Happy Canada Day and FreeAgentmas!

Recent research by Canadian historians has revealed that the Fathers of Confederation made one other landmark decision after signing the British North American Act in 1867, the document which gave Canada official status as a nation.  Nobody knows for sure which Father came up with the idea, but on July 1, 1867 in Prince Edward Island, one wag in the room suggested granting all future Canadians a day off from work every July 1, to commemorate the signing … not of the BNA Act, but the signing of hockey free agents.

I jest; I jest, but seriously, is there anything more Canadian than sleeping in on Canada Day, waking up and downing a Tim Horton’s coffee, turning on the television to TSN to track the signing of free agents then finally emerging into the summer sun at 5 pm, firing up the grill to roast some Alberta beef with friends while discussing newcomers on next year’s rosters?  Heck, our unofficial National Coffee and Doughnut chain is named for a former National Hockey League defenceman.

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The starting line for the signing of unrestricted free agents (UFAs) is tomorrow at noon, EDT.  On Canada Day, while many north of the border will be waving red and white, the Pittsburgh Penguins may end up painting the town blue - as in blue line.  The great misconception about the premature end to the season for the Pens was that their lack of peripheral scoring finally caught up with them.  It is true that a disproportionate amount of goals came off the sticks of centres, chiefly Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Jordan Staal.  In the regular season, 52% of all non-shootout goals were scored by Pittsburgh centres.  However, that statistic dropped to 38% in the playoffs as Pens’ wingers outscored centres 17-16.  What became glaringly obvious as Montreal’s small but speedy forwards often breezed into open ice in the Penguins’ zone, was the need for a boost on defence.

While goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury was inconsistent all year, Pittsburgh clearly missed valuable defensive contributions from big Hal Gill and Rob Scuderi, who both left the club during last summer’s free agency period.  Their ability to tightly check opponents and clear out the front of the net consistently aided in preventing goal scoring opportunities.  Rob Rossi of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review wrote over the weekend that GM Ray Shero’s plan is to give priority to resolidifying the defence rather than first acquiring star wingers to complement Crosby and Malkin.  They took a step in that direction on Friday night at the NHL Entry Draft by trading for the negotiating rights of former Nashville defenceman Dan Hamhuis.  Interestingly, it was believed that bringing in Hamhuis effectively spelled the end of Sergei Gonchar’s sparkling five-year run as a Penguin.

However, Shero held talks through the weekend and over the past few days with both defencemen.  Hamhuis has indicated that he will likely not sign before July 1 but has not ruled out eventually joining the Penguins.  Meanwhile, negotiations between the club and agent J.P. Barry continued throughout the weekend with respect to Gonchar, though progress has ground to a halt tonight over salary per year should Gonchar sign for only two seasons, as reported by William DePaoli.  Gonchar appeared willing to back off a three-year deal but wanted the same $5.5-million annual stipend he earned this past season in a new contract while the Pens were not willing to move north of $10-million over two years.

What can we reasonably expect the Penguins to do come July 1?  Pittsburgh has about $11.5-million in salary cap space to spend this off-season.  Eleven forwards are under contract for 2010-11 but they have two wing positions to fill on the top two lines.  On defence, Kris Letang, Alex Goligoski, Brooks Orpik and NHL-ready rookie Ben Lovejoy are expected to break camp as roster members.  Thus three defence spots are open.  Besides incumbents Hamhuis, Gonchar, Mark Eaton and Jordan Leopold, here are several defencemen on other clubs that the Pens may sign by the end of this week should they be unable to agree to terms with some of their current blueliners:

Zbynek Michalek, 27 years old, Phoenix, 2009-10 salary cap hit = $1.25-million Though he toiled in relative obscurity in the desert, Michalek has gained a reputation as a solid puck-repelling defenceman.  In five of the past six seasons, the Czech-born blueliner has finished no lower than 17th overall among defencemen in blocked shots including a league-best 271 in 2008-09.  Over the last two seasons, Michalek was relied upon as a regular member of the Phoenix penalty-kill.  The Coyotes finished 6th overall in the NHL in penalty-kill percentage last season.

Paul Martin, 29 years old, New Jersey, 2009-10 salary cap hit – $3.833-million – If the Pens bid farewell to Gonchar, acquiring Martin may make up for some of Sarge’s ability to generate scoring from the blue line.  After Brian Rafalski moved to Detroit three years ago, Martin took on greater responsibility on the power play and led all Devils’ defencemen in scoring for the next two seasons.  He missed 59 games and the Olympics last year due to a broken left arm.  Like Gonchar, he plays in all strength situations, logging considerable shorthanded minutes as well.

Willie Mitchell, 33 years old, Vancouver, 2009-10 salaray cap hit – $3.5-million – Mitchell had his season shortened to just 48 games last season after a hit from behind courtesy of Evgeni Malkin resulting in the third career concussion for Mitchell.  The veteran defenceman has also been nagged by groin injuries throughout his 10-year NHL career.  On the positive side, he is a top-two defenceman with a focus on blocking shots and killing penalties.  Mitchell led the Canucks in blocked shots during his first two seasons with the club in 2006-07 and 2007-08.  Expect to see him on the ice when his team needs to hold the fort against an opposition power play.

Kurtis Foster, 28 years old, Tampa Bay, 2009-10 salary cap hit – $600,000 – A classic under-the-radar situation, this free agent’s name was first cited by Rob Rossi on his Chipped Ice blog this afternoon as a player linked to the Penguins from sources outside the club.  Last season with the Lightning, Foster’s fifth organization, he showed flashes of some untapped offensive talent, marking a career high 42 points (26 on the power play) which led all Tampa Bay d-men.  He was also Tampa Bay’s leader in power-play ice time.  Notably, injuries, in particular to his legs, have limited the number of games he has played in his career.  He managed to tally 10 goals in just 58 games for Minnesota in 2005-06.

As for forwards, if the Penguins commit $8-million to $9-million on new contracts for defencemen, realistically there will not be enough left in the bank to bring in a high-profile forward.  Ray Whitney, Alexander Frolov, Maxim Afinogenov, Alex Tanguay and Ilya “soon-to-be-a-hundred-millionaire” Kovalchuk are simply beyond the Pens’ price range.  Could this indirectly be the opportunity that touted prospect Eric Tangradi seizes to join the Penguins?  Quite possibly.  Alternatively, Pittsburgh could shore up their offence with a low-risk, high-reward flyer on a veteran coming off an injury-plagued or sub-par season who might be willing to accept a one-year deal at a reduced salary.

A hundred different scenarios could develop on July 1 but if some of the Penguins’ defence plans fall through, one player they should consider targeting is right wing Pavol Demitra of Vancouver.  The 35-year old Slovakian sniper who once reeled off nine straight 20-goal seasons suffered a torn labrum during the 2009 playoffs, had it surgically repaired, then was reduced to 28 games this past season scoring only 3 goals and 16 points.  His cap hit was $4-million and while nobody should assume he would take a huge reduction in salary, the prospect of joining a legitimate Cup contender late in his career might make Pittsburgh a viable destination.

I liken his situation to those of Miroslav Satan and Petr Sykora, two veterans who joined the Penguins in recent summers on short-term deals with cap hits between $2.5-million and $3.5-million, for a chance to play for the Stanley Cup.  However, this would be Plan B to the intended goal of building a rock-solid wall of defence in the city of Pittsburgh.

Sources: CapGeek.com, nhlnumbers.com, TSN