Day 2 of the 2012 NHL free-agency period has come to an end and we have still yet to see any superstar free agents pull out their pens and sign new deals. Zach Parise was supposed to make his decision today, but according to his agent, he’s taking his time in making his decision.
Parise isn’t the only one. Here are some other big names who are being very deliberate with their decision-making.
Jaromir Jagr
After the future Hall of Famer scored 19 goals and added 35 assists this past season, you figured he was going to be a hot commodity on the free-agent market. But who knew more that half the teams in the league would be pursuing him?
According to Jagr’s agent, there’s a lot of interest in Jagr:
“He got 21 offers; I’m not kidding,” said agent and former Flyer defenseman Petr Svoboda. “We’re not in a hurry. We have plenty of time to sign him. There’s lots of interest.”
With 21 offers, you can understand why it would take some time for Jagr to go through all his options. Heavy favorites include Montreal, Edmonton, Detroit and the New York Rangers. There’s also a good chance that Jagr will return to the Flyers.
Alex Semin
Semin is a dangerous scorer—when he wants to be. He’s had a 40-goal season and has scored as many as as 84 points in a season. However, he scored just 17 goals and added only 33 assists in 2012.
But it seems the biggest problem facing Semin finding a new team to play with in 2013 isn’t his lack of production—it’s his attitude.
Recently on TSN, analyst Pierre McGuire ripped Semin (via CBS Sports):
“This is not a great teammate,” said McGuire, doing his best to make the situation sound as serious as possible. “I’ll tell you that right now, not a good guy to have around your group unless you have unbelievably great leadership and rely on that. He’s the ultimate coach killer, that’s what he is.”
Ouch. Well, if Semin ended up in Detroit, a heavy favorite, they seem like the type of franchise that could cure Semin of his selfish, “coach killing” ways.
Shane Doan
Doan is an interesting case because he’s made it abundantly clear that he wants to stay with the Phoenix Coyotes, the only franchise he’s ever played for. However, due to the uncertainty revolving around their ownership situation, Doan may be forced to sign elsewhere.
He won’t decide if he’s leaving Phoenix until July 9, the date the Coyotes will know about their ownership situation.
If the Coyotes can’t figure things out by then, expect the Rangers, Capitals and plenty of other hopeful Cup contenders look to add the gritty veteran.
{ 0 comments… add one now }