Celebration over; Renegades back to work

The champagne and parade are done and the CCHL champion River Cities Renegades are back to the grind, trying to build on a season for the ages.

Shortly after lifting the trophy before the hometown fans, the team traded the rights to impending UFAs Ryan Malone,Sergei Gonchar. The return for these stars were 2 3rd round draft picks, a 1st rounder and a 5th plus a long-shot NCAA prospect (Daniel Delisle) and a former top prospect in Brian Lee.

Delisle is a big-bodied Centre who could develop into a Wayne Primeau type of player, a strong defensive forward for the 3rd line if everything works out. Lee's star really dimmed this past season but at 23 years of age he may yet turn out as a legitimate top 6 defenseman and was worth a flyer as many of RIV's defensive prospects (aside from Tyler Myers) are still a couple of years away from contributing.

Tim Thomas was re-signed for 2 years and is expected to hold down the fort next season and act as mentor and backup to elite goaltending prospect Jonathan Bernier in the 2011-2012 season.

RIV dipped into the UFA waters and came away with Forwards Chris Kunitz and Marco Sturm and depth D-men Mike Weaver and Martin Skoula. Weaver and Skoula were signed for just 1 year and provide protection for possible injuries to Jan Hejda and Tony Lydman in the upcoming season.

Kunitz was the recipient of a 3 year, $18 million contract, making him the team's highest paid player. Although a controversial move given the salary, Kunitz is expected to fill a top 6 role and plays a game very similar to that of team captain Shane Doan. Sturm, signed for 3 years and $15 million, is ticketed for the 3rd line and has long been regarded as one of the better defensive LWs in the league. He can also fill a top 6 role when needed and pop in 20 goals.

The team is not expected to make any more signings in Free Agency, although that could change if a team chooses to walk away from a winning bid.