The young UFAs

One of the most important and dramatic changes in the NHL's collective bargaining agreement was the age of unrestricted free agency, which was dropped to 27 for most players — and as low as 25 for some — coming out of the lockout.

Now, the difference between a 27-year-old free agent and a 35-year-old one is incredible: Not only will you get much more use out of a player's peak years, but you'll also avoid the increased risk that involves aged players. Under the CBA, any multi-year contract given to a 35-year-old free agent will count against the cap regardless of whether or not the player plays out the full deal.

In other words, if Brian Rolston signs in Tampa Bay for, let's say, $15-million over three years and retires after next season, there will be a cap hit of $5-million for the Lightning the next two seasons.

Here is a list of this year's 28-and-under unrestricted free agents (sorted by age then 2007-08 cap hit; noteables in blue):

	Player	Age	Team	Pos	2007-08 cap hit
1	Emery, Ray	25	OTT	G	$3.167
2	Voros, Aaron	26	MIN	L	$0.495
3	Kalinin, Dmitri	27	BUF	D	$2.000
4	Williams, Jason	27	CHI	C	$1.600
5	Vrbata, Radim	27	PHX	R	$1.225
6	Orpik, Brooks	27	PIT	D	$1.038
7	Miettinen, Antti	27	DAL	L	$0.885
8	Mezei, Branislav	27	FLA	D	$0.825
9	Vasicek, Josef	27	NYI	C	$0.750
10	Hainsey, Ron	27	CLB	D	$0.738
11	McCarthy, Steve	27	ATL	D	$0.725
12	Sauer, Kurt	27	COL	D	$0.719
13	Moore, Dominic	27	TOR	C	$0.700
14	Auld, Alex	27	BOS	G	$0.600
15	Hale, David	27	CGY	D	$0.590
16	Beech, Kris	27	PIT	C	$0.585
17	Hall, Adam	27	PIT	R	$0.525
18	Hordichuk, Darcy	27	CAR	L	$0.517
19	Winchester, Brad	27	DAL	C	$0.475
20	Weller, Craig	27	PHX	R	$0.475
21	Stuart, Brad	28	DET	D	$3.500
22	Mara, Paul	28	NYR	D	$3.000
23	Ryder, Michael	28	MTL	R	$2.950
24	Raycroft, Andrew	28	TOR	G	$2.000
25	Avery, Sean	28	NYR	C	$1.900
26	Rachunek, Karel	28	NJD	D	$1.400
27	Commodore, Mike	28	OTT	D	$1.250
28	Vandermeer, Jim	28	CGY	D	$1.225
29	Montador, Steve	28	FLA	D	$0.800
30	Hagman, Niklas	28	DAL	L	$0.675
31	Walker, Matt	28	STL	D	$0.600
32	Sanford, Curtis	28	VAN	G	$0.600
33	Davison, Rob	28	NYI	D	$0.525
34	Wozniewski, Andy	28	TOR	D	$0.500
35	Godard, Eric	28	CGY	R	$0.475
36	Finger, Jeff	28	COL	D	$0.475
37	Janik, Doug	28	TBL	D	$0.475

We've heard a ton about how restricted free agents are getting big contracts under the new CBA, but young unrestricted free agents are truly on the open market and will be overpaid even more than an RFA coming off an entry level deal.

Some of these players, like Orpik, Sauer and Avery, are going to be paid based on their potential despite having been in the league for a few years.
.

Meet the big buyers

With the cap rising $6.4-million and some teams like the Penguins with as many as 10 unrestricted free agents, there is an incredible amount of cash available to be spent.

Consider the numbers: Ten teams have $20-million or more to spend under the cap. Three — Los Angeles, Columbus and Atlanta — have $30-million or more. The average team, at this point, has 18 players signed and spent $41-million, with approximately $16-million in cap space available.

