Finally back...

After a two month hang over that culminated in losing two wins shy of the ultimate prize, we're back. This is Nick here with your Free Agency outlook:

If I'm Ray Shero (which last I checked I'm not), this is the approach I take:

I let Malone walk. A great replacement is a free agent and much cheaper in Niklas Hagman. In the last two seasons he's combined for 70 points, likes going into the corners and will take a pounding in front of the next (27 goals last year attest to this). And he only made $660K last year.

You let Orpik go. There are two d-men that will be/could be free. Rozival and Brad Stuart. Both can play physical and can move the puck, which is really what damned us in the Finals.

You sign Hossa for no more than $6.5 a year. If he really wants to stay at a contender, this is his best shot. The Pens should walk through the East again and he'd be huge in that process.

Ruutu is back. You need him. He's a leader, a rallying point of a player.

Roberts comes back at a pay cut. Half of what he made.

You bring Dupuis back to play with Sid/Hossa or as insurance. I'd really like to see someone else on that line, but chances are that's more than they could afford. Especially since our best (and cheapest) options are the oft injured Ladislav Nagy who made $3.75 million last year but only played in 38 games, or Ruslan Fedotenko whose 33 points last year made the $2.9 million contract worth every penny. Perhaps the best option for Sid would be Cory Stillman, who made $1.75 million but put up 65 points between Carolina and Ottawa.

Eaton can go. Too many injuries.

Laraque goes the way of the dinosaur.

Conklin walks if he asks a dollar more than $1 million. He helped Fleury's play a ton so it'd be sad to see him go, but in the Cap era...

Hall returns as well. Though I wouldn't mind him moving up to the third line for a face off specialist that can center the 4th line like Scott Nichol or Curtis Brown, moving Talbot up to Staal's wing and having Hall play the opposite wing.

Your lines are then:

Stillman?-Crosby-Hossa
Hagman-Malkin-Sykora
Talbot-Staal-Hall
Roberts-Nichol/Brown-Ruutu

Gonchar-Stuart/Rozival
Whitney-Sydor
Letang-Gill

Fleury
Sabourin

Or on the top lines:

Dupuis-Crosby-Hossa
Hagman-Malkin-Sykora
Talbot-Staal-Kennedy
Roberts-Hall-Ruutu

The money you'd save on Hagman (who can more than capably take over Malone's PK duties) and Stillman will allow you to spend more on someone like Stuart.

That's just my opinion on what I would do during the off season. We'll keep you up to date as things develop.