NHL Free Agency 2019: Biggest winners and losers from Day 1
The first day of NHL free agency of 2019 was ruled by chaos and pandemonium. Which teams emerged from the carnage as the winners and losers?
Everyone expected the first day of NHL free agency in 2019 to be huge. Even with monumentally high expectations, the bar was cleared. There was an offer sheet signed and a ton of teams added players to their roster.
It’s still way too early to write off teams. There’s a lot of time left in the offseason for teams to add players. And usually, if you do a lot of things on July 1, it doesn’t bode well for your future. There’s a reason this time of the year is called “silly season”.
Which teams and players emerged from July 1 as the biggest winners and losers? Let’s take a look.
Winner: New York Rangers
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The New York Rangers stole the show on July 1. Not only were they able to sign Artemi Panarin to a seven-year deal, but they also overcame their archrival New York Islanders to do so. Panarin is a huge get for the Rangers. He immediately puts them in the conversation among Stanley Cup contenders.
Yes, the Rangers still have some work to do. Most notably, they’ve got to start working on an extension for defenseman Jacob Trouba. The Rangers also have to make what could be a very painful decision about Chris Kreider, who’s going to be a free agent in a year.
But when you get the opportunity to get a star, anything you have to do to accommodate them is worth it. The Rangers got the star they’ve been looking for. It’s great to have them back in the mix among contenders.
Loser: Columbus Blue Jackets
This was expected. No team that loses Artemi Panarin, Sergei Bobrovsky, and Matt Duchene on the same day can say they won the first day of free agency. That’s arguably their three best players, or at least three of, say, their top five.
I’ll give the Columbus Blue Jackets credit. It sure wasn’t due to a lack of effort that they lost Duchene and Panarin. They tried to re-sign both. But ultimately, the Blue Jackets fell short. They are unquestionably worse than they were, but again, this was expected.
On a high note, Gustav Nyquist got a four-year deal for $5.5 million. A bit of an overpay, but well, the Blue Jackets had to add somebody. And Nyquist is a very solid player. Ryan Murray got brought back as well. When he’s healthy, he’s a good guy to have around and a better defenseman than he’s given credit for.
Right now, the Blue Jackets resemble the universe after Thanos snapped his finger with the Infinity Gauntlet. They could easily redeem themselves, but right now, Columbus is weak.