NHL Free Agency Frenzy

July 1st is an important day for the NHL. It marks the start of free agency where any team can sign any player. Those that are 27 or older or with 7 years of NHL experience are considered unrestricted and can be signed by any team with no compensation to the team that the player played for previously. All other players with expiring contracts are considered restricted and teams can sign them to an offer sheet, but the team that the player played for the previous season can match the offer. Also, if the player chooses the new destination, that team must compensate with draft picks on a sliding scale based on the value of the contract up to a maximum of four 1st round picks if the player signs for $7M.

Normally there are some crazy contracts handed out by teams desperate to sign the top players available. This season, however, that was not the case. Due to a weak Canadian dollar, the salary cap did not increase that much and teams were forced to be wiser with their spending. In fact, teams such as the defending champs Chicago Blackhawks were forced to deal some players they did not want to in order to re-sign their restricted free agents.

I will now briefly examine the moves made by each team thus far:

Anaheim Ducks

The Ducks picked up Canucks defenseman Kevin Bieksa for a second round pick. Bieksa is in his mid-30’s and coming off a season where he appeared to take two steps back in his skills. He suffered a broken hand mid-season that caused him to miss significant time last season. When at his best, Bieksa is a solid defenseman who can kill penalties and shut down the opponents’ top players.

The Ducks also signed veteran center Chris Stewart. Undoubtedly, Stewart will be a replacement for the departed Matt Beleskey.

As well, the Ducks added veteran Shawn Horcoff. Horcoff brings valuable experience to the Ducks and will be asked to be a role model for the younger players. This is a depth signing and Horcoff will be seen on the bottom six forward lines and on the PK.

Arizona Coyotes

The Coyotes will be a whole lot tougher to play against with the signing of towering defenseman and resident tough guy John Scott. Scott is not afraid to stand up for his teammates when they are being pushed around. On the downside, Scott is not a strong defensive player and also not very fast. He can be beaten in a foot race.

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The other major signing was winger Antoine Vermette. Vermette is a versatile winger who brings loads of experience to the Coyotes. He is fresh off winning the Stanley Cup with Chicago. Vermette is familiar with the Coyotes organization, having been with the team since 2012, save for the trade deadline deal last season. He should fit in nicely on the second line.

Arizona is in a rather bad conundrum as an organization. There is much uncertainty surrounding the future of the Coyotes in Glendale thus many players are thinking long and hard about committing to the Coyotes on a long-term basis. Also, the Coyotes undoubtedly have restrictions on how much money they can spend on players given that this team loses millions of dollars every year due to lack of interest from the fans.

Boston Bruins

The Bruins have been an active team this off-season. They traded away a veteran (Milan Lucic) and a decent defenseman (Dougie Hamilton). The Bruins are in a rebuilding year. They will ice a largely veteran team this season.

Matt Beleskey was the big signing for the Bruins thus far. He is coming off a career high season in points. Beleskey should fit in nicely with the big bad Bruins’ style of play coming from a team who also liked to be physical.

Buffalo Sabres

The single biggest signing for the Sabres was the second overall pick Jack Eichel. Eichel had a phenomenal career in the US Development league and was a recipient of the Hobey Baker Award during his freshman year. Eichel is expected to make the Sabres as an 18 year old.

The other major signing was Ryan O’Reilly, who was acquired at the draft. O’Reilly was set to become a UFA  year. Instead, he signed the maximum seven year deal, opting for job security. O’Reilly is a rising star who should help accelerate the Sabres progression to contending for the playoffs.

In two to three years, the Sabres could be a team no one wants to face, either in the regular season or the playoffs.

Calgary Flames

Calgary is on the verge of being a force in the Western Conference. They destroyed a veteran Vancouver Canucks team in the playoffs. Calgary is a lunchbox team who wins games through a good work ethic.

The big signing was up and coming defenseman Dougie Hamilton. Hamilton is just 23 years old, which is young for a defenseman. No doubt he will develop into a star for years to come.

The Flames also re-signed back-up goalie Kari Ramo, who looked good when called upon in the playoffs.