Including restricted free agents, there are still 150 notable players without a home, meaning as much as 20 per cent of the league will be up for grabs beginning at noon tomorrow.

Here are my predictions as to who will be the biggest buyers:

N.Y. Rangers: Even after inking Scott Gomez and Chris Drury last July 1, New York has plenty of holes to fill and $20-million to do so. GM Glen Sather has yet to re-sign free agents like Jaromir Jagr, Martin Straka, Sean Avery, Brendan Shanahan and Michal Rozsival and needs two more NHL defenders and a whole lot of help for Gomez and Drury up front. If Jagr doesn't return, they're in the market for the big fish — and Mats Sundin's at the top of that list.

Columbus: It isn't going to be easy being GM Scott Howson. With R.J. Umberger and Pascal Leclaire waiting on contracts, the Blue Jackets have a paper thin roster and about $32-million available to spent — although don't expect them to bump right up against the cap. Columbus desperately needs a playoff drive to keep interest alive in central Ohio, and the Jackets have only three NHL defencemen signed and need some big shooters at all positions to help out captain Rick Nash. Because of the team's lack of success, it's possible Howson has to overpay to bring in some help. (That shouldn't be a problem given he needs to spend about $15-million to get to the salary floor.)

Vancouver: Another non-playoff team with a new GM anxious to make his mark, the Canucks also have boatloads of cap space ($20-million) should Markus Naslund and Brendan Morrison not return. Mike Gillis has had a tough time making a deal with other GMs to this point and free agency might be the only way he finds a taker for his dollars. Vancouver's holes are all at forward, where they have little beyond the Sedin twins and Ryan Kesler.

Pittsburgh: For all the talk of their salary cap crunch, the Penguins still have a ton of cap space available next season: $26-million, with only a contract to Marc-Andre Fleury to come in arbitration. GM Ray Shero may not have any luck given that cash away to Marian Hossa and Brooks Orpik, but he's going to sign someone to fill the holes given Petr Sykora is the team's lone veteran winger. He's got some depth to work with on defence, but expect Pittsburgh to add a blueliner, too.

Minnesota: The Wild have some serious cash to spend after being spurned by veteran Brian Rolston, whose rights were dealt to Tampa Bay, and need considerable help up front through free agency. GM Doug Riseborough will likely spent close to the cap to get a top line centre and some help on the wings, and he'll have nearly $20-million even after getting Pierre-Marc Bouchard's name on a contract.

Chicago: The Blackhawks have $13-million burning a hole in their pocket, and we've heard in the leadup to tomorrow that Brian Campbell's name is on a big hunk of that cash. GM Dale Tallon already has the majority of his roster intact, but with key cogs like Pat Kane and Jonathan Toews on entry-level deals through 2009-10, he can afford to add a top-end defender and another scoring forward to replace Jason Williams.

Montreal: The Canadiens want to make a play for Sundin, but beyond that, there might not be the cash available to buy huge given GM Bob Gainey needs to sign five RFAs in the near future. Even still, the former Maple Leafs captain is going to cost a pretty penny — reportedly $15-million over two years — and they're willing to pay.
.
Other teams that could spend: Atlanta, Toronto, N.Y. Islanders, Ottawa

Teams with potential cashflow issues: Philadelphia, Calgary, Anaheim, Dallas
.

Here come the contracts

No, I'm not dead — I went to two weddings in two nights, one in Quebec, so it's been a long few days.

Generally, the week leading up to July 1 is a relatively quiet period (the calm before the storm headline gets used a few hundred times), but there was a ton of activity this weekend:

• The Lightning traded for and then signed pending UFAs Ryan Malone and Gary Roberts. Tampa Bay also hired Malone's father, Greg, as their head pro scout. The term on Malone's contract (seven years) is wild, but I think he could have received a bigger payout as a free agent and a $4.5-million cap hit isn't obscene.
  
