Battle Of Hudson

What had been an uneventful month suddenly turned around for the Devils, who over the past two days got top pick Adam Larsson signed while dealing away Pierre-Luc Letourneau Leblond to the Flames for a fifth rounder and then bringing back popular enforcer Cam Janssen. For Lou Lamoriello, he was able to get his top pick to agree to a rookie contract without bonuses as Hasan referenced in the post below. By agreeing to forego those clauses, it allows Lou more wiggle room for Zach Parise, who still might go to arbitration if they can’t work something out long-term.

With the fourth overall pick signed, sealed and delivered, the Devil blueline is beginning to take shape with holdovers Andy Greene, Anton Volchenkov and Henrik Tallinder all back along with impressive rookie Mark Fayne, who was instrumental in the club’s frantic run that fell short. Colin White is entering his final year and could be deemed expendable considering his price tag ($3 million). If he does stay put, the Devils suddenly have some decisions with Matt Taormina expected to re-sign and Mark Fraser headed to arbitration. Anssi Salmela likely won’t return and Bryce Salvador is still suffering from concussion symptoms he suffered during a preseason game last year, which could mean LTIR again.

While the back end looks pretty set, Lamoriello also addressed the lack of an enforcer after dealing away vanished Leblond to Calgary for a fifth round pick. By bringing back Janssen, who took to the role well and is a good team guy, teammates should be pleased. He took a two-way deal on the cheap ($525,000), proving how much he wanted to return. The ex-Blue is a nice addition if he’s on the roster. In a tough division that features heavies Steve MacIntyre, Mike Rupp, Jody Shelley and likely Trevor Gillies who the Islanders still should re-sign along with bulldog Michael Haley, team toughness is a necessity.

Lou wasn’t done yesterday inking ex-Thrasher Eric Boulton to a multi-year deal worth $1.6 million. The soon to be 35-year old veteran is best known for his first ever hat trick, victimizing former teammate Ilya Kovalchuk and the Devs in a 7-1 Thrashing that was rock bottom. While that shouldn’t be expected daily, Boulton has proven capable of contributing when he’s not mixing it up. In ’08-09, the former Sabre and original Rangers’ ninth rounder in ’94 posted a career high 13 points (3-10-13) and 176 penalty minutes (2nd most- 178 PIM w/Buffalo ’02-03) in 76 games. Following four years in Western New York, his role expanded with Atlanta where he spent the past half dozen injecting energy on the ice. He now picks his spots while trying to contribute in other facets. His 10 points (6-4-10) this past season were the second time in three years he hit double digits.

Boulton’s penalty minutes have dipped from 176 to 112 to 87, tying for the second lowest of his career. He still got into 69 contests and was signed by Lamoriello at a decent price. Figure the experienced vet to team up with either David Steckel or Rod Pelley on a grind line with perhaps Janssen. Something Kool Aid drinkers should remember dating back to the days of Mike Peluso, Bobby Holik and Randy McKay en route to a first Cup. On paper, the Devils became a lot tougher. The only question is will Janssen make a deal with Steckel for his old number 25 or does the ex-Blue stay with new No.55 he has on his Twitter account? Fun stuff to ponder during the dog days.

After an offseason of inactivity other than the re-signings of Andy Greene and Johan Hedberg, the Devils have made a series of small but good moves in the last forty-eight hours. The wheels started turning last night after New Jersey somehow managed to coax a fifth-round pick from Calgary for enforcer Pierre Luc-Letourneau Leblond. Granted, current Flames and ex-Devil coach Brent Sutter knows Leblond a little but geez, getting any draft pick at all is a gift for a guy who was basically blacklisted after his ill-timed selfish fight that resulted in a suspension while the Devils had a short roster early last year.

With Leblond gone and no true enforcer on the team, the Devils inked one-time fan fave Cam Janssen to a two-way contract hours later, and continues the Lou Lamoriello tradition of bringing back ex-players (particularly ones who have a good atitude). Also, in ‘trading’ out Leblond for Janssen, the Devils avoided having to pay Leblond’s $500+k salary, which he would have gotten whether he was in the NHL or AHL this year, while Janssen only makes his money if he’s on the NHL roster.

Surely the biggest move came down this morning however, when the Devils managed to sign fourth overall pick Adam Larsson at the eleventh hour to an extremely team-favorable contract. While Larsson is getting the entry-level max salary at both the NHL (950k) and AHL (70k) level, he will not be receiving any individual bonuses, by far the biggest obstacle in getting the prized defenseman inked before today’s soft deadline of 5 PM – after which the Devils would have had one more month to sign Larsson for this season, but at the cost of a hundred thousand dollar transfer fee to his Swedish team.

