NHL Winners and Losers

June 29, 2007 6:25pm CDT

The NHL free agency period is winding down. Most of the big names signed on opening day and there are only a handful of name players remaining. Now that the smoke is clearing, it's safe to declare a few winners and losers of free agency.

Most people would say the Rangers are the big winners based on the fact that they loaded up on star power by signing Scott Gomez and Chris Drury. And while I agree that the Broadway Blues helped themselves offensively, one can only wonder whether general manager Glen Sather even watched the Stanley Cup playoffs. The Ducks dominated the competition thanks mostly to the efforts of stud defensemen Chris Pronger and Scott Niedermayer. Gomez and Drury will help fill Madison Square Garden and the Rangers are sure to log plenty of points for fantasy owners, but defense wins championships.

Speaking of the Ducks, general manager Brian Burke did a tremendous job by signing Mathieu Schneider to serve as insurance just in case Niedermayer hangs up the skates. No one can replace Niedermayer on the blue line, but Schneider has been a productive player for years and fantasy owners can look forward to another point-filled season for the aging defenseman. The addition of Todd Bertuzzi was another gem move by Burke, who developed a good rapport with the big bruiser when both men were in Vancouver. Bertuzzi is essentially the prototypical Burke player in that he's a big power forward who can skate and move the puck. Although they lack Bertuzzi's mean streak, most of Anaheim's young forwards are Bertuzzi clones. Burke knows how to get the most out of players like Bertuzzi and I smell a bounceback season.

The Ducks may be playing host to the Stanley Cup right now, but they are not the biggest winners. Rather, the worst team in hockey last season actually takes home those honors. Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren did a spectacular job of rebuilding this struggling franchise by signing Daniel Briere and acquiring Scott Hartnell, Kimmo Timonen, Joffrey Lupol, and Jason Smith. The top line with Briere, Simon Gagne, and Mike Knuble should be among the most dangerous combinations in the league. I wonder if Knuble will continue to slip through the cracks during fantasy drafts now that he's skating with Briere.

There were two big losers during free agency. Obviously, the Sabres took major hits when they lost both Briere and Drury, but they are still loaded with enough young talent that fantasy owners shouldn't shy away from them. Contrarily, the Islanders finally appeared to be on the verge of becoming legit contenders before they failed to re-sign Jason Blake and Ryan Smyth. General manager Garth Snow rolled the dice when he acquired Smyth at the trade deadline last year. Obviously, he believed he could keep Mr. Canada in the fold, but he lost out when Joe Sakic stepped in and recruited Smyth to Colorado. The Islanders are trying to put a positive spin on the signings of Bill Guerin and Mike Comrie, but there's no way those two players will match the production of Blake and Smyth. It looks like its back to the drawing board for Snow.

The Bruins are also among the losers due to their inactivity. General manager Peter Chiarelli has been handcuffed due to the fact that he's been unable to unload Glen Murray and the $8.3 million he has remaining on his contract. To Chiarelli's credit, he finally found himself a goalie when he acquired Manny Fernandez from the Wild at a discount price. There is some buzz that the Bruins are planning to make a loaded offer to a Group 2 free agent such as Thomas Vanek or Zach Parise However, teams have the right to match any offer made to Group 2 free agents or receive a compensation package. I don't see it happening, but can you imagine the Sabres lost Briere, Drury, and Vanek during the same offseason? Note: Less than an hour after I posted this article, the Oilers signed Vanek to a seven-year, $50 million contract tender. The Sabres were given seven days to match the offer or accept four first-round draft picks as compensation. Team officials matched the offer almost immediately after it was made.)

Finally, Jeremy Roenick announced his retirement on Wednesday despite the fact that his only five goals shy of the 500-goal milestone. It would have been nice to see Roenick reach that milestone, but team officials from the Kings and Coyotes would be among the first people to say that J.R. should have hung up the skates two years ago. Fantasy owners won't even notice that he's gone aside from the fact that they are sure to hear him spouting off controversial comments as a broadcaster in the near future.