Faceoff Factor

Evaluating Teams Post-Free Agency: Atlantic

Michael Farkas | National Hockey League

Jul 13, 06:48 PM | Hype this story!

With about two weeks gone in the free agency period, most of the top tier talent has found itself a new home. Now that things have slowed down considerably, Faceoff Factor will go division-by-division and break it all down.

As usual, I’ll start in the Atlantic Division.

New Jersey Devils

Gained: Brian Rolston (4 yrs, $5.0625/yr), Bobby Holik (1 yr, $2.5), Fedor Fedorov (-), Scott Clemmensen (1 yr), Jay Leach (-)

Lost: Karel Rachunek (Europe), Sergei Brylin (UFA), Aaron Asham (PHI), Richard Matvichuk (UFA), Grant Marshall (UFA)

Still needs to: Acquire a top-four defenseman, or three. Desperately need puck movers from the blueline.

Approximate cap space remaining: $1.35 million

Rumors associated with them: Brian Gionta for a top-four defenseman, names tossed around include Vancouver’s Kevin Bieksa.

Notes: The Devils gave excessive paydays to Brian Rolston, Jay Pandolfo and Bryce Salvador, not one of those players is worth the contract they got. They are all fine players, but the contracts they got are curious at best. They have exactly one top-four defenseman, that’s Mr. Everything, Paul Martin. After that they have a series of number-four-at-best defensemen, and the comedy of errors ensued last year in front of the incomparable Marty Brodeur. The Devils may be counting on youngsters Nicklas Bergfors, Matt Corrente, Petr Vrana and Matt Halischuck to help save the day; which is very un-Devil-like in and of itself.

Current lineup (for depth purposes, not actual lines):
Elias-Rolston-Gionta
Zubrus-Parise-Langenbrunner
Pandolfo-Madden-Holik
Rupp-Zajac-Clarkson
Ex. Bergfors, Tallackson, Halischuck

Martin-White
Vishnevski-Salvador
Oduya-Mottau
Ex. Greene, Brookbank

Brodeur
Weekes
Ex. Clemmensen

New York Islanders

Gained: Mark Streit 5 yrs, $4.1/yr), Doug Weight (1 yr, $4.3)*, Yann Danis (1 yr, $550K) [* – Weight’s base salary is $1.75, the $4.3 includes incentives]

Lost: Miroslav Satan (PIT), Ruslan Fedotenko (PIT), Wade Dubielewicz (Europe), Bryan Berard (UFA), Rob Davison (VAN), Josef Vasicek (Europe), Aaron Johnson (CHI), Mike Morrison (Europe)

Still needs to: Acquire NHL-caliber players and one really overpaid player just because they can.

Approximate cap space remaining: $15.6 million

Rumors associated with them: Have been tied to big-ticket defensemen Bryan McCabe and Mathieu Schneider.

Notes: The Islanders lineup is makeshift and lackluster for the third or fourth year in a row. A series of rejects, misfits and potential busts populate their ranks. It may turn out that they had the best 2008 draft class, so just a few more years of suffering provided everything goes well. This team has “perpetual rebuild” written all over it, aka “The Florida Panther special.”

Current lineup (for depth purposes, not actual lines):
Okposo-Weight-Guerin
Tambellini-Comrie-Hunter
Bergenheim-Sillinger-Comeau
Hilbert-Colliton-Park
Ex. Nielsen, Jackman, Walter

Streit-Witt
Martinek-Sutton
Campoli-Gervais
Ex. Meyer, Hillen

DiPietro
MacDonald
Ex. Danis

New York Rangers

Gained: Nikolai Zherdev (1 yr, $2.5)*, Wade Redden (6 yrs, $6.5/yr), Markus Naslund (2 yrs, $4/yr), Dmitri Kalinin (1 yr, $2.1), Dan Fritsche (-)*, Aaron Voros (3 yrs, $1/yr), Patrick Rissmiller (1 yr, $1) [* – acquired via trade]

Lost: Jaromir Jagr (Europe), Fedor Tyutin (CBJ), Martin Straka (Europe), Sean Avery (DAL), Brendan Shanahan (UFA), Christian Backman (CBJ), Marek Malik (UFA), Jason Strudwick (EDM), David LeNeveu (ANA)

Still needs to: Lure Cherepanov over from Russia despite Jagr heading over in his direction. Hope that this team works out because there’s no financial flexibility if it doesn’t.

Approximate cap space remaining: $650,000

Rumors associated with them: Payroll clearing maneuvers, mostly tied to Petr Prucha. Despite that, nothing very significant or likely to happen.

