Thoughts On Free Agency Season (so far...)

Yawn, what a relatively quiet free agency period this has been. Let's take a look at what's happened so far:

L.A. Kings: The plan to snag Ilya Kovalchuk fell through and though his contract's currently under review, the Kings decided to pass on him and went for Alexei Ponikarovski. IMO, this was a better move for them to get his established two-way abilities than it was for them to get Kovalchuk (who's pure offense) or bringing back Alexander Frolov, who really needed a change of scenery (and got it in the form of signing with the New York Rangers.) The team looks pretty good going into the fall, but now that Matt Greene needs to recover from shoulder surgery, it looks like either a depth defensemen could be signed or one of the prospects/minor-league guys will have a shot at getting a spot in camp. Should be fun to watch.

Detroit Red Wings: No major signings here, but Mike Modano's been offered a contract in excess of $1M to be Detroit's third-line center. Considering the fact that Detroit's third-liners are as talented as the second line of any other NHL team, Modano would do well to return home, as he was born and raised in good ol' Livonia. Also, Aaron Downey's been offered a PTO to compete for the enforcer spot on the Wings roster. He was cut out of camp by the Phoenix Coyotes and didn't play professional hockey last season, so this could be an uphill battle for him/wishful thinking for proponents of Red Wings toughness than it could be something that becomes legitimate. Related note: Brad May will likely retire, though he has yet to make a formal decision.

Phoenix Coyotes: Well, the team signed Andrew Ebbett to a one-year, two-way deal and he will compete for a spot out of camp. They're hoping that they signed the guy who was nearly a point-per-game producer for the Anaheim Ducks in 2008-09 and not the guy who bounced around the waiver wire all of last season. The team made a bunch of minor signings in hopes of fortifying the San Antonio Rampage with toughness and veteran leadership for the young guys next season.

Anaheim Ducks:Um... the Ducks announced their new ECHL affiliation with the Elmira Jackals? Actually, that's not fair, because Cam Fowler was signed to a deal this week (no work on whether or not Long Beach's Emerson Etem will be signed as well) and Brendan Mikkelsson signed his qualifying offer. The team is set to go to arbitration with James Wisniewski while both RFA Bobby Ryan and UFA Teemu Selanne remain unsigned. Oh, and the team still needs another Top Four defender to have a solid chance at being competitive next season.