Down the Frozen River

Tag: Nick Lanciani

New Year, New Beginnings (or Revivals)- Part 5 Bring Back the Whalers

With the dawn of the New Year upon us I decided to explore the possibilities of relocation and expansion. In this excessively informal post, I’ve taken a look at what some of the best concept jerseys are for teams that no longer exist, but should (or possible expansion teams). In each case, I’ve looked at numerous designs, courtesy of Icethetics.co and the forums over at Chris Creamer’s Sportslogos.net, and highlighted the ones that I would pick if I were the owner of a new franchise looking to establish its identity.

By now if you haven’t read Parts 1, 2, 3, and 4- I’m just going to make you search the site for them.

HARTFORD WHALERS

There is no sense in even trying to modernize the genius H&W logo of the Hartford Whalers. However, there would be a great need for the right version of a modern uniform to be implemented. None of this blue home jersey stuff. Only a green jersey at home should do, with a white road jersey and perhaps a blue or grey third jersey (if done the right way). The uniforms that I have selected for the Hartford Whalers are the equivalent of the Minnesota Wild done right. Look, the Wild’s uniforms lack uniformity. These Whalers uniforms utilize a similar- trendy- shoulder yoke as the Minnesota Wild, yet keep it consistent on both the home and road sweaters. Everything about these brings the modern-retro look to the ice and gives the old school “W” and Pucky a facelift by enclosing them within circular shoulder patches. I’m just saying, these would look rather sexy on the ice, okay. The league could use a little more green.

For an alternate jersey, I would venture into something a little uncanny. It was probably inevitable before the Whalers moved to North Carolina that a grey third jersey would be implemented. I mean, hey, if the Los Angeles Kings can do it in the Stadium Series this year, then why not? So to bridge the gap between the days of yore and now, I think these would look cool on the ice for a few years.

Among the other designs considered… This set- while a bit bland- offers a great script logo for the Whalers.

This set looks like something the Vancouver Canucks considered.

And these speak too much Detroit (although classy looking).

But hey, sometimes a return to the franchises roots isn’t always a bad thing. The colors work well for these jerseys.

With that, Part 5 is complete. The final portion of the series is coming up this week. And you guessed it, it’ll be about reviving the Quebec Nordiques.

January 25, 2015
New Year, New Beginnings (or Revivals)- Part 4 Seattle

With the dawn of the New Year upon us I decided to explore the possibilities of relocation and expansion. In this excessively informal post, I’ve taken a look at what some of the best concept jerseys are for teams that no longer exist, but should (or possible expansion teams). In each case, I’ve looked at numerous designs, courtesy of Icethetics.co and the forums over at Chris Creamer’s Sportslogos.net, and highlighted the ones that I would pick if I were the owner of a new franchise looking to establish its identity.

Check out Parts 1, 2, and 3 if you haven’t already!

Expanding or Relocating to Seattle

The easiest thing for a Seattle NHL team to do is to take the name of the current Seattle Thunderbirds of the WHL. Why? Because these jerseys encompass everything to do with professional sports teams in Seattle. They’re unique, quirky, bold, and just look at those stripes, the colors! For a region that religiously follows the Seahawks, Mariners, and Sounders, it makes sense to equal that passion with an NHL organization. I’ve seen the updated version of these jerseys, but they don’t do enough justice when it comes to fitting in with the rest of Seattle’s teams.

These jerseys are simple and yet they are electrifying. The unique stripping pattern sets them apart from every other team in the league and the never before seen frontal-centered placement of the jersey numbers exemplify the professional quirkiness of the Seattle market (and that’s a good thing).

To give you more insight as to how I ultimately decided on what jerseys the Seattle Thunderbirds (NHL edition) would support, here’s a look at a few designs I considered.

In fairness, I considered these as a unique set of uniforms, however some of the design elements reek too much of the early RBK Edge days.

I’m a fan of the Metropolitans moniker, but that probably wouldn’t sit well with the league given the fact that the Metropolitan Division is, well, the Metropolitan Division. Also, these concept jerseys look too much like the Dallas Stars, thereby lacking individuality.

These would look good in the league, however they are a bit cookie cutter design. I am a fan of the color scheme and even more so a fan of the third jersey. If there were ever an outdoor Vancouver and Seattle game, this third jersey would be the one to sport outdoors.

