The Flames made some moves yesterday. First they acquired and then signed defenseman Dennis Wideman from the Washington Capitals. The contract is a five year deal with an average cap hit of $5.25. That is a very interesting trade and signing and with Jay Bouwmeester already in trade rumors it would appear Flames GM Jay Feaster plans on not having Bouwmeester on the Flames roster for the 2012-2013 season. Calgary has seven defensemen under contract with a total cap hit of $21.2 million according to cap geek.
Jay Bouwmeester $6.680,000
Dennis Wideman $5,250,000
Mark Giordano $4,020,000
Anton Babchuk $2,500,000
Chris Butler $1,250,000
Derek Smith $775,000
T.J. Brodie $741,000
Corey Sarich UFA
Scott Hannan UFA
Dennis Wideman $5,250,000
Mark Giordano $4,020,000
Anton Babchuk $2,500,000
Chris Butler $1,250,000
Derek Smith $775,000
T.J. Brodie $741,000
Corey Sarich UFA
Scott Hannan UFA
Moving Bouwmeester would be a mistake in my opinion. With his cap hit he would be a salary dump, meaning the Flames would receive less than market value in return. While Bouwmeester has little fantasy value, his value to a NHL team is tremendous. Over paid? Yes, but still a very valuable member of the team.
Mark Giordano is the most valuable member of their defensive corps and the number one. Anton Babchuk who was resigned to a two year deal last summer was a regular in the press box. Chris Butler was a good value asset and rounds out the top four. Scott Hannan and Corey Sarich both played well defensively for Calgary but with the emergence of T.J. Brodie, only one will likely be resigned if any.
This is just the latest in a bizarre series of moves by the Flames organization. It appears they see themselves as a win now team in contention. That is not what I see when I look at their roster and recent history. Time will tell, but to me Calgary appears to be a mismanaged team spiraling out of control destined for years of ineptitude.
The other move made by the Flames on Wednesday was the resigning of Blake Comeau to a one year $1.25 million contract. Comeau is a player who should produce better fantasy value but does not. Perhaps that is a result of playing for the Islanders and Flames but with a one year low ca hit deal, he has to produce or risk losing an NHL job. Comeau is worthy of a late round pick in a deep fantasy league.
Salary Cap for 2012-2013
Elliotte Friedman of CBC tweeted what he expects the upper limit of the salary cap to be for next season.
Elliotte Friedman @FriedgeHNIC
Upper limit of salary cap to be $70.2 million
Fantasy Hockey Dark Horse
The Carolian Hurricanes rookie development camp is on right now and Jeremy Welsh is getting some serious attention from Coach Kirk Muller.
He already looks a little bit stronger than the last game,” Muller said. “If I was him right now I’d look at the situation and say there’s opportunity her. … He’s the type of player we’re looking for, to get more size in our lineup.
“It’s up to him. He’s still got to earn that spot, but certainly there’s an opening there for him.”
Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/06/...#storylink=cpy
Welsh was signed by Carolina out of college late last season and made his NHL debut in the final regular season game.
Welsh is a big center at 6'3", 200 LBS. He plays a solid two-way game and utilizes his size and strength well. His fantasy value is limited in terms of offensive production but his peripheral stats such as hits, PIM's should compensate.
Justin Schultz
The daily Schultz update. He has still not signed and not given any indication as to where his preference is. Bob McKenzie called it "the cone of silence" on Twitter.
It is still believed that the teams he is considering based on the meetings he has entertained are the Canucks, Oilers, Rangers, Flyers, and Maple Leafs.
Teams not interviewed were the Detroit Red Wings, Dallas Stars and Columbus Blue Jackets.
Keith Yandle
Heavily rumored to be on the trade market as the emergence of Oliver Ekman-Larsson as the clubs number one defender and now the acquisition of Zbynek Michalek indicate that a Yandle deal is coming. The Coyotes have a crowded blue line with promising youth demanding a shot. Expect the Coyotes to move Yandle later in July after Suter is off the market. Teams missing out on Suter will be scrambling for the consolation prize and his value will never be higher. The teams after Yandle include Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and Edmonton. Any of those teams would vastly increase Yandle's fantasy value and he could lead the NHL in defenseman scoring next season should he land in any of those cities.
Fantasy Hockey Coach Dynasty Keeper League
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FHC Prospects Guide
Our Prospects Guide examines the top prospects in the NHL. What you can expect in the Prospects Guide is player profile, projection, potential upside, current player comparison and estimated time of arrival in the NHL. In order to qualify as a prospect for our guide the player must be under the age of 22 and have played less then 20 NHL regular season games. The guide will be roughly 100+ pages and give readers insight into each NHL team's prospect with a fantasy twist. A look at the top 20 prospects for the next four NHL Entry Drafts. PREVIEW HERE
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By: Peter Harling
Follow me on Twitter: @pharling
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