With all of the activity that Day #1 of free agency brought, NHL fans and commentators were left with little to cover today other than a recap of July 1's dealings. Oh, I almost forgot, we also saw Brad Richards choose a suitor, witnessed a half-hearted-almost-fooled-me phone interview with Jagr explaining how much he really "believes" in the Flyers (not the money, sure!), and a top-tier goalie in Vokoun head to the Caps for basically a job as a third goalie coach.
Did I say there was little to cover? My bad, there was enough left over to cover with the Richards deal alone. He's the proud new member of the New York Rangers, and another long-termed contract ($58.5 million over 9 years). Of course, no one is fooled by the cap hit ($6.5 million per year) since most of the money will be paid in the first few years. Most important of all, though, is the fact that the CBA was not breached. That's right, Brad and the Rangers did a good job dotting their "I's" and crossing their "T's"; well done ladies and gentlemen.
Now, there are a few things left to be determined such as the Rangers RFA outlook. Some might say there's little to no chance they are able to sign them all, but with a little over $16 million left I would say they've got a decent chance to land the most important guys. For a more in depth look at the Richards deal from a Ranger perspective, check my esteemed colleague Jim Cerny's blog here.
Some of the other business of the day included Simon Gagne to the Kings, Tim Connolly to the Leafs (next best choice after Richards), and Anthony Stewart to the Hurricanes. Detroit also sneakily added another established D-man in Ian White; got to love the consistency in Hockeytown. But, the most interesting deal of all was Vokoun to Capitals for one year and a measily $1.5 million.
I mean come on! Don't get me wrong, this is a great deal for Washington, and I congratulate them for being able to take advantage of the situation. But, Tomas could've easily landed a lot more money if he would've said yes to Tallon. Maybe he likes the way the Caps scored so much against his now former team, and feels he deserves a break from having to always play at an other than worldly level. There's one thing certain, however, Caps prospect goalie Braden Holtby will get another year to develop, and that's always good for a team's future. Neuvirth also has a veteran tender (and fellow Czech) to help drive him to the next level. Caps definitely made out like bandits in this deal and fill the middle of my list of today's winners.
Winner #1
New York Rangers
They sold their indentity as a team looking to rebuild from within, but signing the number one UFA is a great accomplishment. Again, I reference you to Jim Cerny's blog for further detail.
Winner #2
Washington Capitals
Even expecting Vokoun to stay seated after an offer like this would've been thought ludicrous a week ago. However, today is not a week ago, and the Caps did well with this signing. Looks like they're putting the pieces together on the Potomac.
Winner #3
Detroit Red Wings
It may not seem like much, but this is why the Wings are always in the playoffs. Ian White signing today adds another defenseman to their fold (Holland inked Mike Commodore yesterday), and helps keep the pressure off of their developing youngsters. Lidstrom, Stuart, and Kronwall are the core of this unit, and they alone are better than most NHL defensive squads. Cup contender, again, as usual.
Follow CapGeek.com for up to date UFA signings.
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