That’s it for this week. Tune in next week for the penultimate part of “New Year, New Beginnings”. You’re definitely not going to want to miss it.

January 17, 2015
New Year, New Beginnings (or Revivals)- Part 3 Lone Wanderers

With the dawn of the New Year upon us I decided to explore the possibilities of relocation and expansion. In this excessively informal post, I’ve taken a look at what some of the best concept jerseys are for teams that no longer exist, but should (or possible expansion teams). In each case, I’ve looked at numerous designs, courtesy of Icethetics.co and the forums over at Chris Creamer’s Sportslogos.net, and highlighted the ones that I would pick if I were the owner of a new franchise looking to establish its identity.

If you missed any of the action so far, here’s part 1 and part 2.

MONTREAL MAROONS/ MONTREAL WANDERERS

Granted the addition of a second Montreal franchise would never happen nowadays, there are a few excellent ideas for former Montreal teams. Montreal used to be home to two hockey teams, one marketed for the English speaking population and the other (the Montreal Canadiens) geared for the French speaking population. The last two team effort in Montreal began in 1924 and ended in 1938 with the failure of the Montreal Maroons, having suspended operations in 1938 and officially canceling the franchise in 1947. The Montreal Wanderers were one of the original NHL franchises in the 1917- 1918 season, but disbanded after having played 4 games in the regular season and forfeiting 2 more due to a fire that burned down their arena.

This design for the Maroons is substantial for the foundation of an aesthetic design that incorporates hockey history, where as the Wanderers jersey simply modernizes a uniform that barely saw the light of existence in the dawn of the National Hockey League. I chose to focus on a second Montreal team, instead of a second Toronto team, simply because I found better concept jerseys for them. If you’ve seen a great Toronto idea, let me know, or simply be the one to design it.

Personally, I’d use the Maroons third jersey as the basis for home and road uniforms. If you don’t like the words inside of the “M”, just get rid of them and you still have a good logo. I am attracted to the rest of the uniform because of its unique stripping pattern and use of maroon- a color that could be utilized more often on the ice.

The Wanderers, on the other hand, would have a classy jersey that sets them apart from others in the league. Depending upon its visibility, the home uniform might see the numbers on the back change from red with a white outline to being just white numbers. I am very much a fan of this design. Since it is unrealistic to think that a second Montreal team would be feasible these days, I’d hope some hockey team would take advantage of the concept ideas featured in this jersey. The stripping would look very classy on say, a high school team’s uniform.

As you can tell by now, I’m a fan of stripes that set apart a franchise from all the other franchises and generic “traditional” hockey jerseys. I think that you can have a traditional looking jersey in your own modernized fashion. Maybe not quite what the Carolina Hurricanes have strived for, but with the same good intentions in mind. When done right, it can make all the difference between your team and someone else’s.

So with this two for one special in mind, I hope you’re going to enjoy part 4 of this series, because it’s going places where the NHL has never gone before.

January 8, 2015
New Year, New Beginnings (or Revivals)- Part 2 Return to Hamilton

With the dawn of the New Year upon us I decided to explore the possibilities of relocation and expansion. In this excessively informal post, I’ve taken a look at what some of the best concept jerseys are for teams that no longer exist, but should (or possible expansion teams). In each case, I’ve looked at numerous designs, courtesy of Icethetics.co and the forums over at Chris Creamer’s Sportslogos.net, and highlighted the ones that I would pick if I were the owner of a new franchise looking to establish its identity.

If you missed part 1, you can read about it here.

Truthfully I find it odd that Hamilton does not have a hockey team when compared to similar sized markets- off the top of my head and in terms of fan support- like Ottawa, Winnipeg, and Calgary. Then again, being smack dab in the middle of the Buffalo Sabres and the Toronto Maple Leafs had enough to do with that; similar to the chances of the Hartford Whalers returning, given that the Boston Bruins, New York Rangers, and New York Islanders are all right in Hartford’s backyard. Regardless, let’s say the Hamilton Tigers came back to life. These jerseys are both appealing and retro enough to convey a sense of connection to the once existent Hamilton Tigers of long ago. Similar in nature to the Minnesota Wild, none of these jerseys are close enough to being related to one another, yet they aren’t far enough away from being unrelated. They’re somewhere in-between, just like the physical location of Hamilton, Ontario; somewhere in-between Buffalo, New York and Toronto, Ontario.

