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Under the Radar
by Alanah McGinley on 07/11/08 at 01:36 PM ET
Comments (5)
From Wes Goldstein at CBS Sports,
High-profile names and big-buck contracts are usually the attention grabbers when the free-agent market opens, but many teams help themselves with signings that go under the radar.
Here’s a look at a dozen of those deals:
Ty Conklin, Detroit: With so much focus on Detroit’s stunning signing of Marian Hossa, the other player the champs grabbed from Pittsburgh has been all but forgotten. But getting the former Penguins backup goalie for a one-year, $750,000 deal is a coup for Detroit.
read on for more on Conklin, plus 11 other deals that deserve some extra attention
Filed in: NHL Teams, Detroit Red Wings, NHL Talk | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: free+agents, ty+conklin,
Comments
I really wish people would stop talking about the Ty Conklin signing as a great one. Conks had a good season yes, but if you were watching every single game this season as I did, you would have realized that although he had a good run of games, that his last couple games he looked terrible, and that if Fleury had not been back there to jump in that the pens might not have ended in the position they did. I guess we will have to wait and see how he does this coming year before we pass final judgement. If he does well, great deal, and if he does badly, well I guess you should have expected it from Typhoid Conklin.
And one more thing, will people stop saying that the wings “stole” him from the penguins….The Pens had NO intention of resigning him. They have a backup goalie still under contract, and he does just fine as a backup. And they have a starting goalie for the AHL, and he was the best goalie in the ahl last season. They didn’t steal anything, they picked up a free agent that had no home.
Posted by Kevin on 07/11/08 at 03:01 PM ET
Forgot to mention, the best of those mentioned is definately the Adam Hall signing. He is a solid player, tough, scrappy and strong. He is good at faceoffs, he can play wing or center, he kills penalties, and you can expect at least 15 goals out of him even in the 3rd or 4th lines if he plays this whole season. For only 600,000 a year, he is a real steal.
Posted by Kevin on 07/11/08 at 03:12 PM ET
you can expect at least 15 goals out of him
Given that he hasn’t scored that many since his rookie season, I have to disagree. He’s a good player at that price, but nothing special if he was making 1-1.5 mil. And if your team is cutting it that close to the cap, you’ve got other issues.
Posted by shep from california on 07/11/08 at 04:22 PM ET
The best of those signings, by far, is Sauer for $1.75m for each of four years. I still can’t believe he’d sign for that much in a summer where Stuart, Orpik, and Commodore go for $3.75m, Finger for $3.5m, and even Jason Smith for $2.6m. He’s better defensively than all those guys, and it’s not like any of them are really offensive threats or good puck-movers. I guess it’s easy for defensive players to slide under the radar unless they’re first rounders, Cup finalists, former captains, or Jeff Finger (?).
Posted by Ryan from Toronto on 07/11/08 at 04:52 PM ET
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No, they’re really not. Look up the salary rankings for defensemen and tell me how many you see in the top twenty. One?
Posted by shep from california on 07/11/08 at 02:12 PM ET