Never let it be said that The Rivalry is second to anybody when it comes to free agent prognostication.
On Michal Rozsival, Zach said...
Let some other team overpay him. He tied for 7th in defensemen scoring last season (his 13 goals were 5 more than Campbell's), including 6 on the power play. He was the only D to have 2 short-handed goals, as well (yes, they were in back-to-back games). He made $2.2M the past 2 years if memory serves me correct, a steal for his production. This year, he will want atleast $3.8M, and teams might throw him close to $4.5M/season. I've said this since we started this blog, let some other team overpay for him.
Note that, while it was the Rangers who overpaid for Rozsival, he did demand considerable dollars. Also note that the Rangers will surely regret their decision.
On Wade Redden, Zach said...
Wade Redden was bad at 31. How awful is he going to be at 35?
Again, the Rangers are going to be stuck finding out. Still, a long-term deal for a player who will be washed up by the end of it? We're two-for-two here.
On Mark Streit, Bryan said...
The big name in this year's free agent crop is Mark Streit. People say he's not too strong in his defensive end, but he just completed his third year in the NHL and contributed 62 points. That's pretty impressive. Better than that, the Colorado Avalanche, a team many thought would be a major competitor for Streit's services, just re-signed John-Michael Liles to a four-year deal. If the Islanders overpay for anybody, it should be Streit - though it should be cautioned that he played for Montreal, the best offensive team in the East this year.
It's funny that, in Greg Logan's Newsday column today, Streit's name wasn't even mentioned. But Streit was the clear guy here. You can't fault this signing in any possible way. Maybe Garth Snow did show up for work today after all.
We're pretty sure that does it for us here - no more usurping for the time being. But, real quick, let's relive this day in chronological order...
- We wonder aloud if Garth Snow even showed up today.
- Aaron Voros is the first signing for the Rangers. Zach prays that the day ended here.
- Wade Redden is signed by the Rangers.
- A rumor about Mark Streit coming to the Islanders is posted; by the time the post goes up, he's signed.
- A scouting report on Streit comes courtesy of a die-hard Habs fan.
Earlier in the day, Zach told me that once Brian Campbell was signed, things would really start to happen. Sure enough, the New York teams have three new big-money defensemen to play with. Only time will tell how these deals will turn out. If you're an Islander fan, you're a whole lot happier now than you were when you saw the inevitable "Islanders in talks with Doug Weight" posts earlier in the day. If you're a Ranger fan, you're still wondering where the hell Jaromir Jagr and Sean Avery are. Still, there are a lot of free agents out there, and a whole lot more cap room to blow. This is just the start.
We hope you'll stick with The Rivalry to watch it all play out. Today was a record day for posts and traffic - our third record-breaking traffic day this week. Thanks for checking us out... the comment section is yours to vent.
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