But for you snafu’s that would rather see a more traditional set of jerseys, the Tigers wouldn’t go wrong with these. Quite frankly, I would be inclined to use the yellow home jersey as the third jersey for the set above.

January 3, 2015
New Year, New Beginnings (or Revivals)- Part 1 VEGAS BABY

With the dawn of the New Year upon us I decided to explore the possibilities of relocation and expansion. In this excessively informal post, I’ve taken a look at what some of the best concept jerseys are for teams that no longer exist, but should (or possible expansion teams). In each case, I’ve looked at numerous designs, courtesy of Icethetics.co and the forums over at Chris Creamer’s Sportslogos.net, and highlighted the ones that I would pick if I were the owner of a new franchise looking to establish its identity.

First and foremost I would like to address the idea of a National Hockey League team in Las Vegas. Ready? Pffffffffffffffft.

Okay, now that that’s settled, I’ll be honest in saying that I have yet to see a concept jersey that I even remotely like for a potential NHL team in Las Vegas. I am, however, a fan of these logos designed by a potential Las Vegas Aces fan. Notice the stick inside the spade, notice the playing card disguised as the state of Nevada, or the state of Nevada disguised as a playing card (you decide). Either way, I like these logos, but not the subsequent jersey ideas that followed. Perhaps that is because plenty of time has passed since the days of the ugly introduction of the RBK Edge jerseys. Or maybe I’m just thinking that they look too much like the Milwaukee Admirals. Anyway, these logos would be the start of something unique in professional sports history- fan of the idea of an NHL team in Las Vegas or not.

January 3, 2015
Colorado Avalanche 2014- 2015 Season Preview

2014 Offseason
Losses: (Free Agency) D Andre Benoit, F Bryan Lerg, D Matt Hunwick, F David Van Der Gulik, F Brad Malone, F Paul Stastny (Trades) F PA Parenteau (Retirement) G J.S. Giguere

Additions: (Free Agency) F Jesse Winchester, D Zach Redmond, F Ben Street, D Bruno Gervais F Jarome Iginla, D Brad Stuart (Trades) F Daniel Briere

The Colorado Avalanche certainly had a busy offseason, leaving some with mixed feelings. While the addition of Jarome Iginla seems great, it comes with the price of the subtraction of Paul Stastny- who had helped play a key role in the Av’s ultimate defeat to Minnesota in the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Nathan MacKinnon is ready to lead the second line as a center and the Calder Trophy winner is capable of putting up plenty of points this coming season, but how will he perform as the number two center alongside guys like Alex Tanguay, Iginla, Ryan O’Reilly, or Gabriel Landeskog? Head coach, Patrick Roy, has the flexibility to play around with his top six forwards for the first couple of months.Iggy is back in the Western Conference, something he may prefer, however, how must his game evolve given that a lot has changed in the Western Conference during his short time in the East with Pittsburgh and Boston- that and being on a younger team in general. The Daniel Briere for PA Parenteau trade with Montreal looks like it will be a solid in retrospect, however, Briere is nowhere near the scoring capability that he once was. Strength down the middle might concern the Av’s fourth line, but can be resolved with the addition of Jesse Winchester. Perhaps a bigger question of the Avalanche prospects regards Joey Hishon- is he finally ready for the NHL? If he is, is he the one that fits the missing piece to the puzzle on the third or fourth line? The only thing that concerns Av’s fans with regards to Iginla is whether or not they will be able to realistically make a deep Cup run within his three year contract. Let’s face it, Iginla is nearing the end of his career, and as of right now, Colorado appears to be at least three years out of a potential Stanley Cup.

