Interview with NHL Player Agent Jay Grossman

Normally, NHL player agents go unnoticed and are out of the spotlight. We don’t know their names, or what exactly they do, but Jay Grossman is an exception to that. Being very active on Twitter and Facebook, he has made himself very accessible to hockey fans by giving information and answering questions. He works for Puck Agency, which maintains clients such as Ilya Kovalchuk and Pekka Rinne, while formerly representing stars such as Ken Dryden and Brian Leetch.

With Free Agent Frenzy right around the corner, I contacted Jay for an interview. Unfortunately, he was unable to comment on certain players that are not clients, but he still gave me some great information for my other questions. I would like to thank him for taking the time to conduct this interview, which is posted below:

GC: Veterans Alexei Kovalev (37) and Teemu Selanne (40) are free agents this summer. Do you think they will be returning, and if so, with whom?  

JG: I can’t speak for those two, though they’ve both had great NHL careers, especially Teemu, but it is increasingly harder in this [Collective Bargaining Agreement] for players over the age of 35.  Since those contracts count against the cap (regardless of circumstances I.e. injury, retirement etc.), it is hard for the salaries of those players to remain the same, not even to mention some time deserved increases.  One thing I think needs to be addressed by the union in the upcoming CBA is greater protection for veteran players. In most unions, the people who have “paid their dues”, so to speak, get (and should get) their just rewards.

GC: What are your thoughts on the Atlanta Thrashers relocating to Winnipeg? What name do you think they will choose?

JG: I believe it’s unfortunate the league had to abandon Atlanta, as I think it can be a successful hockey market.  Having said that, there is a ripe opportunity in Canada with the strength of the economy and tremendous interest in the game for the NHL to move a few more teams into places like Quebec, and a second team in Southern Ontario.  The difficulty is in predicting the economic viability of these teams down the road, and avoiding a constant do-over in markets where the issues are temporary.  I also believe the NHL has a great opportunity to expand into central Europe, taking it a step further, much like the NBA has done in China and MLB in Asia, Latin America, etc.

GC: Working as a player agent, how hectic is July 1st normally for you?

JG: Every year is different depending on the circumstances and which players are in what position. Certainly, not every year is like the last one with Ilya Kovalchuk going all the way out to completion on September 3rd!  But, July 1st can be an exciting day, particularly as part of my job is to anticipate the state of the marketplace and proper fit for my client which I have discussed with him as the year progresses.  When that materializes properly, as it did for us last year with Kovalchuk, Pekka Rinne, and Anton Volchenkov, there is a definite satisfaction.

GC: When one of your clients is about to get signed, describe the process the two of you have to go through in order to finalize the deal.

JG: Of course, that has changed over the years with jammed faxes close to midnight and the like.  Now the process is more streamlined with e-mail signed contracts and scanners. Essentially, the club is responsible for printing the contract, we review it for any changes and then the player must sign and a mutually executed copy from the GM and the NHL is returned.

Once again, I thank Jay for this interview. It was really neat getting a chance to learn about what it is like behind-the-scenes on July 1.

On Their Way to Winnipeg: Thrashers Relocated to North of the Border

For many years, potential relocation scenarios for struggling teams have given writers like myself the chance to write speculative articles on where they might go, and dare I say, even think about certain teams being defunct all together. While the latter will never happen, tonight we have the news from the NHL (to be announced officially on Tuesday) that one of their failures in franchise placement is going to Canada, where more teams should be. The Atlanta Thrashers will be on their way to Winnipeg, Manitoba, the same exact city where the Jets struggled to draw fans (and income) from 1979 to 1996.

This is such a bittersweet moment. Part of me is joyous that Canada is getting another NHL team, because their fans actually know the difference between a blue line and a clothes line. However, of all the cities that could have supported a franchise, was Winnipeg really the most adequate? There is a reason why they failed once already. With Hamilton and Quebec seeming like better choices, being that one is near the major market of Toronto and the other is in a major province, the NHL had to choose a place that is not very appealing when it comes to free agency. There is zero marketability with this move, and despite the thousands of die-hard fans that I know exist in the area, if there were so many of them, why did it fail the first time around?

