Evgeni Malkin has reasserted himself as a dominant force in the NHL and is now ranked No. 1, while John Tavares has become an elite player and has jumped from 45th to 4th.
After November, the Bruins and Red Wings were first and second respectively, but at the All-Star break it was flip-flopped with Detroit first and Boston second.
?It isn?t tennis, I can tell you that much!? xxclaimed one local observer who, out of embarrassment, wished to remain anonymous. ?They both just kinda?push the ball over the net, you know?"
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As we continue to yearn for closure on the Ilya Kovalchuk saga, the Los Angeles Kings have appeared to move on from their courtship, signing veteran winger Alexei Ponikarovsky to a one-year, $3M contract.
In a recent article about the best remaining free agent forwards, I was certain that he wouldn?t earn as much as he did last season ($2.5M), but I was wrong; I also think the Kings were a bit wrong to offer him as much as they did. Alexei will get you 20 goals, that is for certain (he has done so four of the past five years), but he is more of an opportunistic scorer who doesn?t create offense for your team, and that is why I believe this to be an over payment.
Ponikarovsky reached the 50-point plateau last season, but despite his goal totals that was only the second time in his career that the 30-year-old has done so. The thought of him putting up better numbers playing with better players was thrown out the window after his 2 goal-7 assist-16 game dance in Pittsburgh late last season. If he can have a strong season, and more importantly a strong playoff, he may have a shot at a longer term deal next offseason.
The good news for L.A. is they still have money to spend to further bolster their offense; acquiring a top-2 center has to be a priority. The one year pact does nothing to burden them financially in the future with long term deals in the works for Drew Daughty and Jack Johnson, either. Sadly, they thought they were replacing Alexander Frolov with a cheaper version, but he ended up being the exact same price.
Grade for Los Angeles: B-
Grade for Ponikarovsky: A-
On the same afternoon as the Ponikarovsky signing, former Kings winger Alexander Frolov signed a one-year deal with the New York Rangers, also for $3M.
Frolov made many a loud decree as the offseason began that he wasn?t taking a pay cut from his $4M salary last season; in fact, he was asking for a raise up to $5M a year. He believed that because he was a two-time 30-goal scorer, he was in the upper echelon of forwards in the NHL. But after five straight 21+ goal seasons, he dipped down to 19 last year and fell out of favor with the coaching staff.
That, along with his high salary demands, made him undesirable in the free agent market when July began. As the weeks built up, it looked more and more likely that he would return to his native Russia for the big dollars he was seeking. Instead, he appears to have been humbled by the lack of interest and signed a one year deal that, if he plays well and doesn?t cause any trouble, could earn him a better deal next offseason.
The hope that New York has, is that playing alongside Marion Gaborik will help Frolov get back to where he was between 2006-09 when he had 90 goals, 107 assists and 197 points in 230 games. With that kind of history, he is no doubt a welcome addition to a Rangers team that was 16th in the league last year in goals per game, and one that was on the outside of the playoff picture after losing to Philadelphia in a shootout in the season?s final game. And while Frolov didn?t get the dollars he was seeking, he found a good place rebuild his reputation and resume as a first line winger, while staying in the world?s best hockey league.
Grade for New York: A-
Grade for Frolov: B+
And finally, an under the radar signing had winger Andrew Ladd reach a one-year, $2.35M agreement with the Atlanta Thrashers, thus avoiding arbitration.
Ladd was acquired from Chicago with Dustin Byfuglien prior to the draft, and while he wasn?t the marquee name in the deal, he is sure to make a big impact on the Thrashers; after all, he has won two Stanley Cups in his five year career (Carolina in 2006, Chicago in 2010).
The 24-year-old Ladd has increased his goal total in each of his five seasons (6, 11, 14, 15, 17), and has proven to be a extremely valuable leader and locker room guy that does all of the little things during the game that don?t show up in the box score. His Stanley Cup experience, physical play, and defensive work make this a solid signing for an Atlanta team that greatly improved itself this offseason. Ladd made $1.6M last season.
Grade for Atlanta: A
Grade for Ladd: A
Nick can be reached by email nickobergan@hotmail.com or on twitter @NickObergan