On the blue line, the Av’s have a solidified defense in Erik Johnson, Tyson Barrie, Brad Stuart, and Jan Hejda, but whether Nick Holden and Nate Guenin can successfully complete the top six defensemen remains to be seen. Despite the success of last season, there are plenty of question marks for the Colorado Avalanche in the 2014- 2015 season. The Av’s have a little flexibility with excess defenseman that could be utilized from Lake Erie, but their depth at the blue line remains shallow in comparison to other teams. However, given the fact that the Avalanche have rid themselves of the Matt Hunwick atrocity, significant gains have been made. A lot of questions will be asked of the Avalanche this season, but with good intentions. Nobody doubts Roy’s- Jack Adams winning- ability to coach, however some may recall the last time the Av’s made the playoffs and the subsequent years in between playoff runs. To get to the top of the league, this young, relatively inexperienced playoff roster must remain a consistent force in both making the playoffs and lasting for longer than a round or two. Failure to make it back into the playoffs this season and the Avalanche organization suddenly looks like the Toronto Maple Leafs (sorry Leafs fans). Consistent final bows in the first round and the Av’s will look like the San Jose Sharks (sorry Sharks fans). To win a Cup, a team has to go through a few losses first, but it cannot take forever to do so.

Semyon Varlamov looks to improve on his Vezina Trophy finalist season and will take on more minutes with Reto Berra as his new backup. Quick question, whatever happened to all of that hype about Calvin Pickard? Is he still just a few years off? Varlamov is a clear starter in Colorado, potentially erasing all recent memories of the roulette of goalies and struggles in the crease in the forms of Peter Budaj, Andrew Raycroft (interesting fact, I still have his rookie card somewhere), Brian Elliott (before he was good in St. Louis), Craig Anderson (not that he really struggled, just the team that was in front of him), and whatnot. No matter what anyone says, Berra is a weak backup until proven otherwise. Sure he had that impressive save last year in Calgary, but sometimes it just happens. Regardless, the Avalanche need another year or two of making it into the playoffs and getting to the second round. First of all, they have to avoid the Minnesota Wild; something tells me the playoffs are not kind to the Av’s when they play the Wild. Secondly, the have to see how they can pit themselves up against perennial powerhouses such as Chicago or Los Angeles. Only then will they be ready to take on a Western Conference Final battle and perhaps even a Stanley Cup Finals run. Their number one goal for 2014- 2015 season, though, must be to continue to improve and aim for the second round of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

October 5, 2014
Boston Bruins 2014- 2015 Season Preview

2014 Offseason
Losses: (Free Agency) F Jarome Iginla, F Shawn Thornton, G Chad Johnson, D Andrej Meszaros (Trades) D Johnny Boychuk

Additions: (Free Agency) G Jeremy Smith (Trades) No one

While the Boston Bruins knew they would lose Chad Johnson, Andrej Meszaros, and Shawn Thornton heading into free agency, the Bruins treaded uncharted waters on the Jarome Iginla front. Within hours of free agency opening, Iginla decided to jettison Boston for Colorado and thus opened a hole on Boston’s first line. GM Peter Chiarelli did not have that much to deal with given the relatively weak RW free agents available and looked around the trade market, to the dismay of Bruins fans, nothing was gained on the right side in the offseason. Iginla’s thirty goals will instead have to be split among several players in the Bruins 2014- 2015 lineup, which is likely to see its core (when healthy) perform on a regular basis.

The questions remain as to who will be the replacement on the third and fourth line right wings, with Loui Eriksson moving up to the first line centered by David Krejci and anchored on the left side by Milan Lucic, and the other first line of Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, and Reilly Smith still in tact (finally, after the lengthy holdout on resigning Smith and Torey Krug). Both Matt Fraser and Ryan Spooner have made their cases for a roster spot, given their time in Providence last year and this preseason, however, with the plethora of centers in Boston, it is likely that someone like Spooner will end up playing a role on the wing, similar to what Carl Soderberg is doing already. With Jordan Caron appearing to be on his way to Providence, the only wild card from within the Bruins organization is this year’s first round selection, David Pastrnak. Pastrnak has the option of playing in Providence or back in Sweden should he not make the team- where he plays would be a collaborative decision between him and the Bruins front office staff. Simon Gagne was signed to a professional tryout agreement and remains as the only wild card, outside of the organization, pertaining to the 2014- 2015 Bruins roster.

