Commodore doesn't think he's is that overpaid

From Tom Reed of the Columbus Dispatch:

Some critics, however, say the Jackets overpaid for a defenseman with 14 career goals and 49 assists in seven seasons spanning 296 games. The Hockey News labeled it the fourth-worst signing of the summer.

"I'll be the first to admit I got a very good contract for myself," Commodore said. "I know (NBC and TSN analyst) Pierre McGuire ran his mouth up there, which is no shocker. I don't set the market. If you take what I've done in the last three years and take my comparables ... I don't think by any stretch of the imagination it was an unfair contract."

Read the entire story here.

Say what you want about this contract, but Commodore will bring strong leadership skills, a willingness to compete and playoff experience to a young squad.

Blue Jackets sign Commodore to 5 year deal

From Columbus Dispatch:

The Blue Jackets are closing in on a contract with free agent defenseman Mike Commodore, The Dispatch has learned. An announcement is expected soon.

Sources say it’s a five-year contract. Financial details were not immediately available.

Update: TSN confirms it is done.

Read more about the trade here.

The total is about $18.75 million for five seasons. Pierre Mcguire is tearing this deal apart on TSN as we speak.

Flyers looking to add defenseman via free agency

From Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer:

The Flyers are negotiating with potential restricted free agents Jeff Carter, R.J. Umberger and Randy Jones. Holmgren said he was hopeful of signing them but was not especially close.

He was close to signing Riley Cote, another potential free agent on July 1.

In addition to signing the Big Three, one of Holmgren's off-season goals is to add a defenseman. Brian Campbell, John-Michael Liles, Mark Streit and Mike Commodore are among potential free agents who could fit the bill.

Bolstering the roster and staying within the salary cap, which is expected to reach $55 million, will be tricky, but Holmgren seemed confident.

Read more about the Flyers off-season here.

The Flyers will most likely look to sign a second-tier defenseman via free agency. Their cap number currently sits at $48.2 million and they haven't even re-signed Carter, Umberger and Jones. Taking that into account, the Flyers may have to look at the trade route as their best bet at improving their defensive corps.

Fantasy Watch: Analyzing the Ottawa/Carolina Trade

F Cory Stillman, Ottawa Senators
Stillman was fantastic in the first two months of the season scoring 31 points total but endured a steep decline in December and January where he only totaled 14 points. Although he was struggling in Carolina, a trade to Ottawa may decrease Stillman's value even more. In Carolina, Stillman was a top line player, often getting several minutes on the power-play. He developed great chemistry with his linemates and was on pace for a 70+ point year. In Ottawa, Stillman becomes second fiddle to Spezza Heatley and Alfreddsson, and although one can argue that Ottawa has more talent than Carolina, Stillman may never see icetime with any of the big three. The only hope for Stillman is if he becomes a regular on the power-play which could increase his numbers drastically. Without significant power-play time, expect a decline for the former Hurricane.

D Mike Commodore, Ottawa Senators
Commodore has never been much of an offensive producer and that probably won't change with Ottawa. Even though Commodore enjoyed his best season last year scoring 29 points, Ottawa will primarily use him as more of a defensive specialist. With Corvo departing the Sens, a power-play spot is available but expect Ottawa to give Meszaros longer time on the pp and even letting Stillman get his chance. A change of scenery is nice for Commodore, but don't expect much offensively from the defenseman.

F Patrick Eaves, Carolina Hurricanes
In his three years with Ottawa, Eaves has gotten better every year, increasing his point total along the way. Scoring 14 goals and 32 points last season, Eaves was expected to make more of a jump this season but has failed to do so, appearing in only 26 games while scoring 10 points. Currently sidelined with a neck, shoulder injury, it is unknown when Eaves will get back on the ice, but expect him to take some time getting adjusted to his new linemates. Nonetheless, Eaves is still a solid young player and can prove to be a valuable asset to Carolina in years to come.

D Joe Corvo, Carolina Hurricanes
Corvo is known more as an offensive defenseman, scoring 35+ points in his last two seasons. Struggling somewhat in the month of January, Corvo recently got hot with Ottawa scoring four points in his last three games. In Carolina, Corvo immediately becomes Carolina's highest scoring defenseman (Bret Hedican is in second with 12 points) and should see lots of time on the Hurricanes top pp unit. With no reliable defensive scorer, Corvo should give Carolina a big boost in that department and enjoy great success on his new team.