The Thrashers are not a team on the cusp of a winning season. Their defense may be solid, but their offense is in a funk. They have no superstar and their farm system does not bring any promising skill in the nearby future. What happens when they continue their losing seasons in Canada? At least Hamilton and Quebec are marketable areas. The people there are hockey crazy and the market for professional hockey is so enormous that a new team would not even dent the following of the Toronto Maple Leafs or Montreal Canadiens.

Well, as the saying goes, what’s done is done. The Thrashers are on their way to Winnipeg while the former relocated team to play there, the Phoenix Coyotes, might also be on the move again in years to come. With so many teams struggling to draw fans and make money, perhaps those two other Canadian cities are not out of the question. The Predators and Panthers should be the next to go, and the NHL will have to admit that their asinine idea of placing all those teams in the Sunbelt was just a bad idea.

Now the only two questions that remain are what will their name be, and what will division re-alignment look like. People have been speculating that the new team will just have to play in the southeast division for this season until the league can figure it out. That is ridiculous, because of travel. I don’t even want to think at what it will look like, because this is the NHL we are talking about. Somehow, some way, they will find a way to mess it up. My only guess would be moving the Columbus Blue Jackets east, but that could be complicating as well. As for the name, just call them the Jets. People love vintage and their logo and color scheme were awesome in my eyes.

This off-season, the first priority this team should have would be to lock up Teemu Selanne for one final season, should he desire to end his career where it began. It could be a very special gesture, and put some fans in the seats, because even though he is going to be 41, he will still find a way to net 20-30 goals. Either way, I still feel this organization will remain destined for failure—the NHL spit the bit on this one.

If the New York Rangers Miss the Playoffs, It Is Their Own Fault

These last few days have provided horrific flashbacks to last season for fans of the New York Rangers, because just like last year, the Rangers had their fate in their own hands. In game 81, the Rangers needed to win the two final games of the season, both against the Philadelphia Flyers, and they were able to accomplish only half of that. With their final home game just two days before the season finale, the Rangers came through in the clutch, with a hard-fought 4-3 win that had Madison Square Garden rocking, giving a resounding cheer for the Blueshirts who then had to travel to the City of Brotherly Love to clinch a playoff berth. The scorer of the game-winning goal? Marian Gaborik, capping off a fantastic debut season on Broadway. Then the last day came, and after another well-played game that headed to a shootout, the entire Rangers’ season rested on the shoulders of Olli Jokinen, who flubbed the chance, and sent them home packing, without a playoff appearance for the first time since the lockout. Two games were all they had, two wins were all they needed.

This season, the Rangers had three games remaining, and found themselves trailing the Boston Bruins 3-0 in the second period of a game on April 4th. The crowd booed, and rightly so, but then the Rangers woke up, and scored five unanswered goals against one of the best defensive teams in the NHL to keep the season alive, but not only that, to keep it in their hands. This is more important than anything, because when you have control of your fate, all you have to do, as a team, is win. You do not have to scoreboard watch or hope for help from others. Unfortunately, last night, the Rangers ruined those chances against the 11th place Atlanta Thrashers. All they needed was a win, to get two points, and they failed miserably. There was no aggressive forecheck, no glaring scoring chances, just all around stagnant play. When the Thrashers exited the building with a 3-0 win, you can be sure that visions of last season were floating around the locker room. There is only one difference: the Rangers are not in control of their fate anymore.

Should the Carolina Hurricanes win their next two games in regulation, the Rangers season is over, even if they win tomorrow afternoon against the New Jersey Devils. There are also a bunch of other scenarios, but I will not waste time going into them because all of it should have been for naught anyway. There was no reason for this, the Rangers needed to win last night, and they failed. Just like last season, coming 0ff their biggest win of the season, they fell flat, and that will cost them.

There is no place to direct anger at, if the Rangers fall short, other than the team itself. Part of me says not to get angry, because this is a rebuilding year. The other part of me says, this team was in playoff contention all year long, has the highest paid goaltender in the league, and another $7 million goal scorer, so of course I will be angry if they come up short.

