EHM The Blue Line

I just lost my highest paid and best player Simon Gagne for 4 months. I could sign Ilya Kovalchuk to a two year deal, the first year paying him 6.75 million (the same thing Gagne would get paid). However, Gagne will be coming back around January, which would put my almost 5 million over the cap, although I would have a valuable bargaining chip in trade talks with either player, Kovalchuk or Gagne.

I traded for Alexander Ovechkin's rights. He s demanding 5.25 million a year. Again, I would be over the cap once Gagne got back from injury. Do I sit tight, and sign Ovechkin next year after free agency frees up some cap space.

I also signed Alexander Svitov to a two year 1.6 million dollar contract after the injury, and Adrian Foster ($500k/yr)

I have 33.5 Million of the cap spent and I need to resign Spezza, Carter, Niittymaki, Pitkanen, Tallinder, and others, basically 2/3s of my team. I'd trade Ruutu away if I sign either.

Right now, my team looks like

Svitov - Spezza - Carter
Jessiman - Richards - Ruutu
Messier - Foster - Grier
Pandolfo - Earl - Filewich

Koucek-Pitkanen
Bobby Reiners - Tallinder
MA Bergeron - Erik Moe

Niittymaki
Leclaire

Should I take a risk and sign Ovechkin or Kovalchuk, knowing that I will later have to trade away some one?

You can never go wrong with Ovechkin.

In my Sabres game, after 3 seasons he has 348 points in 221 regular season games and 87 points in 59 playoff games.

Hes won the Calder, Conn Smythe, Hart Memorial x2, Lester B Pearson x2 and the Art Ross.

This was all playing on a very offsenive Sabres team with Briere to feed him pretty passes though.

Yeah, I signed him...it was him for 4 million, or Kovalchuk for 4.5 million...

With this, I could trade away Mike Richards (who is a nice second line center) once Gagne returns, and be under the cap...

Once Gagne returns I think my line up will be

Gagne-Spezza-Ovechkin
Svitov-Carter-Jessiman
Messier-Foster-Grier
Pandolfo-Earl-Filewich

My defense is pretty weak...but offense should bail them out.