navybillsfan Posted July 12, 2006 Report Posted July 12, 2006 Peter Bondra: At 38 his best years are behind him, yet prior to suffering a mid-season groin injury with the Atlanta Thrashers Bondra was scoring at almost a point per game clip. If he stays healthy he could perhaps have a 35-goal season with the right team and should be an affordable signing for teams seeking offensive depth. Brian Leetch: The Boston Bruins acquisition of Paul Mara and their need to re-sign Brad Stuart likely means Leetch won't be returning to Beantown. He's no longer an elite defenseman but could still be an effective addition to clubs seeking blueline depth. There's speculation the Rangers might bring him back for a last hurrah. Mark Recchi: This aging but durable winger proved he still had plenty left in the tank in a split season with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Carolina Hurricanes, helping the latter to its first Stanley Cup championship. He recently told the Pittsburgh media he wouldn't rule out a possible return to the Penguins. Michael Peca: He was in contact late last week with the Toronto Maple Leafs, a club seeking affordable forward depth. Given the Leafs limited cap space there's no guarantee Peca will land there but he claims to be open to the possibility. Anson Carter: The Canucks' limited cap space likely means Carter won't be back. The Toronto Maple Leafs and Los Angeles Kings are believed in negotiations with his agent. He has a production company in Los Angeles so don't be surprised if he returns there. Sergei Samsonov: The San Jose Sharks and Chicago Blackhawks were believed potential destinations for Samsonov, but their recent three-way trade with Ottawa suggests they have no further interest in him. It's rumored his agent is negotiating a possible re-signing with the Edmonton Oilers. Danny Markov: There was little word about his status until last Friday when it was reported his agent was in talks with several teams. The report speculated the Panthers, Canucks, Oilers and Red Wings, all of which could use experienced defensive depth, could be interested in this veteran blueliner. Yanic Perreault: He's a streaky scorer but his prowess in the faceoff circle still makes him a valuable commodity. No word yet on which teams may be interested but he probably won't stay on the market for long. Manny Legace: As of Friday he'd yet to receive a call from any team, which may be due to his inability to hang onto the starting goalie role with the Red Wings. Still, his phone isn't likely to be silent for much longer, as he could make a capable backup for clubs seeking affordable goaltending depth. The Panthers and Blues are rumored to have interest in him. Jan Bulis: His name hadn't appeared in the free-agent rumor mill thus far, but his agent claims he may be close to a deal for the former Canadiens center with another club. Other possibilities include forwards Petr Sykora, Martin Rucinsky, Geoff Sanderson, Jason Allison, Eric Lindros Viktor Kozlov, and defensemen Dick Tarnstrom, Ken Klee, Luke Richardson, but they all come with "buyer beware" labels Rucinsky is expected to re-sign with the Rangers and Tarnstrom is expected to return to Europe if he isn't re-signed by the Oilers. With the Rangers signing Brendan Shanahan on Sunday, the New York media suspects Sykora won't be re-signed, and his offensive struggles last season could affect his market value. Allison posted up 60 points in 66 games but his lack of speed was cause for concern, while injury concerns continue to dog Lindros. Still, it's possible both could be re-signed by the Leafs if that club is unsuccessful in landing faster, affordable forwards. Klee and Richardson appeared to struggle under the new NHL rules and that along with their ages (35 and 37 respectively) may adversely affect their market value. Sanderson is renowned for his speed and he posted up decent totals with a mediocre Phoenix Coyotes club last season, but there may be some concern over his consistency. Kozlov has long been considered an underachiever and his poor performance with the Devils last season did little to dispel that opinion.
deluca67 Posted July 12, 2006 Report Posted July 12, 2006 The longer they stay on the market the lower the price. The Sabres might be able to get one of those guys for a cheap one year deal.
inkman Posted July 12, 2006 Report Posted July 12, 2006 Look for the Sabres to sign exactly none of these guys. Their is already a glut of forwards and the only defense need is depth.
apuszczalowski Posted July 12, 2006 Report Posted July 12, 2006 There is only one player on the list worth any attention from Buffalo and that might be Legace as a cheap backup. There is no need for a forward as Buffalo already has too many of them and maybe bringing in a defencemen might be possible, bought I doubt anyone on the list even sparks any interest from regier, mostly due to their ages (none of them are young).
inkman Posted July 12, 2006 Report Posted July 12, 2006 There is only one player on the list worth any attention from Buffalo and that might be Legace as a cheap backup. Good point, forgot about the whole moving marty thing. Would Manny come cheap?
apuszczalowski Posted July 12, 2006 Report Posted July 12, 2006 Good point, forgot about the whole moving marty thing. Would Manny come cheap? If he wants a check next year he may have to come cheap. Regier won't move Marty til he gets a backup in place so when he leaves we are set. Unfortunatly because of his great planning, his top priority has been resigning almost the entire team this year so I think moving Marty has been second on the list and now he may have to settle. There is no way Marty will be on htis roster at the start of the year, he may have been the good teammate last year, but I think he now has been patient enough and will force something. And if we go into the season with him, it will also be harder to find a decent backup to fill his spot. But what do I know, everyone here knows him so well and that he will love coming back as a backup again to waste another year on the bench just because Regier can't find the perfect trade.
BetweenThePipes00 Posted July 12, 2006 Report Posted July 12, 2006 On TSN They are saying St. Louis is interested in Legace to go along with Sanford ... if I was St. Louis and i thought Sanford was my guy for the future I would rather have Legace too ... probably cheaper than Biron and don't have to give anything up for him ... the market, what little one there was, is beyond dry I am afraid ...
Eleven Posted July 13, 2006 Report Posted July 13, 2006 How about Klee as that 7th defenseman we're looking for? He's good enough to fill in for injured starters.
Goodfella25 Posted July 13, 2006 Report Posted July 13, 2006 How about Klee as that 7th defenseman we're looking for? He's good enough to fill in for injured starters. You read my mind. I'd love to get Klee signed up as a 6th/7th D-man. Even better but not mentioned might be Sean Brown (no, not BRAD Brown), who is a tough, "policeman" style defender who would be a great fit as a 7th. I expect at least one more signing before training camp until we send Biron out for a D-man. EDIT: For the right price! And that's it for the reality portion of the situation....as far as the rest of the players listed above, I think Peca and Carter are intriguing and could help the team, but we don't need a forward at all. In fact, we need to dump a couple forwards. Yes, even me, perhaps the biggest critic of Darcy Regeir you will find on this board, agree with him not going after any of these free agents. It doesn't make sense and I see the point of not expanding the budget to sign any of these guys...besides, he has bigger fish to fry, like GETTING BRIERE SIGNED TO A 3 or 4 YEAR (or more) DEAL.
Eleven Posted July 14, 2006 Report Posted July 14, 2006 You read my mind. I'd love to get Klee signed up as a 6th/7th D-man. Even better but not mentioned might be Sean Brown (no, not BRAD Brown), who is a tough, "policeman" style defender who would be a great fit as a 7th. I expect at least one more signing before training camp until we send Biron out for a D-man. EDIT: For the right price! And that's it for the reality portion of the situation....as far as the rest of the players listed above, I think Peca and Carter are intriguing and could help the team, but we don't need a forward at all. In fact, we need to dump a couple forwards. Yes, even me, perhaps the biggest critic of Darcy Regeir you will find on this board, agree with him not going after any of these free agents. It doesn't make sense and I see the point of not expanding the budget to sign any of these guys...besides, he has bigger fish to fry, like GETTING BRIERE SIGNED TO A 3 or 4 YEAR (or more) DEAL. You've got that right on with the forwards. Anson Carter would be a terrific Sab, but there isn't a place for him here. I'll confess that I don't know enough about Sean Brown.
thesportsbuff Posted July 14, 2006 Report Posted July 14, 2006 If Leetch came cheap, I'd grab him over Klee.
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