http://capgeek.com/ufa-finder/

A couple enticing options here. I'm just not sold on going as rookie-heavy as we're slated to go. It's stupid, but I just want one more established guy, even if he's a project, just to not have to rely on all the kids at once.

Mason Raymond was a nice little depth player with Vancouver, but I'm wondering if he hasn't been the same since that back injury. Also kind of soft.

Mikhail Grabovski had a bad year and got complianced, so with $1.8 million coming in every year, you'd think he'd take a short contract with a discount to prove he can get back in the game. No luck, though. He's holding out for big money and will probably bolt to Russia to get it.

Brad Boyes leads the remaining UFAs in points with 35, but a lot of that looks to be John Tavares making him seem good. He's not.

Peter Mueller has been a high-upside guy for seemingly forever, but is supposed to be a huge dickhead or something. I believe he bitched his way out of Phoenix and Colorado before getting one last chance in Florida, and not doing enough there to be kept around. He looks like he's generally good for a .500 scoring rate despite concussions and no one liking him. Florida got him for $1.725, if you can get him down to 1 mil even, why not?

Chad LaRose is a veteran bottom-six agitator who has gone off the grid to his former team, the Hurricanes. Reports are that he is still alive and well and puttering around Raleigh this summer, he just won't answer any calls/emails/texts. So who knows if he even wants to play hockey anymore, but if you can knock him down to one year at under a million (he's 31, has played for eight years, and is on the scrap heap), he might be just the guy we'd want to keep the bottom six from being too youthful.

Anyone stand out to you?

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Nik Antropov would be a great add on for some Center depth.

Maybe a look at Dan Cleary, too

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Cleary is worthless against teams that aren't the Blackhawks. It's like when Cubs fans said we had to sign Austin Kearns.

Antropov wouldn't deign to play on a fourth line. He'll just go to Russia.

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Gagnon. Make it happen

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That's my purse! I don't know you!

Is this a joke?

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August 20th and still plenty to choose from. You could field a 31st team with the UFAs still out there and they'd probably finish ahead of Calgary. I think with the suppressed cap, you're going to see a lot of guys on training camp invites, or guys who don't sign until the season is underway.

Hypothetical UFA All-Stars:

Mason Raymond - Mikhail Grabovski - Teemu Selanne
Vinny Prospal - Jeff Halpern - Damien Brunner
Brenden Morrow - Kyle Wellwood - Brad Boyes
Daniel Cleary - Dave Steckel - Jerred Smithson
Ron Hainsey - Ryan Whitney
Filip Kuba - Doug Murray
Andrew Alberts - Tom Gilbert
Ilya Bryzgalov
Michael Leighton
Peter Mueller, Chad LaRose, Ryan O'Byrne for your spare skaters

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CH,
I have a legit Hockey question. How come a guy like Steve Maltais (for an example) dominated in the AHL but couldn't cut it in the NHL? Is the NHL really that much better than what I call the AAA minor league AHL?

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favrefan said:"Chris Coghlan isn't gonna pay your rent, Jimmy."

Prospal still hasn't been picked up? Wow. Bobrovsky gets all the credit but Prospal was the heart and soul of that Jackets team last year and played his ass off.

since I posted that, Grabovski to the Caps, Alberts back to the Canucks, Murray to the Habs, Leighton to the KHL. That was fast.

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