NHL Free Agency

Well the flood gates opened at 12 noon today. Players are getting snatched up as the rumors contine to swirl. Marion Hossa signed a 12 year $62.8M deal today with the Chicago Blackhawks. Mike Knuble signed with the Washington Capitals with a 2 year $5.6M deal. Nikolai Khabibluin rolled up a 4 year $15M deal with the Edmonton Oilers. 3 big names signing within hours after the market opened. Lets look at them one by one.

Hossa: Despite the hate that Penguins fans have of him, and the poor preformance during the Stanley Cup playoffs (escpecially the finals) Hossa is an A-list forward. The Blackhawks, who were already a Cup contender, are a serious threat to Detroit Red Wings in the Central Division and in the Western Conference. They have a ton of young talent that is only going to get better, and now have a verteran presence that can score from anywhere. He also has playoff experience including 2 stanley cup finals. Hossa is 30 now and should be 43 when the contract expires.

Knuble: This signing does not create the same waves that the Hossa deal did, but Knuble is a solid pickup. Knuble adds a veteran calming to this team that lost its composure and a 2-0 lead against Pittsburgh in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. If Varlamov plays like he did in the series against the Penguins, you can pencil them in for a Southeast Division Title and a top 3 seed in the playoffs again. Perhaps the NHL will get the hard-on they have wanted and have Caps-Pens in the Eastern Conference Finals next May.

Khabibulin: The former Conn Smythe Trophy winner moves north of the border to try and make a run with the Oilers. He is no longer a top 5 goalie, but is still very solid. The Oilers are a good defensive team and will benefit to have a consistent person in net.

There are still significant free agents out there and a few big names on the trading block. Vincent Lecavalier and Danny Heatley are both looking to move their rather large contracts to new teams via trade. Interesting names still on the free agent market include: Marian Gaborik (who apparently just purchased a house in Vancouver), Rob Scuderi, Nik Antropov, Martin Biron, Ruslan Fedotenko, Jiri Hudler, Milan Jurcina, Phil Kessel, Alexi Kovalev, Viktor Kozlov, John Madden, and Alex Tanguay. The signings will settle down into the weekend, but look for more big names to move around. The salary cap has finally started to rear its ugly head in the NHL.