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.
Winner: Washington Capitals
The Washington Capitals quietly had themselves a solid day. They wanted to remake their forward core and they were able to do so. Richard Panik got a four-year deal worth $2.75 million annually. He has what it takes to be a huge bargain.
Next, Garet Hathaway got a four-year deal worth $1.5 million annually. Yes, the term is a little much. However, the cap hit is very reasonable. Hathaway should help the Capitals fix their penalty kill. He was very good there for the Calgary Flames last season.
The Capitals had a more aggressive penalty kill after acquiring Carl Hagelin in February. Hathaway fits that perfectly, as does Panik.
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The Capitals ended their day by taking a flyer on pesty forward Brendan Leipsic. He’s only played in 126 regular season games and the Caps are his fifth different organization. There’s a reason for that.
But Leipsic is intriguing enough to warrant his $700,000 deal. He’s a skilled forward who had 18 points in 43 games last season. There might be something there. The Caps went bargain shopping in free agency and came out with some nice pieces. May this be a lesson to other general managers.
Loser: Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins cleared up a bit of cap space when they traded Phil Kessel to the Arizona Coyotes. I said at the time I would need to see what the Pens did with that cap space before judging the trade.
Well, it’s not good, as the Penguins used their new found cap space to sign Brandon Tanev to a six-year deal worth $21 million. Tanev is a fine player and is a decent bottom-six forward who can score and kill penalties. But yikes, at six years? That’s insane.
Winner: Nashville Predators
The Nashville Predators have been coveting Matt Duchene for quite some time. But he’s alluded them for a while. On July 1, 2019, the Predators finally caught their white whale, signing him to a seven-year deal worth $8 million annually.
That’s honestly a bargain considering what Kevin Hayes got from the Philadelphia Flyers. A good portion of that is allocated to signing bonuses too. But the Predators did what they needed to do to get the second-line center they’ve wanted for years. It saves them some face for the P.K. Subban trade, though signing Duchene doesn’t change how bad the return for him was.
They concluded their day by signing Daniel Carr, who has had a lot of success in the AHL, for one year and $700,000. The Predators need more offense. Signing one of the AHL’s most prolific scorers could help there.
Loser: Vancouver Canucks
Vancouver Canucks general manager Jim Benning and the first day of free agency go together like Diet Coke and Mentos. He’s made bad decisions every year on July 1. This year, Benning continued that tradition.
Signing Jordie Benn is fine. I’m surprised he only got two years and $2 million per year. That’s actually a pretty darn good bargain. Heck, even Oscar Fantenberg (one year, $850,000) was a low-key nice signing.
The issue is Benning also signed Tyler Myers to a five-year deal worth $30 million. Signing an aging defenseman to that deal negates the good things the Canucks did to start free agency in 2019.
Yes, the deal is better than the reported $8 million a year he was looking for. But let’s be honest. Maybe the Canucks leaked that number so they could make themselves look better for overpaying Myers in the first place. Even if this wasn’t the case, Vancouver now has a contract that could be an albatross very soon.
Winner: Dallas Stars
The Dallas Stars had a very nice day. While they overpaid a tad bit for Joe Pavelski, his three-year deal worth $21 million ($7 million AAV) is very reasonable. He’s still a guy who can contribute and he should make the Stars power play even more lethal. Best of all, Pavelski doesn’t even have a no-movement clause or no-trade clause in his final year. And he just barely avoided turning 35 before July 1, so buying him out, if need be, is much easier.
After splurging, the Stars made some solid bargain signings. At $1.5 million (plus $1.75 million in incentives), Corey Perry‘s a nice signing. He’ll have something to prove and if he’s healthy, he’s another weapon for their power play.
Andrej Sekera, a left-handed defenseman who got bought out, also got a one-year deal with incentives. His AAV is $1.5 million and he can get as much as $500,000 extra in incentives. The Stars needed some defensive depth. If Sekera’s healthy, I think he can help.
I don’t fully agree with them signing three older players, but they did a good job keeping the costs relatively low and I like the guys they signed.
Loser: Minnesota Wild
Much like the Stars, the Minnesota Wild‘s top signing was an older player. Theirs was Mats Zuccarello, who, ironically, is a former Stars forward. The Wild invested five years and $30 million into him. That’s way too long.
Zuccarello turns 32 years old in September. His best years are behind him. The Wild aren’t that close to being Stanley Cup contenders. This is the same team who retooled their roster just a few months ago.
He should help them in the near future, but it’s not hard to see how that contract could end up blowing up in their face. Even if Zuccarello helps them make the playoffs, he won’t be the difference maker that helps them win the Stanley Cup.
Winner: The Fans
If you’re a fan of hockey, you were entertained on July 1, 2019. There was a lot of action, most of it unexpected. 12 hours before free agency opened, the Islanders were thought to be the favorites to land Panarin. The Rangers emerged with the crown jewel of free agency. Anytime you can get Rangers and Islanders fans yelling at each other, it’s a good day.
And then there was the offer sheet. Yes, an offer sheet. The Montreal Canadiens signed Carolina Hurricanes star forward Sebastian Aho to a five-year offer sheet with a ton of signing bonuses. In case that wasn’t dramatic enough, the Canes lived up to their “bunch of jerks” title by dunking on the Habs.
Loser: Florida Panthers
The Florida Panthers are in it to win it right now. They went a bit overboard, though. Sergei Bobrovsky’s deal (seven years, $10 million AAV) could look bad as soon as next year. It’s not going to be good for the future and the Panthers are banking on him to bounce back after a rough season.
They also lost out on Panarin, who at least is worth the huge contract he got. And he’s younger, to boot. The Panthers also signed Anton Stralman to a three-year deal worth $5.5 million annually. Like Bobrovsky, he’s coming off a career-worst season.
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For what it’s worth, Brett Connolly‘s deal (four years, $3.25 million AAV) is reasonable. So is Noel Acciari‘s (three years, $1.666 million AAV). But Bobrovsky’s deal and Stralman’s deal probably aren’t going to age well at all. The Panthers better hope they win now, because if they don’t, things could get very ugly.