So far, anyway, teams looking to dramatically improve this summer have largely flopped.
Many players changed places as free agents or in trades. Teams committed upwards of a half billion dollars in this project.
Let’s look at the evidence:
MONTREAL: Efforts to acquire Vincent Lecavalier failed. Instead, the Canadiens traded for under-productive playmaker Scott Gomez, pint-sized winger Brian Gionta and one-dimensional scorer Mike Cammalleri.
Are those three appreciably better than departing forwards Alex Kovalev, Alex Tanguay and Saku Koivu? And will newcomers Hal Gill and Jaroslav Spacek offset the loss of key defenseman Mike Komisarek?
This looks like a coin flip to Hockey Guy. If GM Bob Gainey can get Koivu back, then this off-season will move into the “plus” category.
TORONTO: General manager Brian Burke talked a big game, then didn’t deliver. He didn’t move up in the draft, as expected, and he whiffed on his major plays. So far, anyway, he has failed to make a blockbuster move with defenseman Tomas Kaberle for badly needed offensive help.
Komisarek and Grant Exelby will beef up his blue line, but the Maple Leafs will miss Pavel Kubina’s points. Colton Orr adds some beef up front, but Burke failed to woo the Sedin twins out of Vancouver. Blue Jackets power forward Rick Nash broke the hearts of Leaf fans by extending his deal in Columbus.
Burke is still trying to land Swedish goaltender Jonas Gustavsson, who would be a big get. And there is still talk of a blockbuster deal with San Jose. Burke will not rest easily.
NEW YORK RANGERS: Ditching Gomez’s contract was a plus, but adding injury-prone scorer Marian Gaborik was a huge gamble. The Eastern Conference is very physical. And where is the set-man man in the Rangers offense?
OTTAWA: Efforts to deal Dany Heatley failed. He nixed a trade to Edmonton and collected a $4 million roster bonus from the Senators. So what happens now?
CALGARY: Adding Jay Bouwmeester while subtracting Adrian Aucoin and Jordan Leopold was a plus, but which incumbent forward will replace Cammalleri’s goal-scoring?
DETROIT: Efforts to keep Marian Hossa failed. Then Mikael Samuelsson left for Vancouver. Ty Conklin left for the Blues, leaving young Jimmy Howard behind Chris Osgood. The Red Wings have other kids ready to step up, but Ken Holland might want to make a home-run play for Mats Sundin.
MINNESOTA: Efforts to woo Sako Koivu to play with his brother failed. The Wild did land Martin Havlat to replace Marian Gaborik, but that was a high-risk signing. Havlat isn’t a Gaborik-like finisher and his medical history is a huge concern, too.
On the other hand, these teams improved:
ATLANTA: Kubina and big center Nik Antropov aren’t high-end producers, but they are better than what the Thrashers had in their supporting cast. Atlanta is trying to lock in Ilya Kovalchuk and these two newcomers will at least help the power play.
NEW YORK ISLANDERS: Drafting John Tavares makes the team better. So does the addition of goaltender Dwayne Roloson, who replaces the injury-prone Rick DiPietro. This team is in the hunt for several of the remaining free agents, too.
CHICAGO: Marian Hossa offers an overall upgrade to Martin Havlat, who has been an injury-prone perimeter forward through most of his career. Hossa signed a cap-friendly contract, too, which should help the Blackhawks keep their core players. And Tomas Kopecky and checking center John Madden are solid additions. Coach Joel Quenneville will love Madden.
On the other hand, Kris Versteeg and Cam Barker didn’t receive their qualifying offers due to a bureaucratic snafu. If those two players are granted free agency, the Blackhawks will be hard-pressed to sign them to market-value deals.
LOS ANGELES: Power forward Ryan Smyth gives the Kings some needed heft on the power play. Rob Scuderi was a nice — albeit overpriced – addition to the blue line.
ST. LOUIS: Free-agent goaltender Ty Conklin was a critical addition. The team still needs to add another offensive defenseman – given Eric Brewer’s uncertain future – but buying Jay McKee created the flexibility to do that. Sergei Zubov would be a nice addition. Convincing collegiate defenseman Ian Cole to turn pro could also boost the blue line depth.
EDMONTON: The Oilers upgraded in goal, getting Nikolai Khabibulin to replace the departing Dwayne Roloson. Efforts to acquire Heatley failed, but Edmonton is still positioned to improve.
TAMPA BAY: The Lightning didn’t trade Lecavalier — at least not yet. By drafting offensive defenseman Victor Hedman and signing free agent Mattias Ohlund to tutor him, the team filled a glaring need. Now this team needs to get stronger in goal.
WASHINGTON: Losing Sergei Fedorov and Viktor Kozlov to Russia allowed the Capitals to add finisher Mike Knuble. And that team isn’t done shopping. What if Kovalev joined this show? How crazy would that be?