the league, and its compete level will come down to gains made by the youth already on the roster. Expect more from the likes of Peter Mueller, Matt Lombardi, Martin Hanzal and Mikkel Boedker, all of whom have at least 50-point potential in the right environment and will get plenty of ice time to do so this season.

Where Phoenix desperately needs to improve is on special teams, as they were in the basement in both categories last season, and having a deeper veteran defence core should ease some of the load on players in those situations.

Ultimately, the pieces are here for some upward momentum, but the nasty off-ice battle will likely influence how the team performs and potential salary cuts Maloney has to make. If the Coyotes can make the postseason amidst the bankruptcy proceedings and falling attendance, it'll be one of the top stories of this season.

The odds are against it.

X-factor: Martin Hanzal

For a more in-depth Coyotes preview, visit Five For Howling
For more NHL analysis, check out the McKeen's Hockey Yearbook

Poll

Where will the Coyotes finish in the Western Conference?

1

7 votes

2

0 votes

3

1 votes

4

1 votes

5

1 votes

6

2 votes

7

6 votes

8

12 votes

9

4 votes

10

4 votes

11

6 votes

12

12 votes

13

17 votes

14

41 votes

15

105 votes

219 votes | Poll has closed

Chelios-to-Nashville talk gathering steam?

Dirk Hoag — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 17:25:09 -0000

More photos » by Keith Srakocic - AP

"Then there was the time that Howie Morenz got upset after I cross-checked him in the face..."

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Talk about good fortune! Just as I was preparing for a guest segment on the Thom Abraham Show on WNSR 560-AM in Nashville to talk about the potential of Chris Chelios joining the Predators, a fresh bit of news came across my Twitter feed. For the latest update, and a chance to listen to the segment, just follow the jump...

First, your chance to hear how it went. You can listen while you read the rest here - (Dirk Hoag on Thom Abraham Show 2009-09-01). Thom does a great job talking about the NHL on his show, and enjoys it, so I highly recommend you call in and prompt further discussion. I, like many of you, am often disappointed with the lack of mainstream media coverage of the Preds and the NHL at large, but Thom's show can be a great option on that front.

Anyways, while getting ready for the segment, I came across this update on Twitter (remember to follow me, @Forechecker):

Craig Custance is a hockey writer for the Sporting News, and this latest tidibit eliminates the KHL as an option for Chelios (he had previously talked about heading over to Russia if an NHL job was unavailable).

Just how might Chelios fit in Nashville, compared to two other options noted in John Glennon's article from last week, Greg de Vries and Ken Klee?

On-Ice Ability

Between Chelios, de Vries, and Klee, I would probably go along with the notion that Chelios has the least to offer, but the margin might not be very great. None of these guys are likely to play more than 15 minutes a game going forward, and will play a 3rd-pair & PK role.

Off-Ice Contribution

This, to me, is where Chelios begins to stand out. While age and experience are nice, what Chelios brings to the table is the resume of a 3-time Norris Trophy winner and Stanley Cup Champion. He's been a leader on some great teams, and can teach guys like Shea Weber and Ryan Suter about what it's like to play 25+ minutes a game against elite opposition night after night during the regular season, and deep into the playoffs.

His work ethic is also legendary. He doesn't just ride the exercise bike for 45 minutes, he does it in the sauna. That kind of example can help shape a young players like Kevin Klein, who has drawn criticism in the past for not pushing himself hard enough.

Salary

Having made just $750,000 last season, Chelios could definitely fit into the Predators' financial framework. Greg de Vries, for example, made $2.5 million last season, and while he's sure to take a pay cut coming up, I can't see him taking that big a hit to stay in Nashville. Klee made $1.25 million last season, and would also appear to be affordable.

So what do you think, Preds fans? Should the front office wait things out and see how training camp goes, or bring Chelios on board now? When football fans talk about whether the Titans might be interested in Marvin Harrison, one reason for saying "No" is that if they were looking to bring in the sure-fire Hall of Fame receiver, they would have done so before training camp so he could work with the rest of the team. Does that logic apply here in Chelios' case?

Avalanche By The Numbers: #2

David Driscoll-Carignan — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 21:11:03 -0000

Our series resumes with a look at...#2. As with before, I'm using AvalancheDB, hockeyreference, hockeydb and something called a google to guide me. The deuce has been worn by 3 Avs over the years and has appeared in 446 regular season games and 89 playoff games for a total of 535 games. In the same way that #1 is a number traditionally worn by goalies, #2 is a number generally worn by defensemen. Sure enough, all three who've worn it for Colorado are blueliners.