Lamoriello went out of his way to praise the teen defenseman, who made the decision to forego the bonuses that almost every other top pick gets, because it isn’t in line with team policy. During his 20-plus year career with the Devils, Lamoriello has never put performance bonuses into an entry-level contract and the fact that Larsson was a top five pick wasn’t going to change that philosophy. Particularly with the fact that bonuses could have bumped Larsson’s cap figure beyond $3 million, which would have made it prohibitive to have him on the NHL roster this year. Of course Larsson’s agent J.P. Barry wasn’t happy about the deal but was overruled by his client, who not only wanted to be in the NHL as fast as possible but also be one of the guys. As the Devils’ GM put it:

“He understands what that means,” Lamoriello said. “He does not want to be different than the players in that room and he made a decision to forego all of those bonuses to get this signed, to get his career underway and to become a Devil and just get ready for training camp…He deserves all the credit in this.”

Personally I have to admit, between the fact that Hedberg and Greene both took less money to come back and Larsson taking less to try to get here as fast as possible makes me more excited about the team. Granted, it would be nice to have Zach Parise locked up long-term (not to mention an actual head coach) but I expect it to come down to early August with last-minute Lou. But hey, if that turns out as well as the Larsson contract, let him take all the time he wants!

The Rangers got another key restricted done today, re-signing Brian Boyle for three years to avoid salary arbitration. According to Larry Brooks via Twitter, the Blueshirts agreed to bump up Boyle to an average of $1.7 million- rewarding the checking center for a career year that saw the former King shatter marks across the board with 21 goals, 14 assists and 35 points with 74 penalty minutes and four power play goals while playing all 82 games for the first time. He also paced all Ranger forwards with 240 hits.

Boyle’s career year came off a disappointing four-goal, two assist Broadway debut in ’09-10. Using improved skating due to instruction from a figure skater along with a renewed commitment to diet and fitness, the 26 year-old from Massachusetts stunned Garden Faithful with a strong start, notching 10 of his 21 markers during the first two months. Along with sidekick Brandon Prust and surprise addition Ruslan Fedotenko, the trio formed a reliable checking unit that provided energy, physicality and even chipped in offensively. With Marian Gaborik unable to duplicate his first year success, John Tortorella entrusted them with more responsibility. A welcome change for a coach who’s not a fan of rolling four lines. However, on some nights the Boyle line was his best.

In fact, the Blueshirts were pretty successful when Boyle found twine, going 13-5-1 when the former King scored. His career year was not the only development as Steven McDonald Extra Effort winner Prust also had his best season, going 13-16-29 with a club best five shorthanded goals. That production along with key vet Fedotenko, who also reached double figures in goals (10) while netting 25 points, allowed the Rangers to survive Gaborik’s struggles. Combined with the success of the Draft Line (Dubinsky-Anisimov-Callahan) and rookie Derek Stepan, they were able to offset the lack of consistency from their top threat- making the playoffs in miraculous fashion by beating the Devils and then watching Tortorella’s ex-team the Lightning end the Canes’ season.

For Boyle, he gets a huge raise from $525,000 to $1.7 M, basically tripling his salary. There will be a lot more pressure to prove ’10-11 wasn’t a fluke where most of the production came in the first half before he cooled, notching only three goals after January, including one in March and none in April. Boyle was scoreless in the club’s first round ouster to Washington. Three years is a big commitment for a guy who’d never proven why the Kings tabbed him 26th overall in the famed ’03 Draft. Now, he’s a Ranger and well liked by coaches and teammates, who have faith in him. That will be tested. Boyle’s success reminds of a former player across the Hudson in John Madden, who went from undrafted free agent to unsung hero on two of three Devils’ championship teams, including ’03 when he replaced Bobby Holik and eventually won a Selke. Boyle still has a lot to prove to reach such lofty status.

Encouraging is that Boyle will center the fourth line due to big fish Brad Richards, while Anisimov anchors the Draft Line and Stepan the third unit. But as was proven last year, there were nights Boyle’s line was the best. Tort didn’t shy away from using them to change momentum. The Rangers should be a deeper team down the middle. A necessity to compete in today’s NHL. Especially in a challenging division that could become the East’s best.

With Boyle, Anisimov and Mike Sauer all done, now Glen Sather can turn his attention to key pieces Brandon Dubinsky and Ryan Callahan. Can he get either locked up before arbitration. We’ll see.

