In recent years, the days leading up to the July 1 opening of the free-agent signing window have been ripe with rumor and speculation. Fans have intently watched the high-dollar cat-and-mouse game between players and team execs play out right before their eyes.
With the possible return of Dominik Hasek to Detroit, Curtis Joseph could be on the move.
This summer, despite the league's shifting economic landscape (in which clubs are cutting back in an effort to gain more financial flexibility), there's still a whole lot to keep an eye on.
The biggest stories of the early summer have come out of Hockeytown, where Red Wings GM Ken Holland is waging a financial battle on several fronts. First, he must straighten out his suddenly overcrowded crease. Dominik Hasek's pending decision to return to the NHL after retiring last June (remember, Hasek does like to change his mind) has caused quite a stir in Detroit, where current stopper Curtis Joseph still has two years remaining on the three-year, $24-million deal he signed last July. Hasek's decision has placed Holland in the unpleasant position of having to move Joseph. To do so, he might have to eat a portion Joseph's remaining contract, likely $2 million per season.
The Flyers, Rangers and Bruins would be the most likely suitors for Joseph, who couldn't have imagined this scenario when he left the Leafs. If Rangers GM Glen Sather can make a deal for Joseph -- who played for Sather in Edmonton -- he'd likely have to deal his current goalie, Mike Dunham.
The Wings will certainly exercise their option on Hasek, who is scheduled to make $8 million next season. If they failed to meet that obligation, Hasek would become a free agent and could sign with the conference-rival Avalanche -- not a happy thought for anyone in Motown. Because they'll likely lose some money in a Joseph deal, the club would like Hasek to take some kind of deferred payment package. That can be negotiated.
The motive for Hasek's return remains unclear. Perhaps he needs the money. Perhaps he just wants to play again. Or maybe he just got tired of pounding in-line hockey opponents back in his native Czech Republic. Whatever the reason, Hasek's return will create a domino effect in creases around the league. It probably won't help free agent goalies Felix Potvin or Jeff Hackett find prime-time gigs. And who knows what it does for Sean Burke, Manny Fernandez and Nikolai Khabibulin, who've each been rumored to be available for the right price.
Of course, the Hasek/Joseph goalie chaos isn't the only entree on Holland's crowded plate. He's also trying to work out new contracts with some key players, including centers Steve Yzerman and Sergei Fedorov.
Expect Yzerman to get a new deal -- it just might take a few extra days for both sides to agree on exact terms. Fedorov, however, might not be back. The Russian-born star walked away from a five-year, $50 million dollar offer -- personally delivered by team owner Mike Ilitch -- last November. Fedorov contends he didn't turn the offer down, rather, he asked for time to deal with some personal issues (which included a change of agents). Since then, the economic climate of the league has changed. Thus, the Wings retracted the offer and gave Fedorov a revised proposal of $40 million over four years. When Fedorov, through his new agent, Pat Brisson, was unmoved by the new offer, the club took it off the table.
At this point, Holland and Brisson continue to negotiate, but neither side seems too optimistic for a quick resolution. It will be interesting to see what kind of offers Fedorov will receive if he hits the open market. In the current environment, he might have limited options. Of course, as every GM will say, a player only needs one good offer. And Fedorov can probably afford to wait for the best deal.
Holland certainly isn't the only GM with some decisions to make. In New York, Sather continues to search for a coach. On Wednesday, Devils advisor Larry Robinson pulled his name out of contention after realizing he wasn't a good fit for the Rangers. It was a smart decision by Robinson, who doesn't belong anywhere near that mess.
Sather contends that he's talked to several other candidates. But with just one season left on the current CBA and a long work stoppage in the cards, there are just two viable options. The first, and most likely, would be to continue coaching. Sather finished the season behind the bench after canning Bryan Trottier in January. If he doesn't want to coach, he should reach out to Herb Brooks, who backed away from the job last year. Brooks would like one more ride on the coaching roller coaster. And he's among the few guys who can coach the up-tempo game that Sather demands.
If Sather ever figures out the coaching situation, he can continue to pursue Capitals right winger Jaromir Jagr. A deal for Jagr, heavily rumored at the draft, still could happen under the right circumstances. Those circumstances being that the Caps either eat or take back some serious salary.
The Rangers are in the driver's seat on this deal. Caps' owner Ted Leonsis has grown disenchanted with his situation in Washington and would love to get out from under Jagr's huge contract, which still has five years, $55 million, plus a possible option year to go. (For the record, Leonsis did negotiate Jagr's deal.) If he really wants to move Jagr, Leonsis will have to accept one or more of the Rangers' problems -- he won't be getting any legitimate, reasonably priced players or prospects. Rather, it will be about getting rid of Jagr's contract.
While the Jagr talks drag on -- there's no timetable on a possible deal -- Sather also has to figure out what he's going to do about defenseman Brian Leetch, who is scheduled to hit the open market. Because Leetch loves New York, Sather figures he can get a hometown discount. If he doesn't, the contract talks could get a bit dicey. In the end, Leetch will probably stay put, but he would be a very nice fit just down the turnpike in Philadelphia.
The Flyers, though, might be eyeing another defender, Derian Hatcher. The Stars captain, a nasty, physical presence, would be a perfect Eastern Conference player. And, remember, Hatcher played a good chunk of his career for current Flyers bench boss Ken Hitchcock.
The Leafs, a weak defensive team that might have a few bucks to spend, could also take a run at Hatcher. Like Leetch, Hatcher likes his current surroundings. But if the Stars don't have the cash to re-sign him, Hatcher might not have a choice.
And, like many in this free agent class, Hatcher might have some time to make his decision. With fewer big-money teams looking to dive into the free-agent pool, the process might take a little more time. It probably won't be like last summer, when clubs closed monster deals with top free agents in a couple of days. A year later, those same teams are shopping those same players.
Strange? Definitely. Interesting? Always.
And, this year, it will only get more interesting between now and opening night.
ESPN.com