  
• Tampa Bay also dealt for Brian Rolston, but I think they'll find him too rich for their salary structure (unless Dan Boyle is moved). The Lightning are already getting close to the cap, with a need for another top four defenceman and another goaltender going potentially unfilled depending on what ownership will spend
  
  
• The Oilers dealt Jarret Stoll and Matt Greene to the Kings for Lubomir Visnovsky, taking on his $5.6-million deal. Lowetide has a well reasoned take: "It's hard to imagine Joni Pitkanen being on the roster for much longer."
  
  Visnovsky's coming off an awful season, but he's got a ton of talent, and could work wonders on Edmonton's power play. The Kings get younger and give Stoll a chance to regain his game in a rebuild situation.
  
  Los Angeles has almost a full roster signed and is $30-million under the cap.
  
  
• Buyouts for Todd Bertuzzi, Dennis Gauthier, Alexei Zhitnik and Duvie Westcott, all designed to free up cap space. The Ducks, in particular, were really tight against the limit, and buying out Bertuzzi frees up $2.5-million of his $4-million salary
  
  
• Two deals we already knew about: Calgary re-signed Daymond Langkow and Philadelphia locked up Jeff Carter. The Flames also kept Craig Conroy
  
  
• And the Avalanched re-signed both Adam Foote (two years, $6-million) and John-Michael Liles (four years, $17-million). The Foote deal is a good one, despite his age, and he takes less than he would have gotten on the market to stay in Denver, while the Liles contract comes as a bit of a surprise given (a) he struggled last season and (b) he was rumoured to be dealt all the way up till the deadline.
  
  I think Colorado looked at their team, and the market for UFA defencemen, and decided Liles was the most economical option

Consider that a lightning round take on what's gone on. I'm going to be incredibly busy going forward: There's a live chat at FanHouse tomorrow at 11 a.m. until free agency opens at noon, after which time I'll be writing like a madman here the entire day.

The signings will be fast and furious.
.

Grading the free agents Goals, assists and points

All right, here are the basics. Potential free agent forwards who had 35 points or more and defencemen who had 20 points or more this past season (RFAs in red):

	Name	Team	GP	G	A	Pts	+/-
1	Mats Sundin	TOR	74	32	46	78	17
2	Jaromir Jagr	NYR	82	25	46	71	8
3	Marian Hossa	PIT	72	29	37	66	-14
4	Kristian Huselius	CGY	81	25	41	66	10
5	Cory Stillman	OTT	79	24	41	65	-15
6	Pierre-Marc Bouchard	MIN	81	13	50	63	11
7	Brian Rolston	MIN	81	31	28	59	-1
8	Andrew Brunette	COL	82	19	40	59	5
9	Radim Vrbata	PHO	76	27	29	56	6
10	Markus Naslund	VAN	82	25	30	55	-7
11	Pavol Demitra	MIN	68	15	39	54	9
12	Corey Perry	ANA	70	29	25	54	12
13	Andrei Kostitsyn	MON	78	26	27	53	15
14	Antoine Vermette	OTT	81	24	29	53	3
15	Patrick O'Sullivan	LOS	82	22	31	53	-8
16	Ryan Malone	PIT	77	27	24	51	14
17	R.J. Umberger	COB	74	13	37	50	0
18	Mark Recchi	ATL	72	14	34	48	-18
19	Wojtek Wolski	COL	77	18	30	48	10
20	Brendan Shanahan	NYR	73	23	23	46	-2
21	Martin Straka	NYR	65	14	27	41	5
22	Sergei Fedorov	WAS	68	11	30	41	-5
23	Miroslav Satan	NYI	80	16	25	41	-11
24	Niklas Hagman	DAL	82	27	14	41	4
25	Joe Sakic	COL	44	13	27	40	-4
26	Marek Svatos	COL	62	26	11	37	13
27	Brooks Laich	WAS	82	21	16	37	-3
28	Jason Williams	CHI	43	13	23	36	-2
29	Valtteri Filppula	DET	78	19	17	36	16
30	Jarret Stoll	EDM	81	14	22	36	-23
31	Paul Gaustad	BUF	82	10	26	36	-4
32	Daniel Paille	BUF	77	19	16	35	9
33	Jan Hlavac	NAS	80	12	23	35	-1
34	Josef Vasicek	NYI	81	16	19	35	1
	Name	Team	GP	G	A	Pts	+/-
1	Mark Streit	MON	81	13	49	62	-6
2	Brian Campbell	SAN	83	8	54	62	8
3	Mike Green	WAS	82	18	38	56	6
4	Michal Rozsival	NYR	80	13	25	38	0
5	Wade Redden	OTT	80	6	32	38	11
6	Jay Bouwmeester	FLA	82	15	22	37	-5
7	Andrej Meszaros	OTT	82	9	27	36	5
8	Ron Hainsey	COB	78	8	24	32	-7
9	John-Michael Liles	COL	81	6	26	32	2
10	Randy Jones	PHI	71	5	26	31	8
11	Rob Blake	LOS	71	9	22	31	-19
12	Joni Pitkanen	EDM	63	8	18	26	-5
13	Brad Stuart	DET	72	6	17	23	-10
14	Bryan Berard	NYI	54	5	17	22	-17
15	Christian Ehrhoff	SAN	77	1	21	22	9