Just think, what if Lundqvist had not let in a slew of soft goals early in the season? What if Alex Frolov actually produced after signing here? What if Vinny Prospal wasn’t injured for most of the season? What if Martin Biron did not suffer a late-season practice injury? What if Sean Avery was just half as good as he was a couple of seasons ago? What if Marian Gaborik actually played like he gives a shit?

That is probably the most important of these “What if?” questions, and that is what happened to Marian Gaborik? He goes through months of being invisible, has a big game and gets everyone excited, only to disappear again. Well, Marian the Magnificent has now gone eight straight games without scoring a goal, and he only has 22 in 61 games, which equates to about a goal every three games, as opposed to last season when he averaged a goal per less than every two games. It might not seem like much, but in the long-run, they add up. It is one thing to slump, but it is another to just fall off the map and not care, which is where Gaborik is right now—skating around in circles, shooting from the perimeter, and just coasting. On the bright side, he may be due for an explosion tomorrow, since that’s what he does. After all, he hasn’t scored since March 20.

The Rangers powerplay is also to blame, even with the acquisition of Bryan McCabe who has only two goals and six assists in 18 games. After seeing him QB the powerplay, I am convinced that he is not the problem. He is not a bad player, in fact, he is the most skilled player out there who happens to be surrounded by players who are not on his level of thinking. His passes are hard, his shots are even harder, but when is someone ever in a position to do something with them? Take last night for example, with McCabe on the point and Gaborik in the right faceoff circle. McCabe released a hard fake-shot pass right to Gaborik, but the puck bounced over his stick. How is it that a player as skilled as he cannot handle a simple pass? Did he forget how to play hockey all of a sudden? Does Tortorella need to hold a fundamentals practice? These idiots skate around trying to make plays, the puck goes to McCabe, and when he passes it back, they seem like they have never seen that shiny, black, rubber disc before—it’s like they are shocked.

The shining of all examples of this ineptitude of course came on March 31 against the New York Islanders, in a game they had to win. To be honest, I don’t think anything thought the Rangers were going to lose that game, especially since they always play well on Long Island. The Rangers took a 1-0 lead despite playing sloppily, but then they somehow managed to give up six straight goals before adding one late, to fall 6-2 in their most embarrassing performance of recent memory. The killer in this one? Going a mind-numbing 0-9 on the powerplay. That’s almost the equivalent of spending an entire period with the man-advantage, only to score zero goals.

No matter what happens in these next two days, the Rangers can look at that matchup against the Islanders and say that is what did them in.  For the second straight season, the Rangers can get eliminated by a division rival; first the Flyers, now the Devils (which is worse?). Even if they do lose tomorrow, the Rangers can still get in if the Hurricanes lose their last two games, but I would not count on it. Carolina is playing well and actually deserves to make the playoffs. The Rangers deserve absolutely nothing.

The Rangers just have to go out there and win tomorrow, then pray for some divine intervention. I can see the Rangers winning tomorrow, even though the Devils are going to come out firing on all cylinders since this is their playoff game this season, but what I cannot see is the Hurricanes losing their next two games. Either way, it is out of our hands. This season will be known as the one that got away, it’s that simple.

New York Rangers Tickets for Sale

Calling all New York Rangers fans, my friend has sent me a list of tickets for games he has for sale. He is a season ticket holder, but in order to buy Knicks tickets, the money-hungry Madison Square Garden and Co. made him buy a mini-plan, which he has no use for. Below are some games for sale:

Thursday, February 27 vs Los Angeles Kings

Thursday, March 3 vs Minnesota Wild

Tuesday, March 22 vs Florida Panthers

Thursday, April 7 vs Atlanta Thrashers

All seats are in section 114, row F. Price for each pair is $212 (face value) but he said he is willing to take a little bit less. Please contact the seller at Nikolaos.LaTorre@Gmail.com.

