CROSSCHECK 8.23.05 - Staying home for less? - 2005-08-23 7:56 PM
Teemu Selanne is returning to Anaheim for $1 million for one year. Brian Burke wants him back longer. Selanne once commanded six times his current salary, and won the first Maurice Rocket Richard Trophy for scoring the most goals in a season. Since then, he has been slowed by a knee injury which he had surgery on last September. It takes year to recover, so that puts Selanne right on track for a comeback season, which should be helped by some of the rule changes, having Sergei Fedorov at center, and having both Scott Niedermayer and Sandis Ozolinsh on the blue line. Once again, the Ducks should have one of the most feared powerplays in the NHL, adding Peter Sykora to the unit. And Selanne comes back at a significant discount.
Some players are taking less to stay home. Mike Modano did in Dallas. Steve Yzerman is returning to Detroit instead of retiring. Chris Chelios is joining Yzerman. Joe Thornton took less than he could have made on the open market next year (assuming the cap doesn't shrink) to stay long term with Boston. Vincent Lecavalier did the same in Tampa Bay, although now it could take a miracle to bring back both Brad Richards and Marin St. Louis to the 2004 Stanley Cup Champion Lightning. I'm guessing they keep Richards and deal St. Louis. Although, with the new cap system in place, both could decide to take less to keep the team together.
As this long (so long, thank God it's finally about to end) off-season ends, I wonder if, next summer, more players will take less to stay home, return home, or join a possible champion. I expect many veteran players to do just that. The younger free agents though, and they'll get as young as 25 in the coming years, may not be as smart. It will be up to the teams to figure out how to keep or purchase the necessary talent they need, and still build the supporting cast it takes to win the Stanley Cup.