For a long time, the premise of the hit show Seinfeld about four friends in NYC was that it was ‘a show about nothing’. Maybe it was but it sure kept audiences interested for a decade. In that vein, the Devils’ offseason has become about nothing. A lot of rumors, sound and fury from the outside but with no actual news to report with GM Lou Lamoriello at his lockdown best. Any time there’s even a hint of a rumor it’s shot down. Even the one piece of information that Lou surprisingly allowed – that he was looking to make a trade – hasn’t come to fruition yet.

So where does that leave the Devils? One week after free agency opened and with every big name having chosen a destination, the team remains unchanged from the one that finished last season hockey’s best team in the second half. Well okay, there’s the not-so-small matter of replacing Jacques Lemaire, the catalyst for the Devils’ second half surge. While it’s become common for Devil coaching decisions to take well into July, this year it seems more annoying due to the fact that really since December when Johnny MacLean was sacked, we’ve known that we were going to need a coach after Lemaire did a favor for his ‘buddy Lou’ and came out of retirement one more time.

While the lack of an actual leak is admirable on some level, compared to Lou proteges Brian Burke and Dean Lombardi who can’t talk enough, when you couple it with the world we live in of twitter and people wanting instant news it can become a sour mix. Every time there’s been something out of the ordinary that person gets linked to the Devils job. When Wisconsin coach Mike Eaves didn’t return a few calls amidst rumors he was leaving his alma matter, people immediately linked him to the Devils with News 12 (local) even reporting he would be hired in a matter of days. Of course that didn’t pan out. Neither did the scuttlebutt about Guy Carbonneau, who was leaving his junior team but shot down rumors he was coming to the Devils. And hopefully the most recent rumor about ex-Hab and Pen coach Michel Therrien is as inaccurate though I could see that one having legs given that we had rumored interest in him last offseason and he’s the only one that is even known to have interviewed for the job (albeit months ago).

Waiting hasn’t neccesarily been the best policy when it comes to the Devils’ seemingly interminable head coach search though – both Lemaire and Brent Sutter were named coach on July 13 in the last few years but at least with Lemaire the delay wasn’t as long because of the fact Sutter left a few weeks after the Devils’ stunning first-round playoff loss to the Hurricanes in late April. And with Sutter, the wait was because Lou had to talk him into taking the job (in fact, it eventually came out that the Devils had been in contact with Sutter for a whole eighteen months before he ever took the job).

What worries me is it looks like the same thing’s happening now, Lou’s set on one choice – Eaves perhaps? – but can’t talk him into taking the job. That didn’t exactly work out in the case of Sutter so I’m wary about picking anyone who has to be talked into taking an NHL job – though the alternative of a stopgap like Therrien isn’t exactly appealing either, especially since as in the case of Claude Julien, Lou’ll be looking for the first excuse to dump him if whoever his first choice is does eventually say yes. Maybe some will think it’s farfetched that Lou’s waiting all this time to try to talk one guy into taking the job, but what other rational explanation could there really be for the search taking this long? One month after the Stanley Cup Finals, three months after the end of the Devils’ season and more than six months after the firing of MacLean the Devils still don’t have a coach for 2011-12 with prospects camp set to begin next week.

Of course all’s quiet on the players’ front as well, with negotiations between Lou and star winger Zach Parise still ‘status quo’, and it probably will remain so until at least days if not hours before the early August arbitration deadline. Really there’s no excuse for there not to be an agreement between the two sides by then after months of negotiating already, especially taking both at their word that all parties involved want Zach to remain a Devil for a long time. Perhaps part of the delay is waiting for a trade to clear cap space, not that the Devils really need it but after what happened last year they surely want as much breathing room as possible. Of course we heard that song and dance last year, that we would do something to get under the cap and instead after a whole offseason of speculation – and a failed attempt to get Jamie Langenbrunner to waive his no-trade – we basically waited for the injury bug to take care of what Lou couldn’t.

Granted, the preseason isn’t going to begin for another three months – but it would be nice to have things settled unlike last year and be able to go into camp without any clouds over our head. For how inept MacLean was as a coach and unlucky to have Parise hurt for much of the season, the early-season uncertainty I’m sure took its toll in the room then as well.

Two down. Three to go. The Rangers re-signed both Artem Anisimov and Mike Sauer to multi-year deals. Each more than doubled their salaries. Anisimov will earn an average of $1.875 million over the next two seasons while Sauer gets a nice boost up to $1.25 M, avoiding salary arbitration.

