Great Whites - Offseason Review

The Great Whites:

L: Zetterberg-Det RFA, Frolov-LA P4, Nash-Cbs P4, Semin-Wsh P3, J.Jokinen-Dal P2, Ladd-Car P2, Miettinen-Dal P2

Rating: 4.5

Zetterberg and Nash give the team two elite calibre wingemen for the position, and Frolov is a #2 calibre player in the#3 slot. Semin has Russia issues to handle before he lands with the Caps, but even if he makes it over for the season and excels, there is no room for him. J.Jokinen has 2nd line potential and could be a contributor, but there is a huge logjam ahead of him. Ladd faces similar obstacles, but has other attributes to throw into the mix. A goalscorer in junior with a powerforward pkg, Ladd will stick in Carolina and get serious minutes even if his offense takes some time to mature. He's an awesome longer term prospect, but almost certainly has another year on the GW farm to look forward to. Miettinen is an afterthought, so far down the depth chart he'll never see the light of day.

C: Nylander-NYR RFA, Arnott-Nsh RFA, Allison-? RFA

Rating: 3

Nylander and Arnott both had their best seasons in almost a decade. In Nylander's case, he avoided the injury bus (a first), and got extended playing time with Jagr to boost his numbers to the bubble of 1st line status. For Arnott, his game was definitely benefitted by remaining healthy, and his slapshot returned to being a fearsome powerplay weapon. I expect the faults of these two cancel out their upsides - one of them will get hurt, or suffer some sort of anomalous accident rendering them below calibre. Allison will sign with the Leafs eventually and could produce enough for the third line, but his lack of footspeed will make him a longshot to hang on as a contributor of note in the FUNHL. In all a glaring need to use an early pick on the centre spot exists.

R: Gaborik-Min RFA, Parrish-Min RFA, Carter-? RFA, Svatos-Col P2

Rating: 3.5

Gaborik has been on the verge of being a breakout 50-50 winger for half a decade. He has all the tools, including a dazziling array of shots in his arsenal, and elite wheels. Historically he's always lacked two things to push him into elite company; gifted linemates and the green light from mgt to do anything other than trap. Well, the Wild have addressed the first part bringing in fellow countryman Demitra and slick puckmover Kim Jonsson to help get Gaborik the puck on the fly. But will Lemaire let the horses run? Parrish is a one trick pony scoring winger who makes his living having good hands and acceptable speed. He's not due for a renaissance and 30 goals would be a surprise. Carter finds himself on the outside looking in, as no teams even sniffed at his asking price. The Canucks and Leafs remain potential destinations, but both teams also have cap issues to stay wary of and it won't be at Carter's current ticket. All in all Carter is usually a decent 3rd line winger in the FUNHL wherever he plays. Svatos is the wild card, has he started the year looking like a younger version of Milan Hejduk. Then the bus hit him, and we've been deprived of observing his development since. Has skills to produce and be a starter for the GW's but will have to prove himself again first.

D: Pronger-Ana FP, Desjardins-Pha RFA, Zhitnik-NYI RFA, Bouwmeester-Fla RFA, Liles-Col RFA, Regehr-Cgy RFA, Sutton-Atl RFA, R.Jackman-Fla RFA

Rating: 3.5

Pronger is still the best all-round deffenseman in the NHL and should challenge for the scoring title among defenders especially with the upgrade in supporting cast he receives playing in Anaheim. Desjardins has retired. Zhitnik is nearing the end of the line. He may have another two years left as a depth defenseman, but the time of him playing an active role in any teams top 4 is over. Bouwmeester is the opposite of Zhitnik and is a serious threat to be poached at the ED in the free agent rounds. Liles has also moved up to being among the more reliable young powerplay QBs and could also face an earlier than desirable bid at the ED. Both should be top 4 for the GW's. Regehr, Sutton and Jackman are all on the bubble. Regehr and Sutton because offense isn't a big part of their history, and Jackman because his defense is so poor, the powerplay is all you get.

G: Brodeur-NJ FP, Giguere-Ana RFA

Rating: 5

Brodeur is still the NHL's most reliable top 5 goaltender, and Giguere is the ideal RFA backup.

Overall, I can identify a serious issue for the Fins created by the presence of both Zetterberg and Gaborik as RFA matches likely to occur within the first two rounds. It leaves the team to hope that a serviceable 1st line centreman makes it through to them in the third round or they risk trying to compete for the title with a second rate group of pivots. Otherwise, the team has talent at every position and is virtually set in net, at left wing and on defense.

Total: 19.5