This is what they mean when you hear it's not a strong free agent class: Only two players with more than 66 points last season, and quite a few guys coming off of down years.

Sundin and Rolston are the only 30-goal scorers, and there are only nine UFA defenders with 20 points or more.

The trick, in my mind, when it comes to free agency, is not necessarily getting the big fish. Rather, the players you want to add to your team (presumably one that's already near contention) are the undervalued ones.

Sundin, Jagr, Hossa — huge paydays. Campbell, Streit, Redden — ditto.

But someone like Rolston, who the Wild hard having a heckuva time signing, or Vrbata, who broke out for 27 goals despite big ice time with meagre linemates, could be closer to a home run, dpending on what the interest is like in their service.

On the blueline, Rozsival continues to be underrated, and players like Hainsey and Liles are young enough that you're getting potentially breakout years given the development timeline for defenders.

Note where Ryan Malone is on the list, despite the fact he lined up beside Sid Crosby or Evgeni Malkin all season.
.

The NHL constitution

Interesting times in the blogosphere.

Late Wednesday night, I received an email from Dan Tolensky from HockeyBuzz.com, a blogger I chat with once in a while about the hockey topic du jour. Tolensky said he had been leaked a partial copy of the NHL's constitution, and that he'd have a post on it the next day.

"Who'd you sleep with?" was my response back.

The 30-plus page constitution, a set of league rules and bylaws, is not something that's been put out there, not like the collective bargaining agreement, which can be downloaded at NHLPA.com anytime you like. (A surefire insomnia cure, by the way.)

Yesterday just before noon, Tolensky posted a few lengthy sections of the document he'd been leaked, and it all looked rather official. He had some minor analysis of what was there, and the comments were piling up.

A few hours later, the piece was taken offline.

What's up in its place is a bit of an explanation of why the documents were pulled, and in talking to Dan a bit on email last night, it sounds as if he wants to do a bit more digging before putting all of the information out there.

I have no such qualms.

What follows is one portion of what he posted, a section on "Conflicts of Interest." Keep in mind that I have not verified that what's here is actually the league's constitution — for all I know, Dan could have been given anything by anyone willing to mislead him.

