Top Five Impact Free Agent Signings

This hasn't been the most eventful of off-seasons, however there's no doubting that a few teams have made forays into the free agent market that are going to significantly impact those team's on field product. For the sake of this article, I'm going to ignore all trades, and all free agent signings where the player re-signed with the team. After all, I do need something to write about for the rest of the summer.

Note: RFA moves have been left out. Players like Ilya Bryzgalov will not be on this list because assets were exchanged for the negotiating rights with those players. As a result, they're not really Free Agent signings because the signings are directly related to other trades and transactions.


1. Brad Richards-C- New York Rangers

Has any team's profile been changed as much by one signing in recent memory (and by recent memory, I mean like in the last three seasons)? In the 10-11 campaign, the Rangers were a lot like the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen- competent and entertaining, yet clearly not as dominant, flashy, or prestigious as, say, the Justice League. Now, however, things certainly seem to be changing for the Rangers. They have a big-bodied center that can not only improve the game of enigmatic winger Marian Gaborik, they have a skilled forward who is going to free up a lot of defensive pressure from a young, developing second line. If the Rangers roll Gabby and Richie on the first line, and keep Cally and Dubi on the second line, the Rangers will have something long unknown to Rangers fans- scoring depth. There are some detractions from the signing- Dubinsky may need to play left wing on the top line in order to improve upon the defensive ability and grittiness of the unit, and the length of the contract may serve to handicap the Rangers in the semi-near future. However, for at least the next two to three years, the Rangers have their core together with an extremely talented winger and a skilled playmaking center.


2. James Wisniewski-D- Columbus Blue Jackets

Referring to defense in the same sentence as the name Columbus Blue Jackets is like mentioning Brad Pitt positively in a sentence discussing how much you dislike pretentiously thoughtful film-making.



The Wisniewski signing, however, changes all of that. Not only does the Wiz boost the quality, experience, and depth of the BJ's blue line, it also improves the team's offensive capabilities. He can improve the breakout with his ability to move the puck, he can facilitate offense from the blue line during five on five situations, and he can quarterback the powerplay- an area of serious concern for the Blue Jackets heading into this offseason. Hopefully having the journeyman defenseman in the locker room will add some maturity and experience to a roster that hasn't seen too much success. Who knows? Maybe his presence will even help young goalie Steve Mason rediscover the form of his Calder winning rookie season (it won't).

3. Semyon Varlamov-G- Colorado Avalanche

This move isn't as significant in its immediate impact as much as it is in its potential long-term impact. Varlamov has come off an underwhelming couple of seasons with the Washington Capitals. The injury bug has not treated him kindly, and as a result we have yet to see how viable Varlamov is as a true number one, franchise goalie. Regardless, Varlamov clearly has talent. If he can stay healthy, play 60 or so games, and put up a save percentage above .910 and a GAA below 2.7, I think this move will be seen as a victory. The road will undoubtedly be hard for him- he is, after all, playing behind the defensive corps of the Colorado Avalanche. Still, if Varlamov works out, the Avs could have a solid corps of Erik Johnson, Matt Duchene, Paul Stastny, and Semyon Varlamov to work around.

4. Erik Cole-LW- Montreal Canadiens

The Canadiens' offensive woes are no secret. They have plenty of top six forwards, they just happen to all be well-suited to the second line. Scott Gomez, Brian Gionta, Andrei Kostitsyn, Tomas Plekanec, Lars Eller- not exactly a group of offensive dynamos. The addition of Erik Cole should help with that, however. He's not going to take on entire defenses by himself- he's not that type of player. Nevertheless, he will definitely add a grittiness and an edge to to the Canadiens' offense by playing in that power forward role that the Canadiens have not had in the last two seasons. Max Pacioretty, assuming he recovers from his injury in time to participate in camp, will also add those same qualities to the offense with his 6' 2", 203 pound frame. This signing should juice the offense, and should give the Canadiens more flexibility with their top two lines. Still, Cole is hardly a sure thing- prior to this season his last 20 goal campaign was in 07-08.

5. Tomas Kaberle-D- Carolina Hurricanes

No one believes that Tomas Kaberle is still the same offensive dynamo that he was a few years ago in Toronto. He was essentially a spectator during the Bruins' Cup run, and he only had 9 points in 24 games for the Bruins last season. Still, overall he put up 47 points, and should do a lot to a) improve the Hurricanes' powerplay, b) add a veteran presence to the locker room, and c) bolster the blue line. Even if he's not a game breaker anymore, Tomas Kaberle is a good signing. Though, in my opinion, the Hurricanes needed to do more at forward than they did at blue line, this is a signing that will both improve the defense and improve the offense.

