11/01/2010 FA Winter Claassics drop: Michael Grabner (NYI) add: Andrew Ladd (ATL)
11/01/2010 FA Manitoba Roos drop: Tukka Rask (BOS) add: Antero Niittymaki (SJS)
11/01/2010 FA Manitoba Roos drop: Cody Hodgson (VAN) add: Ryan Callahan (NYR)
11/02/2010 FA Schizzarks drop: Lars Eller (MTL) add: Justin Williams (LAK)
Part of me wants to pick up Grabner on principle, seeing as how I thought he would finally get his shit together on a bad team playing good minutes with decent players. Instead he got waived and pulled his groin. I am now officially wary of Austrian players.
ReplyDeletePoll results:
ReplyDeleteWhich GM made the free agent pickup that will have the biggest positive impact?
1. The Manitoba Roos add Niittymaki (62%)
2. The Winter Claassics add Ladd (37%)
3. The Manitoba Roos and Callahan (0%)
4. The Schizzarks add Williams (0%)
I think all four of these pickups were smart. The Schizzarks needed more immediate forward scoring, with Zach Parise going down for a few months. Schizz is not ready to concede the year and rebuild yet, and rightfully so.
Niittymaki appears to have taken the #1 spot from Niemi, so Roos was smart to drop Rask, even though Rask still has a bright future (brighter after Thomas was pulled last night...). Callahan will also be an immediate improvement over Cody Hodgson, although the Canucks' perennial prospect has been finally heating up in Manitoba (two goals and an assist last night).
Andrew Ladd was the first player taken of the bunch. Playing in Kane and Toews shadow made it easy to forget he was once a 4th overall pick. This year, playing on the top line in Atlanta, he should shatter his career-best 49 points.