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.
A look at the projected lineups and pre-game interviews.
Keeping you up-to-date with all the latest pro hockey news in Manitoba.
Keeping you up-to-date with all the latest pro hockey news in Manitoba.
Director of Scouting Craig Button shares his thoughts.
Recap of the game.