Rumor Mill: Top FA Signed, Jagr To Retire After Season?

According to TSN, free agent center Mikhail Grabovski has signed a one-year deal with the Washington Capitals. The move comes as little surprise, as Washington needs centers and Grabovski will be able to fill a top-six role for them. A television outlet in Grabovski's native Belarus, ONT, said that the contract is worth $3 million. I believe this is a good signing for Washington, and they were able to get him at a very reasonable price too. He'll be able to produce right away and in a spot where he'll be comfortable.

Another interesting news story revolves around Jaromir Jagr. He recently hinted on his Facebook page that this season will be his last, and because of that he declared that he "can't be too risky."I'm not exactly sure what that means, but that can't sound very good to Devils fans, who are hoping that their team can overcome major offseason losses from a mediocre squad and return to the playoffs.

Off-Season Update: August 15th

Colorado Avalanche has extended their Captain, Gabriel Landeskog to a 7 year deal. The financial aspect of the deal has not been released yet but Sportsnet has reported that the deal will be a total of $39 million (should be around $5.5 million per year). Landeskog still has a year left on his entry level contract and this extension will start next summer. Gabriel Landeskog won the Calder Memorial Trophy as league’s best rookie in the 2011-2012 season and in two season, he has 31 goals and 38 assists in 118 games.

The New Jersey Devils have switched ownership as Joshua Harris and David Blitzer have become co-owners of the franchise. Both have recently purchased the Philadelphia 76’s for $280 million in 2011. The price of the purchase has not been revealed. Jeff Vanderbeek, the previous owner of the New Jersey Devils will remain with the Devils as a senior advisor. 

Criticizing Vegas: Current Stanley Cup Odds

Bovada sure has an interesting take on who is and isn't a good team in hockey. Here are their Stanley Cup odds for the 2013-14 season:

6/1: Chicago
13/2: Pittsburgh
10/1: Boston
12/1: Los Angeles, St. Louis
16/1: Detroit, Vancouver
18/1: San Jose
20/1: Edmonton, Minnesota, NY Rangers
22/1: Anaheim
25/1: Montreal, Toronto, Washington
28/1: Philadelphia
33/1: NY Islanders, Ottawa
40/1: Carolina, Colorado, Columbus, Dallas, New Jersey
50/1: Nashville, Tampa Bay, Winnipeg
66/1: Phoenix
100/1: Buffalo, Calgary, Florida

Based on this list, I can give you three good value bets for this coming season: Anaheim, Ottawa, and the Islanders. The Ducks are my #1 best value bet on this list. Why? They're loaded offensively. This is their deepest set of forwards since their Cup-winning 2007 squad. They aren't spectacular on the backend, but they're good enough to be considered a contender. I believe that their goaltending tandem of Jonas Hiller and Viktor Fasth will continue to succeed this season. Other undervalued teams are Phoenix, Dallas, Columbus, and Winnipeg. I'm not saying that any of these teams have a great chance to win the Stanley Cup, but based on their odds they're definitely being underestimated.

I can also give you three (there are more, but I'm trying not to be too mean here) teams to completely avoid: Edmonton, Washington, and Philadelphia. Who's my #1 team to avoid? The Oilers. Washington is another team that you should stay away from (at least at 25/1... I'd take them at 40/1 maybe), but at least the Caps have a competent defense and Alex Ovechkin. The Oilers have a scary good top six but not much else. I'd give 20/1 odds that the Oilers make the playoffs, much less win the Cup. Other teams who I think are overvalued are Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal. I really don't think any of them are as good as their odds would suggest.

Ten Breakout Players Next Season

With the preseason just over a month away, it's time to take a look at who has the best chance to give themselves a coming out party this year. I've taken my ideas for this list and narrowed it to ten. Here's who I think will be the biggest breakout stars of the 2013-14 season:

Brent Burns - The defenseman has been converted to forward and should play on the top line in San Jose this coming season. He figures to have Patrick Marleau on the opposite wing and either Joe Thornton or Logan Couture as his pivot. I'm expecting at least 60 points from Burns this season, and potentially more if he gets off to a fast start.

Mikkel Boedker - Another player who will be ascending into a top-line role, Boedker will have the added benefit of playing alongside the newly-signed Mike Ribeiro in Glendale. While his point totals have been pedestrian so far, he's only 23 and this will be his first crack at being the #1 left wing. Barring an injury or some other form of disaster, Boedker should shatter his career highs this season.

Jakob Silfverberg - Staying in the Pacific Division again, Silfverberg has the tall task of replacing Bobby Ryan in Anaheim's top six. He has already shown flashes of brilliance in his short time with the Ottawa Senators, and I believe that once he takes over as the #1 left wing (because, let's face it, Dustin Penner appearing there on the Ducks' depth chart is nothing more than 2007 nostalgia), he's going to be a force.

Jonathan Huberdeau - If you're reading this blog and you don't know who Huberdeau is, I highly recommend typing his name into the search bar on YouTube. You'll do well to spend time watching this kid's hands and some of the moves he has in his arsenal. He was already scoring at about a 53-point pace last season, and I fully expect that number to climb in 2013-14. He'll be given every opportunity to play in the top six in Florida, and there's some exciting young talent on its way up there.