On defense, the Bruins remain to look solid, despite the heavy loss of Johnny Boychuk in a trade with the New York Islanders. A healthy Dennis Seidenberg and Adam McQuaid will ease the roles and implementation of young defensemen such as Matt Bartkowski, Kevan Miller, Krug, and in the event of injuries, David Warsofsky and Zach Trotman. Notice, I’m not saying the Bruins defense is perfect. Without Boychuk the Bruins are much weaker in that they now do not have a solid group of top four defensemen. In time, however, Chiarelli might prove otherwise and be able to pull off a move for a defenseman Bruins fans have been waiting to see every year on their team, Keith Yandle. The rest of the outlook for the Bruins defense yields caution for Bartkowski, who is likely to be under heavy scrutiny (like he isn’t already) with Miller and Warsofsky ready to take the sixth and seventh defensemen spots. Zdeno Chara and Dougie Hamilton continue to look like the strong defensive pair that they are.

In goal, defending Vezina Trophy winner, Tuukka Rask looks to continue his stellar career and strong numbers, with Niklas Svedberg the expected backup goaltender. The overall season outlook for the Boston Bruins carries high expectations that demand none other than at least an Eastern Conference Finals journey. Anything short of that is reason enough to be pulling hair out of your head in Boston, with the Bruins looking to be the only successful team in the Hub for at least the next couple of seasons (we won’t talk about the Red Sox, Celtics, or Patriots, okay?)- and given last year’s frustrating series loss to the Montreal Canadiens. Although, it’s not so much about losing to their rivals that ruined the Bruins, it was a lack of compete level and complete amnesic short-term memory loss about how to play hockey in the 2014 Eastern Conference Semifinals. So with regards to Chiarelli’s moves (and lack thereof) this offseason, I will reference NHL 14’s Be a GM mode, where my owner once told me “[w]elcome back to the regular season. I’m surprised by your moves- or lack thereof- this offseason. I hope you know what you are doing…”

October 5, 2014
COMING SOON: 2014- 2015 Season Previews

The regular season is almost here and that means our writers have been hard at work crafting their 2014- 2015 season previews for all thirty National Hockey League teams. We will have some content packaged and ready to go starting tomorrow! While we may be the last of the hockey world to get our thoughts out there on the looming season, we’re still worth the read, so we hope you will enjoy our season previews. It’s been a long time since free agency started on July 1st, so we are ready to jog your memory with all the additions and losses of all thirty teams. We are also ready to welcome some new contributing writers to Down the Frozen River, and we think you are going to like their work. Until then, let’s all celebrate the beginning of a brand new hockey season and do what we all like to do, play couch (or armchair) GM!

October 5, 2014
2014 NHL Free Agency Recap

Recapping all of the signings from the entire day. Updated as necessary when newer deals are signed. Everything that is known is shown.

Christian Ehrhoff signed a 1 year deal worth $4 million with PIT.

Manny Malhotra signed a 1 year deal worth $850,000 with MTL.

Jori Lehtera signed a 2 year deal with STL.

Mark Fayne signed a 4 year deal worth $3.625 million a year with EDM.

Benoit Pouliot signed a 5 year deal worth $4 million a year with EDM.

Chad Johnson signed a 2 year deal worth $1.3 million a year with the NYI.

Milan Michalek signed a 3 year deal worth $4 million a year with OTT. (Resigned)

Petr Mrazek signed a 1 year deal with DET. (Resigned)

Paul Stastny signed a 4 year deal worth $7 million a year with STL.

Mike Camalleri signed a 5 year a deal worth $5 million a year with NJ.

Justin Peters signed a 2 year deal with WSH.

Tom Gilbert signed a 2 year deal worth $2.8 million a year with MTL.

Brad Malone signed a 2 year deal with CAR.

Jussi Jokinen signed a 4 year deal worth $4 million a year with FLA.

Mason Raymond signed a 3 year deal worth $3.167 million a year with CGY.

Dan Boyle signed a 2 year deal worth $4.5 a year with NYR.

Jiri Sekac signed a 2 year deal worth with MTL.

Dave Bolland signed a 5 year deal worth $5.5 million a year with FLA.

Clayton Stoner signed a 4 year deal worth $3.25 million a year with ANA.

Mike Weaver signed a 1 year deal worth $1.75 million with MTL. (Resigned)

Joe Vitale signed a 3 year deal worth $1.117 million a year with ARI.

Ryan Miller signed a 3 year deal worth $6 million a year with VAN.

Al Montoya signed a 2 year deal worth $1.050 million a year with FLA.

Anders Lindback signed a 1 year deal with DAL.

Ales Hemsky signed a 3 year deal worth $4 million a year with DAL.

