Mike Brophy reflects on the best moves made by NHL GMs one week after the free agent floodgates have opened.
I love July 1. And the days leading up to the start of free agent season, for that matter.
It is silly season in the NHL, when a player who is coming off one good year can cash in and make more money in a year than many great NHLers made in their careers. For some reason NHL general managers have the ability to show restraint at the trade deadline, which has become quite passé over the past few years.
But in the heat of summer, their brains seem to melt.
Still, there have been some significant moves thus far and there are probably more to come. Who knows where Alexei Kovalev will land?
Here are my five most significant moves:
1. Marian Gaborik signs with New York Rangers: Gaborik is one of the most gifted and exciting individuals in the National Hockey League and he proved that this past season when he tallied 13 goals and 23 points in 17 games with the Minnesota Wild. The 27-year-old right winger has shown signs of being a star in the NHL, but for the most part, he was stifled playing in Jacque Lemaire's restrictive defence-first system.
The Wild tried to entice Gaborik to stay in Minnesota by replacing Lemaire with Todd Richards behind the bench, but the opportunity to sign with the Rangers was much too tempting. I have a feeling we will finally see what Gaborik has up his sleeve playing for John Tortorella, a coach with a history of allowing his most skilled players to show their creativity.
The white elephant in the room, of course, is Gaborik's health. He has never played a complete season, although he came close in 2002-03 when he missed just one game. Two years ago he played in 77 games. If he is healthy, the Rangers have themselves a star!
2. Nikolai Khabibulin signs with the Edmonton Oilers: First things first, Dwayne Roloson enjoyed a superb season and was not the reason why the Oilers failed to qualify for the playoffs. But when the 39-year-old Roloson insisted on a two-year contract to re-sign with the Oilers, they switched gears and brought in Khabibulin who is three years younger.
For his part, Khabibulin enjoyed a solid season, too, helping the Chicago Blackhawks make it to the Western Conference final. The Oilers are much further away from being a team that could make it to the conference final, but the playoffs should be attainable. The big question is what does his departure from Chicago do to the Hawks? Don't like their chances with Cristobal Huet.
3. Chris Pronger is traded to the Philadelphia Flyers: OK, so the Flyers gave up a lot to get a veteran defenceman. But is there anybody out there who doesn't think the nasty 6-foot-6 Pronger wasn't born to be a Flyer? And if you watched him play in this past season's playoffs, when he managed 10 points in 13 games while averaging 27:12 ice time, then you know he has plenty left in the tank. If the Pittsburgh Penguins show any signs of fatigue, having played in back-to-back finals, then the Flyers could be right there to challenge for the Eastern Conference championship.
The Flyers have an abundance of special talent up front, starting with the likes of Mike Richards, Jeff Carter, Simon Gagne and Scott Hartnell, and a solid defence that includes Kimmo Timonen, Braydon Coburn, Matt Carle and Randy Jones.
Goaltending has long been a problem with the Flyers, but with Ray Emery signed for one season, I believe he'll put that issue to rest. Think about it, Emery has had his troubles in the past, but he has owned up to them and has one year to prove he is worthy of a long-term deal to remain in the NHL. It is a perfect situation.
Pronger has one year left in his contract and is interested in an extension that I guess will happen before August arrives.
4. Martin Havlat signs with the Minnesota Wild: Give new GM Chuck Fletcher credit, when his team lost Gaborik, he wasted no time in replacing him with the finely skilled Havlat. Like Gaborik, Havlat has had health concerns, but he played 81 games with Chicago last season and led the Hawks in scoring with 29 goals and 77 points in 81 games. Havlat also led the Hawks in scoring in the playoffs with 15 points in 16 games despite being nailed with one of the hardest hits of the year.
Havlat is a tireless worker in the off-season and a dedicated athlete who can make moves at full speed that others can only dream of. I believe he has the potential to make folks in Minnesota forget all about Gaborik.
5. Ryan Smyth is traded to the Los Angeles Kings: Kings GM Dean Lombardi made no bones about the fact he was in search of a top-6 forward and word got out a few weeks ago that he was targeting Smyth.
While the Colorado Avalanche suffered through a miserable season, Smyth managed 26 goals and 59 points in 77 games and brings to L.A. leadership and experience that has been missing on a team that stands a chance to take a giant step next season. Lombardi has done a nice job drafting and developing youngsters, but it's time for his club to make the playoffs. Smyth is the missing piece of the puzzle.