The UFA shopping list

In line with my suggestion that the Flames will be shopping for another d-man come July, I've decided to put forward some possibilities based on this recent article detailing those blueliners who will be UFA's starting this Saturday.

The Cream:

Jovo-cop, Redden, Chara, Blake

Calgary neither needs nor could afford any of these fellers. In fact, I personally wouldn't even want the likes of Jovo on the Flames anyhow - he's a defensive liability whenever he's on the ice.

The Crop:

Jay Mckee, Filip Kuba, Kim Johnsson, Joe Corvo, Brian Pothier, Willie Mitchell, Brendan Witt, Andrei Zyuzin, Danny Markov, Jaroslav Spacek

Some definate possibilities exist within this group. Im guessing the likes of Kim Johnsson, Jay McKee and Willie Mitchell will be priced slightly above what Sutter would be willing to pay (2.5+ million). So let's throw those names out. Not only was Spacek a former Oiler, but he was also the infamous "bench torpedo" that so greviously injured Byron Ritchie during a game against the Hawks last season. So just say "no" to Jaroslav.

On the other hand, Filip Kuba is definately an interesting possibility. He's pretty big (6' 3", 200+ pounds) and mobile. Last season he had 6 goals and 25 points in 65 games with the wild, so there's some offense there as well. Oddly, Kuba was previously Flames property - he was acquired from the Panthers for Rocky Thompson!

Brian Pothier had a decent season among the various stars on the Senators blueline last year. He played 77 games, garnered 35 points and was a +29 (although, which Senator WASN'T +25 or more). He's not as big as Kuba (6', 195) but he'd make a solid 6th d-man in a pinch. He'd probably come relatively cheap.

Danny Markov is another name that bears consideration. He's fairly quick and has 472 games on NHL experience under his belt. He only managed 11 assists during his injury shortened season in 05/06, so he might come at a bargain price.

Joe Corvo might be the most interesting possibility. It depends on whether his "career year" numbers from last season - 14 goals, 40 points, +16 are an aberration or not. He's played 3 seasons at the NHL level and never been a minus player. His apparent ability to put the puck in the net would give Calgary someone else to put on the 2nd powerplay unit behind Hammer and Phaneuf. Unfortunately, Corvo's decent offensive stats will probably draw a lot of attention from other franchises, no doubt inflating his price beyond what Calgary would be willing to pay...

The Rest:

Dick Tarnstrom, Aki Berg, Tom Poti, Eric Weinrich, Keith Carney, Ken Klee, Brian Leetch, Sean Brown, Nolan Baumgartner, Niclas Wallin, Hal Gill...

Most of what's left is, frankly, crap. Many are, or have become, marginal NHL players at this point. Berg, Tarnstrom, Baumgartner and Brown should probably be playing in the AHL. The game has passed by the likes of Weinrich and Carney. Brian Leetch is a future hall of famer, but his price tag would be too high for what he brings to the table these days. Tom Poti is fast, creative with the puck, allergic to hard work and a head case. Hal Gill is huge and probably as swift as a glacier...etc etc...

At this point, I should note that it's a fools errand to try to predict Sutter's moves anyhow. From robbing San Jose for Kiprusoff to snagging Tanguay for Leopold, his moves almost always seem to come out of left field. I could probably list every single defensmen available on the market, rationally weigh each players pros and cons, come to what seems to be a pretty reasonable conclusion and still be about 10 steps away from the actual deal once it comes down. By no means will it stop me from speculating, far from it, but it does mean I get to insulate myself from my inevitable failure of accurately predicting the acquisition.

With that in mind, I'd offically like to see Calgary go after:

Kuba, Pothier, Markov and Corvo.

If there's anyone or anything I've missed, feel free to let me know.