Kukla's Korner Hockey

Kukla's Korner Hockey

Ken Daneyko weighs in on the NHL's UFA-to-be defensemen

06/25/2014 at 7:14pm EDT

Ken Daneyko appeared on the NHL Live on Wednesday afternoon, and he made some surprising remarks.

As far as Daneyko is concerned, Matt Niskanen may turn out to be some team's modern-day version of the Rangers signing Bobby Holik to a $9 million-a-season contract as a 3rd-liner--Daneyko believes that Niskanen is not necessarily a top-two defenseman, and he feels that someone is going to overpay significantly for Niskanen having a career year. He suggests that, "Just because other teams sign outrageous contracts, it doesn't mean you should," so he feels $5-6 million is too much for Niskanen...

Daneyko also suggests that Brooks Orpik is a "complementary" stay-at-home, physical defenseman, not a puck-mover, and he wonders how much Orpik "has left in the tank" (as such, Daneyko feels that Orpik's health = term is a concern);

Daneyko argues that Anton Stralman is a Matt Niskanen-style "buyer beware" player, too, someone who capitalized on a superb "fit," but that he's not more than a good two-way defenseman. He suggests that he'd only overpay for a difference-making defenseman that he has to have, and he doesn't feel that Stralman is that kind of player;

Daneyko is asked about Dan Boyle, and he says that Boyle still skates well and moves the puck well, and his track record means that he's going to have to take a slight pay cut from his $6 million deal, but Danyeko feels that a 2-year deal with Boyle at or around $5 million is worth the risk for teams that are on the verge. He feels that Boyle is a proven commodity that isn't slowing down that much;

And regarding Willie Mitchell, he admits that he's a fan of Mitchell given that Mitchell started out alongside Daneyko in New Jersey, and he feels that a $3.5 million-ish salary gives a strong-shooting veteran defenseman who still "gets around."

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Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.

From breaking news to in-depth stories around the league, KK Hockey is updated with fresh stories all day long and will bring you the latest news as quickly as possible.

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