Here is a list of all the signings that have happened since the beginning of free agency. Obviously there's tons of in-depth articles on NHL.com that are worth the read to get more details on the situations. Lots of moves have happened and many rosters are starting to truly take form. For example, Terry Pegula opened his wallet for the Buffalo Sabres and suddenly they seem like a team to watch out for. Dale Tallon had no choice but to start spending some dollars because his Florida Panthers were under the cap floor, and he's managed to add some pieces that could translate to some success for him. I hope. Lots of these guys signed for unreal numbers but that's what happens when the UFA class is weak. Less supply, same demand means someone is going to get a nice payday. Hey there Max Talbot, you got yourself a sweet payday. Its overpayment for sure but can't blame the man for cashing in. He's 27, this is probably his last chance a decent contract. Moving on....
The Capitals locked up Brooks Laich for 6 years and a cool $27 million for his services. He's a solid player and as we saw on 24/7 he is a true leader on that team. Even in an overpayment market for UFA's, he was going to get a solid deal for his leadership qualities. It was really a question of if he wanted to stay with the Capitals or leave.
The Caps traded goalie Semyon Varlamov to the Colorado Avalanche, where he is expected to be their number one guy. Colorado added Jean-Sebastien Giguere who is a former Conn Symthe winner to back up and mentor the young gun. This is a great move for them and if Varlamov can stay healthy, he should be able to have a decent career in the NHL. It seems that Washington is going to roll with the tandum of Michael Neuvirth as the starter and Braden Holtbly as the back up. For now. Anything goes in the D.C. so nothing can really be a shocker at this point. The fact that they acknowledged a rotation of 3 goalies won't win a Cup was the first step in acceptance. (Edit- The Capitals have signed Tomas Vokoun to a one year deal after I wrote this originally. I would guess that Neuvirth is the starter, Vokoun the back up and Holtby gets the start in Hershey. At least that's how I see it.)
The crown Prince of free agency 2011 was Brad Richards and he has taken his talents to Broadway. Not totally shocked to be honest. It's rumored he left some money on the table to play for John Tortorella again, but after the Rangers bought out former Captain Chris Drury's contract, this seemed like a move they would make. If they hadn't bought out Drury, I'm not sure this would have happened. For 9 years and $60 million, Richards should be set for quite some time. Good for the Rangers. Hopefully this one contract that won't bite them in the ass because they have a recent trend of some serious screw-ups in that department.
The Flyers continued to dismantle their team by sending Kris Versteeg to the Panthers for draft picks. The Panthers also picked up a former Predator, Flyer, Coyote, and Bluejacket in Scottie Upshall. He's 28 and hasn't stuck with one team for a decent amount of time which is kind of baffling. He's a good player with lots of upsides to him so hopefully the Panthers are the answer for him.
Raffi Torres came within a game of raising the Stanley Cup to heading to the desert dogs of Phoenix for a 2 year deal. Talk about a change in every possibly way. He went from the Stanley Cup to a team that could be moved to another city after this season. Guess the unknown is better in his world? At least he'll have nice weather for at least one season.
Steven Stamkos still hasn't gotten a deal done. I wonder what is it that's stopping this from getting done already. Money, years, combination of both? He's 21 and already considered a top 5 player in this league so get him signed already Tampa Bay.
Speaking of years and terms for contracts, few players are truly ever worthy of a long-term, high priced contract. The names of players you pay that type of cash to are the big boys. The ones that are expected to deliver and then go and above and beyond their expectations. Few players are ever really worth banking your entire future on and when you have them, you bow down and do it. Since the fallout of Jagr and Pittsburgh, and Jagr saying other teams had more on the table (really, who the KHL?), many people have realized Jagr's ego is still in tact and Philly fans seem to be having a hard deciding if this was a good or bad move. They seem to be expecting him to shoulder a serious work-load, but today Jagr said he has no expectations for what he can really bring. There's some confidence if I ever heard it. More and more I'm glad he isn't back in Pittsburgh.
A reporter from Pittsburgh actually pointed out some interesting money facts on twitter that I have to pass along on here about Crosby versus Jagr. The league max for a players' yearly salary is $10 million. Crosby in 2007 signed his first post entry-level contract (where he made less than a million a year) to a deal through the 2012-2013 season that pays him $8.7 million annually (not obsessed with the number 87 whatsoever). He left $1.3 million on the table to continue playing for the Penguins and to ensure that there was some room to surround him with talented players to win a Cup. The money he left on the table annually is the difference that Jagr took to sign with the Flyers. He claims there were other teams with more money offered but I doubt any where in the NHL. It's interesting to also note that the $1.3 million is about 1% of all the money Jagr has already made playing hockey in the NHL alone. He says it wasn't money but the numbers prove that money actually doesn't matter to Crosby, who wanted to be sure he had teammates to win with. I think for his next contract we can probably expect him to leave some money on the table again to stay with the Penguins. Funny how actions really do speak louder than words.
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