1995-1999: Sylvain Lefebvre. The player who wore #2 the most is new Assistant Coach Sylvain Lefebvre. He's also, as you can see above, the only other Avalanche to have worn the captain's C. Lefebvre made the move from Quebec with the franchise, bringing his #2 with him. He played for 4 years in Colorado, playing in 303 regular season games, 65 postseason games and winning 1 totally rad baptismal font. Lefebvre first wore #3 with the Canadiens (#2 is retired for Doug Harvey), but switched to #2 when he was traded to the Maple Leafs in 1992. He probably would have kept it for the rest of his career, but when he left Colorado for New York in 1999, some Brian Leetch guy was wearing it. He switched to #24.

via czechfan.com

2000-2003: Bryan Muir. Bryan Muir played in 62 regular season games and, surprisingly, 24 playoff games with the Avalanche (including 3 games during the 2001 Cup run). As a journeyman, Muir has been all over the place numerically - 35, 34, 45, 37, 6, 2, 47...and that doesn't include numbers for his AHL and European teams. But for the Avalanche he wore the relatively sane #2.

via cdn.nhl.com

2006-2007: Ken Klee. Klee was only with the Avalanche for one solid season, amassing 81 games in an Avalanche pre-unipron jersey. Like Lefebvre, Klee seems to heavily favor #2 - he wore the deuce for years as a Washington Capital (seen here headed to hug another guy you might know). When Klee signed with in 2003, #2 was taken by Wade Belak so Klee had to do the doubling thing, going to #22. I wonder if he was a little miffed later that year when Belak gave up his number when the Leafs acquired Brian Leetch (that guy again!)? At the deadline in 2006, Klee was traded to the New Jersey Devils; #2 was in use (by either Dan McGillis, David Hale or Vladimir Malakhov...I can't tell who) and Klee was saddled with #8. Perhaps wearing such a different number was why Klee managed just 1 point in 24 games with the Devils (at least the 1 point came in the playoffs). After that, it's been all twos for KK - 2 for the Avs, 22 for the Thrashers (Garnet Exelby had #2) and then 2 with the Ducks and Coyotes .

Wednesday Caps Clips: Ken Klee Hangs 'Em Up

J.P. — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 11:00:11 -0000

via the shoebox next to my desk

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Your savory breakfast links:

Ken Klee is calling it a career. Klee - a ninth round pick for the Caps back in 1990 - played 570 games for the team, totalling 43 goals, 68 assists, a plus-13 rating and 608 penalty minutes. Godspeed, Kenny.
Michael Nylander? Not happy. The Caps? Not happy. Oilers fans? Happy. [The Cult of Hockey]
It's August and McFarlane Toys' NHL Series 22 is out, featuring the line's third Alex Ovechkin figure. [Spawn.com]
A TV station in Seattle is apologizing for Jose Theodore's 2008-09 season. [KING5.com]
A look at the sweaters (or at least sweater numbers) Brendan Morrison and Mike Knuble will be wearing. [VFtCS]
Red Rockers tryouts, Day 1. [Caps365 (video)]
"The NHL has sent out a memo that it will not honor NHL contract for a player injured at a summer Olympic training camp." [@walsha]
The Hershey Bears released their preseason schedule. [John Walton Hockey]
On the off-chance that you care what Sean Avery thinks of new teammate Donald Brashear, this link's for you. [Blue Notes]
Finally, Happy 46th Birthday to Mike Siltala and Happy 33rd to Jeff Friesen. Friesen played just 33 games for the Caps, tallying three goals and four assists before being traded to Anaheim for the second round pick that the Caps used on Keith Seabrook in 2006. Maybe things would've been different if Friesen hadn't angered the hockey gods by donning number twelve when he got to town (or if that Caps team hadn't stunk to high hell... either/or).

Potential Canucks Trading Partners

Sean Zandberg — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 08:51:40 -0000

There has already been enough speculation over what free agents are left for Mike Gillis to take a stab at to fill in the holes (especially in the top 4 defence pairings). But allow me to use NHL Numbers and analyze each NHL team to see where they are at with quantities at various positions and cap dollars spent. Maybe this can shed a bit of an idea as to another avenue for Mike Gillis to acquire 1 or 2 of the players needed. I'll add my personal opinion on proposals as well.

Anaheim

-Have enough forwards but are lacking about 3 defencemen.

-What are their plans with Jean-Sebastien Giguere if Jonas Hiller is now the #1 goalie?

-$12 million left in the bank.

-Proposal: No help to Vancouver.

Atlanta

- lacking in all areas. Still need to re-sign Kari Lehtonen.

Proposal: Let 'em rot.

Boston

-Running out of money and need another forward, defenceman and backup goalie. Kessel has not yet been signed.

-Proposal: Schneider for Kessel

Buffalo

-too many goalies and defencemen and not enough forwards.

-Proposal: Grabner for Rivet. Tellqvist may be heading back home to Sweden.

Carolina

-still need to sign Tuomo Ruutu..

-have one too many D-men. Hence one commenter saying Dennis Seidenberg would be a great option.

Proposal: Seidenberg for my nutsack.