A win win for the club who still must deal with Brian Boyle, Ryan Callahan and Brandon Dubinsky. In fact, their hearings are set with Boyle July 25, Callahan July 28 and Dubinsky July 21. That still leaves a couple of weeks for Glen Sather to try to hammer something out with the trio, who were instrumental in getting the club back to the playoffs. Credit to Bleeding All Blue for the correct arbitration dates.

As for Arty and Sauer, it’s nice to see both done, allowing Slats to concentrate on Cally and Dubi, who should be harder to sign. It’s expected to run anywhere between $3.5 to 4 million for the pair of homegrown forwards that have grown into leaders. Hopefully, they’ll come to enviable conclusions not involving the tedious arbitration. Boyle definitely will see a considerable increase as well off his career year. How big who knows.

While the Blueshirts concern themselves with that, the Devils could have to deal with Zach Parise, who’s hearing is scheduled for August 3. It leaves Lou Lamoriello more time to see if he can get Zach Attack to take a discount following an injury riddled year that saw the North Dakota standout limited to just 13 games. He earned $5 million. … Islander forward Blake Comeau is set for the day after, 8/4 while Buffalo defenseman Andrej Sekera goes the same day as Boyle (7/25).

Every July, the Free Agent Frenzy creates a circus-like environment with TSN providing the best coverage on Day One. After that, it’s fend for yourself especially in The States. I’ve always been jealous of Canada due to their love and devotion of everything puck. They benefit greatly from CBC, TSN and Sportsnet. I’ve probably left one out. Hockey is their sport even if our country still comprises a vast majority (23/30) of the league. Winnipeg coming back is positive. There will be a lot of attention for the right reasons.

While hockey is front and center up North, here it’s still covered like tennis, which at least has ESPN providing a solid outlet. One of my gripes with Versus is they can’t cover the offseason due to other commitments such as the Tour de France. Even NHL Network is reduced to 2011 Playoff Repeats and other stuff we’ve seen 100 times. If you want your hockey fix locally, there’s occasionally the odd Devil game on MSG-Plus which aired New Jersey and Edmonton three times over 24 hours as @voicilizz noted on Twitter. MSG also does a solid job with their Vault, digging out old footage that even dates back to the 50’s with Al Rotwig and Stan Fischler providing nostalgia, along with Dave Maloney giving his input. If you love hockey, it’s a fun watch.

While it’s nice to at least look back and see how different our sport once was with the equipment and size of players most noticeable, there’s hardly much to go around on who improved and who hurt themselves. Say what you will. But Larry Brooks is the best reporter in town with his weekly Slap Shots a must for any pucker. You can also find decent coverage in The Boston Globe. The Daily News’ Jesse Spector is a solid read and is always on Twitter answering stuff. There are a lot of blogs but most are Ranger themed and don’t really examine the league as a whole.

Over the course of the summer, I’ll do my best to look at each team’s moves and assess how they did. If you noticed over at the top right sidebar, there’s a new poll which asks Who Improved The Most? There are a few obvious candidates, including half of BONY represented courtesy of the Sabres and Rangers. I tried to be objective, nominating six other teams along with the always fun Other if you disagree. Whenever we get together for these bar debates, there’s bound to be objection. Who knows? Maybe we’ll even try a Round Table with our esteemed colleagues Brian and Hasan on who’s won and who’s lost. 😉 We’ll give it our best to keep you entertained.

Saw the other day, Tomas Kaberle moved to Raleigh where his brother Frantisek once played. With the Candy Canes moving Joe Corvo to Beantown for a fourth round pick, it’s basically a swap. Even though I’m not the biggest Kaberle guy, I’ll give Carolina the edge due to Kaberle still being a sound power play option, who should take pressure off Joni Pitkanen and provide more offense from the back end. I also agree with @KevinWeekes that the Canes have a system that works. Even if it doesn’t produce playoffs every year, they remain competitive and health withstanding, should be in the mix. Corvo has a cannon and that’s never bad for the defending champs, who rely heavily on Zdeno Chara. But his level dropped considerably. Maybe a scenery change will spark the much traveled vet.

I still am a bit perplexed why the Sharks made two trades. Is Martin Havlat really that much better than Dany Heatley for their system? They subtracted Devin Setoguchi, who was a good piece on back-to-back rosters that lost in the Conference Finals. Getting Brent Burns from Minnesota was a wise move but why not have just used Heatley instead of dealing away Setoguchi, Patrick Coyle and a #1 that allowed the Wild to select Zack Phillips. It seems like Doug Wilson parted with more than he had to due to the separate deals. While it still will be odd seeing Heatley in a Wild jersey, he’s still a better player than Havlat who can boost hockey in St. Paul.

