Any free-agent guesses?

[Unregistered]

Does anybody have any hunches where guys like Hatcher, Fedorov, Selanne, Robitaille, and others might end up? Last time Selanne was said to be leaning toward Dallas, but re-signed with the Sharks. Anyone thinks Dallas has a prayer of landing him this time? Also heard that the Kings might make him an offer. It'd be interesting to get peoples' perspectives on where they think some of the higher profile free-agents will end up.

[TDHarvey9]

Selanne likes the California life-style, So he will try San Jose, Anaheim, LA first and thoroughly.

I simply can't see Fedorov going anywhere else, he refused 10mil a year offers from Detroit, he is nuts? nobody, say the Rangers will pay 11mil+ a year, and not even the rangers will pay alot this time around. In the end I think Fedorov will eventually see the light and go back to Detroit, for 10 mil.

you see, the league wants a salary cap, and players will fight it, but if a salary cap is issued several teams are f*cked. I keep hearing figures like 35million - 45million dollars per team. just think of the salarys teams like Detroit, Toronto, New York R, St.Louis, etc have right now? Nobody wants to increase their payroll any large amount. Can you say salary dump? I knew you could.

[Unregistered]

I don't know if Anaheim will be able to afford Teemu! Remember that they have to qualify Kariya and negotiate new contracts with Sykora and Giguere--and J.S. will (and deservedly so) command a substantial pay raise! I've heard that the Kings could make an offer to Selanne, but with them pleading supposed poverty I don't know if they'll have a satisfactory offer to him. Not sure if Teemu really enjoyed playing in SJ. I know Wilson, his old coach, is back there now, but would that be enough to get him to say?

Fedorov has been making noises that he'd play in Los Angeles for less than what the Wings offered, but once again I think the Kings are too cheap when all is said and done. Robitaille might be a nice fit back with the team he wants to play for, but only as a special situations kind of guy. He's a defensive liability and I know that's what drove Andy Murray nuts when he coached him in L.A. before.

Where will Hatcher end up? Anaheim needs toughness, but probably can't fit him into the budget. I could see him as a Devil, but they've got a history of not being overly extravagant when paying their players as well. This CBA thing is really muddying the free-agent picture this offseason!

[GrasValley]

Selanne is a complete unknown at this point. Now that Anaheim put Kariya into Group III Selanne probably won't be going to Anaheim. Can Anaheim afford Selanne, Kariya, and Jean-Sebastian? If Kariya leaves the Ducks I'm positive that Selanne won't be joining them. As for San Jose, Teemu never had his heart there and never will, the Sharks finally figured that out and seem to have given that up. LA refuses to acquire anybody with a salary so he probably won't go there. Teemu just may have to kiss his California life-style good-bye.

I think Group V free agent Todd Marchant is going to capture some pretty good offers from San Jose and Phoenix, but he'll probably re-sign with Edmonton.

Robitaille will probably end up in L.A. Due to his lack of production this last season, his salary may be lowered and LA can take him back.

Hatcher will go to New Jersey. There seems to be a large flow of Stars becoming Devils. For example: Jamie Langenbrunner, Joe Nieuwendyk, and Grant Marshall.

Federov isn't going anywhere.

[Unregistered]

I think that Fedorov is all but gone from Detroit. Don't think that the Devils want to have millions and millions tied up in defensemen. I just thought of this... I wonder if Paul and Teemu would both want to rejoin their old coach in SJ at a discount? The Sharks had an off-year last season, but if Teemu comes back and motivated because he's playing with his old pal for his old coach again...

[mario98]

Derian Hatcher will sign with the Red Wings

Luc Robitaille will sign with the Kings

Teemu Selanne will sign with the Ducks if somehow they can get Kariya back, if not he will go back to San Jose or maybe the Kings

Todd Marchant will hopefully stay in Edmonton but i see him signing with the Rangers

Greg de Vries hopefully to the Leafs

I'm also hearing Joe Nieuwendyk to the Leafs because he wants to finsh his career there and play with his good freind Gary Roberts

Felix Potvin probaly will sign with Colorado

Sergei Fedorov will test the market then probaly go back to Detroit unless someone steps up (cough, cough The Rangers) and gives him more money than he deserves

[Sweden]

Oh lord


Kariya and Selänne both signed with the AVS.......


