12/21/24
June 30, 2003
Will free agency correct itself in the NHL?: With the impending labor problems facing hockey after this season, many teams are willing to dump big stars with big contracts. Will the NHL get even more top-heavy as Detroit, Colorado and the other high rollers snap up the big contracts, or will the powerhouses just say no?
I was surprised by two high profile moves: 1) Anaheim releasing Kariya. I thought after their run to the finals they'd go after Selanne to team up with kariya and give them more scoring. Seems possible that they'll be able to resign Kariya at less than $10M and still get Selanne but I'm not sure. 2) Detroit and Hasek. Will they trade him or Joseph? But Joseph has a no trade clause. Who will want Hasek enough for one or two seasons to make the trade?
posted by billsaysthis at 11:24 AM on July 01, 2003
...and Brian Leetch's rights moved to Edmonton? If he isn't wearing a Rangers' jersey come October, I might have to restrain a roommate of mine from going for Glen's throat. I know its still possible that he'll end of staying put, but what kind of message does this send to the long time Ranger great?
posted by garfield at 11:35 AM on July 01, 2003
Leetch is going nowhere. It’s basically Maarkannen for whatever compensation pick that Edmonton gets from NY re-signing Leetch (probably mid-to-late second round, like the one the Bruins got for Guerin signing with Dallas).
posted by Samsonov14 at 12:35 PM on July 01, 2003
They've pulled that trick in the past. Can't name a player or a year or a team or anything but I'd read the Leetch to Edmonton headlines and was dealing with my popping eyes until I read the story and then I realized it was a tactic and I'd seen it done before. Joseph can't sit there and not waive his no-trade clause. Sucks to be him, but he is in a no-win situation. He'll have to move to play. Philadelphia? They need a goalie and went after CuJo a few years ago. I hope they get him. I'm no Flyers fan.
posted by gspm at 02:35 PM on July 01, 2003
Sharks did the trade for future pick thing last year, can't name the player though. Since these picks are created out of thin air, costs the originating team zilch.
posted by billsaysthis at 02:59 PM on July 01, 2003
Looks like Flyers are going with Hackett. One less option for Joseph. Since these picks are created out of thin air, costs the originating team zilch. Yeah, the pick will probably end up being a 4th rounder or something, a few years down the line. It can't be as bad as the Vancouver Grizzlies making a trade to the Detroit Pistons and giving them their 1st rounder 6 years later and having that turn into the #2 pick Darko Milicic. oops.
posted by gspm at 01:18 AM on July 02, 2003
gspm, the picks are awarded in the following year's draft so the Leetch and Messier deals made this week, for instance, will pay off in picks in the 2004 draft. The positioning of the pick depends on the salary for which the player signs and in some cases have been slotted as high as post-1st, pre-2nd.
posted by billsaysthis at 11:05 AM on July 02, 2003
this seems like a gratuitous play within the rules. a loophole. will they close this down? i mean it doesn't hurt anybody, but trading a player even for a day seems disingenuous. and that isn't a bad reward for pulling a move like that. these picks - they are literally out of thin air? as in does that mean they fall in between rounds in the draft?
posted by gspm at 12:23 PM on July 02, 2003
gspm: The foxes are in the henhouse, so who knows if they'll change the rules and, yes, the picks are between rounds.
posted by billsaysthis at 03:41 PM on July 02, 2003
gawd i hope so. all this grief about 2004 CBA armageddon - i hope cooler heads get screwed on and both sides do something for the good of the game (fat chance) rather than the good of their kind. plus, teams must be motivated by the varying success found by small payroll team like minnesota, ottawa, anaheim and vancouver (ie your minnesotas, your ottawas, your anaheims and your vancouvers for the cliche minded) and see that you can spend under $40 million and do better in the playoffs than teams spending $50-70million only to get knocked out early (heh, Detroit, St Louis, Colorado, Toronto) or not even make the playoffs (Rangers, of course). sadly, the last hockey we'll see for a while will be the 2004 world cup if all of the labour disruption talk comes to fruition. sounds like NBA free agents might be in the same boat with teams being less generous than in the past...