While some teams were diving head first into the free agency pool on July 1, wildly spending millions upon millions of dollars on every free agent they could get their hands on, others were able to find potential bargains for rather reasonable prices given their on-ice production. We've already taken a look at the best long-term investments, so here are three players that could prove to be steals for their new teams: Mike Knuble, Jay McKee and Craig Anderson.
Mike Knuble, Washington Capitals
The Price: two years, $5.6 million: Coming off a season where they had the No. 1 power play unit in the NHL, converting at a somewhat ridiculous 25 percent rate in the regular season, it's not like the Capitals really needed to improve themselves with the man advantage. But they went ahead and did it anyway with the addition of former Boston Bruin and Philadelphia Flyer forward Mike Knuble.
He may be 37, but he's still a big mountain of a man who can park himself in front of the net, bang home rebounds and get the garbage goals with the best of them. The Capitals have lacked such a player in recent years, and Knuble fits the role -- perfectly.
He hasn't scored fewer than 10 power play goals in a season since 2003-04, and is currently riding a streak of six consecutive seasons with 20 or more goals, including a pair of 30-goal campaigns.
Jay McKee, Pittsburgh Penguins
The Price: one year, Under $1 million: When Hal Gill signed with the Montreal Canadiens, and Rob Scuderi inked a four-year deal with the Los Angeles Kings, the Penguins lost two of their best shot-blocking, stay-at-home-defensemen. In their place comes 31-year-old Jay McKee on a one-year, bargain basement contract.
He was recently bought out by the St. Louis Blues (mainly because he was making somewhere in the neighborhood of $4 million per season), and has missed his share of games over the years. When he's on the ice, however, he's perhaps the best shot-blocker in the NHL and should be a fine replacement for Scuderi on the Penguins' blue line.
During the 2008-09 season, McKee was credited with 185 blocked shots (good enough for seventh in the NHL) in just 69 games. By comparison, Scuderi, who led the Penguins, was credited with 164 in 81 games. McKee has finished in the top-10 in three of the past four seasons, leading the league back in 2005-06. And the sub-$1 million price tag? Steal. Karlis Skrastins, a somewhat similar player, though, four years older, signed a two-year deal worth just over $1.3 million per season with Dallas (which is a solid deal in its own right).
Craig Anderson, Colorado Avalanche
The Price: two years, $3.6 million: Goaltending has been a problem in Colorado since Patrick Roy retired following the 2002-03 season, as the team has used a revolving door of mediocrity between the pipes, including David Aebischer, Peter Budaj, Jose Theodore, and Andrew Raycroft.
I don't know if Craig Anderson is the long-term answer or simply another stop-gap in the cycle, but his limited numbers in Florida the past three seasons are promising, including his .928 save percentage. For a team that has finished in the bottom third of the league in save percentage the past three seasons (including 28th in 2008-09), Anderson seems like a solid gamble by the Avalanche.