For Illegal Curve, Jonny Remis

NHL Morning Papers (Tuesday Edition)

Here are the national morning papers:

• Eric Duhatschek of the Globe & Mail gives his take on the Cory Stillman trade.
• Here is Damien Cox's take on the Stillman trade.
• Mats Sundin continues to say that he would like to remain a Maple Leaf, writes Tim Wharnsby of the Globe & Mail.
• Jim Matheson of the National Post talks with Clint Malarchuk about the Richard Zednik incident.
• Kevin Allen of USA Today has an interview with USA Hockey executive director Dave Ogrean.

Here are the Eastern Conference morning papers:

• Pat Hickey of the Montreal Gazette has the details behind the arrests of two Canadiens players in Tampa.
• Things are looking positive for Panthers forward Richard Zednik after the winger was sliced in the neck with a skate. The doctors who operated on Zednik say that he his lucky to be alive.
• The Thrashers have the necessary amount of veteran players so as to not panic with the playoff race already underway, writes Craig Custance of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
• Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara missed practice yesterday for a "maintenance day" and the team is hoping he will be able to play tonight against the Hurricanes. Kevin Paul Dupont has the Bruins' take on the Richard Zednik incident.
• Bucky Gleason of the Buffalo News suggests that the Sabres deal Brian Campbell before the trade deadline. Meanwhile, the Sabres were very satisfied with the play of his Tim Connolly in his return to the line-up on Saturday.
• Luke Decock of the News Observer has the Carolina perspective of the Stillman trade.
• Now that the Rangers are close to signing Henrik Lundqvist to a contract extension, Larry Brooks of the NY Post suggests they make sure they sign Sean Avery to an extension next. The Rangers have played more games than any other team in the Eastern Conference, so that makes their five day break far less enjoyable.
• Ed Moran of the Philadelphia Daily News has the details behind Simon Gagne's latest concussion. Here are some notes about the Flyers.
• Ron Cook writes about the evolution Ryan Malone as a player, in this morning's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Even with the Cory Stillman trade yesterday, Penguins GM Ray Shero doesn't see his team making any big moves before the trade deadline.
• Rich Chere talks about the immense value of having John Madden on your hockey team, in this morning's Newark Star-Ledger.
• If Mike Comrie had his way, he'd be an Islander for a while, writes Greg Logan of Newsday.
• Erik Erlendsson of the Tampa Tribune interviews former Lightning and Sabre Dave Andreychuk about the Richard Zednik incident.
• Kevin McGran of the Toronto Star says Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry are two of the best bargains in the NHL. The Leafs held practice outside yesterday, much to the delight of their many young fans.
• "I think it's a message again to the community that this team wants to win a Stanley Cup," said Senators GM Brian Murray after his team's four player trade on Monday. Chris Stevenson of the Ottawa Sun gives you his take on the deal.

Here are the Western Conference morning papers:

• The Ducks will be without center Doug Weight for at least a week because of a shoulder injury, writes Dan Wood of the Orange County Register.
• The Flames head on the road for a five game road trip starting in San Jose, and they are hoping the road trip brings similar fortunes to their six-game road trip earlier this season. Here are some news and notes about the Flames/Sharks.
• Tom Reed of the Columbus Dispatch has a very interesting article on European coaches in the NHL. In good news, the Jackets are expecting to have three important regulars back at practice today.
• The Stars made it seven wins in a row last night with a 2-1 come-from-behind victory over the Coyotes.
• Michael Russo of the Star Tribune gives the Wild perspective on the Zednik injury.
• The Sharks are looking to upgrade their defensive corps via trade, writes David Pollak of the San Jose Mercury News.
• “We’ve fallen on some tough times of late, but we’re still a contender and we’re still competing on a nightly basis," said Blues coach Andy Murray yesterday.
• The Blackhawks are still fuming over Ryan Shannon's shootout winner from Sunday night, writes Chris Kuc of the Chicago Tribune. Even though Sunday was his first game back from injury, the Hawks weren't light on the ice-time with Jonathan Toews.
• Injured forwards Ryan Smyth and Paul Stastny are close to returning to the Avalanche line-up, writes Adrian Dater of the Denver Post.
• Wings coach Mike Babcock still wants to split up Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg but he needs to see better production from his wingers to ensure the move wouldn't hinder his team's ability to score.
• Joanne Ireland of the Edmonton Journal tells readers that Tom Gilbert has had his fair share of struggles recently. The Oilers are hoping Fernando Pisani can bust out of his goal-scoring slump as they try and make a run at the last playoff spot. "We have to be tough to play against. Teams don't like when you play that style of game. If we can do it against Calgary then we can do it against anybody," said Oilers captain Ethan Moreau about the way his team needs to play down the stretch.
• Apparently there are more problems with the Predators ownership situation. The Predators road to the playoffs goes through Detroit, writes John Glennon of the Tennessean.
• It is fair to say coach Wayne Gretzky wasn't happy with a late-game penalty call against the Coyotes that cost them the game, writes Jim Gintonio of the Arizona Republic The Coyotes were without Shane Doan last night in Dallas because the rugged winger was out with a groin injury.
• The Canucks have one of the harder roads to the playoffs, writes Jason Botchford of the Vancouver Province.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

