{coyotes} NHL regulars still hunting for jobs

Thursday, 31 July 2014

{coyotes} NHL regulars still hunting for jobs

Stanley Cup Classics / NHL Greatest Rivalries, Vol. 5

PHOENIX - More than $580 million has been spent on NHL free agents nearly a month into the signing period, but not everyone has been able to fill his pockets.

There's a crew of players who remain unsigned despite being considered NHL regulars, and three such examples were with the Coyotes last season: forwards Jeff Halpern and Paul Bissonnette and defenseman Derek Morris.

This reality — being without a contract on the brink of August — is often dwarfed by the perception that free agency is all about freedom, fortune and fame.

But for those who fulfill a specialized role or are in the twilight years of their career, this milepost isn't so glamorous.

"Everyone's experience is different," Bissonnette said.

This much is clear: High-end skill will always find a home. Most of the headliners of this summer's free-agent class were gobbled up on July 1, the first day of free agency, with many other elite names landing deals before the week was over.

"It'd be fun if you scored 30 goals and worked the power play and were a top-two line guy," Bissonnette said. "Then you're laughing, and you can't wait for free agency."

But teams aren't made up entirely of 30-goal scorers. Players who execute a particular niche — as Halpern did last season as a right-handed faceoff specialist and reliable penalty killer — are valuable, too.

"If you're good enough to play in the NHL, you should get a chance to play," Halpern said.

What has certainly hurt some teams' ability to maneuver this summer is the salary-cap ceiling, which came in at $69 million, lower than many expected. Perhaps not until training camps open and general managers are confronted in-person with holes on their roster will activity pick up.

"There's a stalemate right now where some are either at the cap, maybe a little bit below it or over it where they want to make moves, but teams are waiting," Bissonnette said. "I find that one or two trades are going to spark more movement."

While Halpern might have anticipated having to be patient for a new contract — especially considering he didn't sign with the Coyotes until a week into the season last year — Bissonnette was hopeful a deal could be worked out with the Coyotes before July 1. He felt he proved his worth when given the ice time, putting up eight points in 39 games.

But the addition of rugged winger B.J. Crombeen pretty much signaled the end of that relationship.

"I would have liked to stay but sometimes you gotta move on and if you're not in their future plans, whatever," Bissonnette said. "It's a business."

Halpern was issued the same clue when the Coyotes signed depth center Joe Vitale earlier this month, but the 38-year-old isn't closing the door on his NHL career. When he was younger, Halpern's criteria in free agency included playing for a contender, setting his family up financially and playing where he lived.

"My views on free agency now, personally, are completely different," he said. "I basically wait for a phone call and then if somebody says we have a contract, I say, 'Whatever your offer is, I'll take less.' "

Both players have been in talks with teams and are optimistic they'll be back in the NHL. Bissonnette, 29, said "things are looking positive" with one team but would consider playing overseas if nothing is resolved by the end of August.

"I definitely think I have a lot more hockey in me," Bissonnette said.

Halpern is just as confident. Time will tell if the NHL agrees.

"It's where I want to be," he said, "so I'm trying to do anything possible to get to that point."

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