2009 NHL free agency begins

by FrankD on Jul 1, 2009 11:09 AM EDT in Pittsburgh Penguins free agents Comment 11 comments

More photos » by David Duprey - AP

Scott Gomez joins the Montreal Canadiens.

It strikes me as funny that only three days after the draft I'm seeing posts describing today as "Hockey Christmas." I guess it's fitting. Players may get a new city to play for and fans have someone new to cheer on. So, hockey Christmas it is.

If you haven't heard by now, Scott Gomez is no longer in Pittsburgh's division. He, along with Tom Pyatt and Mike Busto were shipped out to Montreal in exchange for Chris Higgins, Ryan McDonagh, Pavel Valentenko and the rights to Doug Janik. Habs Eyes on the Prize is screaming "Bad deal," while Blueshirt Banter has high hopes that the move opens up cap space for a bigger name.

There are plenty of big names on the market this year. Some, such as Marian Hossa, return to the market once again. The latest rumor out of Detroit suggests the Red Wings offered Hossa $4-million a year as part of a 10-year deal. Yes, ten years. Something tells me he had zero interest from the release of the offer, later confirmed when he openly rejected it yesterday. Why Detroit would want to limit their Stanley Cup chances over the next decade is beyond me...

If you're keeping your eyes on things today then it's pretty likely that you'll hearor see the Penguins tossed around in a few moves. Chuck Gormley from Philadelphia's Courier Post believe the Pens may be interested in Mike Knuble. In all likelihood the Flyers will look to retain Knuble. However with a cap hit of $2.8 million last season, that may even be a bit out of Pitt's price range.

Sure, there's going to be a lot of action going on today throughout the hockey world. SBN Hockey makes it easy for you with this nifty little free agency hub. Mirtle also listed the Top 100 UFAs and provides a little cheat sheet for teams around the league.

If you see something break, feel free to chat it up here or hit up the hub for some of the latest news from around the network.

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Ah yes, “Hockey Christmas”. The day when NHL teams compete to cripple their playoff hopes and long-term salary structures by signing a free agent to a bloated albatross of a contract. I’m almost relieved that the Pens don’t have the cap space to really get involved with it. I predict that this year’s winner of the Rick DiPietro Award (given to the free agent that signs the most ludicrous, cap-crippling deal) will be Gaborik.

Re: Knuble, he might be a nice complementary piece, and at 37 he’s due for a drop in salary. He had a better season than Fedotenko, and arguably brings more to the table.

P is for Latrobe.

by holiday park on Jul 1, 2009 11:32 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Also, you left out Chris Higgins going to New York in the Gomez trade.

P is for Latrobe.

by holiday park on Jul 1, 2009 11:33 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

ah yes, fixed. thanks

Follow the Penguins on SBN @ Pensburgh.com and twitter.

by FrankD on Jul 1, 2009 12:15 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Khabibulin is back in Chicago….Who knows what it means for Huet

Twitter is ridiculous for updates…All you need is Kevin Allen, Wysh and Mirtle and youre set

Pensburgh.com -- it's like the Max Talbot of blogs*

*not just because we only work for 12 minutes a night

by Hooks Orpik on Jul 1, 2009 11:50 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

seems to be a "staying put" kind of day

Bouwmeester in Calgary, the Sedins in Vancouver.

P is for Latrobe.

by holiday park on Jul 1, 2009 12:03 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I’m still pissed after the entire Dany Heatley thing. welcome the summer soap opera known as free agency. hopefully Pitt dips into free agency and gets a top 6 forward and top 6 D-man and still have a little wiggle room to get a back-up.

Lifes rough, wear a helment

by lambofgad on Jul 1, 2009 12:04 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Knuble’s not a defenseman.

I don’t like the idea of taking him…we already have a Mike Knuble-esque player in Chris Kunitz.

Heart, Max Talbot has it by the mile. The Pens are your 2008-2009 Stanley Cup Champions.

by Malsby on Jul 1, 2009 12:21 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Fixed. I think this is also international Frank makes himself look like a jerk day. Too many typos so far. I should just go back to my mother’s basement and hole up.

Follow the Penguins on SBN @ Pensburgh.com and twitter.

by FrankD on Jul 1, 2009 12:41 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

not really into Knuble myself…the thought of anyone from Philly is enough to make me puke…would like to see us land a Winger for Geno…and we’ll still need to make some room for a back-up goalie

by ween on Jul 1, 2009 12:44 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs