Battle Of Hudson

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!

Can Brad Richards deliver Lord Stanley back on Broadway?

When the madness finally ended, as usual the Rangers had their man- agreeing to another front-loaded long-term deal with primary target Brad Richards over Fourth Of July weekend. The fireworks got started early with as many as five suitors after the marquee name in a weak Free Agent class in which classic overpayment and flat out insanity ruled Day One. It wasn’t an easy decision for the former Star, who after careful consideration waited until Day Two to announce that he chose the Rangers over runner-ups, the Leafs and Kings while his ex-team the Lightning and Sabres dropped out completely.

Mission accomplished for smoking gun, Team President and GM Glen Sather, who had the pull of Richards’ Cup winning coach John Tortorella at his arsenal along with ’94 hero Mark Messier and captain in waiting Ryan Callahan, who coincidentally both Richy Rich and new enforcer Mike Rupp heaped praise on. That along with an up to date state of the art Madison Square Garden, were enough to finally sway the new No.1 center, who also even talked to self-proclaimed ‘geniu$’ Jim Dolan Friday night before sleeping on the nine-year, $60 million offer that got it done. Yes. Nine Years folks, when the Blueshirts swore they wouldn’t be drawn into a bidding war for the former ’04 Conn Smythe winner. Like we didn’t see that coming.

Listen. I’m not going to sit here and tell Garden Faithful that Richards doesn’t help our team. Oh. His skill was badly needed for an Original Six franchise that’s won only two rounds since a bitter Messier bolted for greener pastures following an unexpected run to the Conference Finals in ’97. No doubt that Richy Rich addresses two needs, supplying the Rangers with the first line pivot they have lacked since Eric Lindros had his bell rung in San Jose circa ’01-02. There’s also the issue of the powerless play, which at long last gets an experienced power play quarterback who can thread the needle and act as a double threat from the point. It was a no-brainer to spend Dolan cash on the caliber of player who’s been nearly a point-per-game (772 GP: 220-496-716) for his entire career- spanning a decade from almost seven years spent in St. Pete as one third of a dynamic trio (Lecavalier/St. Louis) that led a Tortorella coached team to Lord Stanley, to over three years spent in Dallas as a superb Star, who outside of a nice ’08 run as a deadline pickup (3-12-15 in 18 GP) never was able to get them back to the postseason.

It can be argued that aside from an unstable ownership situation in Big D, Richards played in a tougher conference that included the hardest division in the sport, the Pacific. While the Stars certainly were good enough to make the cut in the East in which oddly enough they would’ve beaten out his new team, their 95 points went for naught- keeping one of the brightest players on the golf course a third straight Spring. No wonder he spurned an even better offer from shot in the dark Calgary, reported to be worth $63 M over nine years. Once it was leaked the other night, both the Bolts and new look Sabres were out, whittling it down to three. The Flyers were also said to have interest but Paul Holmgren instead duped Mario Lemieux by snagging Jaromir Jagr (3.3 M) and Max Talbot, infuriating Pens fans, which should only intensify the Pennsylvania rivalry. Last summer’s Kovalchuk runner-up, LA dialed in on acquiring the other Richards after adding ex-Flyer Mike Richards to a strong club that features Anze Kopitar, Dustin Brown, unsigned restricted Drew Doughty, Jack Johnson and goalie tandem Jon Quick/Jonathan Bernier. LA’s pitch included taped messages from Wayne Gretzky and Kobe Bryant.

Despite a better roster closer to competing, Richy Rich chose the spotlight on Broadway. He wanted New York, even if it took an insane deal to secure him. Sure. The cap hit ($6.67 M) pales in comparison to ex-Blueshirts Scott Gomez and Chris Drury, who finally agreed to a buyout. Nobody disputes that the new Rich Kid is a better player than either, who fits the criteria Marian Gaborik needs to just focus on lighting the lamp. Even with that finally addressed, the club still lacks a complementary left wing unless they’re willing to break up the unsigned Draft Line (Dubinsky-Anisimov-Callahan), who now become priority along with Brian Boyle and Mike Sauer. Slats also brought back Ruslan Fedotenko ($1.4 M) for a year. I’m on record as being against breaking up our cohesive second unit that was the club’s best last season. Even if it means re-signing Vinny Prospal on the cheap or dare I say plugging Richards’ ‘buddy’ Sean Avery, I’d prefer that instead, allowing Derek Stepan to remain our third center with Boyle better suited for the fourth line.

