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NHL free agency, part 7
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This is part seven of a ten part, team by team analysis of the NHL's current crop of unrestricted free agents. I will give my opinion on each player and wether their team should keep them or not. These lists are up to date at the time of writing. Only players who saw significant playing time last season are included.
New York Islanders
Andy Hilbert - Keep. On a team that finished dead last in the NHL last season, keeping players around who are willing to shoot the puck. Hilbert's team leading 167 shots will be hard to replace at the bargain price Hilbert will get this off season.
Dean McAmmond - Let go. The Islanders can't go any lower than they finished last season, so they should consider going with mostly young talent. The second oldest player on the roster should find himself on the open market.
Mike Sillinger - Let go. With his age coupled with his ongoing hip problems last year, Sillinger will end up on the free agent market. Look for him to have a long wait.
Thomas Pock - Keep. Reliable young veterans like Pock will be a asset for the Islanders in the years to come. This signing will look bigger as the Islanders move up the standings.
Yann Danis - Keep. It's a bit of a toss up when it comes to the Islanders decision on Rick DiPietro's backup. Danis' save % and GAA were better, although Joey MacDonald had more wins. Danis should win the job. Save % and GAA will bring more wins as the Islanders offense improves.
Joey MacDonald - Let go. DiPietro isn't going anywhere for a while and with Danis looking to be a solid #2, MacDonald would be better off on the open market. There are several teams who are in need of goaltending who would be willing to give a reliable guy who had the knack of winning last season a try.
New York Rangers
Nik Antropov - Let go. This will be more of a cap move than anything else. The Rangers will be getting very close to the cap with the players they already have under contract for 2009-10. Antropov's 28 goal, 59 point season could be enough to earn him a raise that may be too steep for the Rangers to absorb without other roster moves.
Blair Betts - Let go. With the potential cap issues the Rangers face this year, they will need more value from their second tier of players.If Betts can step up his game, the Rangers may give him another look.
Colton Orr - Keep. Grit and toughness are things that never go out of style in the NHL. Getting that grittiness at a budget price will benefit the Rangers a lot this year.
Paul Mara - Keep. A very steady defenseman who had his best offensive production in the last four seasons. Mara will probably never reach the offensive heights that he reached in 2005-06, but he will be a valuable player for the Rangers this year.
Derek Morris - Keep. If the Rangers can avoid a bidding war, they might be able to bring Morris back for another year. Again, the Rangers need to be wary about the cap. As it is, the Rangers may want to consider bringing up a young prospect instead.
Ottawa
Mike Comrie - let go. Good news, Ottawa only has two UFA's that they have to worry about. The bad news is they are getting very close to the cap. To make things worse, keeping Comrie will only bring them that much closer to the cap. I can't see Comrie staying in Ottawa unless he takes significantly less than the $4 million he earned last year.
Chris Neil - Let go. If the Senators want to make any moves on the free agent market, they can't afford to pay over a million for a gritty forward. If they are concerned about keeping the gritty forward, then they will have to trade off somewhere.
Tomorrow I'll go over Philadelphia, Phoenix, and Pittsburgh.
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