Rangers Keep Devils Reeling with 3-1 Victory at MSG

If John Maclean is still coaching the New Jersey Devils at Christmas, he can consider that to be his big gift for the holiday season. One night after he alienated the team’s superstar, Ilya Kovalchuk, by scratching him for no apparent reason, the team came out tonight against the New York Rangers looking flat as ever for the majority of the game.

However, if the Devils can somehow find a way to play the entire game like they did the last ten minutes tonight, then Maclean’s job will be safe. The Rangers controlled play in the first, dominated in the second, played even for the first half of the third, and then the Devils finally woke up late, and the Rangers were barely able to hang on.

After a scoreless first period in which the Rangers had plenty of chances with no goals to show for it, Michal Rozsival would get the Blueshirts on the board with a slapshot from the point that sailed over Brodeur’s shoulder. The goal was originally credited to Ruslan Fedotenko, after it look like the puck deflected off of him, but later replay showed that it hit a Devils defenseman. Fedotenko would still get an assist, and Avery would get the other one, bringing his season total to five.

With eight minutes remaining in the second, Ryan Callahan would net his first of the season, on the powerplay, when he redirected a Brandon Dubinsky wrist shot. Michal Rozsival would pick up an assist on the play, giving him two goals and four assists on the young season.

As the third period wound down, the Devils would finally wake up. Their play accelerated before they finally broke through on Henrik Lundqvist. Ilya Kovalchuk would redeem himself with a tap in goal on a pass from Dainus Zubrus. The score would get to 2-1 before Brandon Dubinsky would ice the game with an empty-net goal with just one second on the clock.

The Rangers played a decent game except for certain stretches in the third. With the scoring chances they had, they should have scored more than three, but they will settle for the win. Henrik Lundqvist was great and made key saves with time winding down to preserve the lead for the Rangers.

Rozsival also continues his solid play on offense, though his defense has been shaky of late. Michael Del Zotto also had a great game tonight, blocking a pass on an early Devils 2-on-1 break.

This is now the third win in a row for the Rangers, and their first on home ice this season. Their next game will be Wednesday night at home against the Atlanta Thrashers.

Also, check out this really awesome video of Del Zotto breaking a camera when his shot deflected and went into the netting:

Greg and Joe’s 2010/11 NHL Eastern Conference Predictions

Every year, Joe and I sit down to make our predictions for the final NHL standings. Here is our selection for the Eastern Conference in the 2010/11 season:

Greg Caggiano

1. Washington Capitals*

2. New Jersey Devils*

3. Boston Bruins*

4. Pittsburgh Penguins

5. Tampa Bay Lightning

6. Montreal Canadiens

7. Buffalo Sabres

8. New York Rangers

———————————–

9. Toronto Maple Leafs

10. Philadelphia Flyers

11. New York Islanders

12. Carolina Hurricanes

13. Atlanta Thrashers

14. Ottawa Senators

15. Florida Panthers

Joe Aiello

1. Washington Capitals*

2. New York Rangers*

3. Montreal Canadiens*

4. Pittsburgh Penguins

5. Philadelphia Flyers

6. Tampa Bay Lightning

7. Boston Bruins

8. New Jersey Devils

———————————–

9. Buffalo Sabres

10. Toronto Maple Leafs

11. Atlanta Thrashers

12. New York Islanders

13. Ottawa Senators

14. Carolina Hurricanes

15. Florida Panthers

Rangers Deal Brashear and Rissmiller to Atlanta for Todd White

White scores on former Rangers goalie Steve Valiquette.

Glen Sather showed why he is still a competent General Manager with his latest wizardry of a trade. The Rangers ship out two players, who never worked out and who would have never played another game in the NHL for them, to the Atlanta Thrashers for center Todd White.

Many are speculating that the Rangers are going to then waive White to free up cap space and make the move a complete salary dump, but either way, this is great for the Rangers.

Donald Brashear was never going to suit up again for the Rangers after some comments he made towards the end of last season and his subpar play beforehand. Because he is over 35, his contract put the Rangers between a rock and a hard place, as they could not waive him. Rissmiller too never worked out, and he has spent the last two full seasons in the minors, save for two games with the team in 2008.

