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For the defense Red Wings, Rangers sign blue-line helpPosted: Wednesday July 03, 2002 12:57 PM
Sports Illustrated senior writer Michael Farber gave CNNSI.com his take on the furious flurry of free-agent defensemen signings: CNNSI.com: Three-time Norris Trophy winner Chris Chelios reupped with the Red Wings on Wednesday after previously rejecting the team's offer. What caused that turnaround? Michael Farber: For his final NHL contract, Chris Chelios was looking for Al MacInnis/Scott Stevens money, $7 million a year. But when the New York Rangers signed Darius Kasparaitis on Tuesday, it was clear that no team was interested in meeting Chelios' price. Chelios is happy to go back to the Red Wings for a little over $6 million a year for two seasons, signing a contract with a value of $1 million more than the team initially offered. Detroit is a particularly comfortable fit for Chelios because he can disappear in the constellation of stars in the dressing room. He also gets to play on the second pair, leaving most of the serious minutes to Nicklas Lidstrom. This past year Chelios was instrumental in developing rookie Jiri Fischer and two more seasons alongside Chelios should be a blessing the young Czech. Detroit still needs to find replacements for Steve Duchesne and Fredrik Olausson but has some young players like Maxim Kuznetsov and Jesse Wallin who'll get long looks. CNNSI.com: Speaking of Kasparaitis, which teams did the Rangers beat out to sign the pesky player? Farber: It's Rangers 2, Maple Leafs 0. When it came down to both of their free-agent signings so far -- Kasparaitis and Bobby Holik -- New York outbid Toronto. The bids for Kasparaitis were similar from both clubs while the Rangers offered about $1 million more per year for Holik than the Leafs were willing to spend. And the New York Islanders weren't interested in overpaying for Kasparaitis, who still has a house on Long Island. New Rangers coach Bryan Trottier was impressed with Kasparaitis during their time together in Colorado even though the Avalanche kept Kasparaitis under wraps. After a wild game in Phoenix in March in which Kasparaitis delivered a big hit and drew a terrible unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, Avalanche coach Bob Hartley impressed upon the Lithuanian defenseman that he needed to be more disciplined on a team that intended to win the Stanley Cup. Asking Kasparaitis to play with discipline is like asking Lennox Lewis to fight with one hand behind his back. Kasparaitis will be turned loose in New York to a much greater degree, free to follow his instincts. Certainly he is a defenseman who has an impact far beyond his meager numbers. He makes the Rangers defense much tougher. CNNSI.com: The Rangers have made a splash in the first few days on free agency but have missed the boat on the big-name goaltenders available. Farber: The Rangers will find a goalie. When you lavish $70 million in contracts on two free agents, you're not going to start the year with Dan Blackburn as your No. 1. If Mike Richter is lured away, Byron Dafoe would be a fallback position. Rangers president Glen Sather said late Tuesday that signing Richter is now a priority. If the Rangers get shut out of the free-agent goalie market, which seems an impossibility, they could always take Jeff Hackett's contract off the hands of the Montreal Canadiens. CNNSI.com: And Dallas finally took a dip in the free-agent pool with the signing of Philippe Boucher. Farber: New Stars coach Dave Tippett worked with Boucher in Los Angeles and liked what he saw. Boucher has been a slow developer in the NHL but last year finally became a dependable force on the Kings' blue line. Dallas has depth on defense but now has to find a way to sign some of the marquee forwards -- Bill Guerin and Tony Amonte -- in order for this to be a successful summer. Boucher is just the appetizer. Sports Illustrated senior writer Michael Farber covers the NHL beat for the magazine and is a regular contributor to CNNSI.com.
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