Northeast Division 2008 Free Agency Preview

It is time to turn our attention to the Northeast Division as we look at what July 1st has in store for teams in the NHL. This is always an intriguing division and I don't expect that to change in 2008-09. Between coaching changes, playoff disappointments, and fan expectations every team in the Northeast has something to get fired up about this summer.

Boston Bruins

Pending UFA's:

• Alex Auld ($600,000)
• Glen Metropolit ($500,000)
• Bobby Allen ($500,000)
  

Pending RFA's:

• Petteri Nokelainen ($984,000)
• Mark Stuart ($942,000)
• Dennis Wideman ($600,000)
  

Cap $$$ Committed: $43.5 million
Notes: The Bruins don't have many holes to fill and they will enter next season with more or less the same roster as last season. That could be a good thing or a bad thing depending on who you ask. Getting Patrice Bergeron back should be a big boost for the Bruins. Looking beyond next season, the Bruins need to start coming up with a long term plan in net as Manny Fernandez and Tim Thomas are both going into the final years of their contracts.

Buffalo Sabres

Pending UFA's:

• Teppo Numminen ($2,600,000)
• Dmitri Kalinin ($2,250,000)
• Jocelyn Thibault ($760,000)
  
• Nolan Pratt ($550,000)
• Michael Ryan ($475,000)
  

Pending RFA's:

• Steve Bernier ($850,000)
• Paul Gaustad ($750,000)
• Dan Paille ($585,000)
  

Cap $$$ Committed: $37.8 million
Notes: The Sabres have a good group of young, talented forwards to work with, but their blue line is thin and they need to get Ryan Miller signed to a long term deal ASAP. John-Michael Liles would probably make a nice addition to their defensive corps and he could be had for less than what they offered Brian Campbell before they traded him to San Jose.

Montreal Canadiens

Pending UFA's:

• Michael Ryder ($2,950,000)
• Bryan Smolinski ($2,000,000)
• Patrice Brisebois ($700,000)
• Mark Streit ($600,000)
  

Pending RFA's:

• Mikhail Grabovski ($700,000)
• Andrei Kostitsyn ($612,000)
• Ryan O'Byrne ($590,000)
• Jaroslav Halak ($500,000)
  
• Josh Gorges ($495,000)
  

Cap $$$ Committed: $32.5 million
Notes: Michael Ryder is a goner, let's get that out of the way right from the get go. Beyond that, they need to take care of locking up all of their RFA's and they would be wise to take care of Mark Streit as he was a big part of what made their league leading power play tick. They are also rumored to be going after Mats Sundin in a big way, which would only serve to fuel what is already one of the league's nastier rivalries.

Ottawa Senators

Pending UFA's:

• Wade Redden ($6,500,000)
• Martin Lapointe ($2,400,000)
• Cory Stillman ($1,750,000)
• Mike Commodore ($1,300,000)
• Chris Kelly ($1,262,000)
• Shean Donovan ($925,000)
• Randy Robitaille ($625,000)
• Luke Richardson ($500,000)
  

Pending RFA's:

• Antoine Vermette ($1,075,000)
• Andrej Meszaros ($984,000)
• Brian McGrattan ($550,000)
  

Cap $$$ Committed: $28.8 million
Notes: In all likelihood the Ottawa Senators are going to be a very different looking team next season. They have a slew of UFA's and stand to lose most of them. Re-signing Chris Kelly should be a top priority for the Ottawa front office and they would be well served to bring back Stillman and Commodore if they can get them at the right price. Wade Redden is all but gone, but locking up Meszaros could help to ease that loss. Like seemingly every other team in the Northeast (except for the Habs) they need to come up with a plan in goal beyond 2008-09. Ray Emery will likely be bought out at any moment and Martin Gerber is too inconsistent to be a viable long term option for a team with realistic hopes of challenging for the Cup.

Toronto Maple Leafs

Pending UFA's:

• Mats Sundin ($5,500,000)
• Dominic Moore ($700,000)
• John Pohl ($475,000)
  

Pending RFA's:

• Matt Stajan ($950,000)
• Kyle Wellwood ($950,000)
  

Cap $$$ Committed: $38.7 million
Notes: Like the Bruins the Leafs have most of last season's roster under contract, and like the Bruins that may not be great news. The big story will be what happens with Mats Sundin. The Leafs will undoubtedly do all they can to bring him back, but will he reverse his stance of wanting to remain a Leaf and head to Detroit or Montreal? The Leafs also have a lot of good buyout candidates in Darcy Tucker, Andrew Raycroft, and even Bryan McCabe. The Leafs may be forced to take a few steps back this offseason in order to begin the rebuilding process under new coach Ron Wilson.