A glance at the remaining LW FA’s doesn’t leave much to be desired with Sather indicating he won’t go that route, perhaps hinting at a trade. Might he use a couple of our blueline chips (Del Zotto, Kundratek, Valentenko) to further upgrade? Unless a kid like Christian Thomas overwhelms in camp, figure the roster to be locked in with much at stake for Avery, Erik Christensen and Mats Zuccarello. Figure they’ll buyout Wojtek Wolski next month to clear more space. That aside, Sather has to decide on replacing Steve Eminger, who was quite serviceable as an extra D. Possible candidates could be Brent Sopel, Steve Staios, Shane O’Brien, power play bomber Anton Babchuk or even Radek Martinek, who wouldn’t be the worst choice if he doesn’t bolt for overseas. I’m a fan of Sopel, who has a Cup with Chicago and is the kinda vet who knows what it takes. Of the others, I’ve always liked O’Brien, who brings character to whatever roster he’s on. Deadline bust Bryan McCabe won’t be back. So, if they want to add one more cannon, Babchuk certainly qualifies. It shouldn’t cost more than $2 million with the Wings stealing Ian White for a reasonable price (2.875 M over 2 yrs).

The first order of business is getting Callahan/Dubinsky done. One of my main gripes with management is they always put mercenarie$ over our core. While I get why because it’s Slats’ main objective to add through free agency, Cally and Dubi are musts. It’s hard to gauge what they’ll get with outlandish deals such as Joel Ward (4 yrs, 12 M) while Jussi Jokinen took a team discount (3 yrs, 9 M) to stay in Carolina. My guess is somewhere between that- probably right smack in the middle if each is reasonable. Figure Dubinsky to be harder to sign after leading us in scoring with Callahan actually with better production. If you polled most Ranger fans, they’d lean towards Cally as being more valuable even if Dubi possesses more skill. I just hope he’s not unreasonable. On breakup day, he said he wants the Rangers. Prove it.

Whenever you commit long-term for a talented player like Richards, it ups the ante. Since Jagr left in ’08, our team has advanced to Round Two once while missing the playoffs in ’09-10. Two of three years and five of the last six since the lockout isn’t bad. Even teams like the Sharks, Flyers and Devils have missed the postseason. Once unheard of. It sheds new light on how much tougher it is to stay competitive with so many Blackhawks more separated than the five lions that formed Voltron. While Dale Tallon tries to change his team to Hawks South just to get up to the $48 M floor with the Avs and Islanders also in that category, teams like ours never have to worry about that. But rather how well Richards and Gaborik will mesh. When Gomez joined forces with Jagr, it was like the Broadway version of The Odd Couple. Their styles were polar opposites, which is why not always paying top dollar works. Richy Rich is different because he’s played for Tortorella before and is more of a facilitator while Gabby is just better at finishing. One of the reasons it didn’t work in Year Two was because teams keyed on Gaborik, forcing him to the perimeter. He’s soft. That won’t change with this move. However, he’ll no longer be asked to carry the puck up the ice and also score. His job becomes easier.

One of the reasons Richards chose the Rangers is our nucleus, which reminds him of what he and Tort did in Tampa. A nice compliment considering our talent pales in comparison. We don’t boast a St. Louis or Lecavalier. Not even a Dan Boyle, who was so underrated until he was dumped to San Jose. Even a younger Pavel Kubina would be on our top pair with apologies to Staal/Girardi who are solid but expected to do too much. I still feel this team lacks a true No.1. By that, I mean a guy who can log the big minutes and do it all. Staal is good. Not great as Joe Micheletti would have you believe. He’s better suited as a shutdown D than having to focus on contributing offensively, where our former ’05 first rounder still has trouble pinching. If they had a Shea Weber or Doughty, we’re talking a whole new ballgame. Maybe the Tim Erixon gamble pays off. It’s still a lot of pressure on the Swedish kid who also must be signed, entering his rookie year. With Staal, Girardi, Ryan McDonagh and Sauer, this is still a very young blueline. How fast will they push Erixon? Is Del Zotto still part of the solution? What about Valentenko, Kundratek, former #1 Dylan McIlrath or even Mikhail Pashnin? Our team can definitely use help.

