The Puck Stops Here

In late June, I gave an All Star Team of players who were slated to be unrestricted free agents. Of the 23 players on the team, 20 have signed with teams in the NHL. Jaromir Jagr signed in the KHL and Joe Sakic and Mats Sundin seem likely to take sabbaticals for the first part of the season. Here is the team and who they signed with, along with their salary cap hits.

Forwards:
Sean Avery Dallas Stars $3.875 million
Pavol Demitra Vancouver Canucks $4 million
Sergei Fedorov Washington Capitals $4 million
Marian Hossa Detroit Red Wings $7.45 million
Kristian Huselius Columbus Blue Jackets $4.75 million
Jaromir Jagr left the NHL
Ryan Malone Tampa Bay Lightning $5.25 million
Markus Naslund New York Rangers $4 million
Brian Rolston New Jersey Devils $5.062 million
Joe Sakic unsigned
Cory Stillman Florida Panthers $3.533333 million
Mats Sundin unsigned
Radim Vrbata Tampa Bay Lightning $3 million
Jason Williams Atlanta Thrashers $2.2 million

Defence:
Brian Campbell Chicago Blackhawks $7.1 million
Adam Foote Colorado Avalanche $3 million
Brooks Orpik Pittsburgh Penguins $3.75 million
Wade Redden New York Rangers $6.5 million
Michal Rozsival New York Rangers $5 million
Mark Streit New York Islanders $4.1 million
Brad Stuart Detroit Red Wings $3.75 million

Goaltenders:
Cristobal Huet Chicago Blackhawks $5.625 million
Jose Theodore Washington Capitals $4.5 million

All told twenty players on this team signed for a salary cap hit of $90,445,333. Given that the salary cap this season is $56.7 million, no team could have this roster. They could have at most about half of it with the rest of their roster filled with cheap, near minimum wage players. Given that this team is not a serious Stanley Cup contender even with its $90 + payroll that would be a recipe for disaster.

You cannot build a team through free agency, in part, because it's too expensive. You need players on your roster who out produce their contracts and there are very few candidates to do that this season on this roster. You also cannot build a team through free agency because, for the most part, these are older players who are locked up in multi-year contracts that will keep them throughout the decline phase of their careers. Not only is it a poor strategy for that reason. It is an impossible strategy due to economics.