Claude Julien Slams Devils Fans

With the Red Sox playing Game 2 of the World Series at Fenway and Boston College playing a big Thursday night game against Virginia Tech, the Boston Bruins played a home game in an arena that was more than half empty. Bruins head coach Claude Julien's response:

"You have to remember, I came from New Jersey so I am used to this."

Slam! You have to know that Julien was just saving that one all night and couldn't wait to get the press around a stick it to the Devils. Looks like Claude Julien isn't afraid of burning bridges, eh?

I just wish Blackhawks center Yanic Perreault had commented on the attendance. Just imagine how he could finish the sentence, "You have to remember, I played in Nashville so..."

O Hockeytown, Where Art Thou?

Enough is enough, it is time to strip Detroit of its (undeserved?) Hockeytown title. I never liked the whole Hockeytown thing to begin with, especially since the Red Wings bestowed the title on themselves. Shouldn't something like that be voted on? Well that's just what we're going to do! We're going to choose a new Hockeytown right here and now.

The nominees:

• Buffalo - Plenty of teams in the NHL are having attendance issues these days, some even failing to sell out home playoff games (yes, I'm looking at you Detroit). Well the Sabres not only sell out their games, they also packed the area outside the arena with fans to watch the game going on inside projected onto a big screen. How many teams could pull that off? The Sabres were also named the best franchise in sports by ESPN not too long ago (for whatever that is worth). Buffalo is a strong choice to take on the mantle of Hockeytown, USA and probably has to be considered the favorite here.
  
• San Jose - Hidden on the west coast, I don't think most people realize what a good hockeytown San Jose is. But is it worthy of being Hockeytown? Sharks fans have come a long way. I remember being at the San Jose arena during the '93-'94 season to see the Sharks take on the Nordiques and someone sitting behind me asking the person they were with if the Nords were an expansion team. Well the Sharks have carried on and now their fans are (for the most part) as knowledgeable as they are loud, and that is saying something. If you don't think San Jose belongs on this list, take in a playoff game at the "Shark Tank" and then get back to me.
  
• Chicago - This may turn out to be an optimistic choice on my part, but I think Chicago is in for a hockey renaissance. The team is loaded with young talent and the team and fans both seem eager to put the Bill Wirtz experience behind them. They're even getting home games on TV now! Seriously though, I don't think there is any doubt Chicago is back on the hockey map.
  
• Minneapolis/St. Paul - In very Red Wing-esque fashion, the Wild have declared Minnesota the "State of Hockey". They are pretty much right though so I'll let it slide. As far as hockey goes, Minnesota is pretty much South Canada, and that's a good thing. The Wild's fanbase is as knowledgeable and passionate as it gets in the States. Of course I have to mention that they are on their second run with the NHL.
  
• Dallas - A surprise nominee to many I'm sure, but deserving nonetheless. I can say from first hand experience that going to a Stars game is as good as it gets. The arena is top notch and it has fans to match. It will always be Cowboys first in Dallas, that is just how things work here in Texas, but there is also a die hard Stars fanbase in Dallas that can't be matched. If you are a hockey fan, you owe it to yourself to take in a Stars home game. Just don't expect to sit down a whole lot. A definite dark horse in this contest, Dallas may just get my vote.
  
• Detroit - I'll give the incumbent a chance to defend its title here, but I don't think it deserves it any more (if it ever truly did). I have a hard time calling somewhere Hockeytown when you've got empty seats for home playoff games. I think Wings fans in general have grown a bit tired of the same-old same-old from the Wings and are a bit apathetic at this point. I could be wrong, but I doubt it.
  

Just missed the cut:

• Pittsburgh- The Pens have as rabid a fanbase as you will find, but I can't bring myself to put Pittsburgh on the list when they're less than a year removed from almost losing the team.
  
• Denver - The Avalanche have a great track record since relocating from Quebec. I just don't see them at the level as some of the teams above. Denver sort of strikes me as Dallas-lite.
  
• Boston - A great hockeytown to be sure, but the Bruins are an afterthought on the Boston sports scene.
  
• Nashville - Just kidding. The situation in Nashville is a joke/mess. Just move them to Kansas City already. Then in 5-10 years when that fails they can move to Hamilton.