Can Richards conquer New York? I have a great deal of respect for the kind of caliber player he is both on and off the ice. He wants to win and obviously loves the challenge. Is he up for it? This is a guy who never had to deal with some of the distractions he will in our city. I don’t see that being an issue. It’s all about chemistry and how quick he adjusts. Encouraging is he starred in the East most of his career. It’s not as physically taxing as the West. The travel should be better once our team survives the crazy European/Western Canadian start. Due to the renovation, the Rangers won’t return to Manhattan until October 27 when the new look Leafs visit featuring pseudo No.1’s Stephen Weiss and Tim Connolly. Following a seven-game trip with even a stop at the rival Islanders, the Blueshirts play seven of eight at MSG, including a six-game homestand also featuring the Sens, Sharks, Ducks, Habs and Jets. It’ll be a great chance for Richy Rich to win over a majority who wanted him but never envisioned nine years. How they adapt on the long road along with this pivotal stretch should go a long way to deciding what kind of debut season he and the club will have.

As for the breakdown of another CBA headache that looms down the road, here’s the particulars courtesy of Cap Geek:

Year        Salary     Signing Bonus   Cap Hit

’11-12    $12 M     10 M               $6.67 M

’12-13     12 M       8 M                  6.67 M

’13-14       9 M       2 M                  6.67 M

’14-15       8.5 M    2 M                  6.67 M

’15-16       8.5 M    2 M                  6.67 M

’16-17       7 M       4 M                  6.67 M

’17-18       1 M        0                     6.67 M

’18-19       1 M        0                     6.67 M

’19-20       1 M        0                     6.67 M

It doesn’t take a genius to figure out what they did, with Richards set to earn $24 million of the 60 the first two years before the salary gradually decreases, leaving his final potential three seasons at $1 M apiece. Just your classic front-loaded contract that the league will look the other way on even though this along with Ehrhoff and Ilya Bryzgalov are eerily similar to the even wackier Kovalchuk deal that the league rejected- forcing the Devils to rework it, even taking away picks and $3 million off last year’s cap.

The biggest question is can it work. The jury remains out on that one with a lot more scrutiny over the next three seasons due to Henrik Lundqvist’s contract expiring following ’13-14. At 29, King Henrik’s still in his prime, hungry to be part of a winner. Nobody takes losses harder. Now comes a new challenge for the shafted goalie who led the league in shutouts (11) but somehow was left out by blind squirrels (GM idiocy) for the Vezina. No disrespect to Roberto Luongo but he had a much better team and still couldn’t close the deal. That’s not the only reason the Canucks lost with the Sedin vanishing act dashing their hopes. For the first time since that ’07 run that had us a couple of minutes away from a 3-2 lead on Buffalo until Tom Renney botched the final shift of regulation, Lundqvist has real pressure to perform. Offense should finally improve. He’s been a model of consistency, winning 30-or-more in each of his half dozen seasons. There’s no time like the present for King Henrik.

Is there enough talent to go from first round fodder to the sport’s pinnacle in three years? It depends on draft and development with prospects Chris Kreider, Carl Hagelin, Christian Thomas and Ryan Bourque on the way. It’s too much to expect ’11 No.1 J.T. Miller to make any impact until at least ’14-15 with the same expressed for potential steals Steven Fogarty and Michael St. Croix. The look of our roster probably will change because it’s impossible to keep everyone. Nobody can predict trades, future signings or what the league will look like following next summer when the CBA is expected to decrease. It’s why you see teams using signing bonuses to get a majority of the money up front to their freshly minted free agent pickups. The sport could be turned upside down. Though we’re not forecasting an ’04-05 repeat. A lot could change with Gary Bettman and Donald Fehr on a collision course.

Enjoy what Richards provides. A No.1 center who should bolster our chances. How far I can’t really conclude. One thing’s certain. When you hand out that kind of mega-deal over nine years, you expect to win. That means going far in the playoffs and winning at least a Cup. That’s the cost along with the outrageous prices Dolan charges for his new castle. The Knicks might be gone quite a while, meaning the Rangers could be the only real draw in town. Yep. Demand will be through the roof. Can a big ticket finally deliver for the first time since Messier? Keep your fingers crossed.