From Jim Gintonio of the Arizona Republic:

It wasn’t a spectacular foray into free agency, but General Manager Don Maloney gets a B-plus for nabbing two solid defenseman, Kurt Sauer and David Hale, and an enforcer, Brian McGrattan.

The dark horse pickup is forward Todd Fedoruk, a tough customer who could provide more of a contribution than many think right now.

True, the Coyttes lost potentially high-scoring Radim Vrbata, but the trade for Olli Jokinen, plus the upside of several young players could more than make up for that.

Read more from Ice Chips here.

I have to disagree with Gintonio here. If the grade was for off-season transactions, then a B+ is a fitting grade. But Gintonio gives Maloney & Co. a B+ for signing David Hale, Todd Fedoruk and Kurt Sauer and trading for Brian McGrattan.

While the Fedoruk and McGrattan moves add toughness to the line-up, I think having the two on board is redundant. The Sauer signing was Maloney’s best free agent work; while there is nothing particularly special about bringing David Hale on board. In fact, I’d prefer some of the younger defensemen in the organization taking that ice-time instead.

All in all, Maloney probably deserves a solid B for his work.

Richard Pollock

Share
Published by
Richard Pollock

Recent Posts

Game 13: Winnipeg Jets vs Utah Hockey Club pre-game report

A look at the projected lineup with all the latest game info.

1 hour ago

Winnipeg Jets Morning Papers

Keeping you up-to-date with all the latest pro hockey news in Manitoba.

4 hours ago

Winnipeg Jets Practice Report

The Jets put their latest win behind them and turn focus to the Utah Hockey…

23 hours ago

WST | Winnipeg Jets Week in Review

Looking back at the week that was in Jetsland.

24 hours ago

Next day takeaways: 5 thoughts as the Winnipeg Jets persevere to defeat the Lightning

The Winnipeg Jets pushed their winning streak to three on Sunday.

1 day ago