Five Teams With The Best Off-Season Moves

The off-season is never particularly fun for fans of any sport. However, there is something to be said for the excitement of off-season transactions and signings. This summer, a lot of teams seemed content to sit back and maintain their previous rosters. Nevertheless, there were a few moves that raised eyebrows and seriously shook up rosters. Here are the five teams with best off-season moves:



5. Minnesota Wild

Minnesota seriously struggled to score goals during the 2010-11 campaign. As a result, the additions of Dany Heatley and Devin Setoguchi have to be seen as great acquisitions for the Wild. Both players are top six offensive forwards, and Dany Heatley has the potential to pot 40 goals when he's playing like himself. These additions are made even better by the fact that they cost relatively little. Dany Heatley was traded in a one for one transaction with Martin Havlat. I don't care what your opinion of Martin Havlat or Dany Heatley is, there is no denying that that is an upgrade for the Wild. To get Setoguchi the Wild had to give up Brent Burns, however they also received Charlie Coyle and a first round pick in the deal. With these two moves, the Wild really boost their offensive prospects for the coming season. Putting Heatley with Koivu on the first line, and Setoguchi with Bouchard on the second line could potentially yield a dangerously deep offense for this season. Good moves, but the Wild will still need to do more to move beyond a seventh or eighth seed at best.


4. Washington Capitals

The Capitals needed to improve the grit, work ethic, and defensive prowess of the roster this year. They did a lot to change the culture by letting free agents Matt Bradley and Boyd Gordon walk. Trading center Eric Fehr also helped remove some of the cancer of previous years' failures. The Caps improved their goaltending situation by brining in veteran stud Tomas Vokoun, and parting ways with perennially injured question mark Semyon Varlamov. New additions Joel Ward and Troy Brouwer bring speed and grit to the forward position (thought they overpaid for Ward), while Roman Hamrlik could be a good veteran presence both on the ice and off it. I personally think that Hamrlik is a slow, slightly washed up defenseman that lacks toughness, but his presence may do a lot to help youngsters Karl Alzner and John Carlsson. The addition of Jeff Halpern adds depth at center, and should help with face-offs. However, his presence does not do enough to improve the situation at second pivot. If Marcus Johansson doesn't make a big jump, the Capitals offense may sputter once again without anybody to anchor the second line.

2. Los Angeles Kings

They gave up a lot for him, but the acquisition of Mike Richards has the potential to vault the Kings into being legitimate Cup contenders. Gritty winger Wayne Simmonds and smooth, skilled prospect Brayden Schenn are both gone from the organization, yet in their place the Kings have a 1-2 punch at center that is going to be very dangerous. Furthermore, they upgraded at left wing by shipping out Ryan Smyth and signing sniper Simon Gagne who, despite coming off of a slow season, has the potential to score 30+ goals this season either on a line with Anze Kopitar or Mike Richards. Colin Fraser, if healthy, might also improve the team's defensive depth at forward, yet I would not count on his health, personally.

2. Columbus Blue Jackets

Like the Kings, the Blue Jackets made off-season moves that significantly altered their identity as an organization. Though they're not contenders just yet, the acquisitions of Jeff Carter, James Wisniewski, and Vinny Prospal bring serious legitimacy to the Blue Jackets' playoff hopes this year. Carter is a solid goal scorer and he's going to complement star winger Rick Nash very well. Wisniewski will stabilize the blue line, and improve the powerplay significantly once he starts to quarterback it. Vinny Prospal adds a veteran presence that will improve the culture of the locker room, and the powerplay. All in all, Columbus' offense and special teams will look much improved. Thus, although the Kings' moves are arguably more significant, Columbus deserves to tie for the number two spot due to the magnitude of the moves. It's been a long time since big names have been in Columbus.

1. Florida Panthers

Tomas Fleischmann, Jose Theodore, Kris Versteeg, Sean Bergenheim, Ed Jovanovski, Marcel Goc, Scottie Upshall, Matt Bradley, and Brian Campbell all came into the fold this summer for the Panthers. That's nine new players, all of whom will most likely make the final roster for the regular season. Though the team may not be a Cup contender (or even a playoff team) these moves make Florida significant for the first time in years. They overpaid for some (Scottie Upshall- 3 years, $14 million??????), yet the value of adding this many players can't be understated. If the Panthers can scrape together some wins this season, and if youngsters Erik Gudbranson and Jacob Markstrom prove to be the real deal (assuming they make the roster), this could mean big things for the future of the Panthers. Add in the draft that the organization is coming off of, things could finally be looking up for the Florida Panthers....emphasis on could.