From three big-time names, to a bit more obscure offering. Florida’s Jason Garrison is going to get some serious money in the next week. I like Garrison due to his size at 6'2" and 218 pounds, and his tough game. Undrafted out of the University of Minnesota-Duluth, he signed with Florida after a 14-point campaign in his last year at school. He spent a year and a half in the AHL before Florida called him up full time in 2010-11. In 2012, along with the rest of Florida’s re-tooling, Garrison took off. He can set the table with a nice pass (which he did frequently to Brian Campbell on the power play) or clear it with a booming shot (which he did frequently from Brian Campbell). He pounded home 16 goals and 33 points this season (only Weber and Erik Karlsson had more goals) while being a plus-6.
The kicker is…he’s a defensive defenseman. He’s a rather physical, shot-blocking defensive defenseman that routinely played against the best competition Florida had to face nightly. Garrison paired with Mike Weaver on the Panthers top PK unit and then paired with Campbell on the top power play unit much of the season. He scored 16 goals last year, and 9 on said power play! The defense-first d-man might have a hard time approaching 20 goals again, but with his shot, anything is possible. It wouldn’t be unreasonable to expect Garrison to command at least $4 million per year on the open market given how narrow the marketplace is right now for quality defensemen. If you add his experience playing with elite players in his pairing (Campbell) and his shot blocking (124), hitting (127), TOI which was 23:41, Garrison looks like the guy I would go after. He would look very good as a replacement for Paul Martin, and can be had most likely for around what we pay for Martin or a little less. He is also still young at 27. I love the idea of a "thumper" on the back end, particularly one who can join the rush and score too. My personal choice for the Penguins.
Another name of interest to me for Pittsburgh is Carolina UFA Bryan Allen who is a 6'5" 226 pound defenseman who is a solid 31 year old veteran. His game is not flashy, but he made 2.9 M last year, and would add a tough steady veteran presence to the Pittsburgh blue line. He was one of the leaders for the Hurricanes last season. He only added one goal and 13 assists, but played a tough stay at home game with physicality. In the tough Atlantic Division, Allen would look in Vegas Gold and Black!
Hal Gill is another player who adds a veteran presence and size to a back end that may go younger with the Bortuzzo,Strait, Despres, and Morrow kids pushing for time on the big team. Gill, at 6'7" and 241 pounds adds size, grit and a steady influence to stay at home for Pittsburgh. He may look very good on a third pairing, and should come in at around the 2M mark again. His downside is skating, and age at 37, but he looked good as a shot blocking physical player for Nashville, and he was a big part of the 2009 Stanley Cup run.
Mark Eaton is also a UFA and has ties to Shero at Nashville and also played a solid role in the Stanley Cup run of 2009. Easton will add no real offense, but he is a steady player with good size at 6'2" and 212 pounds at the age of 35. He will likely be at 2M or so again this year as well. If Pittsburgh is looking for a reliable veteran presence without killing the cap, Eaton is not a bad way to go. I am a big fan of the Penguins adding Jason Garrison or Bryan Allen should they feel that Suter is not in play or not in play for the right money.
As far as wingers go, I highly prefer Bobby Ryan due to size, production, skill and cost. If he is not available by trade, and Parise will not take a discount to compete for the Cup with Crosby, the Penguins have some other decent options for a lot less money. Remember, offense was not an issue, grit and defense were. The first intriguing option is Shane Doan, the 6'1" 223 pounder from Phoenix who might be interested in taking a shot at the Cup. Phoenix went deep this year, but there are a lot of questions surrounding the team's future. Doan made 4.55 M last year, and might be willing to take a shot at a Cup run for a 4M or so deal. He adds leadership, grit, and 20-25 goals to a strong lineup.
Ray Whitney is another winger who has been tied to Pittsburgh for a long time. Another Coyote, who is now 40 years old had 24 goals and 77 points last season, and may have another year like that in him. He played for 3M last season, and a Cup run at his age might look attractive. I think he signs with Phoenix again though.
PA Parenteau of the Islanders is an intriguing option too. Parenteau has had 18 goals/67 points and 20 goals/53 points in his past two seasons. He played for a bad Islanders team and only cost 1.25M per year. He would be an upgrade to the top line, and at 6'0" and 195 pounds he has decent size. He will be due a raise, but would still fill a solid top six role at a reasonable price. Allan Walsh his agent has a good relationship with Pittsburgh and he is a solid playmaker, used to playing with quality players like Moulson and Tavares.
Jiri Hudler of the Wings is an intriguing player for Pittsburgh too. Last year, the 5'10" and 190 lb center had 25 goals and 25 assists for the Wings and played to a plus 10. He is a competitive, combative forward who has obviously played in many big time situations as a member of the Wings. At 28 years old, and coming off a 3M per year deal with Detroit, Hudler could be worth a look dependent upon how things unfold.
I have no idea what Pittsburgh will do, and they also have interest in players who are bigger and tougher on the bottom 6 such as Travis Moen who is 6'2" and 215 pounds. I favor the Penguins adding depth, size and toughness to the team, and like the idea of clearing more cap space by moving Martin, and adding Garrison or Allen as the key defensive acquisition, and either Ryan, or one of above wingers as the key addition to the top six. I think the Penguins can then add a gritty bottom six forward with size, attitude and a defensive mind set to help Pittsburgh make the deep run to the Cup again. Remember, with the 1980 Olympic team Herb Brooks proved that winners are not always the biggest collection of the best stars, but often the group that meshes as a team, where roles are defined and followed. It it is time to let some of the young blue liners come up, but adding some size with Garrison would look great. Adding Doan or Whitney and Parenteau up front, and a big grinder for the third or fourth line at the expenses of Martin would add to the top goaltending tandem and star power to make a better team than overpaying for more stars will.
Some other interesting free agents include the following for Pittsburgh. Filip Kuba of Ottawa is an interesting Plan B or C kind of guy. He is 6'4" and 226 pounds and at 35 years old would be a decent option as a transition player for a year or two for Pittsburgh. Daniel Winnik at 6'2" an d 210 pounds is an interesting option for a size upgrade on the fourth line of Pittsburgh
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