Blake Comeau signed a 1 year deal worth $700K with PIT.

Thomas Greiss signed a 1 year deal worth $1 million with PIT.

Jeremy Gregoire signed a 3 year deal with MTL.

Brian Gionta signed a 3 year deal worth $4.25 million a year with BUF.

Brooks Orpik signed a 5 year deal worth $5.5 million a year with WSH.

Keith Aulie signed a 1 year deal worth $800,000 with EDM.

Mathieu Perreault signed a 3 year deal worth $3 million a year with WPG.

Shawn Thornton signed a 2 year deal worth $1.2 million a year with FLA.

Jonas Hiller signed a 2 year deal worth $4.5 million a year with CGY.

Adam Larsson signed a 1 year deal with NJ (Resigned).

Thomas Vanek signed a 3 year deal worth $6.5 million a year with MIN.

Stephane Robidas signed a 3 year deal worth $3 million a year with TOR.

Dominic Moore signed a 2 year deal worth $1.5 million a year with NYR. (Resigned)

Tanner Glass signed a 3 year deal worth $1.45 million a year with NYR.

Mike Kostka signed a deal with NYR.

Bruno Gervais signed a 1 year deal with COL.

Nick Holden signed a 3 year deal worth $1.65 million a year with COL. (Resigned)

Derek Mackenzie signed a deal with FLA.

Brett Sutter signed a two way deal with MIN.

Matt Moulson signed a 5 year deal worth $5 million a year with BUF.

Martin Havlat signed a 1 year deal worth $1.5 million with NJ.

Phil McRae signed a 1 year, two way, deal with STL.

Brett Regner signed a 1 year, two way, deal with STL.

Cody McCormick signed a 3 year deal worth $4.5 million with BUF. (Resigned)

Nick Drazenovic signed a 2 year deal worth $550K with PIT. (Resigned)

Marcus Foligno signed a 2 year deal with BUF. (Resigned)

Jarome Iginla signed a 3 year deal worth $5.333 million a year with COL.

Leo Komarov signed a 4 year, $2.95 million contract with TOR.

Jiri Tlusty signed a 1 year, $2.95 million deal with CAR. (Resigned)

Peter Regin signed a 1 year $650K deal with CHI.

Anton Stralman signed a 5 year deal worth $4.5 million per year with TB.

Steve Bernier signed a 1 year, $600K deal with NJ. (Resigned)

Mike Angelids signed a 1 year, two way, contract with TB. (Resigned)

Chris Mueller signed a deal with the NYR.

Deryk Engelland signed a 3 year deal, worth $2.9 million a year with CGY.

Cody Bass signed a 1 year contract with CHI.

Pierre-Cedric Labrie signed a 1 year deal with CHI.

Scott Darling signed a 1 year with CHI.

Steven Kampfer signed a two-way contract with the NYR.

Kevin Porter signed a two-way contract with DET.

Jesse Winchester signed a 2 year deal with COL.

Scott Clemmensen signed a 1 year, two-way, deal with NJ.

Mike Blunden signed a two-way deal, worth $600K, with TB.

Andrej Meszaros signed a 1 year, $4.125 million, contract with BUF.

Ray Emery signed a 1 year, $1 million, contract with PHI. (Resigned)

Ron Zepp signed a 1 year, two-way, contract with PHI.

Matt Hunwick signed a 1 year deal, worth $600K, with the NYR.

Devan Dubnyk signed a 1 year deal, worth $800K, with ARI.

Luke Gazdic signed a 2 year deal with EDM. (Resigned)

Adam Cracknell signed a 1 year contract with LA.

David Van Der Gulik signed a 1 year contract with LA.

Brad Richards signed a 1 year, $2 million, deal with CHI.

Cedrick Desjardins signed a contract with the NYR.

Matt Niskanen signed a 7 year contract worth $40.25 million ($5.75 million a year) with WSH.

Willie Mitchell signed a 2 year deal, worth $4.25 million a year, with FLA.

Patrick Eaves signed a 1 year deal with DAL.

Joey MacDonald signed a 1 year, two- way, contract with MTL.

Brian Boyle signed a 3 year contract, worth $2 million a year, with TB.

Jon Landry signed a 1 year, two-way, contract with WSH.

Mike Moore signed a 1 year, two-way, contract with WSH.