Either way, it's worth noting that this is out there and being talked about:

Article XIII – Conflicts of Interest – Ownership

13.1 Purposes. This Article 13 prohibits the acquisition (or holding) of certain direct or indirect ownership interests in, or management rights with respect to, Member Clubs, by Persons having ownership interests in, or management rights with respect to, one or more other Member Clubs. The League and the Commissioner, as the case may be, shall continue to have all of the rights and powers, and all current and prospective Member Clubs and Owners shall have all of the obligations, set forth in the other provisions of the Constitution, By-Laws, rules, resolutions and agreements of the League. Without limiting the generality of the preceding sentence, the League shall continue to have the right to disapprove any proposed transfer of a direct or indirect ownership interest in a Member Club, even if the proposed transaction would otherwise comply with the provisions in this Article 13.

13.3 Restrictions on Controlling Owner

(a) Subject to Article 13.6 below, a Controlling Owner may not at any time:

(i) acquire or hold an Ownership Interest in another Member Club or its franchise, other than pursuant to the Public Company Exception;

(ii) serve, or permit any of its Attributed Persons to serve, as a Director of any other Member Club or any other Controlling Owner unless, in the case of a Controlling Owner that is a Diversified Owner, the Commissioner has given his prior written approval; or

(iii) enter into any business transaction with any Member Club (Other than the Member Club of which it is the Controlling Owner) without the prior written approval of the Commissioner.

(b) If the Commissioner disapproves any proposed transaction submitted pursuant to Article 13.3(a)(iii), the applicable Controlling Owner may appeal such disapproval to the Board of Governors, which may approve the proposed transaction by three-fourths vote.

We've already heard this week that the commissioner was apparently in the dark on some of the recent dealings going on among his crew, and it's certainly not hard to link this document to recent goings on in the NHL.

It makes you wonder why, at this critical juncture, it's coming to the forefront the way it is. A lot of veteran members of the media have never laid eyes on the constitution, for whatever reason.

Now, perhaps, it's out there, such as it is — and this could be only the beginning.
.

Grading the free agents Points per minute: defencemen

Following up on Wednesday's post about the top point-per-minute forwards, here's a similar list for blueliners based on 5-on-5 play from last season (restricted free agents in red).

For no particular reason, I kept Mark Streit in this group despite the fact he played all season at even strength as a forward. It's expected he'll want to sign somewhere as a full-time blueliner this summer:

	NAME	TEAM	GP	TOI/60	QUAL COMP	PTS/60
1	MARKSTREIT	MTL	81	11.3	-0.01	1.57
2	BRIANCAMPBELL	S.J	83	17.2	-0.03	1.13
3	MIKEGREEN	WSH	82	17.8	0.02	1.11
4	JEFFWOYWITKA	STL	27	14.1	-0.14	1.10
5	RYANO'BYRNE	MTL	33	12.6	-0.02	1.01
6	MAGNUSJOHANSSON	FLA	45	11.9	-0.08	1.00
7	ANDREWWOZNIEWSKI	TOR	48	11.2	-0.04	1.00
8	RANDYJONES	PHI	71	13.6	-0.05	0.99
9	MAREKMALIK	NYR	42	15.8	0.06	0.91
10	JAYBOUWMEESTER	FLA	82	19.0	0.12	0.89
11	KEVINDALLMAN	L.A	34	11.9	-0.09	0.89
12	MIKECOMMODORE	OTT	67	14.3	0.01	0.87
13	ROBBLAKE	L.A	71	14.8	0.09	0.86
14	KARELRACHUNEK	N.J	47	14.8	-0.04	0.86
15	WADEREDDEN	OTT	80	16.0	-0.02	0.85
16	JONIPITKANEN	EDM	63	16.9	0.03	0.84
17	CHRISCHELIOS	DET	69	12.4	-0.09	0.84
18	BRETHEDICAN	CAR	66	15.8	0.03	0.81
19	ANDREJMESZAROS	OTT	82	15.5	0.00	0.80
20	PETERHARROLD	L.A	25	15.1	-0.05	0.80
21	KEITHCARNEY	MIN	61	12.4	-0.12	0.79
22	KURTISFOSTER	MIN	56	12.7	-0.10	0.76
23	MICHALROZSIVAL	NYR	80	16.9	0.05	0.75
24	JEFFFINGER	COL	72	16.1	-0.06	0.73
25	CHRISTIANEHRHOFF	S.J	77	15.9	0.05	0.73
26	PAULMARA	NYR	61	13.5	0.00	0.73
27	JASSENCULLIMORE	FLA	65	15.0	-0.04	0.68
28	BRADSTUART	DET	72	14.8	-0.04	0.68
29	DENNISWIDEMAN	BOS	81	17.6	0.04	0.67
30	ANDREASLILJA	DET	79	14.7	-0.01	0.67
31	AARONMILLER	VAN	57	14.2	-0.11	0.67
32	ALEXEISEMENOV	S.J	22	12.2	-0.04	0.67
33	SANDISOZOLINSH	S.J	39	11.6	-0.09	0.66
34	BRUNOGERVAIS	NYI	60	14.4	0.02	0.63
35	DENNISSEIDENBERG	CAR	47	14.1	0.01	0.63
36	BRYANBERARD	NYI	54	12.8	-0.03	0.61
37	VILLEKOISTINEN	NSH	48	12.6	-0.07	0.60
38	LUKERICHARDSON	OTT	76	11.8	-0.09	0.60
39	JAMESVANDERMEER	CGY	75	15.0	-0.05	0.59
40	JOHN-MICHAELLILES	COL	81	14.3	-0.08	0.57
41	PETTERINUMMELIN	MIN	27	11.9	-0.15	0.56
42	STEVEEMINGER	PHI	20	10.7	-0.11	0.56
43	JOSHGORGES	MTL	62	14.2	-0.01	0.55
44	BRYCESALVADOR	N.J	64	15.6	0.09	0.54
45	DICKTARNSTROM	CBJ	48	13.8	-0.05	0.54
46	NOLANPRATT	BUF	55	12.2	-0.16	0.54
47	BROOKSORPIK	PIT	78	14.9	-0.04	0.52
48	SEANHILL	MIN	35	13.5	-0.12	0.51
49	ANDREIZYUZIN	CHI	32	11.2	-0.08	0.50
50	JASONSMITH	PHI	77	14.5	-0.03	0.48
51	DMITRIKALININ	BUF	46	13.6	-0.11	0.48
52	STEVEMCCARTHY	ATL	55	13.9	-0.10	0.47
53	ADAMFOOTE	COL	75	17.3	0.15	0.46
54	KURTSAUER	COL	54	15.0	0.12	0.44
55	JORDANHENDRY	CHI	40	14.3	0.01	0.42
56	PATRICEBRISEBOIS	MTL	43	13.2	-0.03	0.42
57	BRANISLAVMEZEI	FLA	57	12.6	-0.03	0.42
58	RONHAINSEY	CBJ	78	15.5	0.00	0.35
59	MARKEATON	PIT	36	14.6	0.02	0.34
60	SHAONEMORRISONN	WSH	76	16.1	0.03	0.29
61	MARKPOPOVIC	ATL	33	13.8	-0.08	0.26
62	JAROSLAVMODRY	PHI	80	15.2	0.01	0.25
63	MATTJONES	PHX	45	12.8	-0.10	0.21
64	AARONJOHNSON	NYI	30	11.2	-0.04	0.18
65	DAVIDHALE	CGY	58	12.7	-0.07	0.16
66	ROBDAVISON	NYI	34	12.0	-0.02	0.15
67	MATTWALKER	STL	43	13.3	-0.02	0.10
68	JASONSTRUDWICK	NYR	52	11.8	-0.05	0.10
69	MIKEWEAVER	VAN	55	12.2	-0.05	0.09

Not as great of a list given (a) defencemen don't score the majority of their points at even strength and (b) some of the more valuable members of the free agent blueliners club are far down the list.

Still, this gives you an idea of why guys like Campbell and Green are highly coveted.
.