Calgary

-The Flames look set. They're close to the cap limit but whatevs.

-Proposal: No, we don't want Bertuzzi. I will cut anyone's main artery who says they want him back in Van.

Chicago

-With the potential signing of Versteeg, the Hawks will need to trade a forward or 2 to acquire another defenceman (or 2) and a backup goalie.

-Proposal: Still interested in Versteeg? At the expense of not getting a valid top 4 d-man?

Columbus

-Way too many forwards and not enough defencemen.

-Proposal: Can't help them and they can't help us.

Colorado

-a clear case of too many defencemen and not enough forwards. They still have to re-sign several free agent forwards.

-Proposal: Wellwood for Preissing or Salei. Dream bigm Arnold. Dream big.

Dallas

-All kinds of question marks in Dallas. Do they re-sign Zubov and / or Sydor? If so, they have too many d-men.

-Proposal: I'd gamble on Sydor. Brendan Morrison anyone? I didn't think so. You get that feeling that Vancouver is the only place he belongs though. His body has worn down however.

Detroit

-Too many defencemen and not enough forwards. Plus, they are right under the cap and Hudler has not been re-signed yet.

-Proposal: Draft pick for Brett Lebda or Derek Meech.

Edmonton

-The Oilers have too many defencemen and are closing in on the cap max.

-Proposal: Draft pick for Ladislav Smid.

Florida

-Any takers on UFA's Nick Boynton or Steve Eminger? Other than that the Panthers look set.

Los Angeles

-So many holes to fill in L.A.

-Proposal: Would you take a chance on Frolov? Not me. Too pricey. How about Denis Gauthier? Exactly. Fuck it.

Jack Johnson however is an intriguing option. I just wonder what kind of $$$ he wants.

Minnesota

-Are these guys seriously in the running for Saku Koivu? The have about $4 million left to spend and haven't even signed Kyle Brodziak yet.

-Proposal: A stab at UFA Kurtis Foster wouldn't hurt my feelings. Marc-Andre Bergeron can suck a whale genital as far as I'm concerned.

Montreal

-Look at that shit show in Hab-land. UFA's: Robert Lang, Alex Tanguay, Saku Koivu, Francis Bouillion, Patrice Brisebois, Mathieu Dandenault. RFA's: Tomas Plekanec, etc. Talk about an overhaul.

-Proposal: Can't afford the forwards unless a trade happens to lose salary, even though Tanguay would look great on Line 2. Is Bouillion any good? I hate the Habs.

Nashville

-Wow. I didn't realize they had so many positions to fill. May they rest in peace.

New Jersey

-They are close to being in position.

-Proposal: Would you sign Niclas Havelid as a UFA?

Islanders

-A great-looking young team.

-Proposal: Don't see them doing much. Mike Sillinger and Dean McAmmond are UFA's. Any takers? I've always been a fan of McAmmond but he's not what we need.

Rangers

-Oh boy, Sather must be sucking back 50 cigars a day with this mess. So much work to be done there.

-Proposal: Fuck the Rangers...except...I still think Paul Mara would be a good UFA signing. Derek Morris can rot in obscurity for all I care.

Ottawa

-Yikes! Look at all those players there. The Sens have to move Dany Heatley because they are over the cap. But hey could move a defenceman and get under as well.

-Proposal: Go to hell, Heatley. How about Chris Campoli for a 3rd round pick? If Gillis ever signed Mike Comrie I'd probably poison my own drink.

Philadelphia

-Over the cap with holes to fill. They need to cut back on expensive forwards (Briere).

-Proposal: A few intriguing d-men in Philly. Rich Parent, Braydon Coburn, Matt Carle. The Flyers have to flog Daniel Briere first methinks. Good luck on that.

Phoenix

-Have plenty of money to sign free agents like Scottie Upshall and Nigel Dawes.

-Proposal: Any takers on UFA's Ken Klee or Dimitri Kalinin? I'd take Klee as a depth D guy.

Pittsburgh

-Need defencemen and a backup goalie and are very close to the cap max.

-Proposal: None. Satan, Sykora and Zigomanis are all UFA's. No bloody thank you. Send them to Europe.

San Jose

-Plenty of forwards to re-sign, a backup goalie, and too many defencemen.

-Proposal: Perfect trading partners! Mason Raymond for Brad Lukowich or Mark-Edouard Vlasic?

St. Louis

-Too many forwards and not enough defencemen means not good trading partners

Tampa Bay

-Unless you think Marek Malik or Noah Welch are good UFA signings, there really is nothing here.

Toronto

-Here's my fave trading partner. The Leafs need a bit of help up front and have a shitload of defencemen.

-Proposal: Michael Grabner or Mason Raymond for Ian White. I'm a big fan of Ian White.

Washington

-So much negotiating in Washington that needs to get done and not enough d-men that I would want.

So ther you have it. 3 hours of my life that I can't have back. I'm curious about your insights. Maybe I missed something. Maybe I'm full of shit. Feel free to voice your opinion, because face it... it is fair to say that Gillis is going thrift shopping over the next several weeks.

Evaluating the remaining UFAs: Defencemen Edition

James Mirtle — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 14:07:46 -0000

More photos » by Elise Amendola - AP

Carolina Hurricanes defenceman Dennis Seidenberg, right, checks Chuck Kobasew.

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Following up on my look at the remaining unrestricted free agent forwards, here's a gander at the blueliners still available. For a stats legend, see Behind The Net:

	Even Strength	TM	GP	TOI	QCMP	Pt/60	GFON/60	GAON/60	Diff
1	OSSI VAANANEN	VAN	49	14.07	-0.01	0.70	2.78	2.09	0.69
2	PAUL MARA	NYR	75	13.73	-0.01	0.52	2.33	2.04	0.29
3	M. DANDENAULT	MTL	41	10.28	-0.06	1.42	2.56	1.85	0.71
4	ALEXEI SEMENOV	S.J	47	11.81	0.00	0.76	1.94	1.73	0.21
5	DENNIS SEIDENBERG	CAR	70	16.34	0.02	0.89	2.10	2.36	-0.26
6	JAY MCKEE	STL	69	13.53	-0.03	0.45	2.38	1.99	0.39
7	CORY MURPHY	T.B	32	12.31	-0.07	0.91	2.13	1.37	0.76
8	M-A BERGERON	MIN	72	12.96	-0.04	0.90	2.44	2.06	0.38
9	KEN KLEE	PHX	71	13.21	-0.08	0.64	2.50	1.79	0.71
10	CHRISTIAN BACKMAN	CBJ	56	12.46	-0.07	0.26	2.15	1.63	0.52
11	NATHAN OYSTRICK	ATL	53	13.67	-0.02	0.83	2.40	2.57	-0.17
12	MAREK MALIK	T.B	42	15.18	0.00	0.47	2.07	2.45	-0.38
13	DEREK MORRIS	NYR	74	15.98	0.02	0.61	1.78	2.49	-0.71
14	PHILIPPE BOUCHER	PIT	41	15.19	-0.07	0.48	2.31	1.83	0.48
15	MATHIEU SCHNEIDER	MTL	67	15.48	-0.01	0.69	2.60	2.95	-0.35
16	MARTIN SKOULA	MIN	81	16.49	0.01	0.54	1.93	2.61	-0.68
17	ANDREW ALBERTS	PHI	78	13.10	-0.06	0.65	2.53	2.29	0.24
18	PATRICE BRISEBOIS	MTL	62	12.28	-0.05	0.71	2.29	2.36	-0.07
19	TEPPO NUMMINEN	BUF	57	13.63	-0.06	0.77	2.24	2.55	-0.31
20	JASSEN CULLIMORE	FLA	68	14.69	-0.06	0.54	1.92	2.52	-0.60
21	NICK BOYNTON	FLA	68	13.28	-0.13	1.20	2.92	2.66	0.26
22	FRANCIS BOUILLON	MTL	54	13.72	-0.03	0.65	2.11	3.00	-0.89
23	BRET HEDICAN	ANA	51	13.98	-0.09	0.34	2.52	2.86	-0.34
24	GREG DE VRIES	NSH	71	12.82	-0.10	0.33	1.98	2.84	-0.86
25	DENIS GAUTHIER	L.A	65	11.66	-0.11	0.32	1.90	2.77	-0.87

These are the only 25 UFA defencemen who played regularly in the NHL last season, with only Sergei Zubov of note left off the list (he played under 30 games, which was my cutoff). In terms of even-strength play, I think Dennis Seidenberg may offer the best value, as he logged big-time minutes last season on a team that went to the conference finals and will likely at this point come fairly cheap. He's also young and made just more than $1-million last season.

Ossi Vaananen, Paul Mara, Mathieu Dandenault (who doubles as a forward often), Alexei Semenov, Jay McKee and Marc-Andre Bergeron are also decent options here, although you'll note that the majority of the players listed here score low on quality of competition. Seidenberg's an exception, as is Derek Morris and Martin Skoula.

After the jump, a look at potential power play quarterbacks and penalty kill specialists.

