Jackpot Awaits Talented Crop of Free Agents

NHL general managers, open your checkbooks. Free agency opened late Tuesday night amid much speculation and anticipation.

The list of unrestricted players--those 31 and older--is loaded with talent and experience, far more so than in recent seasons.

Open those checkbooks wide enough and you could find yourself with St. Louis’ Brett Hull on left wing, Pittsburgh’s Ron Francis at center or San Jose’s John MacLean on right wing.

The price might be a bit steep for any of those three, but who would say, “Thanks, but no thanks”?

Certainly not the Kings, who are in the market for offensive help.

And who wouldn’t covet a veteran defenseman such as St. Louis’ Steve Duchesne or Chicago’s Gary Suter?

Certainly not the Mighty Ducks, who desperately need experienced defensemen.

Hull, Francis, MacLean, Duchesne and Suter are only five of more than 50 players free to sign with the highest bidders, which also could mean they will re-sign with their current teams.

Competition for the top free agents is expected to be fierce, which probably will raise salaries to new heights.

Whatever happens, wherever players end up signing, don’t expect much action in the first few days. It could take a while for a pecking order to be established.

“I have a feeling this is going to drag a little bit,” Duck General Manager Jack Ferreira said. “I think [players’] agents have a certain strata they’re going to keep to as to who is going to go where and for how much.”

St. Louis defenseman Al MacInnis, expected to be among the most sought-after free agents, re-signed with the Blues last month. His three-year, $15-million contract makes him the NHL’s highest-paid defenseman.

That’s important because it established a fairly high ceiling for this crop of free agents, many of whom are hoping for one last megabucks deal before retirement.

The advantage goes to the players and their agents, according to Ferreira.

“When you’re a free agent, you have the upper hand,” Ferreira said. “If you don’t like the terms, you don’t have to sign.”

The Ducks figure to be at a further disadvantage because the top free agents will want to sign with a Stanley Cup contender. The Ducks were nothing of the sort last season, finishing 12th in the 13-team Western Conference.

But that won’t stop Ferreira from trying to land quality defensemen such as Duchesne, Suter, Uwe Krupp of Nashville, Jyrki Lumme of Vancouver and Dmitri Mironov of Detroit. Mironov spent parts of two seasons with the Ducks before he was traded to the Red Wings for Jamie Pushor in March.

When asked if he believed he might return to the Ducks, Mironov said when he was dealt, “Sure, why not?”

Indeed. By season’s end, the Ducks’ defensemen were widely considered to be the weakest and least experienced in the NHL. Plus, the Ducks gave up 261 goals last season, the third-most in the league.

Asked if this was the Ducks’ most important off-season yet, Ferreira said, “Every summer is the same.”

Although they also could use a center of the caliber of Francis, it’s defensive help that Ferreira is expected to seek first.

“We’ve got a preliminary list of players we’ll talk to,” he said, but then refused to get specific about the Ducks’ most pressing needs.

King General Manager Dave Taylor had no such qualms.

“Our biggest need is to add another offensive player,” Taylor said. “We need a little more offense, particularly in our top two lines. We have a solid nucleus on defense and our goaltending is strong.”

Duchesne, a King from 1986 to 1991, is a prime candidate to return to Los Angeles. He is good friends with Luc Robitaille and was Larry Robinson’s defense partner for a time before Robinson retired and later became King coach.

But Taylor could not comment for the record about specific players until today. That would be considered grounds for tampering.

“You guys can speculate all you want to,” Taylor said.

In other words, get ready for an interesting off-season.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Cream of the Unrestricted Free Agent Crop

Starting today, NHL players over age 31 are free to sign with any team. Here’s a list of some of the best unrestricted free agents with comments about their possible destinations (if any). Salaries are for the 1997-98 season.

LEFT WINGS

Player: Brett Hull

‘97-98 Salary: $4.7 million

Team: St. Louis

Age: 34

Comment: Headed for Chicago?

*

Player: Geoff Courtnall

‘97-98 Salary: $2.5 million

Team: St. Louis

Age: 36

Comment: Back with the Blues

*

Player: Wendel Clark

‘97-98 Salary: $2.3 million

Team: Toronto

Age: 32

Comment: Few takers

CENTERS

Player: Doug Gilmour

‘97-98 Salary: $3.55 million

Team: New Jersey

Age: 35

Comment: See Clark above

*

Player: Ron Francis

‘97-98 Salary: $1.9 million

Team: Pittsburgh

Age: 35

Comment: Unlikely to be re-signed

*

Player: Dale Hunter

‘97-98 Salary: $1 million

Team: Washington

Age: 38

Comment: Probably will stay a Capital

*

Player: Guy Carbonneau

‘97-98 Salary: $750,000

Team: Dallas

Age: 38

Comment: Age working against him

RIGHT WINGS

Player: John MacLean

‘97-98 Salary: $1.6 million

Team: San Jose

Age: 34

Comment: Mid-range signing

*

Player: Mike Gartner

‘97-98 Salary: $1.1 million

Team: Phoenix

Age: 39

Comment: Thanks but no thanks

DEFENSEMEN

Player: Larry Murphy

‘97-98 Salary: $2.565 million

Team: Detroit

Age: 35

Comment: Rebuilt career in Motown

*

Player: Steve Duchesne

‘97-98 Salary: $2 million

Team: St. Louis

Age: 33

Comment: A King again?

*

Player: Jyrki Lumme

‘97-98 Salary: $1.735 million

Team: Vancouver

Age: 32

Comment: Best of bad Canuck defense

*

Player: Gary Suter

‘97-98 Salary: $1.6 million

Team: Chicago

Age: 34

Comment: Paul Kariya’s new teammate?

*

Player: Dmitri Mironov

‘97-98 Salary: $1.5 million

Team: Detroit

Age: 33

Comment: Returning to the Ducks?

*

Player: Uwe Krupp

‘97-98 Salary: $1.5 million

Team: Nashville

Age: 33

Comment: Won’t be a Predator long

*

Player: Slava Fetisov

‘97-98 Salary: $1 million

Team: Detroit

Age: 40

Comment: Any takers?

*

Player: Craig Ludwig

‘97-98 Salary: ‘97-98 Salary: $750,000

Team: Dallas

Age: 37

Comment: Too slow, too old

GOALIES

Player: Mike Richter

‘97-98 Salary: ‘97-98 Salary: $3.9 million

Team: Nashville

Age: 32

Comment: Flyers very interested

*

Player: Sean Burke

‘97-98 Salary: ‘97-98 Salary: $2.5 million

Team: Philadelphia

Age: 31

Comment: Bye-bye, Burke

*

Player: Curtis Joseph

‘97-98 Salary: ‘97-98 Salary: $2.3 million

Team: Edmonton

Age: 31

Comment: Doubtful to be re-signed

*

Player: John Vanbiesbrouck

‘97-98 Salary: ‘97-98 Salary: $2.2 million

Team: Florida

Age: 35

Comment: Stock took beating in 1997-98

*

Player: Arturs Irbe

‘97-98 Salary: ‘97-98 Salary: $775,000

Team: Vancouver

Age: 31

Comment: Bust or bargain?

Source for salaries: NHL Players Assn.