One free agent no one expected to still be floating around is power play specialist Sheldon Souray. Expected to be one of the most-coveted players on the market, Souray finds himself still waiting for a suitor. Rumor has it it's his price tag that's scaring teams away — a $6 million-plus long-term deal — that and his terrible -28 plus/minus in 2006-07.
I'm not a betting man, but if things don't get better in Buffalo soon, I wouldn't be surprised to see the Sabres ink the big blueliner to a one-year deal that will calm some of the Sabre faithful and give Souray a chance to display his skills for another year in the hopes someone will bite next season on a big payday long-term deal.
I love The Drake!
It was good to see veteran forward Dallas Drake not end his career on a bad note — that "note" being the Blues buying out their captain to make room for some free agents and more young faces. But I'm sure St. Louis officials were less than pleased to see Drake back in the Central division with the powerhouse Red Wings.
Moves like this always intrique me ... if Drake wasn't good enough for St. Louis, how is he worthy of ice time in the Motor City? The answer, in my opinion, is simple: Despite some free agent signings, St. Louis' top priority is still losing and stockpiling draft picks. But doing so with big names like Keith Tkachuk and Paul Kariya is much desireable that doing it with a guy like Drake. Surely St. Louis fans know Drake and understand what he brought to the Blues on the ice and in the lockerroom, but this is more about perception, and when fans from around North America look at their roster and see "KARIYA" on it, there much more likely to be impressed than seeing "DRAKE."
It's a move the Notes will regret ... I feel like Drake will be a great fit with some of the young forwards in Hockeytown (Hudler,
Filppula, Kopecky) and come playoff time he'll proivde clutch leadership that was maybe lacking some this year without Stevie Y. around.
Will the Blues miss Drake in the postseason? Probably not ... because they won't be there. Luckily, one of Kariya's favorite hobbies is golf.
CL
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