Rucchin is a Thrasher, and Ward is a Ranger...other than that, it's been slow since the big Pronger blockbuster earlier today. Update : Teppo Numminen has signed a one year deal with the Sabres.
Shanny, Carter, Samsonov are all still available. I was just talking to Ryan, and I have been going on about how each team has done so far this offseason, so right now I'm going to tell you what I think of each team so far, and how I think they would do next year. I'm going to post this in the blog section of the forums, please either agree with me, or rip me to shreds, I want your opinions. We'll start in the East.
East
Ottawa - Chara and Pothier are gone, and have not done much to replace them (Joe Corvo?). Ottawa's defense is not as good, either is their goaltending (remember, Ottawa was unstoppable at the beginning of the season because Hasek was unstoppable. Gerber isn't Hasek, even when Hasek was 40 yerars old). Ottawa is not as good as they were last season, and even with their offense, I currently see them somewhere between 3rd and 6th in the East. Redden will struggle without Chara, and Gerber is a serious risk
Carolina - Ward and Grahame are both huge question marks, while Doug Weight is gone, as are Aaron Ward and Martin Gerber, and Mark Recchi is likely leaving. This team hasn't done much to improve, but when your Stanley Cup champs, do you need to? As of now, I don't think Carolina is as deep as they were last season, and this year there will be a lot more question marks surrounding the team.
New Jersey - The team has no money to sign Gionta and Gomez and a back up goalie, so someone is getting traded...the only big contracts you can deal at this point are Brodeur and, well thats it. It will be interested to see what NJ does, but remember, this is a team that almost missed the playoffs before an unbelievable late season run. If Gomez or Gionta leave, this team will finish somewhere between 6th and 10th.
Buffalo - The same team as last year, except this time there will likely be more pressure on Ryan Miller. Jay Mckee is gone, and that will hurt this team. The Sabres have yet to make their move, but they may be ready to take the next step and surpass the Sens if they can use some of that available cap room to bring in another quality player or two.
Philadelphia - The Flyers have yet to make a splash, and yet they've lost a few key players (Jonsson comes to mind right away). Not much money to spend, and no Forsberg for half the year next year could hurt, but the Flyers are still a threat in the East, and should finish somewhere in the middle.
NY Rangers - Ward and Rachunek improve this teams defense, while for the most part last years Ranger team will be back. If healthy, the Rangers are my favourite at this point to win their division, as I feel they currently have a better team than both NJ and Philadelphia.
Montreal - They haven't really lost anyone, yet they've failed to gain the big names they were after. After watching Toronto and Boston add key players, Montreal needs to make a move or two if they wish to compete in the Northeast.
Tampa Bay - They lost Kubina, which will hurt, but Kuba and Delmore should help balance that out. They finally have goaltending in Marc Denis, but the loss of Modin will hurt. Tampa should be better than last year, unless they run into injuries, because they don't have much cap room to work with should a St. Louis or Richards become unavailable.
Toronto - Toronto currently resembles the team that tore up the league the last three weeks of the season, except now they have better defense. Toronto has a great group of young forwards, and with Sundin finally going to be given a chance to play top minutes, the Leafs shouldn't have a problem making the playoffs. As long as Raycroft refinds his game, and the Leafs use the $8 million they have left to spend on a top line winger such as Carter, Shanahan, or Samsonov, they'll challenge in the Northeast.
Atlanta - Loosing Modry and Savard really stand out, and I don't think Atlanta is as strong as they were last year. That being said, a full season with Lehtonen in net may be enough for the Thrashers to finish in the 7th or 8th spot.
Florida - Loosing Luongo hurts, even if they did get Bert, Allen and Auld in return. Florida is no better this season than they were last, especially since they failed to land Jovonovski. Florida, at this point, is not a playoff team.
NY Islanders - Mike Sillinger isn't enough to bring this team back to life, the Islanders will struggle with their current roster, and there isn't much left on the market to help them either...
Boston - Chara, Mara and Savard are great pickups, but I still don't believe it's enough to get Boston back to the playoffs. Tim Thomos and Hannu Toivonen are both huge question marks in net, while Savard won't put up numbers like he did last season, as he has no skilled wingers to work with. Boston needs to get some offense before we can take them seriously.
Washington - Pothier will improve their defense, but the Caps are still a long ways away from competing with the big boys. The Caps still need a top centre to play with AO.
Pittsburgh - After being the most active team one year ago, the Pens have slept through free agency thus far. They are young, and will be good in say 5 years, but for now, they look poised to struggle.
West
Detroit - Very much the same team they iced last year, except their leader has retired, Shanahan (80+ points last year) has yet to re-sign, they've tied up 7.6 mil on Lidstrom, and they've yet to find a starting goalie. Detroit may have a tough time defending the presidents trophy.
Dallas - Once again, very much the same except now they have Modry and Sydor on the blueline, and no Bill Guerin. The Stars should once again compete for the top spot in the West.
Calgary - With Tanguay, the Flames should be one of the biggest threats in the NHL. They still lack that #1 Centre though, but other than that, this team is very solid.
Nashville - With Jason Arnott now on board, the Predators should feel good about their chances of winning the Central. They still need a little defensive help, but as long as Vokoun is healthy, Nashville is a top five team in the West, if not top three.
San Jose - Though they're not improved, they haven't gotten any worse. What they do with Nabokov will determine how this team does. Dealing the wrong goalie could really hurt this team, and I'd almost suggest they keep them both, at least for half the season.
Anaheim - They've got two all-star goalies, a great group of young talent, the best defensive pairing in the league in Pronger and Niedermayer. There is no where for Anaheim to go but up.
Colorado - They kept Sakic and added Arnason, but Colorado may finally be on the decline. They've lost Blake and Tanguay, and added very little. Theodore is very questionable, and Budaj isn't ready to step in should Theo falter. It could be a very interesting season for the Avs.
Edmonton - I don't even know how to put the Oilers situation into words. They've lost a lot, and gained very little over the last few days. The Oilers appear to be rebuilding, which must make Oilers fans very angry after they were just a couple goals away from winning the Cup just three weeks ago. The Oilers have lost offense, a lot of defense, and have kept their goaltending the same. For a team that finished 8th last season, it may be unrealistic to think they'll finish that high next season.
Vancouver - For years, the goaltending situation has been knocked. The Canucks have fixed that, but now they may not have the money available to fix their defensive and offensive problems. Loosing Bertuzzi and Jovonovski will hurt this team, and if Carter isn't retained, Vancouver could find they're in trouble.
LA - They've lost Demitra, and added Blake and McCauley are nice additions, but they're not enough to transform LA into a playoff team. I doubt the Kings are done, but if they don't address their goaltending situation, I don't see the Kings improving much.
Minnesota - This may be the most improved team thus far. Demitra and Parrish will make great additions to the Wild, and should take a lot of pressure off of Gaborik. Fernandez is a great goalie, and should be even better with the additions of Jonsson and Carney. Minnesota will fight for a spot, and will end up somewhere around 7-9 with their current roster.
Phoenix - Jovonovski and Boynton will both make the Coyotes' defense stronger, though loosing Mara will hurt. This team has a lot of offensive potential with Doan and Nagy right at the top, though I beleive they still need a strong centerman to be considered a playoff team.
Columbus - Taking a gamble on LeClaire will make this team very interesting, while Modin should add more offense to a team already stocked with Nash, Zherdev and Federov. Loosing Denis, however, could prove costly.
Chicago - They've made no improvements, and I currently see them as the last place team in the NHL.
St. Louis - They get new ownership, and all of a sudden they have playoff aspirations. While I think it's too early to start thinking of the playoffs, St. Louis could be a team that finishes 10th or 11th in the West. Adding Doug Weight and Jay Mckee will make this team much better, however, they still need a goalie if they want to avoid another disaster season.