Should the Rangers decide to keep White, they are getting a decent middle-tier center. He is 35 years old and has 635 games of experience divided between the Thrashers, Senators, Wild, Flyers, and Blackhawks. He also has 140 goals and 239 assists for 379 points.

White is just one season removed from a 73 point campaign where he centered Ilya Kovalchuk. When looking at his full seasons in the NHL, his career low is 29 points, which he reached twice, both last year and in 2003/04, but he was injured in each of those. He has hit the 40 point mark four times, including one 50 point season, and one 60.

There really is no room for Todd White on this roster, and because Dubinsky, Drury, and Anisimov are here to stay, he would only be battling Erik Christensen and Brian Boyle, but Christensen is almost ensured a spot, as well, on the top line with Gaborik.

Clearly Sather has something else up his sleeve. Perhaps another salary dump is yet to come, unless they simply waive White.

With the Market Shrinking, Kovalchuk Should Look to Broadway

When there is a big name free agent name free agent, what is the one team that is always mentioned? The New York Rangers.

Who is the biggest free agent available this summer? Ilya Kovalchuk

What team is the only big market team to not publicly have an interest in Ilya Kovalchuk? The New York Rangers.

For a team that year after year brings in big-money players, all is way too quiet on the Eastern front. Not once has there been a  rumor of the Rangers having an interest in Ilya Kovalchuk. Not from Eklund, not from the beat writers, not from anyone. The Rangers have to be interested in acquiring its services, so it is extremely strange that there has not even been word of an offer made to him.

Management has promised a better offensive team next season, but with no new catalysts brought in, and the homegrown players still at least a year away from development, this offensive help must come externally. Kovalchuk, despite his issues in big game situations is a perennial forty goal scorer who can hit more than fifty if he puts his mind to it. He is also a  guaranteed ninety points.

The only three teams that have been publicly announced as serious contenders are the Los Angeles Kings, New Jersey Devils, and New York Islanders. Although feasible, there is something wrong with each one of these teams being attractive to him.

First and foremost, Kovalchuk turned down the Kings offer this afternoon, so it is unlikely that he will sign there. The Devils have less than $4 million available, and would need to move a few players to fit him. Meanwhile, the Islanders offered Kovalchuk a ten-year deal worth $100 million. If it was about the money, he would have signed there immediately.

For Kovalchuk, it can’t be about the money. The reason being the Islanders offer, which was identical tot he offer Thrashers GM Don Waddell made to him last season. He has now had the chance to become the richest player in the NHL twice, topping both Crosby and Ovechkin, and he turned it down.

Should the Devils become economically capable of giving the same amount, would he want to play in front of a half-empty Prudential Center, as opposed to quarter full Nassau Coliseum?

Now, the Rangers are not in a great salary cap situation either. They have roughly $9 million in cap space, with Marc Staal and Dan Girardi still to sign. But there is just one thing Glen Sather needs to do, and the problem will be solved. We all know what it is– waive Wade Redden.

Should the Rangers get rid of Redden, and trade Brashear as well, the Rangers could not only be able to easily sign Kovalchuk, but be able to give Staal $4.5 million, and Girardi $2.5 million. Kovalchuk will not get anything close to $10 million a year.

Joe Aiello acknowledges that the deal he gets would have to be similar to what Marian Gaborik has, which is $7.5 million a year. Lets stop pretending that players do not care what their teammates are making. They do, and they get jealous. Making Kovalchuk he highest paid player on the Rangers has a chance to start animosity in the locker room. But if he was paid identical to Gaborik, it would be fine.

Kovalchuk also wants job security. In order to make him happy, the Rangers could give him a thirteen year deal worth $97.5 million, as Joe suggests. This would be very un-Sather like, but this is a new age in the NHL, one where salaries are structured as such. Each year until he turns 35, he could get paid $10 million per season, then the remaining $17.5 could be spread throughout the final five years of the contract, taking him until he turns forty years old.

The Rangers would be fools to not consider bringing him in, or at least making an offer. One would have to think that something is going down, because there is hardly any market for Kovalchuk, and the next step would be the KHL, and I seriously doubt that he wants to play there, because they could have made him the highest paid player in the world, and he w0uld have signed there already.

