Team Scrap Heap would run around $60M

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 03/12/2020 (2054 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Who’s ready to do some Dumpster diving?

One of the many intriguing aspects of an NHL off-season like no other is how quickly the unrestricted free agent market dried up. Sure, there was an initial flurry of activity once the signing period opened on Oct. 9, but it was short-lived as teams found themselves either up against the salary cap (hello, Winnipeg Jets) or their own internal budgets.

That’s left many household names without a current hockey home. Whether it was miscalculating their own value or a lack of interest in their services, I’m guessing plenty of athletes are eating some humble pie these days, dreaming about days gone by when they were wanted and appreciated.

Put another way, the music has come to a screeching halt — and several prominent players still find themselves without a chair to sit in. 

Forget about a bidding war to drive up their price. Those still hoping to play in the best league in the world will likely have to swallow their pride and accept deals for less money and/or term than they initially hoped for. Such is the reality, especially given the uncertain economic climate within the NHL, where a shortened season likely to be held in mostly empty arenas owing to COVID-19 won’t begin until January at the earliest.

In this case, there is both quantity and quality available, which you normally don’t see just a few weeks prior to the start of training camps. To illustrate that point, I challenged myself to build an NHL roster from scratch, using only players who are still available.

The end result was better than expected. 

This little exercise also got me wondering if some teams are having buyer’s remorse for decisions they made in the early days of free agency. For example, the Jets rushed out to sign depth forwards such as Nate Thompson and Dominic Toninato and depth defencemen such as Derek Forbort, Nathan Beaulieu and Luca Sbisa, all for deals at or near the league minimum.

Might they have benefited from playing the waiting game? Depending on the price some of these players ultimately settle on, perhaps. 

Allow me to introduce you to Team Scrap Heap, with last season’s stats and salary included. I dare say this squad (12 forwards, six defencemen, two goaltenders) would at least be competitive most nights. They’d sure as heck be better than the Detroit Red Wings of last season. 

FORWARDS:

Mike Hoffman, 30 (69 GP, 29G, 30A, 59PTS, US$5.187 million)

No doubt the veteran winger figured a strong season would result in a significant, lengthy deal. Now? Who the heck knows, He’s the biggest fish still remaining in the UFA pool.

Anthony Duclair, 24 (66GP, 23G, 17A, 40PTS, US$1.65 million)

Given his young age, his best years may still be in front of him. The Ottawa Senators let him walk. But their loss has yet to be anyone’s gain when it comes to the power winger.

Carl Soderberg, 34 (70GP, 17G, 18A, 35PTS, US$4.75 million)

A reliable, two-way centre who can definitely help on the penalty kill and also provide some offensive pop. 

Derick Brassard, 32 (66GP, 10G, 22A, 32 PTS, US$1.2 million) 

Another middleman good at both ends of the rink, and one the Jets have previously been linked to.

Mikael Granlund, 28 (63 GP, 17G, 13A, 30 PTS, US$5.75 million)

A younger version of Soderberg and Brassard, with the most skill of the trio. 

Ilya Kovalchuk, 37 (46 GP, 10G, 16A, 26PTS, US$700,000)

Sure, he’s long in the tooth, but showed last year he still has some game left, especially in a shortened season. 

Andreas Athanasiou, 25 (55GP, 11G, 15A, 26 PTS, US$3 million)

Speed to burn and with plenty of offensive upside.

Erik Haula, 29 (48 GP, 12G, 12A, 24 PTS, US$2.75 million)

A guy I thought the Jets might target (at least until they brought Paul Stastny back in a trade).

Conor Sheary, 28 (63 GP, 10G, 13A, 23 PTS, US$3 million)

They loved him in Pittsburgh, where he spent some time on Sidney Crosby’s wing and even had 53 points during the 2016-17 season. A versatile player who can move up and down a lineup. 

Corey Perry, 35 (57GP, 5G, 16A, 21 PTS, US$1.5 million)

Proved in the playoffs with Dallas he can still be very effective in a limited role.

Drake Caggiula, 26 (40 GP, 9G, 6A, 15 PTS, US$1.5 million)

A solid bottom-six NHL winger.

Riley Sheahan, 28 (66 GP, 8G, 7A, 15 PTS, US$900,000)

Another reliable depth forward who can be had for cheap. 

DEFENCEMEN:

Sami Vatanen, 29 (47GP, 5G, 18A, 23 PTS, US$4.875 million)

A potential power-play quarterback with terrific offensive skill.

Madison Bowey, 25 (53 GP, 3G, 14A, 17 PTS, US$1 million)

The first of two Manitobans on this list, still looking for a fresh start after stops in Washington and Detroit. 

Ben Hutton, 27 (65 GP, 4G, 12A, 16 PTS, US$1.5 million)

A reliable, bottom-pairing defender.

Zdeno Chara, 43 (68 GP, 5G, 9A, 14 PTS, US$2 million)

Yes, he would make Kovalchuk a spring chicken by comparison. But if the big man opts to continue his career rather than retire, he could help a contender in a much-reduced role. 

Andy Greene, 37 (63 GP, 2G, 12A, 14 PTS, US$5 million) 

A hard-nosed, shutdown defender who has been through plenty of on-ice wars.

Travis Hamonic, 29 (50GP, 3G, 9A, 12 PTS, US$3.857 million)

He opted out of last summer’s Stanley Cup tournament for personal reasons, so perhaps the pride of St. Malo is still mulling over his future. Otherwise, a surprise he hasn’t signed yet. (The Jets were potentially interested until Dylan DeMelo re-upped, and Vancouver apparently had talks until Nate Schmidt came their way in a trade). 

GOALTENDERS:

Craig Anderson, 39 (34GP, 11-17-2, 3.25, .902, US$4.75 million)

Age a legitimate concern, but had some strong nights on a terrible Ottawa team last year.

Cory Schneider, 34 (13GP, 3-6-2, 3.53, .887, US$6 million)

Is the former Manitoba Moose great done after battling numerous injuries? Perhaps, but a low-risk, low-money deal could prove valuable.

 

LINE CHART:

Forwards:

Duclair/Haula/Hoffman

Kovalchuk/Granlund/Sheary

Athanasiou/Soderberg/Caggiula

Sheahan/Brassard/Perry

Defencemen:

Vatanan/Hamonic

Chara/Bowey

Hutton/Greene

Goaltenders:

Anderson and Schneider

I could have kept going. You have some familiar forwards such as Brian Boyle, Michael Frolik and Melker Karlsson still up for grabs. On the blue-line, there’s old friend Ron Hainsey, along with Michael Del Zotto and Winnipegger Michael Stone. And in net, Ryan Miller and Jimmy Howard are other big-name puckstopers still available. 

Add it all up and the 20 players I chose for Team Scrap Heap had a respectable 183 goals and 259 assists, along with 14 goaltender victories, last season, while combining to make approximately US$60 million. 

Once terms of the 2020-21 NHL season are finalized, there should be another spurt of activity as teams try to finalize their rosters. I expect most, if not all of the above, will eventually find a landing spot.

But their bank accounts, like their egos, will surely take a hit. 

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @mikemcintyrewpg