And finally, if the rumors are true about Michel Therrien to the Devils, I don’t get why. Recycling another coach who often has worn thin, just doesn’t make a lot of sense. He is a defensive coach who likes to sit back, which fits their system. But shouldn’t the playoffs demonstrate that you need to play up-tempo to be successful? Even Claude Julien’s Bruins made the necessary adjustment, battering the Canucks which explains why we still haven’t found either Sedin. Having a strong D works to a point when you’re headlined by a dominant big man like Chara. The Devs boast no such player with Adam Larsson still needing time. The fourth overall gem should make the roster but how well he performs is still a giant question. They must be careful not to expect too much. Is Therrien really the best fit for Zach Parise? TBD.

It’s summer. So, we altered our look a bit to try to cool off from all this heat. Now, when you visit Battle Of NY, you won’t be reminded of the beating sun or classic autumn colors that we can only wish upon for the moment. Instead, the ocean greets you, which feels appropriate. Yeah. The blue waves would be good right about now. A day at the beach enjoying the water. Something that’s a necessity in the dog days.

In my head, it’s easy to project what my team along with 29 others will look like two and a half months from now. Just to see the Winnipeg Jets and their cool fans back will be exciting to follow. I’m glad the Rangers have an early trip following the Euro invasion to King Henrik’s homeland. Sure. It’s due in large part to the World’s Most Renovated Arena, which was all closed off when me and Justin met a buddy in Manhattan. But to get the chance to see Winterpeg’s reaction to having a team again will be worth it. And they visit us early on too. Of course, they are still situated in the Southeast, which I’m sure isn’t ideal for the rest of the division, etc. It is what it is.

Will Brad Richards and Marian Gaborik fly as you could hear a proud Gordon Bombay urging to his Ducks? Garden Faithful can only hope. Who will flank them? Is Wojtek Wolski a prime candidate assuming he’s not bought out to clear another $3.3 million on the cap? The 25 year-old forward is skilled but has often teased fans, which explains why he’s on his third roster in three years. Blueshirt Banter had a strong take on keeping him for the year before he can go free. Perhaps Wohlski can reemerge into Wolski as a perfect complement. The size is there and he’s a solid forechecker. It’s a matter of consistency. John Tortorella doesn’t screw around. Questions on the ex-Yote along with potential trade candidate Erik Christensen, Sean Avery and wild card Mats Zuccarello won’t get answered for a while. The first order of business is does Slats retain Wolski, who was acquired for Michal Rozsival. We’ll see.

In the mean time, we’ll kick back and have a cold one. As Michael Del Zotto tweeted, ‘Is it October yet?’

Yesterday was a busy day for the Rangers. A day following Fourth Of July fireworks celebrating our independence, four players filed for arbitration. The good news is they can’t be offersheeted with the likely scenario that whatever’s ruled, will have all four signed by next month. Something that’s imperative when camp (yes) will be around the corner. Especially in Year One of the Euro Vacation courtesy the World’s Most Renovated Arena.

The four players are also key parts with half comprising our two most consistent forwards last season in leading scorer Brandon Dubinsky and do everything leader Ryan Callahan. Both home grown Blueshirts had their best seasons with Dubinsky pacing the club in goals (24), assists (30) and points (54) while Callahan achieved new career marks in goals (23), assists (25), points (48), power play goals (10) and a club best five game-winners despite missing 22 games. Two-thirds of the Draft Line which also features unsigned restricted Artem Anisimov, are essential for Glen Sather to get done. Anisimov didn’t qualify for arbitration. So, look for Arty to be re-signed sooner.

Last season, Dubinsky made $2 million while linemate Callahan earned $2.4 M in his final year. The average cap hit was $1.85 M for Dubi with Cally coming in at $2.3 M. The perception is that the organization values Callahan higher than the more skilled Dubinsky, who’s proven a tough customer before as a Group II going all the way to September a couple of years ago. While it’s been rumored talks between the club and Callahan have been ‘amicable,’ it’s still unknown what the relationship is with our top left wing, who also can take faceoffs if needed and is a standout penalty killer along with his buddy.

Considering an inflated market where a third liner like Joel Ward could get $3 M from the Caps, it’s hard to predict what each will wind up with. Of course, arbitration is a bit different from unrestricted status where any team can bid and overpay in an increased cap entering the final year of the CBA. But as Larry Brooks noted in his morning NY Post column, it’s better than having a team force the Rangers to match, which is why arbitration exists. I’ve been consistent in believing the numbers should be between $3-4 million. It’s a matter demand and what the organization counters with, which can lead to a bitter process. Arbitration isn’t fun. So, if Dubinsky comes in with 4.25 which he might based on his best year, they could be a million apart when it goes to a judge. If I had to guess, I’m going with 3.5-3.7 for each. It’d be easier if they just worked it out.

Meanwhile, the Blueshirts must also contend with Brian Boyle, who destroyed his career numbers with a 21-goal, 35-point campaign, becoming a PK fixture and even chipping in four PPG. The ex-King proved he belonged after an off-ice regimen that improved skating and conditioning, resulting in a reliable checking center who also was capable of scoring the timely goal. He did cool off down the stretch and was a non-factor in our first round defeat to the Caps. Still, Boyle did it on a cheap 525 K salary. His partner in crime Brandon Prust is set to earn $800,000 for a second straight season. It’s possible that the former ’03 first rounder could double his salary, which would put him at a shade over a million. Still feasible. However, he could counter with something higher. Say $1.25-1.3 based on a career year. Hopefully, it won’t be more than 1.2.

The last case involves Mike Sauer, who finally proved healthy enough making the roster out of camp and emerging into a solid second pair guy where he teamed with fellow rookie Ryan McDonagh. Prior to ’10-11, the former ’05 second rounder had been injury plagued and only got into three NHL games in ’08-09 before John Tortorella sent him down. Despite health issues in ’09-10, he worked hard and impressed the staff enough to eventually deal off vet Michal Rozsival to Rangers West (Phoenix) for Wojtek Wolski, who may or may not get bought out depending on if they consider him a top six forward. Sauer was arguably the most physical defenseman we had, keeping opponents honest around Henrik Lundqvist’s crease while even coming to the aid of teammates, reminding of old hat Beuke. Not only was he tough but also contributed three goals and 17 helpers to go with a team best plus-20 rating. There’s much to like about him but the Rangers will argue that he never did it before and hasn’t been durable. Sauer must prove it’s not a fluke. He earned 500 K. How about a bump to 850-900 before we’re paying him over a million?

All four players will be signed unless the club walks away. Highly unlikely. They still must sign Anisimov, whose rookie deal expired following a decent sophomore campaign that saw the former ’06 second round pick increase production from 28 points (12-16-28) to 44 (18-26-44) while again playing in all 82. He made 765 K and should get around $1.25 million. Hopefully, they sign him for two or three years. If they think highly of Arty and there’s every reason to believe they do, then doing three is feasible. Anisimov indicated he wasn’t pleased with his production, which is encouraging. There were too many peaks and valleys. This is a guy capable of 20-25 goals and 60 points. He’s already a good all around player who can be used in any situation. Hopefully, his confidence will grow.

Once the Rangers get these five completed along with key acquisition Tim Erixon, they can focus on acquiring a vet D. I’m already on record with Brent Sopel or Shane O’Brien as my preferences with Steve Staios also being an option, assuming Steve Eminger isn’t returning.

While our team focuses on these issues, the Devils must contend with star forward Zach Parise, who remains unsigned. It’s even harder to gauge what the potential UFA next summer will make due to being limited to only 13 games (3-3-6) following the first serious injury of what’s been a brilliant career. It’s hard to envision it even reaching armageddon even with Lou Lamoriello having little wiggle room to work with especially if lone arbitree Mark Fraser returns. Matt Taormina is also restricted. Figure him to get done while Anssi Salmella and Matt Corrente could be on the outs unless they take two-way deals.

As for the rest of the 23 on arbitration, the Isles’ Blake Comeau and Sabres’ Andrej Sekera also are going that route. Since the former ’04 second round pick’s been in the league, his production’s improved every year, going from 15 to 25 to 35 to a new personal best 46 points (24-22-46) last season. He certainly established himself, becoming a PK fixture while being a streaky scorer. If he could ever put it together, who knows? Comeau earned 800 K in ’10-11 and definitely should get anywhere from 1.4 to 1.6. Meanwhile, Sekera has a crowded D to contend with but attained 29 points, including 26 assists during a career year that also saw him play 76 games. He made $1.25 M in his final year. What exactly can he get? There could be a divide, especially given Buffalo’s cap.