Keep in mind that the longer a player goes without signing, the less money they get. That is just how it always works out, year after year. No one knows how long it will take, but we will see very soon where he chooses to ink his name, and I would consider the Rangers a top contender for his services.

Greg and Joe’s Predictions Chart: Day Two Update

Sergei Gonchar has a new home with the Ottawa Senators

Two days ago, Joe and I sat down to chart our predictions. We chose fifty of the top one hundred, and surprisingly, the top ranked Ilya Kovalchuk is still on the market. We still have some names left to sign, and this will be updated every few days throughout the summer to see who had the most correct predictions.

Chart key: Strikethrough means an incorrect prediction, bold is correct, and italics indicates the player has not signed anywhere yet.

1. Ilya Kovalchuk (NJD): Agreed on LAK

2. Sergei Gonchar (PIT): Agreed on SJS

3. Paul Martin (NJD): Agreed on OTT

4. Evgeni Nabokov (SJS): Agreed on WAS

5. Pavel Kubina (ATL): Agreed on ATL

6. Dan Hamhuis (NAS): Greg: VAN; Joe: CLB

7. Anton Volchenkov (OTT): Greg: CAR; Joe: NYI

8. Willie Mitchell (VAN): Greg: VAN; Joe: NJD

9. Zybnek Michalek (PHX): Agreed on PHX

10. Matthew Lombardi (PHX): Greg: PHX; Joe: NYR

11. Alexander Frolov (LAK): Agreed on Europe

12. Teemu Selanne (LAK): Agreed on ANA

13. Chris Mason (STL): Greg: ATL; Joe: PHI

14. Antero Niittymaki (TBL): Agreed on TBL

15. Marty Turco (DAL): Greg: PHI; Joe: SJS

16. Henrik Tallinder (BUF): Agreed on BUF

17. Ray Whitney (CAR): Greg: LAK; Joe: DET

18. Vaclav Prospal (NYR): Greg: NYR; Joe: PHX

19. Lee Stempniak (PHX): Agreed on NYI

20. Matt Cullen (OTT): Agreed on CAR

21. Olli Jokinen (NYR): Agreed on ATL

22. Toni Lydman (BUF): Agreed on BUF

23. Alex Tanguay (TBL): Greg: COL; Joe: VAN

24. Maxim Afinogenov (ATL): Greg: BUF; Joe: CLB

25. Alex Ponikarovsky (PIT): Agreed on TOR

26. Kim Johnsson (CHI): Agreed on Europe

27. Dan Ellis (SJS): Greg: SJS; Joe: MTL

28. Saku Koivu (ANA): Agreed on ANA

29. Joe Corvo (WAS): Agreed on WAS

30. Bill Guerin (PIT): Agreed on PIT

31. Brendan Morrison (WAS): Agreed on WAS

32. Joe Theodore (WAS): Agreed on Europe

33. Colby Armstrong (ATL): Agreed on TOR

34. Derek Morris (PHX): Agreed on PHX

35. Marek Svatos (COL): Agreed on Europe

36. Johan Hedburg (ATL): Greg: NJD; Joe: NYR

37. Martin Biron (NYI): Greg: NYR; Joe: CAR

38. Raffi Torres (BUF): Agreed on BUF

39. Pavol Demitra (VAN): Agreed on ATL

40. Ray Emery (PHI): Agreed on Europe

41. Chris Higgins (CGY): Greg: CGY; Joe: MIN

42. Ruslan Salei (COL): Agreed on Europe

43. Slava Kozlov (ATL): Agreed on Europe

44. Owen Nolan (MIN): Agreed on retiring

45. Mike Modano (DAL): Greg: MIN; Joe: SJS

46. John Madden (CHI): Agreed on NJD

47. Robert Lang (PHX): Greg: PHX; Joe: Europe

48. Ruslan Fedotenko (PIT): Agreed on PIT

49. Alex Auld (NYR): Greg: SJS; Joe: NJD

50. Miroslav Satan (BOS): Agreed on BOS

Totals

Predictions made: 50

Signings happened: 22

Greg’s Correct: 7 (32%)

Joe’s Correct: 3 (14%)

Nothing to write home about for either of us, but hopefully our totals will increase as the days move along!

