Best and worst free agent moves of '08
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Briere earned $10 million with the Flyers (the cap hit was only $6.5 million) for this season, in which he had a respectable 72-point performance, but considering his salary more was expected from him.
Gomez also earned $10 million this season, of which the cap hit for the Rangers was $7.137 million. He led the Rangers in scoring with 70 points but his production should've been higher to justify that salary.
He at least gave the Rangers better value for their dollar than his teammate Drury, who was third in team scoring with 57 points while earning $7.050 million. Drury's leadership and two-way play weren't worth that much money.
The same goes for Smyth, who made $7.5 million with Colorado this season. Yes, he was hampered by injury this season, but even healthy he's not worth that salary.
At least Briere, Gomez, Drury and Smyth helped their new teams make the playoffs, unlike Kariya and Blake.
Kariya earned $6 million this season with the Blues and Blake $4 million with the Maple Leafs but neither played up to their respective salaries this season. Kariya had only 16 goals and 62 points, while Blake, a 40-goal scorer last season, managed only 15 goals.
Of the top UFA signings last summer the best was Schneider's with Anaheim and Rafalski's with Detroit.
The 38-year-old Schneider had 39 points in 62 games and his plus-minus of +20 was among the best in the league, making him well worth his $5.5 million salary this season.
Rafalski's performance was more impressive. His 55 points ranked among the top ten in points for defensemen and his plus-minus of +27 was third-best in the league, making him worthy of his $6 million salary.
Michael Nylander and Sheldon Souray also signed expensive long-term contracts with the Washington Capitals and Edmonton Oilers respectively, but injuries sidelined them for much of this season. Their new clubs will have to wait until next season to determine their true worth.
The most under-rated free agent signing was defenseman Roman Hamrlik's four-year, $5.5 million per season contract with the Montreal Canadiens.
Dismissed as a waste of money, Hamrlik brought stability and experience to the Canadiens' blueline and was a significant reason for their improvement this season.
The worst UFA signing was forward Michal Handzus' four-year, $16 million contract with the Los Angeles Kings.
Handzus was expected to be a strong two-way forward but in 81 games netted only 21 points and his plus-minus of -19 ranked among the worst in the NHL, not what Kings management had in mind when they signed him.
Sometimes the best deal a team can make is retaining a top player.
Detroit's Pavel Datsyuk, Anaheim's J.S. Giguere, Montreal's Andrei Markov, and Toronto's Mats Sundin were eligible for UFA status last summer but opted to re-sign with their respective teams.
Datsyuk led Detroit in scoring and ranked amongst the league's leading scorers. Giguere had another solid season in goal for Anaheim. Markov was Montreal's best all-around defenseman and Sundin was one of the few bright spots on a moribund Toronto team.
The best UFA bang for the buck was the Nashville Predators' signing of goaltender Dan Ellis.
A minor leaguer in the Dallas Stars system prior to signing with the Predators, Ellis was among the league leaders in save percentage and shutouts this season, wresting the starter's job away from Chris Mason in the process.
Ellis was arguably the main reason the Predators made the 2008 playoffs, and all it cost them this season was $500,000.
The Edmonton Oilers made headlines last summer by successfully signing restricted free agent winger Dustin Penner from the Anaheim Ducks with an offer sheet.
Penner's $4.25 million per season salary made him the Oilers highest paid player, but after he finished fourth in team scoring with 23 goals, 47 points with a plus-minus of -12 it appears the Oilers overpaid for his services.
Buffalo's Thomas Vanek was also an offer sheet target of the Oilers, costing the Sabres over $7 million per season for seven years to retain him.
Had Vanek matched or exceeded his 84-point campaign of a year ago it would've been considered money well spent, but his disappointing 62-point performance this season had critics suggesting the Sabres grossly overpaid to keep him.
Both players still have considerable time remaining on their contracts to justify their salaries.
The salary cap significantly reduced trade activity this season, limiting the bulk of player movement to the February 26th trade deadline.
Of the 25 trades made at the deadline those made by the Washington Capitals and San Jose Sharks brought the most immediate rewards.
The Capitals' acquisitions of Cristobal Huet, Sergei Fedorov and Matt Cooke provided the young roster with a much-needed boost of experience and leadership, helping the young club make the post-season for the first time in five years.
The Sharks' addition of puck-moving blueliner Brian Campbell spurred them into a strong finish where they lost only once in regulation in their final 22 games.
Marian Hossa and Brad Richards were the biggest names on the move at the trade deadline, dealt to Pittsburgh and Dallas respectively.
Hossa was injured immediately after joining the Penguins but had 10 points in 11 games upon his return, which bodes well for his helping the Pens to a lengthy playoff run.
Richards has had a tougher adjustment with Dallas, for while he's had 11 points in 12 games with the Stars, five of those was in his first game. His presence did little to bolster a Stars team that struggled down the stretch.
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