Dare to gamble?

Okay, continuing to milk the trade deadline cow. Now I'm going through some thoughts on the potential free agents that might really spark up a team they land in. In addition I'll cover some of the ageless veterans that seem to just keep on firing on all cylinders no matter how old they get. These guys are mostly loyal to their long term teams, but there might be a chance to lure one or two out of their retirement houses by dangling the Stanley Cup in front of them. Finally I'll cover some of the ultimate risks, already proven to fail easily, but still having some hidden potential underneath.

Let's start with the impact players with somewhat inconsistent history. Number one is Washington's Alexander Semin. No matter how much the North American media hates this kid, I still believe he's up there with the best of them as far as hockey skills come. Semin is clearly unhappy as the number two primadonna in the team. OVechkin steals the spotlight and as both of these guys live for recognition as the artists they are, Semin is not going to hit his peak behind the bigger Alex. Semin has a shot like Steven Stamkos, hands like Patric Kane and skating skills to match. You just need to have the desperation level as a team to take the leap to unknown an build your offense around this young Russian. As the teams in the bottom of the standings, what can you lose? Montreal, Minnesota or something.

Another Capital is closing in on the free agency. Former league-leading defenceman, Mike Green, has the potential to be the ultimate game changer, especially on the powerplay. Just look at his stats from years 08-09 and 09-10. Green has been injured much of the past two seasons and his attitude has also been questioned. But you just don't rack up 70+ points per season as a blueliner in NHL unless you have exceptional talent day in and day out. On a team with highly skilled forward group on power play, Green could be the catalyst to just blow the PP goal column through the roof. Devils, Lightning and Ducks, just to name a few.

There's also a sneaky Swede, Kristian Huselius, who has dropped totally from the radar after injuries and other woes. This guy was producing almost a point per game in Calgary and Columbus while these teams were deep down in the bottom of the league. He managed even to crack it to the positive side of plus minus charts through 06-09. If he regains his health, this 33 year old playmaker is still very potential second line forward for any team needing secondary scoring.

Three more guys with high potential and solid careers enter the free agency unless new contracts come up soon. Brad Boyes, a lethal sniper and shootout specialist is having a horrible downswing in productivity after his high scoring years in St. Louis Blues. Install him in a proper line with a good setup man and he might well regain his level of 30+ goals per season. Olli Jokinen is playing on his best level in Calgary era. He seems to have found the groove with some true veteran leadership. Calgary is likely negotiating an extension with the Great Pumpkin Head, but Olli might be tempted to make one final attempt to be a big player in a big team. So far he has only been able to rise to high level of play while playing in mediocre teams. Edmonton's Ales Hemsky still has the speed to cause envy across the league and can pack a magnificent set of hands on top of that. The young Oilers will not make it to the playoffs yet this season. Hemsky might want to try a change of scenery for the extra notch to make it to the elite of forwards before hitting his thirties. Anyone with a gap in skill and speed should be interested. Dallas, Ottawa or even Detroit come to mind.

There are so many Hall of Fame -bound veterans still playing this season on a high level that it sometimes is hard to believe. Sweden's ironman Nicklas Lidström will likely postpone retirement and carry on for yet another season in Detroit. Even if the graying Wings run out of steam come playoff time. Martin Brodeur carries on and will want to increase his incredible numbers in a Devil uniform until retirement. I can't see Teemu Selänne migrating from warm and sunny Anaheim anywhere soon. Not even for a loan to dear neighbors San Jose or LA. He'll give the Ducks another chance and another solid year even if they miss the playoffs this season. You just cannot quit as the top scorer among this lineup while you're still skating like a 20 year old and love the game as much as Teemu.

Three more big names in the veteran corps might have a temptation play the remaining years in different teams. Jaromir Jagr might swap to another uniform for another year if he stays healthy and the Flyers mess it up early in the playoffs. Ray Whitney is absolutely killing it in Phoenix and he should be on the radar of any playoff bound team that believes that veteran leadership is critical in the postseason. Milan Hejduk is also headed for free agency and might be tempted to jump out of the Colorado train for a bit more mature team to finish off his career. Any of these guys can improve any team they land in. For some teams that rely heavily on young superstars, an elderly distinguished gentleman might be a perfect mentor. You just cannot be cocky while facing Jaromir Jagr and his merits. Take a note on this, Chicago Blackhawks.