Greg and Joe’s Second Annual NHL Free Agency Predictions

For the second straight season, Joe Aiello and I sat down to make our NHL free agent predictions. Last year we made 40 all too forgettable selections, and barely nailed any. We hope to have a little more luck this season. This year we selected 50 players from the Globe and Mail’s list of the top 100 available free agents.

Below are our picks:

1. Ilya Kovalchuk (NJD): Agreed on LAK

2. Sergei Gonchar (PIT): Agreed on SJS

3. Paul Martin (NJD): Agreed on OTT

4. Evgeni Nabokov (SJS): Agreed on WAS

5. Pavel Kubina (ATL): Agreed on ATL

6. Dan Hamhuis (NAS): Greg: VAN; Joe: CLB

7. Anton Volchenkov (OTT): Greg: CAR; Joe: NYI

8. Willie Mitchell (VAN): Greg: VAN; Joe: NJD

9. Zybnek Michalek (PHX): Agreed on PHX

10. Matthew Lombardi (PHX): Greg: PHX; Joe: NYR

11. Alexander Frolov (LAK): Agreed on Europe

12. Teemu Selanne (LAK): Agreed on ANA

13. Chris Mason (STL): Greg: ATL; Joe: PHI

14. Antero Niittymaki (TBL): Agreed on TBL

15. Marty Turco (DAL): Greg: PHI; Joe: SJS

16. Henrik Tallinder (BUF): Agreed on BUF

17. Ray Whitney (CAR): Greg: LAK; Joe: DET

18. Vaclav Prospal (NYR): Greg: NYR; Joe: PHX

19. Lee Stempniak (PHX): Agreed on NYI

20. Matt Cullen (OTT): Agreed on CAR

21. Olli Jokinen (NYR): Agreed on ATL

22. Toni Lydman (BUF): Agreed on BUF

23. Alex Tanguay (TBL): Greg: COL; Joe: VAN

24. Maxim Afinogenov (ATL): Greg: BUF; Joe: CLB

25. Alex Ponikarovsky (PIT): Agreed on TOR

26. Kim Johnsson (CHI): Agreed on Europe

27. Dan Ellis (SJS): Greg: SJS; Joe: MTL

28. Saku Koivu (ANA): Agreed on ANA

29. Joe Corvo (WAS): Agreed on WAS

30. Bill Guerin (PIT): Agreed on PIT

31. Brendan Morrison (WAS): Agreed on WAS

32. Joe Theodore (WAS): Agreed on Europe

33. Colby Armstrong (ATL): Agreed on TOR

34. Derek Morris (PHX): Agreed on PHX

35. Marek Svatos (COL): Agreed on Europe

36. Johan Hedburg (ATL): Greg: NJD; Joe: NYR

37. Martin Biron (NYI): Greg: NYR; Joe: CAR

38. Raffi Torres (BUF): Agreed on BUF

39. Pavol Demitra (VAN): Agreed on ATL

40. Ray Emery (PHI): Agreed on Europe

41. Chris Higgins (CGY): Greg: CGY; Joe: MIN

42. Ruslan Salei (COL): Agreed on Europe

43. Slava Kozlov (ATL): Agreed on Europe

44. Owen Nolan (MIN): Agreed on retiring

45. Mike Modano (DAL): Greg: MIN; Joe: SJS

46. John Madden (CHI): Agreed on NJD

47. Robert Lang (PHX): Greg: PHX; Joe: Europe

48. Ruslan Fedotenko (PIT): Agreed on PIT

49. Alex Auld (NYR): Greg: SJS; Joe: NJD

50. Miroslav Satan (BOS): Agreed on BOS

We hope everyone enjoys the free agent frenzy tomorrow afternoon! TSN will be broadcasting live coverage beginning at noon, also streaming it on their website, and it will be on the NHL Network here in the US.

Also, don’t forget to follow me on Twitter.