It's been all about free agency this week -- and really, the big stories have been about defensemen. For Anton Volchenkov, here's the take from the New Jersey side and the Ottawa side. Volchenkov wound up taking less than most of us expecetd, but here's something to consider: if Volchenkov played in Phoenix and Zbynek Michalek played in Ottawa, would their prices have been equally reversed?

The Pittsburgh Penguins created quite a stir on the first day of free agency, as they lost Sergei Gonchar, then signed Paul Martin and Zbynek Michalek. Pensburgh looks back at a post from May on In Lou We Trust to get a feel for Martin. Regarding Michalek, Phoenix Coyotes fans found it a bit painful to see their ice-time leader leave for a fairly reasonable price. The Penguins will ice a noticably different blueline style next season with Gonchar's fairly one-dimensional game gone; Martin's good at both ends of the ice while Michalek is a defensive stud. Assuming Kris Letang continues to grow as a defenseman, you've got a top-four of Letang, Martin, Michalek, and Brooks Orpik -- plenty to mix-n-match in terms of offense and defense. For me personally, I'd much rather have that than an aging Sergei Gonchar.

The Mike Modano soap opera goes on. Apparently, only the Detroit Red Wings have contacted him so far. Modano still has enough wheels to be an effective two-way forward, and signing with the Wings could be a coup at the right price. Talented players at the end of their careers usually have a knack for right-place-right-time moments, and one has to think that Modano could still have some of this in him. It'd be unfortunate that all of the goodwill that ended Modano's Stars time would be somewhat wasted, but sports is a business. Even if Modano played one more year for their rivals, Dallas fans would most likely consider it nothing more than a footnote in Modano's career.

Does everyone except Darryl Sutter hate Olli Jokinen? Here's what some in the hockey blogosphere had to say about Olli:

-Pro Hockey Talk: Signs you know you've made a questionable signing: When you're instantly defensive when being asked questions as to why you made it in the first place.


-Puck Daddy: To hear Calgary Flames general manager Darryl Sutter rationalize his decision to seek out and re-sign center Olli Jokinen, after he spent 56 games in Calgary as a disappointing scapegoat stuffed in a punching bag, is like hearing one of your crazy uncle's conspiracy theories.


-Matchsticks and Gasoline: At the moment, I consider this yet another case of the Sutter equilibrium--one good move negated by an utterly nonsensical one--and although I have my (well-established) doubts, both parties are more than welcome to prove me wrong.

I don't think signing Jokinen at $3 million is necessarily a mistake -- it's just that he's already proven to lack the necessary chemistry to succeed with the Flames. Now, team chemistry is an ongoing thing and changes from year to year, but it's not like Jokinen and Jarome Iginla are suddenly going to change playing styles. For $3 million, you're getting anywhere from 50-70 points. Is it the best investment? Perhaps for some other team, but fit has to be taken into account. One thing's for sure, the Florida Panthers have to be glad they never signed him long-term for $6+ million a season.

The second-biggest story of UFA day was the signing of second-tier goalies while bigger names stayed static. Behind The Net called it a market correction. Fear The Fin notes that new San Jose Sharks goalie Antero Niittymaki has dealt with inconsistency for much of his career. Dan Ellis, Niittymaki's replacement in Tampa Bay, offers much of the same -- great skills but some measure of inconsistency. However, when you look at what Evgeni Nabokov and Marty Turco made last year, you could easily argue that they faced the same problem. In particular, Nabokov was the ultimate enigma, being over-the-top fantastic in one moment and brain-dead bad the next. His good moments came in greater numbers than his bad ones, but his bad ones showed up just at the wrong time to deflate his team. If you're going to have that type of maddening inconsistency, you might as well save $3 million in cap space.

They're talking about Ilya Kovalchuk from coast to coast -- or at least coastal cities. The hot-in-pursuit New York Islanders apparently are using a monster deal to lure him, though Lighthouse Hockey sees pros and cons in that. Kings fans are buzzing about Kovy too, though they're looking at the alternative of trading for Simon Gagne. What I find amazing about all of this is the fact that Kovalchuk is considering the supposed 10-year/$100 million deal from the Islanders when he turned down a very similar offer from the Atlanta Thrashers. Since all reports point to few teams actually being involved in the Kovalchuk sweepstakes, is he just going to where the money is? The Kings have shown themselves to be a very strong organization trending up at the right time. With all due respect to the work that Garth Snow has done to rescue the Islanders from Milbury-induced hell, they're nowhere near where the Kings are, at least not yet. There's more certainty in LA with the current state of Dean Lombardi's rebuild plan. Does Kovalchuk care more about that or top dollar?