Here’s the rest of the list:

Ana-Dan Sexton
Car-Derek Joslin
Chi-Chris Campoli, Viktor Stalberg
Col-Kevin Porter, Ryan Wilson
Edm-Andrew Cogliano
LA-Alec Martinez, Brad Richardson
Mtl-Josh Gorges
Nsh-Sergei Kostitsyn
Phx-Lauri Korpikoski
TB-Teddy Purcell
Van-Jannik Hansen
Wpg-Blake Wheeler 

While the in$anity of a few GMs grabbed most of the attention on Fourth of July weekend, the Sharks and Wild were busy on the phones for the second time since the Draft- hooking up for another blockbuster. Unlike the first which involved San Jose addressing a need on the back end by acquiring Brent Burns for a package that featured Devin Setoguchi, this time they decided they’d seen enough of Dany Heatley, dealing the All-Star to Minnesota for Martin Havlat.

The surprising trade sent shockwaves throughout the blogosphere with many questioning why the Sharks did it. Even though I’m not the biggest Heatley fan, he is better than Havlat, who’s been more injury prone. Perhaps Doug Wilson was looking at the lack of postseason production from one of his top guns with the 30 year-old former ’00 second overall pick only notching five goals over 32 playoff games over two Springs with San Jose. In moving the two-time 50-goal scorer, Wilson dumped some salary with approximately $2.5 million coming off the cap. Over the next three seasons, Heatley’s average cap hit is $7.5 M while Havlat, who had to agree to waive his no-trade clause, will earn $5 M over the final four years of his deal. Ironically, two points separated the scoring wings with Heatley tallying 64 (26-38-64) in a down season while Havlat responded from a disappointing first year in St. Paul with 62 (22-40-62), for his third highest mark.

“When players that we have targeted become available, you need to be able to react quickly and you also have to pay a price in order to acquire them,” Shark GM Wilson told reporters. “When we made the Brent Burns trade, we knew we still needed to address our speed up front and we think the acquisition of Marty does that.“

It remains to be seen if the change will work for both. While Havlat should be thrilled to be part of a talented Sharks’ club that lost to Vancouver in the Conference Finals, Heatley goes to a team that’s missed the playoffs the past three years. Amazingly, the original Thrasher is now on his fourth team with his trade request from the Senators and rejection of the Oilers still fresh. Many Ranger fans coveted Heatley. I wonder how they feel now. Now, he’ll have to find chemistry with top pivot Mikko Koivu and lift a franchise out of mediocrity. Who would you rather have? Heatley or Marian Gaborik, who mystified Garden Faithful after a sparkling first year. Most would take Heater. A lot can change with Brad Richards anchoring Gabby. Like Dany’s nostalgic 80’s hit goal song in Kanata, The Heat Is On. At least he’ll have familiar face Setoguchi with him to help adjust.

For Havlat, it’ll be interesting to see how he meshes with Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau and Joe Pavelski. He’ll be quite familiar with Burns, who when healthy is one of the better blueliners in the game. On paper, it looks like the Wild won but no games have been played. One confusing question at least to this blogger is why the two trades. Why not just use Heatley to get Burns? The Sharks probably could’ve gotten a pick/prospect thrown in. Instead, they parted with top prospect Charlie Coyle and an ’11 No.1 to get Burns while also subtracting the cohesive Setoguchi. Wouldn’t it have made more sense the other way? Some things are better off unexplained.

It was December 1997, a year after the Buffalo Sabres lost their beloved owner, Seymour Knox III in 1996, and a man named John Rigas, CEO of Adelphi Communications, bought the Sabres from Northrup Knox. Big promises were made by Rigas and once the 1997 season began, it looked like he was going to deliver.

An Eastern Conference Finals appearance in 1998 followed by a 1999 Stanley Cup Finals run suggested that the Buffalo Sabres have arrived on the NHL scene as a team to be reckoned with. But with Dominik Hasek demanding and orchestrating a trade to the Detroit Red Wings in the 2001 offseason, the Sabres missed the playoffs in 2002.

But considering what happened next, that was the least of their concerns, as Rigas was arrested for bank, wire, and securities fraud (not exactly a trifecta that you want to be associated with). the NHL took over the Sabres and the franchise was on the ropes. Bye bye and good riddance Rigas to his broken promises.

In 2003, enter Tom Golisano, the 3 time runner-up for New York Governor, arrived in what appeared, much like Rigas, to be a breath of fresh air. The Sabres were saved, and the team responded two years later in 2005-2006 with an Eastern Conference Finals appearance and coming within an eyelash of advancing to the Stanley Cup Finals. The Sabres won the President’s Trophy in 2007, and the franchise appeared to be back yet again, much like the feeling was around Western New York in 1999.

Soon after this, the feel good 2006 and 2007 seasons dwindled away, as the Sabres watched star players jettison the Queen City for greener pastures, and eventually Golisano put the team up for sale. Another decade, another ownership change.

