Happy Canada Day
I guess it’s fitting that the free agent signing season in the NHL got underway today. Philly made the early headlines by signing Briere, but it was the Rangers who made the big splash this evening by signing not one, but two of the big-ticket free agents out there – Gomez and Drury. All three got big deals, not just in terms of dollar amounts but in length as well (is Briere really going to be an impact player in the 8th year of that contract?).
Predictably, there’s much venting online from Kings fans who thought that they should’ve been able to land at least one of those big 3 forwards. Rumors had Gomez going to the Kings early on, before the Rangers scooped him up. I’m thinking that the Kings were unwilling to hand out 6/7-year deals, even though they have the money. I have a feeling they’ll sign a couple of defensemen (Brad Stuart’s the recurring name) and maybe a second-line center, and hope that the goaltending comes together this year. I think that it’s the right move – they’re not one or two players away from being a serious contender – it’s more like they’ve got six or seven holes to fill right now. Regardless, I have a feeling that I’ll be scouting next year’s draft by November.
For the Rangers, however, this makes a lot of sense. There’s a lot of risk involved, but they’ve got a limited window to make a Cup run while Jagr is still in his prime. If they can get a top-flight defenseman or two during the year, and Lundqvist continues to turn into a true franchise goalie, they could do a lot of damage.
As for my own hockey adventures, I had my third clinic today and on Wednesday I’m starting a 13-week hockey camp. I’m getting more comfortable out there (I think my brain is starting to separate out the muscle memory for roller versus ice hockey). For some reason there were no games after our clinic today, so we got an extra half-hour of free ice to practice with. Three other skaters and I stayed on the ice until the Zamboni kicked us off.