Quite a offensive lineup there now

Sakic,Forsberg,Hejduk,Tanguay and now also Kariya and Selänne

that´s scary


Hatcher also signed with the Wings

[GrasValley]

What's left on the market? With Marchant, Selanne, and Kariya out there isn't much the rest of the NHL can do to try to compete with the Avs. There are still a few solid players up for grabs like Ray Whitney and Cliff Ronning, but the superstars are gone. Federov is still there but you have to overpay by a few million to get him. Is it even fair to have Sakic, Selanne, Forseberg, Kariya, and Hejduk. I've seen All-Star line-ups that aren't as good as that. This year is going to be dominated by Colorado and Detroit no matter where anybody else goes.

[TDHarvey9]

I am still not conviced on the avs until they solve their goaltending problem. What really has my attention is Detroits Defensemen, Damn!

But what does Anaheim think now? Mr.Mighty Duck is gone, Oates and Nabokov are on the way out, and remember what happens to teams that have a miracle run to the cup final? they have a terrible year the next year.

[GrasValley]

Harvey is right. We've been telling you all for months that the Ducks would disappear and their band wagon fans would follow quickly.

[TDHarvey9]

It's what happened to the Hurricanes in the 01-02 season, they had a miracle run to the final, all of the sudden everyone was a carolina hurricanes fan, then the team collapsed the next year, most of those fans have totally dissappeared now.

there are some fans out there who appear to change teams as often as they change clothes.

I am a Leafs Fan, always have been, always will be. If they are 60-13-9 or 13-60-9.

So now the Ducks fans will dissappear, until next may when they become? .... ummm .... Panther fans! or Blue Jacket fans! or whoever the next cinderella is.

[GrasValley]

I got my money on Blue Jacket fans, but the Wild might steal the Bandwagoneers. I do know one thing; they won't be Duck fans!

[Unregistered]

I think that Anaheim losing Kariya will serve as a watershed point of the franchise. Every single time his contract came up for renewal he made it a contentious affair, putting his own interests ahead of the team. And I wonder how respected he actually was as a captain? Who came to his aid when Stevens cleaned his clock in the finals? Who came to his aid when Gary Suter nearly decapitated him a few years ago? Anaheim will now build around Sykora, Rucchin, Giguere and Ozolinch. Even losing Kariya, they still have a deeper club than they did two or three years ago.

[mario98]

I was way off on Teemu Selanne and Paul Kariya i never saw that coming. Great Moves by Pierre Lacroix.

I was right about Derian Hatcher, good for the Red Wings

I like what Columbus did today with Todd Marchant I still say they gave him too much, but it will pay off for them

I know Sergei Fedorov will not sign with Detroit, but i have no idea where he will end up

Hopefully what i said before (Luc Robitaille to the Kings , Greg de Vries & Joe Nieuwendyk to the Leafs, and Felix Potvin to Colorado) will happen

3 way trade was great for all the teams

Buffalo: a great scorer in Chris Drury which they really needed and a good 3rd/4th line player in Steve Begin

Calgary: Steven Reinprecht a great 2nd line centre who can do it all and a soild defenceman in Rhett Warrener

Colorado: Keith Ballard a great young prospect


Overall Colorado Wins not just with Selanne & Kariya but with a great prospect in Ballard too.

[Unregistered]

I didn't see the Drury trade coming at all, but I think it works out well for everybody. I just hope that all the clubs will be on a little more equal footing once the dust has cleared from the negotiations of the next CBA!

[goaliefan]

why would a team waste all that money on free agents, I
cant think of one team that improved its play or won the
stanley cup after over paying for free agents?

[GrasValley]

The Avs certainly didn't overpay to get Selanne and Kariya. Each player took significant pay cuts. You must have an extremely short-term memory because Detroit won the Stanley Cup just a little more than a year ago after having signed a bunch of players from free agency. They certainly weren't the only team to have ever done so either.