JSG1So maybe Semyon Varlamov wasn't the near-term fix for the Colorado Avalanche's goaltending situation.

Not long after Greg Sherman sent Washington Capitals GM George McPhee a first-round pick and a second rounder for Varlamov, he brings in Jean-Sebastien Giguere on a two-year deal worth $2.5 million (according to the Denver Post's Adrian Dater) to round out the Avs' crease.

According to Sherman, the No. 1 job is still up for grabs despite Giguere's veteran presence and the bounty he gave up to acquire Varlamov.

"Giguere is a veteran netminder who will complete our goaltending tandem," said Avalanche General Manager/Executive Vice President Greg Sherman.  "He is a proven winner and his addition will be beneficial to our entire team."

Many had Tomas Vokoun pegged for Colorado, but his price tag was much higher than Giguere's. And with the Avs not expected to be contending for any Stanley Cups in the near future, that likely was a factor why Vokoun won't be in Colorado next season. Vokoun

Screen shot 2011-07-01 at 2.38.20 PMThis was Max Talbot after his fight with Daniel Carcillo during Game 6 of the 2009 Eastern Conference quarterfinal. His shushing of the Philadelphia crowd and Penguins comeback soon after that moment made him an even bigger "superstar" in Pittsburgh than he already was.

Those memories have quickly been erased at the news that Talbot inked a five-year, $9 million deal with the Philadelphia Flyers just hours after former Penguins legend Jaromir Jagr joined their hated cross-state rivals.

Talbot had rejected a three-year offer from Penguins GM Ray Shero earlier this week, which effectively ended his tenure in Pittsburgh. After rumors of his negotiating rights being on the market, the Flyers swooped in for a guy who brings versatility as someone who can play the wing or at center and can be a vital member of the penalty kill.

"It wasn't so much about money but finding the right fit for me," said Talbot during an interview on TSN where, like Jagr, he also said his heart was in Pittsburgh.

SMITHSome quick hits as we enter Hour 3 of Free Agent Frenzy:

• Mike Smith's days in Tampa Bay are over as the Lightning have brought in Mathieu Garon on a two-year, $2.6 million deal. Garon will backup Dwayne Roloson coming off a season where the 33-year old netminder played in 36 games with Columbus. Tampa had hoped to bring back Smith, but with his $2.4 million salary last season, that would be unlikely unless he was willing to take less.

• ...which he wasn't as proven by Smith making a move of his own signing with the Phoenix Coyotes for two years, $4 million total. Now that Ilya Bryzgalov has moved on to the Philadelphia Flyers, Smith once again gets the opportunity to be a starter in the NHL.

• As Vernon Fiddler (Dallas, three years, $5.4 million) leaves Phoenix, GM Don Maloney brings in Raffi Torres (two years, $3.5 million) and Boyd Gordon (two years, $2.65 million) to the desert to add to the Coyotes' depth. Radim Vrbata also stays in the desert re-signing for three years at $3

CHIAGILLIS copyFree Agent Frenzy is underway and the full list of available players has been released by the NHL.

Don't forget to join in on the fun of the Puck Daddy Free Agent Frenzy drinking game to make the next five hours of your life go by quick.

Here are some quick hits as teams are now free to sign players:

• The Pittsburgh Penguins have re-signed Tyler Kennedy to a two-year worth $4 million. Kennedy wasn't qualified earlier this week, but Penguins GM Ray Shero has been working with his agent to hammer out a deal before the Frenzy kicked off. Kennedy is coming off a career-season with 21 goals, thanks to increased ice time due to injuries to Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.

• Chris Higgins was dealt to the Vancouver Canucks at the trade deadline and was a valuable piece of their run to the Stanley Cup Final. As a reward, Higgins inked a two-year deal worth $1.9 million in salary per season.

• And they keep dropping out of the Jaromir Jagr Derby! Kevin Allen of USA Today reports that the

96759066(UPDATE: Jagr surprises everyone by signing a one-year, $3.3 million deal with the Philadelphia Flyers).

During this week's increased flirtation between Jaromir Jagr and the Pittsburgh Penguins, it was evident that GM Ray Shero wasn't going to sit around and wait for the 39-year old forward to finally make his decision.

With Shero dealing with trying to re-sign Tyler Kennedy, as well as adding other free agents to the Penguins' lineup, if Jagr wasn't going to make a decision by Friday, he was moving on. Shero even tried to move things a bit on Thursday by pulling the Mario Card saying he hoped Jagr would want "to do right by Mario [Lemieux]".

Well, Shero's deadline passed and Friday morning the Penguins pulled their 1-year, $2 million offer from the table.

From the Penguins:

"We made what we thought was a very fair contract offer to Jaromir on Tuesday, based on his stated interest of returning to the Penguins," said Ray Shero, the team's executive vice president and general manager.

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Usually, NHL Trade Deadline Day and the July 1 opening of the free agency period are known as "Hockey Christmas". Today, it really feels like "Hockey Christmas When The Toys Aren't As Good".

The opening bell of NHL free agency will begin at 12 p.m. ET, and considering all of the signings and re-signings that have taken place already, we're pretty much left wondering where Brad Richards and Brent Kahn will end up.

With that expectation in mind, we needed to find a way to spice up the five hours of TSN's coverage of the "Free Agent Frenzy" if we're going to be sitting around waiting to hear what third and fourth liners are signing overpriced deals.

Behold the Puck Daddy 2011 Free Agent Frenzy Drinking Game*!

This is a surefire way to make today's events -- or lack of events -- 74-percent better.

Of course, a drinking game is even better with your input, so please feel free to add your own rules to the game in the comments.

Coming up, what you should look for today to help increase your

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Christian Ehrhoff's agent Rick Curran told a Buffalo radio station Wednesday night that his client was looking to sign with a team that would be a perennial contender. That explained why talks with the New York Islanders broke down so quickly before his rights were shipped to the Buffalo Sabres.

What Curran didn't specify is what kind of deal structure his client was looking for.

Apparently, it was a long one as Ehrhoff inked a 10-year, $40 million deal on Thursday with the Sabres.

TSN's Bob McKenzie reports that Ehrhoff's deal is incredibly front-loaded with a $2 million salary and $8 million signing bonus in Year 1; $3 million salary, $5 million signing bonus in Year 2; $4 million in Years 3, 4, 5 and 6; $3 million in Year 7; and $1 million in Years 8, 9 and 10. The deal also features a modified no-trade clause.

And yes, Ehrhoff will make $10 million next season and $1 million in the final three years of the deal. Cap circumvention? No. We're sure the NHL loves this deal.

According