Chris Breen signed a 1 year, two-way, deal (worth $600K NHL/$175K AHL) with BOS.

Stu Bickel has signed a 1 year, two-way, contract with MIN.

Marcel Goc signed a 1 year, $1.2 million, deal with PIT. (Resigned)

Matt Frattin signed a 2 year deal with TOR. (Resigned)

Evgeny Nabokov signed a 1 year deal with TB.

Taylor Chorney signed a 1 year, two- way, contract with PIT.

Drew MacIntyre signed a 1 year, two-way, (worth $600K if in the NHL) contract with CAR.

Harry Zolnierczyk signed a 1 year, two-way, $600K deal with the NYI.

Guillaume Gelinas signed an entry level contract with MIN.

Cory Conacher signed a 1 year contract with the NYI.

Jason LaBarbera signed a 1 year contract with ANA.

Zach Redmond signed a 2 year deal with COL.

Ben Street signed a 2 year deal with COL.

Kyle Quincey signed a 2 year, $4.25 per year, deal with DET. (Resigned)

Jack Skille signed a two-way deal with the NYI.

Chris Conner signed a 1 year, two-way, contract with WSH.

For a complete and official list of Free Agent signings, check out this.

July 1, 2014
NHL Free Agency 2014

Be on the lookout for updates on our Twitter account (@DtFrozenRiver) and our analysis right here on Down the Frozen River!

Analysis:

Christian Ehrhoff signed a 1 year deal, worth $4 million, with the Pittsburgh Penguins and kicked things off for free agency this year. This is a great deal for both sides as Ehrhoff won’t be tied down to PIT, should things not improve, and PIT won’t be tied down to Ehrhoff in this, the salary cap world.

Paul Stastny signed a 4 year deal, worth $28 million ($7 million cap hit), with the St. Louis Blues. Stastny returns home to STL and becomes the third Stastny to play with STL (his brother Yan and his father Peter both played for St. Louis at one point in time). This is a lucrative deal for Stastny, who gets what he wants and the terms he wants it on, and for St. Louis, which adds strength down the middle in a solid veteran.

Dan Boyle signed a 2 year, $4.5 million per year, contract with the New York Rangers. Strength on the blue line continues for the blue shirts, however, with Rick Nash still on the team as a forward, this proves their offensive strength stills needs to be worked on.

Ryan Miller signed a 3 year, $6 million per, contract with the Vancouver Canucks today and led the charge for free agent goalies, both in the sense that he was the best available and in the fact that several goalies then followed and signed with many teams immediately after Miller’s announcement. The irony in Miller going to Vancouver, of course, is that 2010 wasn’t very kind to him in the Olympics that were held there. The fact that it is a short term deal does not surprise me, but rather makes a good point of if things don’t work out, VAN doesn’t have to hold on as long as they did with Roberto Luongo.

Brooks Orpik crossed enemy lines and went to the Pittsburgh Penguins rival, the Washington Capitals on a 5 year contract, worth $5.5 million a year. Just think, Brooks Orpik and Mike Green, well that’s just like Brooks Orpik and Kris Letang. Defensive defenseman with an offensive defenseman.

Thomas Vanek signed a 3 year deal worth $6.5 million, per year, with Minnesota and reunites with Jason Pominville (like what everyone expected in the past). Look for many more wrist shots coming from Minnesota now.

Jarome Iginla went to Colorado on a 3 year, $16 million, deal and left better chances of winning the Cup with Boston for the Av’s who appear to be at least two to three years out of being a serious Cup contender- ironically the length of his contract. Or basically, Iginla said to the Bruins, “I like you, but I don’t like you, like you (again).”

Everyone has been waiting on what Matt Niskanen would do all afternoon, so it came as no surprise when a deal was announced. Niskanen and the Washington Capitals came to an agreement on a seven year contract worth $40.25 million and the Capitals bolstered their blue line. It is tough to choose from which is the bigger signing for the Capitals between Brooks Orpik and Matt Niskanen, regardless, they should have no trouble at all getting used to one another in Washington and facing their rival, and former team, the Pittsburgh Penguins next season. If you asked me, though, and I were starting a team and could only pick one of them, I’d take Orpik.

Other big signings will appear shortly. Check out the newest post for a recap of all the deals.

July 1, 2014