In the absence of the usual July 1st free-agency chaos, Dixononsports looks back at the defining UFA moments of the salary-cap era — not simply the monster deals, but all those intriguing, often ill-fated storylines that stuck with us over the years.
This is less about how shocking it was at the time than the fact this deal has basically taken the title as best free-agent signing ever. Chara has 14 seasons as a Bruin under his belt, won the 2009 Norris, was a finalist four other times and was wearing the ‘C’ the night Boston ended a 40-year Cup drought. All that from a guy who was 29 years old when he inked the UFA pact to go to Massachusetts.
I can’t recall any team’s positive run ending with an off-ice thud the way Buffalo’s did when co-captains Briere and Drury left in the summer of 2007. Only the Detroit Red Wings won more games than the electrifying Sabres in the two seasons following the lockout-lost year in 2004-05. Then Briere signed for eight years and $52 million with Philadelphia and Drury signed a five-year, $37-million deal with the Rangers.
This could surely be the longest category, but we’ll spare Sergei Bobrovsky and the Florida Panthers for now and let everybody get back to the holiday.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Negro Leagues' 100-year anniversary sparks 'Tip of the Cap' campaign - Sportsnet.caSports greats, celebrities and former U.S. presidents are among those making a virtual salute to the 100-year anniversary of the founding of baseball's Negro Leagues.
Read more »
NHL, NHLPA finalizing plan to resume season amid new COVID-19 cases - Sportsnet.caAs the NHL and NHLPA continue putting the finishing touches on a plan to resume the season, the league says 26 players have tested positive for COVID-19 in the last three weeks. reporterchris has the latest:
Read more »
Olympic participation part of NHL/NHLPA CBA negotiations - Sportsnet.caAs negotiations between the NHL and NHLPA hit critical mass, FriedgeHNIC reports that Olympic participation is part of the agreement.
Read more »
NHL Power Rankings: Ordering the top 24 Stanley Cup contenders - Sportsnet.caIn a year that will bring us a Stanley Cup Playoffs unlike any other, which type of team do you think will benefit most? A younger, faster team? Or perhaps an older squad that's been there before? In this week's Power Rankings, we order the 24 returning teams from top contender to just happy to be playing again.
Read more »