On February 3rd, 2011, a oil tycoon named Terry Pegula was officially announced as the new owner of the Buffalo Sabres. Oil tycoon? Ok that is good. Check. Western New York roots? Not bad, but Golisano had business in Rochester, and we all see how that worked out. Somewhat of a check.

Then there was the press conference, which to this day has profoundly changed the shape, thinking, and direction of the Buffalo Sabres franchise in such a positive way, you wonder if this was all a dream.

“If I want to make money, Ill drill more oil’ and ‘The sole reason for this franchise’s existence is to win a Stanley Cup’ were the quotes that came from the Pegula press conference. Ok, now you have my attention Mr. Pegula. But what got me believing in Pegula was the raw emotion that overcame him when he saw Hall Of Fame Gilbert Perreault appear at his press conference.

Wow. A billionaire reduced to tears like a fan. Now THIS is different.

Despite this, there was reason for doubt, as we heard some of the same song and dance from Regier and Golisano. Pegula informed Sabres GM Darcy Regier that the purse strings were off, and he was able to run the team, you know, like a GM ought to be able to.

At the 2011 NHL trade deadline, Brad Boyes was brought in from the St Louis Blues for a 2nd round pick. Now as Sabres fans know, one trade generally has led to another ‘dump’ somewhere else to cancel it out. It didn’t happen. Ok, this still feels different.

The Sabres lost a tough 7 game series to the Philadelphia Flyers, which felt like the Sabres would wrap up in an Easter Sunday game at home in Game 6, but it was not to be. Going into the off-season, Pegula never changed what he promised to do, meaning business was not going to be business as usual in Buffalo.

As we inched closer to the NHL entry draft, in comes something out of left field. The Sabres agree to a trade to bring shutdown defender Robyn Regehr in from the Calgary Flames. But oh yes, in typical Buffalo fashion, he has a no-trade clause, and it is initially reported that he would not waive the No Trade Clause to ‘explore other options’

Ok, same old Buffalo. Pegula, you had me for a minute there, you really did…

Then on the 2nd day of the NHL Draft, it is announced that Regehr agrees to the trade to Buffalo. Wait, he did? Nah, can’t be true. And Ales Kotalik is coming back too…ok where is the catch? Oh, AND a 2nd round pick comes back to Buffalo? Ok, turn on the alarm clock, this can’t be happening! Its too good!!

No, really its true. Terry Pegula, you have my attention.

Then we inch closer to the NHL Free Agency Frenzy Friday, a day generally reserved for the big boys. The New York Rangers. The Philadelphia Flyers. The Toronto Maples Leafs, and so on. This is a day where Buffalo Sabres fans kick back, make their plans for the 4th, and generally wait to hear some of the best players from the team leave town for more cash.

It is a tradition in Buffalo that no Sabre fan wants to celebrate.

And suddenly out of the clear blue sky, a trade that in my mind, officially signals the beginning of what I call…Pegulalooza.

The #1 defensive UFA on the market, Christian Ehrhoff, had his rights traded from the New York Islanders to the Buffalo Sabres for a 4th round pick. Come again? The Sabres? Is that a misprint?

No it wasn’t. Now much like Robyn Regehr, the initial thought was probably similar for some Sabres fans: Ok now I get it, we trade for the rights, and he does not agree to sign with Buffalo, and walks on July 1st, the Sabres lose a 4th round pick, and Ehrhoff signs with one of the u$ual $u$pects.

Not this time. Pegula does not appear he liked to be denied, and delivers on a 10 year, $40 Million dollar contract. Whoa? The Sabres did this? As the great Rick Jeanneret would say..”Holy Mackeral!!!”

And if this was not enough, reports surface that Pegula and Co.will meet with the #1 prize in the UFA market, Brad Richards. And while they do not land Richards (we all knew the Rangers would get him anyway!), the Sabres were probably expected to them lay low after this, and I do not believe many Sabres fans would have blamed them.

But as Lee Corso always says…’Not so fast my friend!” Enter in Ville Leino from the Flyers on a 6 year $27 million dollar contract. Whoa.

Soon after this, checking capgeek.com (a must for any NHL fan) showed that the Buffalo Sabres currently have the #1 payroll in the NHL. These are the Buffalo Sabres we are talking about correct? Did they move to New York?

While these signings and trade of Leino, Ehrhoff and Regehr do not guarantee success, the trade sent a message loud and clear throughout the NHL world.

These are not your uncle’s, cousin’s, brother’s, sister’s or parents Buffalo Sabres.

There is a new sheriff in town. And Pegula is in the business of delivering on promises. Enjoy the ride!