Day 1 is always an interesting day to look at the trends and surprises.

Not surprisingly, several of the stars have had substantial offers as teams look to improve their top 6. Getzlaf, Carter, Pavelski and Wheeler all had high yearly and signing bonuses pushing their AAV well above 10mil. In this article, we will focus on those deals that seem a push for the player involved and the cost gm’s are prepared to pay.

Overpaid:

1.     Mikko Koivu – strong rates again but 18mil!! Unbelievable that someone is willing to spend that coin for a 2^nd line center .

2.     Brad Richarson – wow 7mil for a guy I lost on waivers a few years ago. The ratings gods gave him some solid overall rates but 7mil for a 3-4^th liner is egregious!

3.     Peter Budaj – While strongly rated, he is a career back up. 13.2 million is way too much even for the rates when strongly rated goaltenders like Corey Crawford are sitting at less than 10mil.

4.     Mike Fisher – 36 years old and now over 10.4mil. Strongly rated but a 2^nd line center at 10.4mil is a stretch.

5.     Jussi Jokinen – 6.6mil. C’mon oiler fans. Are we that hopeful he erupts. That is a lot of coin for a 3^rd liner.

Value:

1.     David Backes – 3mil per season for a solid 2^nd line center/winger. Price has to go up?

2.     Al Montoya – solid back up is a steal if stays at 540K.

3.     Mike Cammaleri – I know he was injured, but his rates are decent and at 1.45mil so far, a steal

4.     Mike Ribeiro – likely on way out of BRHL/NHL but 1.5mil for a decently rated center is worth it.

5.     Antoine Vermette – solid all around game. At 3mil, he can play from lines 1-3. Surely price will go up.

Who am I missing?