	Power Play	TM	GP	TOI	Pt/60	GFON/60	GFOFF/60	Diff
1	CORY MURPHY	T.B	32	3.83	3.92	6.86	6.18	0.68
2	MATHIEU SCHNEIDER	MTL	67	3.50	3.58	8.70	6.73	1.97
3	M-A BERGERON	MIN	72	3.09	3.51	6.75	7.38	-0.63
4	DENNIS SEIDENBERG	CAR	70	2.70	3.49	6.66	5.96	0.70
5	TEPPO NUMMINEN	BUF	57	1.89	3.34	5.56	7.62	-2.06
6	PAUL MARA	NYR	75	2.55	3.13	5.32	3.03	2.29
7	PATRICE BRISEBOIS	MTL	62	2.72	2.49	4.26	8.03	-3.77
8	PHILIPPE BOUCHER	PIT	41	2.27	1.93	6.44	4.67	1.77
9	DEREK MORRIS	NYR	74	2.19	1.11	3.33	6.22	-2.89
10	CHRISTIAN BACKMAN	CBJ	56	2.12	1.01	2.52	5.68	-3.16

Not a lot of options here now that Francois Beauchemin's off the table, although Cory Murphy played big minutes with the man advantage in Tampa Bay and racked up some decent points. He would be a good fit somewhere as a No. 6 or 7 defender who plays on the power play somewhere.

Schneider also helped in that role in Atlanta and Montreal and may have something left at a steep discount, while Seidenberg's versatility shows here.

No world beaters, though, certainly. These would all be second unit guys.

	Penalty Kill	TM	GP	TOI	GAON	GAON/60	GAOFF/60	Diff
1	NICK BOYNTON	FLA	68	1.32	5	3.35	6.76	-3.41
2	GREG DE VRIES	NSH	71	1.82	6	2.78	5.88	-3.10
3	FRANCIS BOUILLON	MTL	54	1.93	9	5.19	8.27	-3.08
4	PAUL MARA	NYR	75	1.83	4	1.75	4.48	-2.73
5	ANDREW ALBERTS	PHI	78	2.38	13	4.20	6.45	-2.25
6	MAREK MALIK	T.B	42	2.61	11	6.02	8.15	-2.13
7	JASSEN CULLIMORE	FLA	68	1.78	9	4.46	6.47	-2.01
8	DEREK MORRIS	NYR	74	2.01	16	6.45	6.94	-0.49
9	KEN KLEE	PHX	71	1.78	17	8.07	8.55	-0.48
10	DENIS GAUTHIER	L.A	65	2.53	16	5.84	5.59	0.25
11	MARTIN SKOULA	MIN	81	2.58	13	3.74	3.30	0.44
12	DENNIS SEIDENBERG	CAR	70	2.44	18	6.33	5.87	0.46
13	OSSI VAANANEN	VAN	49	2.82	15	6.51	5.10	1.41
14	JAY MCKEE	STL	69	3.07	26	7.37	4.40	2.97
15	PHILIPPE BOUCHER	PIT	41	1.93	16	12.16	7.47	4.69

Mara had a very strong year on a good Rangers penalty kill, but really didn't log big minutes there. Few of these players did, although some big bodies like Andrew Alberts, Marek Malik and the like could help a team in a specialized role.

The Ducks, Bruins, Blue Jackets, Devils, Flyers, Penguins and Blues could all use another blueliner.

2009 NHL Free Agency / Teams by Cap Space / Unsigned UFA's and RFA's

Robert L — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 19:19:41 -0000

This is a listing of NHL teams by order of remaining cap space as of July 4. The Islanders top the list with approximately $23M left to spend. The Sharks have just under $2M remaining. The list is helpful in determining which team are closest to filling out their 2009-10 lineup. As one can see, there is much work to be done at both ends of the spectrum. The numbers figures are based on totals given by NHL Numbers.com.

1 - New York Islanders: $23.265 (18)

UFA: Andy Hilbert C 28, Dean McAmmond C 36, Mike Sillinger C 38, Thomas Pock D 27, Yann Danis G 28, Joey MacDonald G 29.

RFA: Nate Thompson C 24, Jeremy Colliton C 24, Jamie Fraser D 23, Jack Hillen D 23.

2 - Phoenix Coyotes: $21.972 (18)

UFA: Brian McGrattan R 27, Dmitri Kalinin D 29, Ken Klee D 38.

RFA: Nigel Dawes L 24, Joakim Lindstrom C 25, Enver Lisin R 23, Scottie Upshall R 25, Daniel Winnik C 24, Keith Yandle D 22.

3 - Atlanta Thrashers: $19.599 (15)

RFA: Eric Perrin C 33.

UFA: Kari Lehtonen G 25, Colby Armstrong R 26, Jim Slater C 26, Boris Valabik D 23.

4 - Nashville Predators: $17.913 (16)

UFA: Radek Bonk C 33, Scott Nichol C 34, Greg de Vries D 36.

RFA: Ryan Jones R 25, Antti Pihlstrom L 24,.

5 - New York Rangers: $16.436 (13)

UFA: Blair Betts C 29, Mark Bell L 28, Patrick Rissmiller C 30, Paul Mara D 29, Derek Morris D 30.

RFA: Christopher Higgins R 26, Ryan Callahan R 24, Brandon Dubinsky C 23, Lauri Korpikoski L 22, Nikolai Zherdev L 24, Corey Potter D 25.

