Who Were The Top Offseason Addition’s This Year? What Can They Do For Their Teams?
This offseason had its share of surprises, big movers and then some not so big movers. A lot of teams took the offseason by storm such as, The Philadelphia Flyers and The Florida Panthers who had their share of tricks up their sleeves and then their were the trading buddies who were the San Jose Sharks and Minnesota Wild. This offseason, who made the biggest splash in bringing a player to their team that can make a huge difference? That one player that can carry their team to the cup. That can lead the team out of the tunnel and throughout the game. Who were the 3 best offseason additions? The top 3 players that can bring the most to their team in their first season in their new city.
Number 3… Martin Havlat. Now, why would I put Martin Havlat at number 3? Well, I put him at number 3 because he can do something for the Sharks that can lift them past the Western Conference roller coaster ride. The Sharks traded Dany Heatley for 2 reasons: #1-he could not skate like he used to; #2-he did not bring anything come playoff time. Now, when you compare Heatley and Havlat’s stats, the last few seasons they are very much alike, but I think the Sharks got the upper hand in this trade being that they do not know how Havlat will preform in the playoffs. Havlat has not been there in a while, he could be what Heatley should have been with the Sharks and maybe more. What do I think Havlat can bring to the Sharks this season? I think that if Havlat can stay healthy he could have a 90+ point season being the Sharks are full of scorers that can dish out assists such as, Joe Pavelski, Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, Ryan Clowe, Logan Couture. Keep in mind Havlat got 70+ points with a not that strong offensive Wild team, imagine what he could do now plus what he could bring in the playoffs. That is why Havlat, going to the Sharks, could be one of the best offseason moves.
Number 2… Devin Setoguchi. The second I heard that the Sharks traded Seto on draft day my first thought was, “Wilson is crazy.” Why did that thought pop up into my head? Look what this guy did in the playoffs, he was clutch, it takes a lot to be able to score a hat trick and an OT goal in Detroit, especially for a young player like him and then on top of it he capped an amazing comeback vs. the Kings. Seto and Joe carried the Sharks to the west finals, without Seto, the Sharks may not have even made it out of round 1. I still think this was a crazy trade, I mean you did not just trade Seto, but a 1st round pick and a former 1st round pick just for Brett Burns, The Wild made a lopsided trade in their favor. What can Seto bring to the Wild, a lot, this kid is just coming upon his prime as he showed in the postseason. If he can stay healthy, expect him to be one of the best scorers in the NHL, yes, I believe he can do great things for the Wild, there is no doubt The Wild made one of the best offseason moves by bringing Seto to the Twin Cities!
Now, it is time for number 1… In my mind the Flyers getting Bryzgalov was the greatest offseason move, and why? Bryz has been a Vezina trophy goaltender ever since he started his career with the Coyotes and now he is going to unless he gets injured I think their will be no stopping him. He will be motivated playing for a Cup contender with a 9 year deal behind him. The Flyers may have made a Cup winning move here, just by getting Bryz, to get a franchise goaltender that can put up 30 wins each season and be a Vezina trophy candidate, that is hard to get in the goaltending market these days. What can Bryz do for the Flyers this season? It’s simple, if he can play like he always does he can lead this Flyers team to the Cup Finals, The Flyers have filled in the missing piece of the puzzle that has hurt them for the longest time. I think the Flyers are the team you do not want to mess with this season, such great leadership, goaltending, coaching and scoring. Watch out for Bryz and the Flyers this season!