The official start of the NHL free agent season will open at noon Wednesday, but as expected we have already seen our fair share of rumors, trades and agreements go down.
The biggest of the dealings Tuesday was the seven-player trade that sent Scott Gomez from the Rangers to the Canadiens. The centerpiece of the deal headed to New York is winger Christopher Higgins.
This might not be such a bad deal for Gomez, who never really fit in with the Rangers after inking a seven-year deal in the summer of 2007. Gomez will be surrounded by quality wingers in Montreal and should be in for a bounce-back season after posting a measly 58 points in 2008-09. He will be a No. 3 or No. 4 Fantasy forward Draft Day but still has high-end potential.
Higgins, a 26-year-old forward from Smithtown, N.Y., is excited about heading home and that could help him erase the memories of a career-worst campaign in '08-09. He played in just 57 games due to a rash of injuries and had a career-low 23 points and 12 goals. Higgins is a 20-goal scorer, but still has low-end Fantasy appeal Draft Day.
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The Flames, who traded for the negotiating rights to Florida defenseman Jay Bouwmeester Saturday, were able to sign the veteran to a five-year deal. As Fantasy owners we have to get excited about Bouwmeester's move north of the border. He will line up nexts to the likes of Cory Sarich, Dion Phaneuf and Robyn Regehr, as well as have forwards like Jarome Iginla, Daymond Langkow and Olli Jokinen to pass to. He will be no worse than a No. 3 Fantasy defenseman Draft Day.
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Another big move was San Jose re-signing veteran defenseman Rob Blake to a one-year deal. Despite the fact he will be 40 years old this season, Blake showed in '08-09 that he still has a lot of juice left in the tank. The move from L.A. to San Jose rejuventated his career and made him a high-end Fantasy option again.
This is just the beginning of what should be another chaotic offseason signing period. Brace yourself.