Email any thoughts, ideas or suggestions to illegalcurve@gmail.com

Sens/Canes Trade Analysis

To Carolina:
Patrick Eaves
07-08 Salary: $900,000
RFA next season

Joe Corvo
07-08 Salary: $2.5 mil
08-09 Salary: $2.75 mil
09-10 Salary: $2.75 mil

Carolina finally gets the true powerplay quarterback they have been looking for in Corvo, after employing a forward on the point (sometimes even two forwards) throughout the majority of the season. The initial idea was that Frantisek Kaberle would be the powerplay quarterback, but after struggling out of the gate recovering from off-season surgery, it became apparent that Carolina truly needed a number one defenceman to run the troops with the man advantage. Corvo’s booming shot, accurate outlet pass, and quick feet will surely be a boon to the Canes offense. After a promising rookie campaign, Eaves has had injury troubles the past two seasons. Not known for his aggressive style of play, Eaves is a talented winger with offensive potential who couldn’t really find a comfortable spot in the Sens’ lineup. Projected 2nd line winger.

To Ottawa:
Cory Stillman
07-08 Salary: $1.75 mil
UFA next season

Mike Commodore
07-08 Salary: $1.3 mil
UFA next season

Conversely, the Sens are shedding a good chunk of salary for the next two years, in bidding adieu to Corvo. The Sens will miss his heavy shot from the point, and it surely does shake up their powerplay. The likely result will either be Meszaros or Schubert being paired with Redden on the #1 unit, or Alfredsson filling the void on the point from time to time (a scary thought thinking back to Pominville walking around Alfredsson to score the series clinching goal for the Sabres two years ago). Another possibility may be to put Heatley back on the point, but with his skating being weaker than Alfredsson’s, this doesn’t seem too likely. The thought is that defenceman Brian Lee will be ready for some primetime action next season on the blueline. Acquiring Stillman is a great move, and will give coach Paddock some more options if he wants to break up Alfredsson from Heatley and Spezza come playoff time. According to GM Bryan Murray, Stillman is slated to play with second line centre Mike Fisher. Not known to be too aggressive in the corners to say the least, let’s hope that Stillman’s 34 year-old body holds up. In Commodore, the Sens acquire a physical blueliner with playoff experience winning the Cup with Canes and reaching the finals with Calgary in 2004. Known for having a cult following with his crazy hair and bathrobe, Commodore will fit in nicely as a depth defenceman on the Sens.

The Result:
To quote legendary GM Sam Pollock, the team who gets the best player wins a trade. If that is true, then the Sens are the winners in this deal. Looking more closely, the departure of Corvo will create an offense hole on the Sens’ blueline, but one that can be fixed with a quick shuffle of powerplay duties. What can’t be overlooked is the $2.5 mil vacancy created on the team’s payroll over the next two seasons. Although the Sens likely won’t re-sign Stillman after next season, he will hopefully provide some leadership and Cup experience this year, coupled with a secondary scoring option. Depending on how Eaves progresses over the years, the Sens appear to have won this deal for the short term.

Morning Musings: Prediction time

I have to be honest, I'm not sure how much predictions are worth. Nevertheless, they make for an interesting read. Thus, we at Illegal Curve are going to provide you with our predictions for the upcoming NHL season.

