The Latest Signings

Earlier in the day, we had a thread that we'd update anytime something big happened. Well, since then, we've seen quite a bit of activity. So let's pick up where we left off...

- Marian Gaborik to NY Rangers, 5 years, $37.5m ($7.5m/year)

This is the big one for Rangers fans. This is the reason they traded Scott Gomez. Was it worth it? Only time will tell. On one hand, Gaborik is the scorer the Rangers need desperately. On the other, Gaborik is extremely injury-prone and might not be able to handle the New York pressure cooker. I can easily see Gaborik being the latest target for the Garden faithful's boos. Many will point to his track record of injuries and his 17 games played last year. Optimists will note that Gaborik scored 13 goals in those 17 games. Either way, Gaborik fits a hole on this team that Scott Gomez never came close to filling - that role, of course, being a pure goal scorer.

- Mike Komisarek to Toronto, 5 years, $22m ($4.5m/year)

A lot of Islanders fans were hopeful their hometown boy would come home, but it was never going to happen. That's life. I guess it's appropriate that Komisarek ended up in Toronto, though. He gets his big pay day, but with that salary comes a ton of pressure. When the Leafs struggle, fans are going to point to Komisarek's meager point totals and criticize his play, fair or not. Honestly, I don't see him playing the full five years in Toronto. But the truth is, someone was going to overpay for Komisarek's services today, and I'm glad it's someone outside of the Atlantic Division.

- Mike Cammalleri to Montreal, 5 years, $30m ($6m/year)

After a 39-goal season in Calgary, Cammalleri cashes in and heads to the greener pastures of Montreal. The Habs essentially fell apart last year, but they hope Cammalleri can provide the offensive ability to return them to their 2007-08 levels. The money is about right, but the years are a bit much. Then again, the same can be said about pretty much everyone. I can't even remember how many times I've said/typed/texted "(x) years is a lot for a player who (some sort of comment about a player's one-dimensional style)" Earlier today, Botta called to mind the putrid 2007 free agent class. Hopefully, this one isn't as bad. But there have been a lot of lengthy deals today, and more than a few are destined to backfire.

- Scott Clemmensen to Florida, Mike Rupp to Pittsburgh, Brian Gionta to Montreal, John Madden to Chicago.

These deals are all wonderful for the teams who are receiving these players. Each one of them fills a need. But the Devils are letting a ton of "their" guys go. Rupp and Madden are the defense-first forwards the Devils have built the last fifteen year of success upon. Gionta was one of their only dependable scorers before an off-year in 2008-09. And Clemmensen kept the Devils in the playoff race last year while Martin Brodeur was injured. What's going on with the Devils? They suddenly have a ton of cap room and can make a serious splash in any number of ways. My gut tells me they have a trade in the works. Lou Lamoriello does not let loyal players go for just any reason. There's got to be more to this story.

- Nikolai Khabibulin to Edmonton, 4 years, $15m ($3.75m/year)

So let me get this straight. The Oilers wouldn't give Dwayne Roloson a second year, but they're willing to give four years to Khabibulin? Let's count the ways in which this is a horrible move. First, Khabibulin will be forty years old when this deal is over. He was drafted by Winnipeg, for Christ's sake. Second, he has a history of not playing very well when his financial security is guaranteed. Look at his numbers. His three best years were the three years he was playing for a new contract (1998-99, 2003-04, 2008-09). Third, he hasn't exactly been stellar since the lockout. His number of games played has dwindled over the past three years, going from 60 in 2006-07 to 50 in 2007-08 all the way down to 42 in 2008-09. Yes his GAA and save percentage have gotten better in those years, but so have the Blackhawks. How will he do on a team with far less talent and where he has to be the number one guy? This deal isn't one I would have made, let's put it that way.

- Brian Boucher to Philadelphia, 2 years, $1.85m ($925k/year)

This is the move that will solve all of Philadelphia's goaltending problems. Oh wait, this is 2009, not 1999. Never mind.

- Dany Heatley to... Edmonton?

Dany Heatley deserves a special spot on in the Primadonna Hall of Fame, along with the likes of Eric Lindros, Terrell Owens, and Chad Johnson. For those of you who don't recall the whole Heatley saga, here's a refresher. After Heatley's car accident in Atlanta which killed teammate Dan Snyder, Heatley requested a trade. He was sent to Ottawa for Marian Hossa. After two straight 50-goal seasons, Heatley signed a six-year, $45 million extension to his then-current contract, which had one year left. The deal had a no-trade clause. After the 2008-09 season ended - the first season under his lucrative extension - Heatley requested a trade. Ottawa moved to make a deal before July 1 in order to avoid paying him a $4 million roster bonus.

That takes us up to last night, when Ottawa made a deal with Edmonton for Heatley. So what happened? Heatley invoked his no-trade clause and killed the deal. Rumors state that Heatley is just trying to screw the Senators out of $4 million and will approve the trade after Ottawa is officially on the hook for this money. If you believe what you hear, the Rangers were so turned off by this display that they removed themselves from the Heatley sweepstakes.

To me, it doesn't work both ways. You can't request a trade, then conveniently cite your no-trade clause as a reason for nixing a potential deal. If Heatley refuses to go to Edmonton, if I were Bryan Murray, I'd take Heatley off the block and force him to play for Ottawa. After all, Heatley did sign a no-trade clause.