The Edmonton Oilers may not contend for the Stanley Cup next season, but if they do, it may be with a team built around Taylor Hall, 18, taken No. 1 overall last week in NHL's draft.
Free agency opens today at 11 a.m. (St. Louis time) around the league, and the kickoff to the frenzy remains the highlight of the summer for many fans, with Ilya Kovalchuk being this year's main attraction. But six years after the NHL installed a salary cap, the entry draft in June is becoming more of a key date on the hockey calendar than July 1.
The last two Stanley Cup winners — Chicago and Pittsburgh — each won with rosters built on draft day, not the first day of free agency.
Patrick Kane, the No. 1 overall pick in 2007, netted the Cup-winning goal for the Blackhawks, while Jonathan Toews, the No. 3 overall pick in '05, was named the playoff MVP.
Two years ago, the Penguins' championship roster was littered with homegrown talent, including Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Jordan Staal and Marc-Andre Fleury.
The architect of Chicago's youthful resurgence, Dale Tallon, is now the general manager in Florida. Last week, in only his second month on the job, Tallon was being lauded as the GM of the year after loading up the Panthers with three first-round picks and 13 picks in all.
"I don't care how old you are or where you're from," Tallon said. "Everyone is going to get an equal opportunity to play for the Florida Panthers next year. If you're 18 and make our team ... great!"
As much of a talent influx as the NHL draft is becoming, though, the truth is free agency always will reign supreme because of fans' familiarity with the star attractions.
New Jersey's Kovalchuk, a left winger, is that player this summer, for the simple fact that he has 338 career goals, 604 points and just turned 27 in April. Kovalchuk netted 41 goals last season, one of only seven players in the NHL to reach the 40-goal plateau.
The No. 1 overall pick from 2001, he reportedly turned down a 12-year, $101 million contract from the Atlanta Thrashers before being traded to New Jersey. The Devils aren't expected to re-sign Kovalchuk before today, putting him on the market.
While some might see it as the perfect time for Kovalchuk to hit free agency, others see it as an inopportune time because of the limited number of suitors.
The salary cap will leap to $59.4 million in 2010-11, up from $56.8 million last season. Despite a nearly $3 million jump, many teams remain cash strapped.
The Blues are one of few teams rumored to be in the Kovalchuk sweepstakes because they're one of the few teams in the league with room under the cap. The club, however, has insisted that it will stick to its model of building from within, which has worked for clubs such as Chicago, Pittsburgh and elsewhere.
In Tampa Bay last season, Steven Stamkos, the No. 1 overall pick in 2008, scored 51 goals, tying for the league lead with Crosby. Stamkos made $875,000, plus bonuses.
In other words, teams know they can get veteran-like production from recent draft picks and at a fraction of the cost. The maximum salary for a 2010 draft pick will be $900,000, plus bonuses.
With that in mind, Edmonton took Hall No. 1 overall last week and tried to pry the No. 2 pick away from Boston, but to no avail.
"I think any deal made for a first-round pick is very expensive and costly," Oilers GM Steve Tambellini said. "I don't know if depth in the free-agent market is a reason, but ... maybe you can solve a problem (in the draft) rather than wait until July 1 and go through the process of a bidding war."
The free-agent market, for many teams, is being used as a way of filling holes in the lineup, rather than filling seats.
A year ago, the Chicago Blackhawks signed one of the top free agents on the market, Marian Hossa, to a 12-year, $62.8 million contract. Hossa scored 24 goals and had 51 points in 57 regular-season games, adding three goals and 12 assists in 22 playoffs games.
The 'Hawks won the Stanley Cup, but now Hossa's contract is one of many that has handcuffed the club this offseason. The club already has parted ways with Dustin Byfuglien, Brent Sopel, Ben Eager and more deals could be coming.
And guess how Chicago plans to retool?
"We have to build through the draft," Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman said. "You saw we had to move some guys out of here that we really didn't want to, but that's what happens with the (salary) cap. You have to have young guys come up and replace those players."
Today Chicago. Tomorrow, Edmonton. It's possible.