6 - Anaheim Ducks: $14.295 (17)

UFA: Rob Niedermayer F 34, Todd Marchant C 33, Francois Beauchemin D 29, Bret Hedican D 38.

RFA: James Wisniewski D 25.

7 - Tampa Bay Lightning: $14.295 (17)

UFA: Matt Pettinger L 28, Wade Brookbank L 31, Jason Ward R 30, Marek Malik D 34, Josef Melichar D 30, Cory Murphy D 31, Noah Welch D 26.

RFA: Martins Karsums R 23, Radek Smolenak L 22, Matt Lashoff D 22, Matt Smaby D 24, Mike Lundin D 24, Karri Ramo G 22, Mike McKenna G 26.

8 - Columbus Blue Jackets: $13.313 (20)

UFA: Chris Gratton C 33, Manny Malhotra C 29, Michael Peca C 35, Jason Williams C 28, Christian Backman D 29.

RFA: Jiri Novotny C 25, Marc Methot D 24, Ole-Kristian Tollefsen D 25.

9 - Dallas Stars: $13.193 (19)

UFA: Sergei Zubov D 38, Brendan Morrison C 33, Joel Lundqvist C 27, Mark Parrish R 32, Landon Wilson R 34, Tobias Stephan G 25, Darryl Sydor D 37.

RFA: Mark Fistric D 23.

10 - St. Louis Blues: $12.295 (22)

UFA: Trent Whitfield C 32, Dan Hinote R 32, Jay McKee D 31, Manny Legace G 36.

RFA: Brandon Crombeen R 23, Chris Porter C 25, Steve Regier L 24, Roman Polak D 23, Jeff Woywitka D 25, Marek Schwarz G 23.

11 - New Jersey Devils: $12.129

UFA: Brendan Shanahan L 40, Kevin Weekes G 34, Niclas Havelid D NJ.

RFA: Travis Zajac C 24.

12 - Toronto Maple Leafs: $12.022 (20)

UFA: Brad May L 37, Bates Battaglia L 33, Andre Deveaux C 25, Boyd Devereaux C 31, Jeff Hamilton C 31, Kris Newbury C 27, Ben Ondrus R 27, Jay Harrison D 26, Jamie Heward D 38, Martin Gerber G 34, Olaf Kolzig G 39, Curtis Joseph G 42.

RFA: Jeremy Williams R 25, Justin Pogge G 23, Jaime Sifers D 26, Ryan Hollweg C 26.

13 - Chicago Blackhawks: $11.797

UFA: Aaron Johnson D 26.

RFA: Cam Barker D 23, Troy Brouwer R 23, Ben Eager L 25, Colin Fraser C 24, Kris Versteeg R 23.

14 - Colorado Avalanche: $11.654 (15)

UFA: Joe Sakic F 39, Ben Guite R 30, Brian Willsie R 31, Andrew Raycroft G 29.

RFA: Kyle Cumiskey D 22, David Jones R 24, Cody McCormick C 26.

15 - Montreal Canadiens: $10.454 (16)

UFA: Alexei Kovalev F 36, Saku Koivu C 34, Alex Tanguay L 29, Robert Lang C 38, Mathieu Schneider D 40, Tom Kostopoulos R 30, Mathieu Dandenault D 33, Patrice Brisebois D 38, Francis Bouillon D 33, Marc Denis G 31.

RFA: Tomas Plekanec C 26, Matt D'Agostini R 22, Guillaume Latendresse R 22, Kyle Chipchura C 23, Gregory Stewart L 23.

16 - Los Angeles Kings: $10.285 (21)

UFA: Derek Armstrong F 36, Denis Gauthier D 32, Kyle Calder L 30.

RFA: Jack Johnson D 22, Teddy Purcell R 23.

17 - Washington Capitals: $9.720 (15)

UFA: Viktor Kozlov C 34, Alexandre Giroux C 28, Bryan Helmer D 26, Brent Johnson G 32.

RFA: Jeff Schultz D 23, Shaone Morrisonn D 26, Milan Jurcina D 26, Eric Fehr R 23, Boyd Gordon R 25.

18 - Buffalo Sabres: $8.976 (16)

UFA: Matt Ellis L 24, Dominic Moore C 28, Andrew Peters L 29, Teppo Numminen D 40, Maxim Afinogeno F 29,

RFA: Andrej Sekera D 23, Drew Stafford R 23, Clarke MacArthur L 24, Patrick Kaleta R 23.

19 - Florida Panthers: $8.405 (18)

UFA: Ville Peltonen L 36, Richard Zednik L 33, Jassen Cullimore D 36, Nick Boynton D 30.

RFA: Anthony Stewart C 24, Steve Eminger D 25, Tanner Glass L 25.

20 - Carolina Hurricanes: $8.083 (18)

UFA: Ryan Bayda L 28, Dennis Seidenberg D 27.