Notes: The Rangers had some big time turnover this offseason involving some top-flight players. As usual, chemistry is a serious issue. The team is going to hope that two players step up into the top six (Dubinsky, Prucha, Dawes and Korpikoski are the most likely candidates) and in all likelihood that problem will resolve itself, because there is talent to be had on Broadway. Redden and Rozsival are getting paid a lot, New York Ranger-style. However, with Marc Staal firmly in place and Bobby Sanguinetti on the way, there is plenty of cheap young talent in the blueline ranks. Barring the standard month or two that Henrik Lundqvist plays average ball, the Rangers are pretty set in net with him alone.

Current lineup (for depth purposes, not actual lines):
Naslund-Gomez-Zherdev
Drury-Dubinsky-Prucha
Dawes-Fritsche-Sjostrom
Voros-Betts-Rissmiller
Ex. Callahan, Orr, Korpikoski

Redden-Rozsival
Mara-Kalinin
Staal-Girardi
Ex. Pock, Sanguinetti

Lundqvist
Valiquette
Ex. Wiikman

Philadelphia Flyers

Gained: Glen Metropolit (2 yrs, $1/yr), Ossi Vaananen (1 yr, $1), Aaron Asham (2 yrs, $640K/yr)

Lost: Jason Smith (OTT), Patrick Thoresen (Europe), Jaroslav Modry (UFA), Rory Fitzpatrick (FLA), Jim Dowd (UFA), Denis Gauther (LA)

Still needs to: Get under the Upper Limit while replacing one of their many bottom pairing defensemen with a second pairing guy. Get goaltending depth that could at least survive a week or two in the NHL, just in case.

Approximate cap space remaining: (-$1.03 million)

Rumors associated with them: Mike Knuble’s name as been mentioned here and there as tradebait, but nothing substantial has come from that. There has also been talk that Derian Hatcher may retire, freeing the Flyers of $3.5 million.

Notes: The Flyers have some high quality forward depth in terms of both scoring and ruggedness. So much forward depth that it may very well compromise their defensive depth. They could stand to grab some more mobility and defensive talent for their blueline. Randy Jones and Mike Knuble combine for more than $5.5 million, that shouldn’t be the case on a successful team. If both goalies get hurt or cold at the same time, they are in a world of trouble.

Current lineup (for depth purposes, not actual lines):
Gagne-Briere-Lupul
Hartnell-Richards-Giroux
Upshall-Carter-Knuble
Cote-Metropolit-Asham
Ex. Downie, Nodl, Matsumoto

Timonen-Coburn
Hatcher-Jones
Eminger-Kukkonen
Ex. Vaananen, Parent

Biron
Niittymaki
Ex. Teslak

Pittsburgh Penguins

Gained: Miroslav Satan (1 yr, $3.5), Ruslan Fedotenko (1 yr, $2.25), Matt Cooke (2 yrs, $1.2/yr), Janne Pesonen (-), Eric Godard (3 yrs, $750K/yr)

Lost: Marian Hossa (DET), Ryan Malone (TB), Ty Conklin (DET), Jarkko Ruutu (Ott), Gary Roberts (TB), Adam Hall (TB), Georges Laraque (MTL), Alain Nasreddine (Europe)

Still needs to: Acquire a top winger and figure out the crowded defensive situation.

Approximate cap space remaining: $1.78 million

Rumors associated with them: Darryl Sydor and Rob Scuderi’s names have popped in recent weeks, especially the former, and of course Tampa Bay (Pittsburgh’s recycling bin) is interested. Sydor could also find his way to a team that needs to get to the Lower Limit like Atlanta or Los Angeles.

Notes: The Penguins may have lost out on Marian Hossa, but they stop-gapped pretty well with no-commitment deals to Satan and Fedotenko. Ruutu was replaced with Cooke, and Laraque with Godard. They even brought in talented Finnish finisher Janne Pesonen in a no-risk, high reward move. The logjam of defensemen (this is Pittsburgh, right?) is a situation that will work itself out eventually; the goaltending depth leaves a lot to be desired. The pieces appear to be all accounted for, but it’s somewhat unclear where they fit and what they make when the puzzle is complete.

Current lineup (for depth purposes, not actual lines):
Dupuis-Crosby-Satan
Fedotenko-Malkin-Sykora
Cooke-Staal-Talbot
Thomas-Kennedy-Godard
Ex. Pesonen, Filewich, Brent

Gonchar-Orpik
Whitney-Gill
Letang-Eaton
Ex. Sydor, Scuderi

Fleury
Sabourin
Ex. Curry