Sports

NHL free agency winners and losers 2014

Brady Stark
Team Member

here was a plethora of NHL signing

when the gates of free agency opened
on July 1. Of course, when a signing frenzy
happens in any sport, there is the chance
to analyze which signings were gems and
which ones looked like a monkey took over
the teams’ boardroom and threw random
names at numbers to see which ones
stuck--otherwise called the Mike Milbury
strategy. Here are some winners and losers
of this year’s free agency.

Winners

1) Toronto Maple Leafs and David Booth.
The Leafs got one of the bargains of the
market by getting Booth for only 1 million.
Despite the small points that he put up
in Vancouver, it was the huge price-tag
that drove the Canucks to buy him out.
"Captain Tunnel Vision" can use his
blazing speed in the more open Eastern
conference. The Maple Leafs will be able
to fill the void left by Mason Raymond
while saving a few dollars as well.

2) Anaheim Ducks and Dany Heatley. This
signing has to be the most intriguing one
of the summer. If Dany Heatley can get
back to even a modicum of what he was

a few years ago, the Ducks will have the
most potent offense in the league. Just
imagine a powerplay with Getzlaf, Perry,
and Heatley up front with Kesler and
Fowler creating plays from the back-end.
Somewhere in New York, you can hear
Pierre McGuire saying "Monster Powerplay
by the Ducks." As for Heatley himself,

this is probably his last chance to prove
that he can be a difference maker before
he fades into the horizon. Either way you
look at this contract, the small risk is
definitely worth the high possible reward.

3) Montreal Canadiens and Manny

Malhotra. The leadership that Manny
brings to the locker-room alone makes
Montreal a huge winner. Montreal is
not the only winner in this contract;
Manny himself gets another chance

to prove himself to the critics who say
his eye is too injured to play hockey at
this competitive level. This move gives
Montreal the tactical offensive advantage
and gives Manny a new chance in one
of the best sport markets in the world.

Losers

Like Lex Luthor to Superman, Red Skull
to Captain America, and Shredder to
the Ninja Turtles, every good guy needs
their archenemy. This year’s

Free Agent Frenzy was
no different as there
were just as

many bad contracts handed out as
there were good ones. Here are the
worst contract signings this summer.

1) The Calgary Flames and Mason
Raymond. Anyone who has ever seen
Raymond play will tell you the same thing:
that guy is really fast. Unfortunately
for Raymond, his speed is no longer
a secret, which was shown in his last
year with the Canucks. Fastback to last
season with the Maple Leafs: Raymond
put up solid numbers on an ultimately
underachieving squad. So why is Calgary
a loser by signing him? Two reasons.
First, Mason Raymond can only do well
in the wide open environment that is
the Eastern Conference. His
speed was a killer for the
slower defensemen of
Philadelphia

and Tampa Bay. The second reason is
how much they paid him. The Flames
decided to give him $3.2 million per year
for the next three years. Usually, players
have to prove themselves a little more
before getting a contract like that.

2) Ottawa Senators and David Legwand.
This signing is a result of the Ottawa
Senators realizing that they had too much
money and no one to give it to. David
Legwand was in the fortuitous position
of being the only player that wanted

to go to Ottawa and collect the said
mounds of money. The Ottawa Senators’
reasoning for giving Legwand a look in
the first place is because his speed is
still a factor. When it all boils down it,
this signing was a desperation act on the
part of the Senators and a cash grab for
Legwand before he hangs up the skates.

3) New Jersey Devils and Mike Cammalleri:
This contract is one that really could go
either way. On one hand, throwing $5
million a year for five years at a forward
that maxes out at 70 points per season

” seems a little insane, but if that guy can

boost the locker-room while still putting
up substantial points, then the deal looks
good. Here’s where things go downhill.
The Devils are still reeling from losing
Zach Parise to the Minnesota Wild, and
therefore are trying to fill the void with
any skilled player that they can get their
hands on. Cammalleri is a gifted playmaker
and can also put the puck in the back

of the net, but he was mediocre in the
Eastern Conference before. While he was
on the Montreal Canadiens, Cammalleri
was constantly victimized by the younger
and faster player on the likes of Pittsburgh
and Boston. This contract may look fairly
decent in the first year or two, but as time
goes by, management and critics alike will
look back on this deal as a definitive loss.