Roman Josi - Here's a guy who will put up better numbers simply because he's going to see more ice time. He's firmly on the top pairing with Shea Weber, and given the current state of the Predators' depth chart, Josi figures to get a lion's share of the power play opportunities as well. Josi scored 9 points in 10 games for Switzerland at the World Championships, and was named the tournament MVP even though the Swiss came up short against Sweden in the Gold Medal Game. He will be a big factor for Nashville this coming season.

Mika Zibanejad - I'd be crazy not to have at least one Senator on this list, and Zibanejad is primed for a big season. He may not start the season on the second line, but he deserves to be there and I believe that Paul McLean will put him in the right place to succeed this season. He's only 20 years old and I believe that he will be a monster in this league someday, so why not now?

David Perron - Perron moves from a defense-first team in St. Louis to a defense-never team in Edmonton. His plus/minus will definitely take a hit with the Oilers, that much is obvious (he's plus-45 for his career). However, he'll be playing with some of the most gifted playmakers in the NHL. Edmonton's top six is absolutely frightening: Taylor Hall, Perron, Jordan Eberle, Sam Gagner, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Nail Yakupov. Throw in Ales Hemsky and you have a team where offense abounds. Perron's career high is 50 points, and I think he'll surpass that this season. The big if, however, is his health.

Vladimir Tarasenko - Perron's departure means more time for the big Russian, who battled a concussion that he suffered mid-season, missing 10 games. He was also a healthy scratch for all but one game of the Blues' first-round series loss to the Kings. However, this year he steps into a top six role and figures to shine for St. Louis. I like his chances of a 55-60 point campaign, if not more. He's going to make the Blues' front office very pleased that they spent their first round pick on him at the 2010 draft.

Marcus Johansson - Johansson will be asked to fill the void in the Caps' top six left by Mike Ribeiro, and they are certainly big skates to fill. Johansson was already scoring at a 53-point pace last season, and that was on the third line for coach Adam Oates. Playing alongside more established talent is only going to help his development and numbers increase. 60 points is a reasonable expectation for him, but he could put up a bigger number if he sees significant power play time.

Karri Ramo - If you follow international hockey (specifically the KHL in this case), Ramo is probably already a household name for you. Here's his stat line from the 2011-12 season playing for Avangard Omsk: 24 wins, 1.96 GAA, .925 SV%. As if that wasn't enough, he posted an obscene 1.54 GAA and .940 SV% in the playoffs as he carried his team to within one game of the Gagarin Cup, losing Game 7 against Dynamo Moscow, which was a 1-0 decision. He followed that up with 26 wins (in five fewer games than '11-'12), a 2.00 GAA and a .929 SV% last season. Ramo will step in as the #1 backstop in Calgary, and while the team will struggle to score, Ramo is already looking like a sleeper pick in fantasy leagues. He will definitely steal his share of games for the Flames this season.

Five Bounce Back Players for next Season

With the Offseason coming to an end, heres a look at 5 players that should have bounce back years.

Marian Gaborik: In his three and a half years with the Rangers, Marian Gaborik hit the 40 goal mark twice. His second year with NY was plagued with injuries and with that, his production dipped. After the 2012 playoffs, he had shoulder surgery and everyone thought that in the lockout shorten season, he would produce. During 35 games with the Rangers in the shorten season, he only had 19 points but at the trade deadline, he was shipped to Columbus. He is now the main “go-to” guy for Columbus and the team’s offense will go around him. With the addition of Nathan Horton, who should be return from injury in December, Marian Gaborik should have a bounce back year.

Pekka Rinne: Before the 2012-2013 season, Rinne was always in the talks of winning the Vezina Trophy as league’s best goalie and was a finalist in 2011-12. His numbers dipped a bit due to a hip injury and he had his first sub- .500 season having a record of 15-16-8 in 2013. With a successful surgery, Rinne should be healthy come this preseason and with that, his numbers should return to normal and he should lead the low scoring Predators to the playoffs again.

Ryane Clowe: For Ryane Clowe, this past season was horrible. In 40 games, he scored 3 goals, and 2 were in one game. New Jersey is taking a huge risk with Clowe, who signed a 5 year 24.25 million dollar contract but that being said, I feel that he will have a bounce back year and will be one of the scoring leaders for the Devils without Ilya Kovalchuk.

Milan Lucic: After a sub-par season (7-20-27), Lucic had a great playoffs (7-12-19). He helped the Bruins reach the Stanley Cup finals and he will be playing with Jarome Iginla and David Krejci on the Bruins top line. Being on the top line, Lucic should be able to return to form and have another 30 goal season like he did two years ago.

Ryan Miller: Ever since Ryan Miller took Team USA to the Gold Medal Game in the 2010 Olympics, his numbers in the NHL has dropped. His Goals Against Average (GAA) has gone up since the 2010 season and his Save Percentage (SV%) has dropped. Even though Buffalo is in a rebuild, Miller should still have a bounce back year and with improved numbers, the Sabres should be able to get a decent return should he get traded. 

The Phoenix Coyotes' Ownership Saga Ends

Finally.

That's what everyone in Arizona, and likely league-wide, is saying right now. The ownership group known as IceArizona, headed by George Gosbee and Anthony LeBlanc, has closed on its purchase of the Coyotes from the NHL today. The deal will keep the Coyotes in Glendale for at least five more years, and I for one hope that their stay becomes permanent.

After talks of the team potentially being moved to Seattle, Hamilton, and many other locales in the United States and Canada, the fanbase, the players, the coaches, and the front office should all be thankful that the madness of the last few years is now finally behind them.