Free Agent Splash in 2012 or 2013

We have cap space now; that’s great. But we have no idea what the salary cap will look like beyond this year. There may not even be a season next year. We have to pay Karlsson immediately, and we’ll also have to re-sign kids like Rundblad and Cowen in the near future. We’ll also have to pay Michalek and Spezza if we want to keep them. That doesn’t even begin to take into account any salary dished out if our young guns develop. The odds are good that Lehner, Zibanejad, and Silfverberg all finish their entry level deals the same year.

That’s a lot to juggle.

Then, on top of that, you have to consider the massive overpayment teams have to make for top free agents. Semin, Parise, and Perry will all be closer to 28 than 27 if they hit free agency. Are we willing to commit nine years at seven million a year for one of those players?

I’m not sure throwing money like that around is the right long-term strategy for success.

I would love either Semin or Parise. With neither one putting up great numbers, they might be able to be signed relatively cheaply in the $5 to $5.5 million range.

In the next two years, we’ll be seeing a lot of cap space free itself, namely with the departure of Kuba and Gonchar, not to mention Alfie (those three alone are like 12-13M) and the cap space we already have. A lot will be dedicated to resigning the young corp we have coming up. Heck, we can afford to take on a salary now!

Anyway, center is where we need support. I see Mika Z needing another year of seasoning. But, finding a great 2nd line center is not small task. It is possible that Foligno’s development finally cements itself and he can slide in to no.2 next year.

Aside from center, i think it’s premature to see where we’ll need to add most until we see who is developing how. I see maybe re-signing Kuba for another year (i think it might be Gonchar we end up trading this year) and i’m guessing Cowen and Rundblad will improve into next year. If Lee and Carkner stick around, we’re set on D. So i would rather see an up-front signing at this point.

I can’t believe anybody would have interest in Semin, especially considering our track record with Yashin/Kovalev and, to a lesser extent, Filatov. Semin is world-class talent but has the heart of a gerbil. I’d want nothing to do with him. Plus, he fights like a 4 year-old.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDRCpN4OMpM

It a funny thing about cap space. A team that builds from within and spends wisely has some room for a Free Agent to fill a hole and complete things. Even a little bit of bad spending and then before you know it, there is no room for anything.

There are players that will need larger contracts or we will lose them… Karlsson, Cowen, Rundblad, and whichever forward ultimately ends up taking over the 2nd line center position. Plus whoever wins the 2nd line right wing position long term will need a bigger contract.

All of this adds up. The priority right now is to build from within. The only player on that afore-mentioned list that I’d love to go after is Parise, because he’s young enough and good enough to be able to stlill be ours when we are ready for prime time. But the list of suitors for him will be a long one.

And yes we should have the patience to wait on the developing players.

With Silfverberg and Z’jad coming next year, we’ll be fine at the forward position. Another stud dman and another prospect goalie to add to the mix and we’ll be moving up into the playoffs and maybe for a few rounds of the playoffs as well.

Given the fact that Parise was named captain coming into this season, I find it unlikely they’re really going to let him go. They can’t negotiate until January 1st, per cap restrictions, but have to believe they can lock him down.
If he were to hit free agency, it would be huge. 40-goal types really hitting the prime of their careers will get… a lot. I can think of few bigger free agents over the last few years, actually. The numbers that Parise have put up, this year notwithstanding, are something else for a guy whose best centreman in his career has been Travis Zajac.
Given what I think it would take to get a player like that, I’m not sure I’d do it. Moreover, if you are going to go all out and try and get a guy who can get goal totals in the 40s again, I’d be wary of that ACL that kept him out last season, although I don’t think that’s going to seriously hurt his salary.

When opportunity presents itself, we shall take the best proven UFA available for the money. But the truth is we will have to pay Karlsson, Filatov :), Smith, Neil, Foligno, Rundbald, and all of them will want more than they are making now.
However with Alfie retiring someday, Gonch and Kuba gone, we will need some veterans to make this team push for the finals. Parise would look good as Senator!

The most pressing variable in this is the upcoming CBA, and what that will do to the league’s salary cap. If it brings it down, or affects it in some significant way, then free agents might be difficult signings to make.

After that, it depends on which FAs are available; few of them are worth the FA premium, and if our team is managed with the expectation of using free agency to fill out the roster, we’ll likely miss out on who we really want and end up making a mistake by signing our second choice to a ridiculously inflated contract that we’ll regret in no time.

I voted for ‘both,’ because I think the team needs to be prepared to make offers both years, in case a move comes along that can’t be ignored. There are always many opportunities in free agency, but those seem to turn out badly a lot more frequently than they turn out well.

When it comes to signing FAs, each case is a case all its own. In general though, bidding wars tend to screw everyone royally except the bank manager and agent of the player involved… and you end up stuck with a Mike Komisarek at $4.5 million until what seems like the end of eternity.

And there are some players that end up being a bargain… although I can’t even think of one…

In the end the best way to build is through the draft, and winning teams generally have a few young guys that end up being incredible bargains before their Entry Level deal expires.

So I’d like to see us maximize who we have as prospects and then when we are ready to contend, we can add a select FA to fill whatever hole there is.

Signing an FA now is a shot in the dark, unless it’s Parise (dreeeeeeammmm along with me).