UFAs still left

[fzusher]

Here\'s the NHLers still available after yesterday\'s bonanza, using the fuller list from http://nhlfreeagents.fortunecity.com/free2009.html

Fs - top 6

SAKIC, JOE, (III)
AFINOGENOV, MAXIM, (III)
KOTALIK, ALES, (III)
KOIVU, SAKU, (III)
KOVALEV, ALEX (III)
TANGUAY, ALEX, (III)
COMRIE, MIKE, (III)
SYKORA, PETR, (III)
SUNDIN, MATS, (III)

Fs - top 9 with upside

BERTUZZI, TODD, (III)
WILLIAMS, JASON, (III)
PARRISH, MARK, (III)
CONNER, CHRIS, (VI)
SAMUELSSON, MIKAEL, (III)
ARMSTRONG, DEREK, (III)
CALDER, KYLE, (III)
FRITSCHE, DAN, (UFA)
VEILLEUX, STEPHANE, (III)
LANG, ROBERT, (III)
SHANAHAN, BRENDAN, (III)
HILBERT, ANDY, (III)
LINDSTROM, JOAKIM, (UFA)
FEDOTENKO, RUSLAN, (III)
SATAN, MIROSLAV, (III)
WILLIAMS, JEREMY (VI)
OUELLET, MICHEL, (III)
PYATT, TAYLOR, (III)

Fs - bottom 6 and depth

LARSEN, BRAD, (III)
MARCHANT, TODD, (III)
NIEDERMAYER, ROB, (III)
PERRIN, ERIC, (III)
SCHAEFER, PETER, (UFA)
AXELSSON, PER JOHAN, (III)
YELLE, STEPHANE, (III)
MOORE, DOMINIC, (III)
PETERS, ANDREW, (III)
LUNDMARK, JAMIE, (III)
NILSON, MARCUS, (III)
ROY, ANDRE, (III)
BAYDA, RYAN, (III)
MCCORMICK, CODY, (UFA)
ARNASON, TYLER, (III)
GUITE, BEN, (III)
WILLSIE, BRIAN, (III)
NOVOTNY, JIRI, (UFA)
GRATTON, CHRIS, (III)
MALHOTRA, MANNY, (III)
PECA, MICHAEL, (III)
YORK, MICHAEL, (III)
LUNDQVIST, JOEL, (III)
MORRISON, BRENDAN, (III)
DOWNEY, AARON, (III)
MCCARTY, DARREN, (III)
PELTONEN, VILLE, (III)
KOLANOS, KRYSTOFER, (III)
KOSTOPOULOS, TOM, (III)
BONK, RADEK, (III)
NICHOL, SCOTT, (III)
ORTMEYER, JED, (III)
SILLINGER, MIKE, (III)
BELL, MARK, (III)
BETTS, BLAIR, (III)
ISBISTER, BRAD, (III)
GRATTON, JOSH, (UFA)
MURRAY, GARTH, (UFA)
MCGRATTAN, BRIAN, (III)
ZIGOMANIS, MICHAEL, (III)
HINOTE, DAN, (III)
GOC, MARCEL, (UFA)
PLIHAL, TOMAS, (UFA)
GRIER, MIKE, (III)
LEMIEUX, CLAUDE, (III)
MOEN, TRAVIS, (III)
ROENICK, JEREMY, (III)
BROOKBANK, WADE, (III)
PETTINGER, MATT, (III)
WARD, JASON, (III)
HOLLWEG, RYAN, (UFA)
HAMILTON, JEFF, (III)
MAY, BRAD, (III)

Ds - surefire top-4

BEAUCHEMIN, FRANCOIS, (III)
ZUBOV, SERGEI, (III)
MARA, PAUL, (III)

Ds - borderline top-4, likely top-6

SEIDENBERG, DENNIS, (III)
BACKMAN, CHRISTIAN, (III)
EMINGER, STEVE, (UFA)
BOYNTON, NICK, (III)
LEOPOLD, JORDAN, (III)
SCHNEIDER, MATHIEU, (III)
DE VRIES, GREG, (III)
MORRIS, DEREK, (III)
KALININ, DMITRI, (III)
MCKEE, JAY, (UFA)

Ds - offensive specialists

BERGERON, MARC-ANDRE, (III)
FOSTER, KURTIS, (III)
MURPHY, CORY, (III)

Ds - top shutdown specialists

TOLLEFSEN, OLE-KRISTIAN, (UFA)
CHELIOS, CHRIS, (III)

Ds - top-6, defensive specialists, and veterans on the slide

ERIKSSON, ANDERS, (III)
WARRENER, RHETT, (III)
SYDOR, DARRYL, (III)
SKOULA, MARTIN, (III)
BOUILLON, FRANCIS, (III)
BRISEBOIS, PATRICE, (III)
DANDENAULT, MATHIEU, (III)
ALBERTS, ANDREW, (III)
KLEE, KEN, (III)
BOUCHER, PHILIPPE, (III)
MCLAREN, KYLE, (III)

Ds - depth

HNIDY, SHANE, (III)
NUMMINEN, TEPPO, (III)
TJARNQVIST, DANIEL, (III)
CULLIMORE, JASSEN, (III)
GAUTHIER, DENIS, (III)
BELL, BRENDAN, (UFA)
WOYWITKA, JEFF, (UFA)
SEMENOV, ALEXEI, (III)
BROOKBANK, WADE, (III)
MALIK, MAREK, (III)
MELICHAR, JOSEF, (III)
NISKALA, JANNE, (III)
DAVISON, ROB, (III)
VAANANEN, OSSI, (III)

Gs - some starter potential

FERNANDEZ, MANNY, (III)
BIRON, MARTIN, (III)
NIITTYMAKI, ANTERO, (III)
LEGACE, MANNY, (III)
GERBER, MARTIN, (III)
JOSEPH, CURTIS, (III)
KOLZIG, OLAF, (III)

Gs - back ups

RAYCROFT, ANDREW, (III)
DUBIELEWICZ, WADE, (III)
STEPHAN, TOBIAS, (VI)
SABOURIN, DANY, (III)
WEEKES, KEVIN, (III)
DANIS, YANN, (III)
MACDONALD, JOEY, (III)
AUBIN, JEAN-SEBASTIEN, (III)
SANFORD, CURTIS, (III)
JOHNSON, BRENT, (III)

[woodrow]

Excellent summary. Thanks. +1 to you.

[duballstar014]

I\'ll take Malholtra and/or Moen to Philly please!

[duballstar014]

For the record, I\'m picking Tanguay to Colorado.

[fzusher]

Updated.

I am picking Minny, together with Saku.

Malhotra? Zigomanis replacement (i.e., face/off specialist) in Pittsburgh.

Moen, at 27, Toronto (though really, MTL should take him as a Kostopolous replacement)

[DieHardWingsFan]

That would be cool if Detroit got KOVALEV and bring back Shanahan that would be sweet.

[NYR9394]

Im very curious to see where Tanguay ends up. I still think he\'s gonnna be the steal of the draft. For some reason, I think he\'s gonna re-sign in Montreal and be a part of that destroyed & rebuilt team.

[Dakkster]

DieHardWingsFan wrote:

That would be cool if Detroit got KOVALEV and bring back Shanahan that would be sweet.

Not a snowball\'s chance in hell of that happening. Impossible financially. And stupid.

[oasiswings1]

the last player in the elague the Detroit Red wings need/want is a lazy, \"i play when I choose\" guy like kovalev. He isnt red wing material. He would be good in pittsburgh or washington or maybe the rangers.

[Dakkster]

It\'s completely useless to even get into whether or not the Wings need or want Kovalev. It\'s not happening. It is financially impossible. End of story. Woohoo!

[loco man]

Where do you see Kotalik signing?

[reeveta]

I am kind of waiting for those ‘second choice’ teams to get some of the free agents left. Teams like Columbus, Nashville, St. Louis, Colorado, Florida weren’t going to bid for the big names but I thought we would see them picking up the pieces (like Kotalik, Comrie, Mara, etc.) on the second and third day of free agency.

[Hardyvan123]

Some good value players left, I see Vancouver making a play on a puck moving Dman, Murphy is the best left (I don\'t see Zubov coming here).

If Gillis doesn\'t think that is a good fit maybe he dangles Corey Schnieder to a team like the Blackhawks for Cam Barker.

The Blackhawks need a goalie and will have Cap problems to address next year, they will be better served on acting instead of reacting next year.