Best Bang for the Buck - Defence, Part 3

It's the final installment before I pick a winner in the Best Bang for the Buck - Defence series. Part 1 and Part 2 are still available on the homepage.

Ottawa Senators - $17.5M
Wade Redden was previously the anchor to this lineup but Anton Volchenkov really came into his own last year and may challenge Redden for the throne. In fact, Redden is a good trade bait candidate as he's unrestricted next year. Although Preissing is a loss to this squad, Meszaros, Phillips, Corvo and Schubert will make the loss much easier to bear.

Philadelphia Flyers - $16.7M
Kimmo Timmonen is a great addition to the group and he definitely assumes the #1 role with the departure of Joni Pitkanen. Jason Smith, coming in as part of the Pitkanen trade, adds a good defensive d-man and a ton of leadership. He'll also take some ice-time away from the declining Derian Hatcher which has to be a good thing. Denis Gauthier should provide some fear and punishment and Braydon Coburn should land a full-time spot to help out on the punishment front.

Pittsburgh Penguins - $15.5M
They've got Sergei Gonchar and Darryl Sydor to provide some veteran leadership, and Gonchar is still a point producer at 33 years of age. With Ryan Whitney locked up long-term and Kris Letang likely to join the squad, they've got a nice mix of talent both young and old. Scuderi and Orpiks provide a decent tail-end for this group.

Phoenix Coyotes - $15.6M
The best line I've heard so far this off-season was "Phoenix Coyotes - When bad just isn't good enough". That was in reference to their log-jam in the crease but it could be applied to their defence as well. If Ed Jovanovski can't stay off the injured reserve, it's going to be a tough year for the Coyotes. And their defense has been the bright spot for this team. Ouch.

San Jose Sharks - $9.9M
The Sharks biggest loss is Scott Hannan which definitely stings. Thankfully they've got Kyle McLaren to step up on the leadership and physicality front. Craig Rivet should help anchor their powerplay while the ever-improving young duo of Matt Carle and Marc-Edouard Vlasic - otherwise known as Pickles - will round out a very respectable top-four. Christian Ehrhoff should continue improving. He's a solid puck-mover but needs to get a bit more physical.

St. Louis Blues - $14.75M
Eric Brewer, Jay McKee and Barret Jackman anchor this squad and that's quite an anchor. If Erik Johnson makes the team, they will have quite the top-four. A group of big, bruising D who can also put points on the board. One of the top squads in the league but adding in Johnson's cap hit ($3.7 counting bonuses), puts them out of the "deal" category.

Tampa Bay Lightning - $9.8M
Dan Boyle and Filip Kuba are the top 2 on this squad which is solid, but not spectacular. Paul Ranger and Shane O'Brien should continue to improve while Brad Lukowich will...well he'll be there. They still a couple more guys signed on to fill out their squad though.

Toronto Maple Leafs - $20.8M
Do I even have to explain why these guys are not a candidate for best bang for the buck? They're a better squad than most people give them credit for, but not good enough to account for a 20+M cap hit.

Vancouver Canucks - $13.6M
A largely unheralded squad, they've got Mattias Ohlund and Sami Salo leading the charge with hometown hero Luc Bourdon possibly on the way in. Unfortunately Bourdon has likely made journey-man - and candidate for the Andy Warhol award of 2007 - Rory Fitzpatrick expendable. A very solid squad for a reasonable price.

Washington Capitals - $8.9M
*Exhales* Well, Tom Poti will certainly help out but there's a reason Olaf Kolzig is an underrated goaltender - he doesn't have the defensive help to make him known. They narrowly avoided giving up the most shots against last season - Boston helped them avoid that crown - and will be hanging around that part of town this season as well.

And so ends the review of all 30 teams in the league. I will let this all sink in for everyone, including myself, and post up the winners late tonight or early tomorrow morning.*

*Early Saturday morning means about 11:00a.m. CST.