The RICH will get RICHARDS

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 30/06/2011 (5195 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The doors swing open to the NHL free-agent market on July 1 and what the 30 general managers will discover once they race in — wish list in one hand, shopping cart rattling forward while being pushed by the other — is this:

The collection of marquee names available among the list of unrestricted free agents is remarkably thin, meaning the best of the bunch should expect healthy raises as some teams — hello, Florida, Colorado and Phoenix — scramble to meet the $48.3-million salary floor and others seek the missing pieces in their championship puzzle.

Some of the other high-priced veterans available, meanwhile, might have to take pay cuts to continue their careers as a number of teams have little wiggle room under the $64.3-million ceiling.

The juiciest name on the unrestricted free-agent list is Dallas Stars centre Brad Richards, who scored 28 goals and finished with 77 points last season. The 31-year-old is seeking a long-term deal worth $50-55 million, with the New York Rangers and Toronto Maple Leafs said to be most interested.

In four years in Dallas, Richards has been to the playoffs just twice and is seeking another shot at Stanley Cup glory.

“It’s been too long since I had that chance to win the Stanley Cup,” Richards said on NHL Live. “I kind of thought we’d have a couple more cracks at it by now.

“That will be the main focus.”

Winnipeg Jets management has been under a cone of silence all week leading up to the free-agent market opening, but GM Kevin Cheveldayoff did provide a hint last weekend at the NHL entry draft. “We’ll be as aggressive as is feasible and reasonable. There’s not going to be a quick fix that is out there just to say one guy is going to put us over the top.”

Translation: the organization’s blueprint is to build through the draft, not spend like drunken Sathers — er, sailors — in the open market.

The Jets have $28 million in cap space available, but are also attempting to lock up some key restricted free agents to new deals, including captain Andrew Ladd.

Said his agent in a text to the Free Press on Wednesday: “Nothing to report, but positive progress!”

Winnipeg management has stated since the sale and relocation of the team from Atlanta a month ago that they are aiming to be a mid-level team — roughly $55 million — when it comes to spending. The Jets currently have 15 skaters under contract totalling around $39 million.

Re-signing Ladd as well as key cogs like winger Blake Wheeler and defenceman Zach Bogosian would chew up a good chunk of the cap space and the team also made qualifying offers to their other restricted free agents — Ben Maxwell, Brett Festerling, Spencer Machacek, Arturs Kulda and Riley Holzapfel.

The expectation is the club won’t actively chase the top-end talent, but will instead look to fill out some roster holes by watching the market unfold — and the dollars spent — before becoming active.

The Jets need help up front, particularly at centre, after finishing last year 20th in scoring. Two of the team’s top-five scorers — Dustin Byfuglien and Tobias Enstrom — are defenceman while the top-scoring centre was Bryan Little, who had 18 goals and 30 assists in 2010-11.

Winnipeg did draft Barrie Colts centre Mark Scheifele seventh overall but, after Little, lines up Alexander Burmistrov, Tim Stapleton and Jim Slater at centre while Nik Antropov plays both right wing and down the middle.

Little, Burmistrov, Stapleton, Slater and Antropov combined for just 50 goals last season in Atlanta.

The annual free-agent talent feeding frenzy can be seen on TSN and the NHL Network beginning at 11 a.m. CT on Canada Day.

ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca