The league's list of Stanley Cup contenders don't just talk about building a perennial winner. They do something about it.
After the aggressive moves yesterday by Penguins' GM Ray Shero to sign free agent defensemen Paul Martin and Zbynek Michalek, Pittsburgh made a statement to the rest of the National Hockey League that they aren't going to be off that short list anytime soon.
One could argue fairly that Shero may have slightly overpaid for both Michalek and Martin -- by about $1 million per season each -- but what one can't argue is that the Penguins now boast one of the best groups of blueliners in the game.
Sure, Sergei Gonchar left town in mere minutes after free agency began -- an interesting development actually, and one which made it seem like Gonchar, who was bound to attract a tone of interest on the open market, just took the first 3-year offer he was given.
And yes, Shero was not able to convince new acquisition Dan Hamhuis to stay in town instead of signing a 6-year deal with the Vancounver Canucks, despite making a strong push after acquiring him for a draft pick from the Philadelphia Flyers.
But that doesn't mean the Penguins aren't a better team today.
Michalek, 6' 2", 210 pounds, is in his prime at 27. He's a shutdown blueliner who's great in his own zone, yet capable of making a good outlet pass. He led the league in blocked shots 2 years ago with 270. He had 17 points in 72 games last year, and has 115 points in 415 career games -- just about all of them with the Phoenix Coyotes.
"We've always been so impressed with him," Shero said about Michalek yesterday, while adding that Michalek was the first call he made when the clock struck noon.
The feeling was mutual.
"It was a kind of a no-brainer for me," Michalek said of joining the Penguins.
Hindsight is 20-20 in these situations, but it's interesting to see the Penguins now paying a shutdown blueliner $4 million dollars a year --- more than Brooks Orpik, by the way -- when they had a chance one year ago to keep Rob Scuderi for less. Not an overwhelming amount less, but still less.
Michalek got a very, VERY significant raise on his $1.5 million dollar annual salary last year.
Martin, meanwhile, is one of the better 2-way rearguards in hockey. At 6' 1" and 200 pounds, he has the size to be strong in his own zone, yet his wheels help him feed -- and contribute to -- the transition game. He would have been the United States' #1 blueliner in teh Olympics had he not been dealing with a broken arm he suffered in a game against the Penguins last year.
Martin's career high is 38 points in a season, but expect his ceiling in Pittsburgh to be around 50 per year. He has 263 points in 400 career games and will be a great fit in the Penguins' system.
Like Michalek, he was equally happy to join the Penguins.
"When I look at the defensemen on this roster, I am very, very impressed," Martin said, adding that he actually was disappointed in thinking Pittsburgh wouldn't be an option for him after they signed Michalek.
"I couldn't turn down the chance to play there. It just seems like a perfect fit."
Martin said a call from former teammate Mike Rupp helped him get a better feel for the team.
Meanwhile, Shero indicated that letting Gonchar go "was really difficult", and said that he tried one final time to reach out and try to strike a deal with Sarge around midnight the evening before free agency.
Shero confirmed, however, that term was the biggest sticking point -- so much that it was what ultimately prevented a deal.
Losing Gonchar is a definite blow to the team, both in the locker room and on the ice. There's no mistake about it. Gonchar was so key on the power play. He does so many subtle things on the ice that make a man-advantage work, and always gets his shot on net. But that's free agency. If he wanted to leave for a 3-year deal, that was his choice. Morei mportantly -- and as is obvious now -- Shero didn't just sit around. He took aggressive steps to do what he set to do at the outset of free agency -- add 2 impact defensemen.
"I think we did really well," Shero said. "We're pretty thrilled."
So where does that leave Pittsburgh up front?
Missing a few pieces at this point -- there's no question.
The Penguins have about $2 million in cap space. They are still talking with RW Bill Guerin and remain on the short list of teams on his radar.
Beyond that, Pittsburgh won't have any choice but to look for other cheaper options, hoping to strike gold on the wing, as they've consistently tried to do the last several seasons.
Interestingly, I learned that the Pens did offer Ray Whitney a 2-year, $5 million dollar contract yesterday. Obviously, despite Pittsburgh supposedly being his #1 choice, Whitney went with an offer from the Coyotes that will pay him just a bit more -- $3 million per year.
Sources report that another guy thet Penguins may be looking at on day 2 is former Montreal Canadiens and New York Rangers' winger Christopher Higgins.
Higgins has struggled the last few years, but may just need a fresh start. More importantly, he might be willing to take the chance to do that cheaply.
Pittsburgh also may be looking at adding one more veteran defenseman on the cheap, because with Jordan Leopold signing a pricey 3-year, $9 million dollar contract with the Buffalo Sabres yesterday and it being unlikely that Mark Eaton would return at a meaningful discount when he's getting looks from several other teams, the Penguins certainly aren't going to be able to count on those guys.
One last thought on yesterday's Penguin happenings.
With the forward ranks still in need of infusion and the Pens now having a stacked blueline (not to mention having several strong rearguard prospects not far from the big club), I don't think it's unreasonable to think the Penguins might be looking to make a trade at some point.
I don't have any information that anything like that is brewing, but I wouldn't be shocked to see Shero move a guy like Alex Goligoski at some juncture.
Time will tell, I guess.
I'll try to post anything new when I hear it, although I'm not sure how big it will be because, by and large, the Penguins have made their splash.
And it was big one.
More soon.
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