RFA: Tuomo Ruutu C 26, Anton Babchuk D 25.

21 - Vancouver Canucks: $7.282 (18)

UFA: Mats Sundin C 38, Jason Krog C 33, Rob Davison D 29, Ossi Vaananen D 28, Curtis Sanford G 29, Michel Ouellet R 27.

RFA: Shane O' Brien D 25. Kyle Wellwood C 26, Jannik Hansen R 23.

22 - Minnesota Wild: $6.296 (20)

UFA: Stephane Veilleux L 27, Krys Kolanos C 27, Marc-Andre Bergeron D 28, Kurtis Foster D 27, Martin Skoula D 29.

RFA: Dan Fritsche C 23, Benoit Pouliot L 22, Kyle Brodziak C 25, Josh Harding G 25.

23 - Edmonton Oilers: $6.404 (20)

UFA: Ales Kotalik R 30, Dany Sabourin G 28.

RFA: Liam Reddox L 23, Gilbert Brule C 22, Ryan Potulny C 24, Rob Schremp C 22, Denis Grebeshkov D 25, Ladislav Smid D 23.

24 - Detroit Red Wings: $5.554 (16)

UFA: Darren McCarty R 37, Aaron Downey R 34, Chris Chelios D 47.

RFA: Jiri Hudler C 25, Ville Leino L 25.

25 - Boston Bruins: $5.340 (18)

UFA: Stephane Yelle F 35, P.J. Axelsson L 34, Manny Fernandez G 34.

RFA: Phil Kessel F 21, Matt Hunwick D 24.

26 - Ottawa Senators: $4.649 (22)

UFA: Mike Comrie C 28.

RFA: Brendan Bell D 26, Brian Elliott G 24.

27 - Pittsburgh Penguins: $3.137 (19)

UFA: Mike Zigomanis C 28, James Connor L 26, Miroslav Satan L 34, Petr Sykora R 32, Janne Pesonen L 27, Philippe Boucher D 36.

RFA: Paul Bissonnette R 24, Tim Wallace R 24, Ben Lovejoy D 25, John Curry G 25.

28 - Calgary Flames: $3.053 (19)

UFA: Todd Bertuzzi R 34, Andre Roy R 34, Rhett Warrener D 33.

RFA: Dustin Boyd C 22.

29 - Philadelphia Flyers: $2.125 (20)

UFA: Josh Gratton L 26, Boyd Kane L 31, Andrew Alberts D 28, Lasse Kukkonen D 27, Martin Biron G 31, Antero Niittymaki G 29.

RFA: Jared Ross C 26, Danny Syvret D 24.

30 - San Jose Sharks: $1.774 (16)

UFA: Claude Lemieux R 43, Jeremy Roenick C 39, Tom Cavanagh R 27, Alexei Semenov D 28, Mike Grier R 34, Marcel Goc C 25, Tomas Plihal L 26, Lukas Kaspar L 23.

RFA: Torrey Mitchell C 24, Thomas Greiss G 23, Brad Staubitz R 24.

Day 2: 2009 NHL Free Agency Live Thread

David Driscoll-Carignan — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 13:26:11 -0000

More photos » by Paul Beaty - AP

The Bulin Wall is moving to Edmonton. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty)

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Most of us weren't expecting anything earth-shattering from the newly budget-conscious Avalanche, and that's basically what we got. The Avalanche signed just two players yesterday. First, they signed Florida backup Craig Anderson to a 2-year, $3.6 million contract. As I mentioned yesterday, I really like this deal on several levels. Anderson is a talented goalie, but Budaj will also have his opportunity as well. A good signing by Greg Sherman. As MHH community member hockeymom reported, Anderson was in Colorado recently for the 24 Hours of Hockey Aurora Children's Hospital Benefit. Coincidence? The Avalanche also signed enforcer David Koci. I'm not as excited about this one. Perhaps the Avalanche missed the memo that the single-faceted goons are becoming extinct. Teams are moving more towards players who can play a little bit, and fight when called upon. Guys like Ian Laperriere and Cody McCormick. Oops.

So far, it seems clear that the Avalanche are committed to keeping their payroll under control. Whether they are doing this to make more money for Stan Kroenke or if they are just maneuvering to position themselves to grab one of the succulent fruits from the free agent tree next summer (Kovalchuk) remains to be seen. Either way, the purse strings are certainly not open right now, and I suspect Anderson may be the biggest Avalanche signing to date. We've got this live thread going, though, just in case anything happens.

You might also want to keep an eye on Dater's blog as he was the one who broke the Anderson signing long before the ESPN guys could ~~rip him off~~ cite him as a source. He also had the news that Ty Conklin was not coming to Denver and that Brian Willsie is in negotiations with the team (inexplicably). And probably something about Ambien, too, but I'm not 100% sure on that. Oh wait, he also confirmed for us that Michael Vernace and Jason Bacashihua were not given qualifying offers (a bit of a head scratcher, that). Clearly, NH grows some talented Avalanche writers.

Around the NW, the Canucks lost Mathias Ohlund (as expected) but retained the Sedins and still have plenty of money left over to give to Mats Sundin next February. The Wild replaced Marian Gaborik with a cheaper Martin Havlat (a move that I like). The Flames already had acquired Jay Boumeester before the start of free agency. And the Oilers upgraded their team significantly (in my opinion) by signing Nikolia Khabibulin. Four of the five NW teams now have a stud goalie, and divisional games will be tough for the Avs.

Mile High Hockey free agency cheat sheet.

G Peter Budaj (Col): 1 year / $1.25 million
G Craig Anderson (Fla): 2 years / $1.8 million
F David Koci (TB): 1 year / $575K

Copper And Blue free agency cheat sheet.

G Nikolai Khabibulin (Chi): 4 years / $3.75 million
D Jason Strudwick (Edm): 1 year / $700k

Matchsticks & Gasoline free agency cheat sheet.

D Jay Bouwmeester (Cal): 5 Years / $6.6 million
F Fredrik Sjostrom (NYR): 2 years/ $750K

Hockey Wildereness free agency cheat sheet.

F Martin Havlat (Chi): 5 years / $6 million

Nucks Misconduct free agency cheat sheet

F Daniel Sedin (Van): 5 years / $6.1 million
F Henrik Sedin (Van): 5 years / $6.1 million
D Aaron Rome (CBJ): 1 year / $550k

Notable Ex-Avs

F Ian Laperriere: Philadelphia 3 years / $1.17 million
F Ben Guite
F Tyler Arnason
G Andrew Raycroft
F Stephane Yelle
F Alex Tanguay
D Patrice Brisebois
D Derek Morris
F Bates Battaglia
F Chris Gratton
D Greg de Vries
D Ken Klee
F Dan Hinote
D Karlis Skrastins: Dallas 2 years / $1.375 million

The 2009 NHL Free Agency Live Thread

David Driscoll-Carignan — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 14:21:28 -0000

View full size photo »

As I muddled through my agonizing .7 mile commute this morning, I took note of the dark grey storm clouds hovering threateningly close to the earth. That's not them in the picture above, but it's the closest representation I could find on Google. In a way, I feel the storm clouds are brewing for the Avalanche as we head into free agency today. We've already been told that some of our heart and soul players (Ian Laperriere and Ben Guite) will be jettisoned along with the unwanted junk (Andrew Raycroft, Tyler Arnason). On an even more depressing front, the Avs are rumored to be looking to cut payroll. It sounds unlikely that they'll be in play for much today other than one of the myriad of veteran castoff goaltenders flooding the market. Yeah, today should just be a sunshiney day.

At any rate, here's the thread to discuss the signings (if any) by the Avalanche and the other NW teams. You can actually discuss all the signings, but I'll just be updating this post with NW signings, along with the landing point of beloved (and not-so-beloved) former Avs.

Mile High Hockey free agency cheat sheet.

The Avs have roughly $9.5 million in cap space after signing Peter Budaj, but still need a goalie

G Peter Budaj (Col): 1 year / $1.25 million
G Craig Anderson (Fla): 2 years / $1.8 million
F David Koci (TB): 1 year / $575K

Copper And Blue free agency cheat sheet.

The Oilers have about $10 million in cap space and are likely itching to spend it after getting spurned by Dany MegaDough Heatley.

G Nikolai Khabibulin (Chi): 4 years / $3.75 million
D Jason Strudwick (Edm): 1 year / $700k

Matchsticks & Gasoline free agency cheat sheet.

The Flames had about $11 million in cap space, but that was before signing Jay Bouwmeester to a 5 year deal at $6.6 million per season.

D Jay Bouwmeester (Cal): 5 Years / $6.6 million
F Fredrik Sjostrom (NYR): 2 years/ $750K

Hockey Wildereness free agency cheat sheet.

The Wild have about $14 million in cap space and appear to be looking for a scoring forward to replace Marion Gaborik.

F Martin Havlat (Chi): 5 years / $6 million

Nucks Misconduct free agency cheat sheet

The Canucks have abour $23 million to either re-sign the Sedins or buy a new first line.

F Daniel Sedin (Van): 5 years / $6.1 million
F Henrik Sedin (Van): 5 years / $6.1 million
D Aaron Rome (CBJ): 1 year / $550k

Notable Ex-Avs

F Ian Laperriere: Philadelphia 3 years / $1.17 million
F Ben Guite
F Tyler Arnason
G Andrew Raycroft
F Stephane Yelle
F Alex Tanguay
D Patrice Brisebois
D Derek Morris
F Bates Battaglia
F Chris Gratton
D Greg de Vries
D Ken Klee
F Dan Hinote