Thoughts on free agency

Matt Niskanen, seen here after the Penguins' 2013 playoff loss to the Bruins, is likely to be one of the NHL's hottest free agents — beginning today at noon. (Matt Freed/Post-Gazette)

NHL teams are allowed to begin signing free agents at noon, and with the establishment of an interview period that allows teams to gauge players’ interest in them – and vice versa – before July 1, it won’t be a surprise if some deals are struck quickly this afternoon.

(And that’s even if all teams and agents actually have followed the rules refrained from discussing specific contract terms, which requires quite a leap of faith to believe.)

Two Penguins – defenseman Matt Niskanen and forward Jussi Jokinen – figure to be among the hottest commodities on the market, with particularly strong interest in Niskanen.

A few observations before the bidding and buying begin:

*** The Penguins had a strong interest in Winnipeg winger Chris Thorburn, who re-signed with the Jets late Monday evening, because he would have been a good fit on their fourth line. Earlier Monday, however, Thorburn’s camp had expressed skepticism about whether the Penguins would be willing to match the contract terms Thorburn could get elsewhere. At it turned out, his three-year deal has an average annual salary-cap hit of $1.2 million, so Thorburn’s people probably were correct in that assessment, particularly on the length of the contract.

*** Although the Penguins have publicly insisted that bolstering their bottom two lines is their primary objective in free agency, it seems possible that they also will try to add a veteran body to their defense. The field of possibilities has grown considerably lately, with the likes of Christian Ehrhoff (Buffalo), Anton Volchenkov (New Jersey) and Willie Mitchell (Los Angeles) going on the market in the past few days. The Penguins are expected to lose Niskanen, Brooks Orpik and Deryk Engelland off their blue line today, while Olli Maatta and Derrick Pouliot are recovering from shoulder surgery and might not be ready for the start of the regular season. Cap space permitting, picking up a capable defenseman wouldn’t be a bad move.

*** Keep an eye on two Columbus forwards, Derek MacKenzie and Blake Comeau, today. The Penguins have both of them on their radar, and MacKenzie could be a particularly valuable addition if they’re able to land him. He’s an excellent forechecker who kills penalties well and is solid on faceoffs.

*** Niskanen appears to be in line for a contract that will cover as many as seven seasons and be worth well over $5 million annually, and some observers – and, most likely, teams – are far from convinced that he merits that kind of deal because he hasn’t played at a high level for all that long. Similarly, the Penguins – and other clubs – have to be cautious about investing too much hope and money in the likes of New York Rangers winger Benoit Pouliot, whose stock rose dramatically on the strength of a strong playoff performance. Of course, it’s entirely possible that what he did during the postseason was simply the start of Pouliot consistently taking his career to heights it hadn’t reached previously. It’s also possible, however, those few weeks were an aberration, and that his history of underachieving portends what his next employer can expect.