*See also:
"Grading the Free Agent Signings"

Free Agency Primer

JUNE 30, 2009 -- Let's take a poke around the NHL to see what's in store at the onset of the free agency period, which opens tomorrow, Wednesday, July 1st.

Long terms for the Sedins?

Mike Gillis went to Sweden with Assistant GM Lawrence Gillman to pitch Daniel and Henrik Sedin on a long-term deal. The meeting lasted two hours. The Sedins seemed appreciative of the effort undertaken by the Canucks. The word is that the Sedins are seeking in the neighborhood of $60M each, for a twelve year term. We'll see what Gillis thinks of such numbers.

It doesn't appear to be an outrageous request, and may not be a bad deal, dollar-wise, for the Canucks. The salary cap will likely remain stagnant or dip a bit in 2010-11, although the cap did hold strong for the upcoming 2009-10 season: Floor - $40.8M per club; Ceiling - $56.8M.

The question, as always, is the term too long? Many players and their agents are seeking long deals to guard against a long-term dip in the salary cap due to the frigid economy.

I always like to bring up a Gary Bettman quote when I hear about these newfangled, long-term deals for which the players are jokeying like never before:

"I don't like long-term deals, (because) at some point, one side or the other will eventually feel that they'd made a mistake."

Amen.

Regeir blows opportunity at Pronger, rights ship with Kassian?

Throughout their history, the Buffalo Sabres have rarely been known as one of the tougher clubs in the NHL. It's killed them at various times, being a finesse club, and in recent years it's been particularly glaring, especially during the past two seasons, when the team had to keep its ship straight while overcoming the losses of Chris Drury and Daniel Briere (two seasons gone) and Brian Campbell (one season removed from Buffalo).

Kassian is described* by many observers as a "counterpunch" to division rival Boston's Milan Lucic. If he's indeed the "Clark Gillies" type forward who has eluded the team for decades, that would be a major coup.

*sorry, we sadly get very little CHL major junior hockey here in the States, although the NHL Network has tried to remedy this from time to time.

What about Beauchemin?

One interesting addition that Regeir might have in mind would be Francois Beauchemin, the tough yet offensively-capable Anaheim defenseman who was an important part of the club's 2007 Stanley Cup championship team. Beauchemin has informed the Ducks that he'll test the free agent waters, and could be a big boost for any club seeking toughness and d-line smarts. At 29, Beauchemin has a lot of mileage left on his tread. He's played parts of five NHL seasons.

Speaking of Boston, where will Phil Kessel land?

Funny situation in Montreal at the draft between two Harvard alums, Toronto GM Brian Burke and Boston GM Peter Chiarelli.

Sources, including The Globe and Mail, are reporting that Burke was set to trade defenseman Tomas Kaberle to the Bruins for Phil Kessel. It went awry, however, when Burke and Chiarelli discovered that they had miscommunicated, with Burke thinking that the Bruins were giving him Kessel and a 2010 No. 1 pick. Problem was, Chiarelli believed the deal involved his receiving Toronto's No. 1 pick in this year's draft--the seventh overall--and Kaberle.

Whoops!

So where does that leave Kessel?

Kessel is left in the waiting room, so to speak, with his agent and their $5M-per annum contract demand as Kessel's restricted free agency looms. Boston would prefer to sign the 36-goal scorer to a deal in the neighborhood of $4M.

Sutter Home: Calgary

Give Darryl Sutter credit: He doesn't stand still, embracing change while hanging on to his nucleus players. His trade for the right to speak with Jay Bouwmeester about a new contract for just a few days prior to his UFA status, speaks volumes about Sutter's attitude. He gave up another impending UFA in Jordan Leopold and a third-round 2009 pick, but it's a price well-paid for the right to impress Bouwmeester first.

Note that Darryl has hung on to Jarome Iginla, Mikka Kiprusoff, Dion Phaneuf and Robyn Regehr, while Daymond Langkow enters his fifth Calgary season this fall, and does not become a UFA until July 1, 2012. These key players went to the 2004 Cup Final together, and while many have come and gone through Calgary in recent years, Sutter has shown a smart side by hanging on to the club's identity players.

Now, brother Brent comes over from New Jersey, where he compiled a 97-56-11 record in his first two seasons as an NHL head coach. Brent represents a smart move, a guy with a legitimate shot of taking the very talented Flames to the next level of contention, returning them to a Cup Final or conference final is not out of the question next season.

Face the music, Hockeytalk!

Yeesh. I love predictions, don't you?

In the interest of full disclosure, and because we don't improve as people until we admit our mistakes, Hockeytalk feels it necessary to examine our picks for the previous NHL season.

Eastern Conference Final: Montreal over Pittsburgh

Western Conference Final: Dallas over San Jose

Stanley Cup: Dallas over Montreal

Not good. Don't take me to Vegas!