Without further ado, here are our predictions:

Note: We will be reviewing these predictions at season's end.

On to the morning papers:

• The Red Wings have demoted Igor Grigorenko to the AHL because they would rather him get into game action than sit up in the press box; George Sipple of the Detroit Free Press has the story.


• The Rangers have demoted Al Montoya to Hartford of the AHL writes Larry Brooks of the NY Post.


• As Damien Cox tells us in this morning's Toronto Star, Paul Maurice has more important things to worry about than the gridlock on Toronto freeways. Meanwhile, Maurice has yet name a starting goaltender for Wednesday night's game versus the Senators.


• Mats Sundin is hoping his efforts to pass Darryl Sittler on the Leafs' all-time goals list don't hit a wall like the end of last season.


• Mark Bell is hoping to return to the lineup on November 6th in Ottawa writes Mike Zeisberger of the Toronto Sun.


• With so many young, up-and-coming players at Habs' camp, Jack Todd of the Montreal Gazette details the difficulty of cracking the Habs' roster.


• Bob Gainey is clearly in charge in Montreal writes Pat Hickey of the Montreal Gazette.


• Patrick Kane will need some time to adjust to the systems played in the NHL writes Chris Kuc of the Chicago Tribune.


• Milan Lucic impressed many at Bruins' camp and as a result the youngster has made the Bruins' final roster. Meanwhile, coach Claude Julien has yet to decide who is going to start in between the pipes for the team's first game of the season.


• Kari Lehtonen will be starting in net for the Thrashers' season opener versus Washington writes Craig Custance of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.


• As Tim Graham explains, Lindy Ruff has his roster set, however, that does not mean he won't be tinkering with the Sabres' lines throughout the season.


• Mike Keenan doesn't put much stock in the Flames' preseason record. Although some say the Flames may be too old to compete for the cup, the team believes that age is just a number.


• Mike Commodore is one season away from unrestricted free agency and as Luke Decock of the News Observer explains, it is something he is quite aware of.


• Ken Hitchcock is one of Kris Russell's biggest fans writes Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch.


• Sam Gagner has a contract in hand so his next goal is to stick with Edmonton for the entire season. The impressive play of the Oilers' younger players led to the team's release of Anson Carter.


• Terry Jones of the Edmonton Sun tells us that Coach MacTavish is giddy about the team's young talent and sees their youthful exuberance rubbing off on their veteran teammates.


• Just because Chris Connor was demoted by the Stars on Monday doesn't mean he didn't impress the Stars' brass writes Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News.


• Avs' youngster Tyler Weiman has earned the backup goalie spot to Peter Budaj heading into the season; however, once Jose Theodore is ready to go, Weiman will be sent to the AHL.


• With nine players coming up on unrestricted free agency, it is sure to be an intriguing season in Minnesota writes Michael Russo of the Star Tribune.


• Michael Cass of the Tennessean informs readers that the deal to keep the Predators in Nashville appears to have fallen apart.


• Steve Gorton of the South Florida Sun Sentinel has an interesting piece on the budding relationship between Florida teammates Nathan Horton and Olli Jokinen.


• Rich Chere of the Newark Star-Ledger warns Devils' fans that may not recognize the style of play from their beloved team under new coach Brent Sutter. This, of course, is not a bad thing.


• The Islanders are still contemplating some roster decisions writes Greg Logan of New York Newsday.


• As Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun informs us, it sure didn't take long for the big three to be reunited in the nation's capital.


• The Sharks are excited to have a fully healthy Craig Rivet in the lineup heading into 2007/08.


• According to Dave Molinari of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Jordan Staal has been promoted to Pittsburgh's number one line.


• The Capitals have signed Tomas Fleischmann and demoted Ben Clymer. Of note, Fleischmann is expected to play on the number one line with Oveckin and Kozlov.


• Today is d-day for impressive rookie David Perron at Blues' camp.


• Generally a team that avoids injuries, the Lightning have uncharacteristically been on the mend all preseason.


• The Coyotes are hoping to put last season behind them writes Jim Gintonio of the Arizona Republic.


• Jason Smith has been named captain of the Philadelphia Flyers; Tim Panaccio of the Philadelphia Inquirer has the story.


• Mason Raymond and Ryan Shannon are ecstatic to have made the Canucks' roster.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.