-Ilya Kovalchuk is easily the biggest name available in this year's free-agency period. Considering his rejection of a huge contract extension in Atlanta and his inability to move the Devils past the first round of the playoffs, Kovalchuk will most likely be playing in yet another new city. This player thrives on open rink and finding holes, so expect him to stay in the high-flying East. He will be getting a raise from his current $6.39 million/year salary, especially considering the Sharks just gave Patrick Marleau, a less-talented scoring forward, a contract worth $27.6 million spanning over four seasons. Teams will be reaching deep into their pocket books for this guy. But don't take Kovalchuk's rejection to Atlanta personal; the guy wants to win. Teams with cap room to spare and a will to capture hockey's holy grail will be the front-runner's for Kovalchuk's services.
Possible destinations: Washington Capitals, Tampa Bay Lightning
-Evgeni Nabokov saw his contract traded to the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday, ending his long-stint with the San Jose Sharks as their top netminder. But will he sign with Philly? As of Monday, Don Meehan, Nabokov's agent, said that the Flyers have made no progress in signing the goaltender. His services would be an extraordinary help to the Flyers, despite Michael Leighton's superb job as the starter in the playoffs. The Flyers did well with Leighton, but having a sure-fire number one goaltender will only bolster the high-powered roster. I expect the Flyers to shed salary or work out a deal with Nabby now to put him in a Flyers uniform. Maybe not today, maybe not even tomorrow, but Nabokov will be a Flyer to start the 2010-11 season.
Possible destinations: Philadelphia Flyers
-With Nabokov on the outs in San Jose, who will be the new number one guy? Marty Turco and Chris Mason look to be the top guys hitting the free-agent market, but Tomas Vokoun may be the answer if a trade can be worked out in Florida. Make no mistake about it; new Panthers GM Dale Tallon has put every player on the open market this summer, and Vokoun is not exempt despite being a top-notch goaltender. The problem may lie in salary; Vokoun is going to make $5.7 million this upcoming season, and San Jose has many players hitting free-agency on July 1 with just over $11.5 million to play with before hitting the salary cap. If the Sharks can swing a deal that would dump some salary or if they are able to bring in some cheap players, Vokoun could be a Shark in no time. But if GM Doug Wilson can't make any progression in trade talks by early July, he may have to contact Turco and Mason as plans B and C.
-Chris Chelios will finally call it a career... for two months. After sitting at home and realizing that 49 is too young to retire, he will join the Fort Wayne Komets of the IHL and play like an all-star six minutes a game.
-Mike Modano will not be receiving an offer from the Dallas Stars for the 2010-11 season. He will retire graciously, despite many Maple Leaf message board posters claiming that Brian Burke wants him on his roster. Lets be smart about this NBC; do USA hockey fans a favor and fire that joke of a hockey expert Mike Milbury and replace him with Modano. He is a proud teacher of the game who has experienced almost everything a professional hockey player can go through. The banter between he and his American comrade Jeremy Roenick may be what NBC is looking for anyway.
-Tomas Kaberle will not be moved immediately. If Burke is as smart as people say he is, he will wait for training camp to get closer and see what offers he gets throughout the summer. Kaberle is a great addition to any roster, especially those in need of a steady veteran defenseman. Look for him to trade Kaberle to the West; he may have learned his lesson after his deal with the Bruins last year. I expect to see Anaheim make a big run for the offensive defenseman; with Visnovsky now being their number one guy after a Scott Niedermayer retirement, they could use the help.
Possible destinations: Anaheim Ducks, Dallas Stars, Phoenix Coyotes
-Jonathan Cheechoo will be given one more shot in the NHL; after a dreadful 5-goal season in 2009-10, Cheechoo's contract was bought out by the Senators this week. A team in need of scoring and speed and has the roster depth to try such a move will pick up Cheechoo and try him out on the top two lines to see if he can bring back his A-game. I wouldn't hold your breath though hockey fans.
Possible destinations: Pittsburgh Penguins, Detroit Red Wings, New Jersey Devils
Of course speculation is speculation; no one truly knows what will happen until July hits and the players jump into the open market. Stay tuned to NHL Hockey Online for analysis of each move, as well as my twitter @jponder94 for the breaking events. Analysis will be posted in the evening, but the twitter will be updated live.
Keywords: brian burke, chris chelios, chris mason, dale tallon, don meehan, evgeni nabokov, free-agency, hockey, ilya kovalchuk, jeremy roenick, jonathan cheechoo, lubomir visnovsky, marty turco, mike milbury, mike modano, nhl, patrick marleau, san jose sharks, scott niedermayer, tomas kaberle, tomas vokoun, twitter