Finally, the dark horses. Evgeni Nabokov went awol last season but humbly returned for a decent campaign in lowly NY Islanders. He might be of interest for any team with secure playoff spot but problems in the net. Chicago, Philly again. Then there are the ultimate gambles in Dustin Penner and Sean Avery. Both have proven to be valuable players to cause problems to the opponents and even score some points along with the rest of the hussle. Penner was solid big bruiser in Edmonton era, always in the face of opposing goalies. Avery was driving the opposition crazy while still amusing the home team and supporters in Rangers for a long period. Falling out of favor with the coaches has totally killed these guys' careers. For a team desperate enough and willing to gamble with the team chemistry on the line, these guys will join you on a bargain tab. Help them find their groove and give them the niche they fit in and you'll end up a winner. Penner to Washington to fill up Mike Knuble's big boots. Avery to any team that has an audience that appreciates some theatrics with their daily portion of hockey. Could the city of Chicago be ready for the Avery-show? And the young fun loving corps led by Patrick Kane might have a laugh with Sean. Captain Serious excluded of course.

Shuffle up in Philly

Trade market is a topic that may result in rather long posts. I'll start with something that comes to my mind right away.

It sure has been a busy summer on the trade market. Lots of big names have landed on new teams, some surprisingly, some likely expecting or even wanting to get traded. Anyhow, this really injects some needed surprise factor on the team's overall success rate in the beginning of the next season. Gray hairs for owners, good fun for fans and gamblers.

Let's focus on the Philadelphia Flyers. They drew the biggest attention to themselves with a major decision in letting go many of their top guns from the last few seasons. Let's take a closer look on the guys who left and the ones that came in to fill in the gaps.

Mike Richards, for starters, was the team captain, fan favourite and the poster boy for the whole franchise, if not sometimes for the whole NHL. His style of hard nosed but efficient play was feared and followed alike. Sometimes it seemed even that he had some free passes on the NHL disciplinary actions for not getting punished for very hard hits with disturbing results. Well, he was one of the guys to start the discussion that ended up in the current blind side hits rule. Whatever that means in practice.. Anyway, teams don't often let these caliber guys go away. There's not many who could fill up his role in the whole sport. Beats me, maybe he was too greedy, unhappy or didn't get along with the management. Anyway, LA is the massive winner in this trade. It's going to be awesome to see how soon he finds a line in LA to deliver the goods.

Jeff Carter got shipped to Columbus. Well, not exactly what a guy with high and growing rating in the league wants to see. No matter what he says. Playing for half empty arenas in a non-competitive team is just bad PR. On the positive side, he'll get to play just as much as he wants as the ultimate superstar in the team. Winner again, Columbus, hands down. Carter's true skills will now be seen with mediocre linemates. I wouldn't expect 40 goals this season..

Ville Leino has hit the high wave on his career just on the right spot and that led Buffalo Sabres to lock him in for a long term, high salary contract. It's good to see Ville with a new chance to prove himself as a first line NHL forward. As a fellow Finn I hope he succeeds. Not too many high profile forwards from Finland anymore in the league. However, it's a gamble for the Sabres, like most of their moves this summer. Flyers should have tried to keep Leino, but likely couldn't match the offer he got.

The newcomers then. Bryzgalov, with a foolish contract for the eternity, forces the Flyers to commit to one goalie for bettor or worse. He did fantastic job in Phoenix, so it's not at all unlikely that he'd be able to plug the goals against column for good. Voracek, Simmonds and Talbot are work horses for second to fourth lines. Nothing spectacular, but likely worth their salary when played in right roles. Lilja is a lower minute defenceman in Philly, not a difference maker. The rookies, including Brayden Schenn, are the unknown. Maybe there's a new star in the making, maybe these guys will never secure a spot in the starting lineup, who knows.

Last but definitely not least is the grand old maestro, Jaromir Jagr. Currently gray bearded, but still extremely dangerous in the offensive zone. It's absolutely thrilling to see him get adjusted in today's NHL. With proper linemates he might well pull off another stellar season. The wildest predictions put him in the fight for the scoring title. That's a bit though to believe, but I could well believe in a bit less than a point per game season. Jagr, in his prime, has been one of the best to play the game ever. He's a no brainer to the Hall of Fame after he retires no matter how he does this season. I had a chance to follow his play in the last year's world championships and he didn't fall short to any of the younger stars in Czech lineup. In the Flyers he might be able to take the role of the living legend, leading younger guns to great things with his example. Obviously, I've always liked his style of play. Massive skills in one of the strongest packages in the game, combined with a world class eye for the play. I sincerely hope he still has the gas in the tank to compete on the ultimate top of this sport. Good catch form the Flyers indeed, if for nothing else than getting a truckload of interest directed in their games.

All in all, Philly really shook up its roster. On the first look it got way worse, but looking a bit further down the line, this may provide some stability to the franchise that likely expected to take it all with the lineup from the past couple of years. They ended up falling just short, but definitely showing that the "Rangers approach", of gathering the cream of players without paying too much attention to paychecks, can succeed with the right coordination.

I'll continue with another rambling post on some other trades this offseason later.