NHL Free Agency Takeaways, Things We Learned
By Ryan Ritchie
NHL Free Agency: 10 Takeaways/Things We Learned Over the Weekend Frenzy
NHL free agency frenzy began on Friday, July 1st with a bang. Names such as Milan Lucic, Andrew Ladd, James Reimer, and Brian Campbell came off the board very quickly. It was an afternoon filled with non-stop signings with numerous players joining new clubs.
In the days since, we have only seen six new contracts handed out, but several quality free agents still remain. Some notable players still on the board include James Wisniewski, Matt Carle, Sam Gagner, David Jones, Jiri Hudler (the list goes on), which means the NHL free agency period is far from over.
For those players coming off dreadful seasons (i.e. Radim Vrbata or Rene Bourque) in 2015-16, the more popular nowadays PTO (professional tryout offer) route seems most likely.
Now in the fourth day of NHL free agency, let’s take a look at 10 takeaways/things we learned up to this point early in the offseason.
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10 Takeaways/Things We Learned
Ottawa Senators Remain Eerily Quiet
Entering the offseason, you could have bet safe money that both Anaheim and Ottawa would be very active this Summer given the way their seasons ended. Other than each team hiring a new bench boss, things have remained relatively quiet.
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It’s still early, so we should expect some player movement at some point. Rumors continue to swirl around RFA Mike Hoffman, although trading Bobby Ryan or Kyle Turris is the best way for a minor shake-up.
Brouwer Not the Answer to Flames Top Line
Rumors at the NHL Draft suggest Columbus was very close to dealing their 3rd overall pick. Logic might suggest that Calgary was the other party chasing Jesse Puljujarvi given their desperate need for a RW alongside Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan.
Instead they turn to plan B signing Troy Brouwer. He might be an upgrade on players such as Jiri Hudler or David Jones (among others) who were temporarily plugged into that top line, but he’s not the long-term answer.
Brouwer is much better suited to a second line role. Perhaps if Gaudreau plays the off-wing, Matthew Tkachuk could be the answer for their woes.
Milan Lucic: Bigger Winner of Free Agency
Seven year deal, $42 million dollars, and an opportunity to play with phenom Connor McDavid – it doesn’t get much better than this. He has massive shoes to fill replacing Taylor Hall, but his physical presence should fit perfectly in the Oilers top six.
Florida Panthers: Biggest Spenders
We released a story yesterday outlining the details of Florida’s spending.
Between free agents, re-signings, and extensions, the Panthers have handed out more than $200 million dollars in contracts.
Minnesota Steals Eric Staal on 3-Year Value Contract
After posting that 100-point season long ago, Staal has hovered in the 50-70 point range on a mediocre Hurricanes team.
Coming off a career-low 39 points in 2015-16, Eric Staal looks to reestablish himself under Bruce Boudreau. If sees extensive time in the top six, the 31-year-old should easily outplay that $3.5 million dollar cap hit.
Habs Take Lucrative 1-Year Risk on Alex Radulov
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It’s funny how some in the hockey world view any one year contract as minimal/no risk. To call this signing low-risk is being generous.
Others in Radulov’s defense will say his character concerns are hopefully a thing of the past and that he surely has matured. It’s all optimistic thinking, but still a dangerous roll of the dice.
Worst of all, what happens if Montreal is two points out of a Wild-Card spot heading into next year’s deadline, and that nearly $6 million dollar cap hit prevents the Canadiens from making that key late addition? A $5.75 million dollar contract comes with high expectations.
New Jersey Still With $20 Million Dollars in Cap Space
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They obviously won’t spend to the ceiling, but NJ and Carolina are the two lone teams remaining that still need to get above the cap floor.
Fans in Jersey were hopeful the team could land a prized free agent such as Kyle Okposo to fill their RW need. Other than the acquisition of Taylor Hall, GM Ray Shero has remained fairly quiet.
As the offseason goes on and rookie camps are held, New Jersey will have a better idea of where they stand heading forward. For example, if Pavel Zacha and John Quenneville come into training camp and impress, the Devils have a veritable Oilers situation at center.
PTOs also worked out well for NJ last year after Lee Stempniak earned them extra assets at the deadline – expect more of those.
Islanders Replace Martin, Okposo, and Nielsen with Ladd, Chimera, and Parenteau
One could argue the Islanders actually got worse over the NHL free agency period. Having lost Matt Martin, Kyle Okposo, and Frans Nielsen, GM Garth Snow replaced the trio with Andrew Ladd, Jason Chimera, and P.A. Parenteau. Even if you include the possibility that a top prospect such as Michael Dal Colle could step in this Fall, this team is arguably worse on paper.
Rangers Add Speed
Give GM Jeff Gorton credit, he identified what the team needed and made sure not to overspend.
Unlike Rangers teams of past who would spend big money on other teams unwanted players, Gorton seemed to understand the team still needs to draft and develop. If he needs to address a major need, the NYR can do that via the trade market.
On July 1st, New York signed a pair of undersized speedy wingers in Michael Grabner and Nathan Gerbe. Both players are capable of getting on the forecheck quickly, and each have penalty killing versatility, although Grabner is more of a specialist in that regard.
Vancouver Continues to Confuse the Hockey World
It probably shouldn’t surprise us by this point, but Jim Benning continues his awkward rebuild/retool while still going for it philosophy. That trend continued when the Canucks inked veteran Loui Eriksson to a six-year deal on July 1. Given past chemistry between the Sedin twins and Eriksson, the fit works for the short-term. 4-5 years down the road though, it could easily be an Alex Burrows/Radim Vrbata situation.
Next: Top 5 Contracts Signed in Free Agency
Overall this situation is far too confusing. If you’re not building towards being a powerhouse team, or at least in the process, what hope do you have at competing in April/May when it matters most? How are Canucks fans supposed to be supportive of a team that is built well enough to make it to the playoffs, but not good enough to advance deep.