Carolina Hurricanes

The Hurricanes did not make any free agent signings other than re-signing their own free agents. Like the Coyotes, they are financially strapped. Expect the Hurricanes to vie for yet another high draft pick.

Their big off-season move was the draft day trade acquisition of Eddie Lack. Lack will platoon with starter Cam Ward this season. Both goalies will likely receive about equal playing time.

Chicago Blackhawks

Due to significant salary cap issues, the Blackhawks were forced to make two significant trades, one expected, one not. Brandon Saad was dealt in a surprise move to Columbus, along with two prospects after it was deemed a tough negotiation for his contract. In return, the Blackhawks received a trio of prospects, Artem Anisimov and a 4th round pick in 2016. Anisimov will be seen on the Blackhawks’ bottom 6 forward lines.

Patrick Sharp was dealt to Dallas along with prospect  Stephen Johns in exchange for rising star Trevor Daley and prospect Ryan Garbutt. Sharp was a key member of the three Stanley Cups the Blackhawks won. He will represent a significant loss and exemplifies the challenges of playing in a salary cap. Trevor Daley is a solid top four defenseman who can play in the top pairing should Duncan Keith or Brent Seabrook get injured this season.

It will be interesting to see how Chicago fares this season. They aren’t as deep and Sharp and Saad will be big holes to fill in their line-up.

Colorado Avalanche

The Avalanche have made some significant moves thus far this off-season. They got rid of Ryan O’Reilly, who was threatening to become an off-ice problem. Absolutely the Avs are going to miss his dynamic ability and scoring touch. However, it is far better to have a player who is happy playing for the organization and the role he has been given than keep a player for the sake of keeping a player.

In terms of free agent signings, the Avalanche landed three of the top players available this year: Blake Comeau, Francois Beauchemin and Carl Soderberg. Comeau is coming off a career year in point totals despite missing significant time with a wrist injury. Expect him to play somewhere in the Avs’ top 6. Beauchemin is your classic shutdown defenseman. He plays a very solid defensive game and should help the Avalanche keep pucks out of their net. Soderberg is also coming off a solid season for the Bruins. Soderberg should fit in nicely with the Avs’ third line.

Columbus Blue Jackets

For the Blue Jackets the big move was the trade and signing of Brandon Saad. Saad will be a significant role model for the younger players in how to prepare and play in the NHL. Saad was a key part of the Blackhawks’ Stanley Cup win and lengthy playoff run in 2013-14. Look for him to play on the Bluejackets’ third line. The other significant signing was Gregory Campbell, a key member of the 2011 Bruins Stanley Cup team. Campbell is infamous for having his father in a rather obvious conflict of interest in the Bruins’ Stanley Cup run. At the time, Campbell’s dad Colin was head of discipline in the NHL and was forced to step aside. His replacement was good friends with him. There was a rather controversial suspension allocated to the Canucks when Nathan Horton was knocked out of the series by Aaron Rome. Rome would be suspended for the duration of the series and the Canucks would go on to lose on home ice in game 7.  Campbell will bring a good work ethic to the Blue Jackets and should be among their bottom six forwards.

Dallas Stars 

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The Stars made two significant trades so far. They acquired Patrick Sharp and goalie Antti Niemi. Sharp, as mentioned above, was a key member of the three Chicago Stanley Cup championships. He is a strong two-way player who will make Dallas significantly more dangerous. No question Tyler Seguin, Sharp and Jamie Benn will be a very dangerous line to stop this season.

A Achilles’ heel of the Stars has been their goaltending. In trading for and signing Niemi, the Stars have provided starter Kari Lehtonen with some competition capable of starting. At the very least, the Stars have two capable goalies. At worst, both goalies struggle and the Stars are forced to outscore their goaltending problems.

Detroit Red Wings

The Red Wings added a pair of free agents. Brad Richards and Mike Green. Richards brings a veteran presence. He’s won multiple Stanley Cups and is among the greatest players all-time in terms of scoring. Brad Richards is in the twilight of his career and his best days are behind him. However, he is still effective as a player.

Mike Green is one of the better defenders in hockey at the moment. He put up decent numbers last season and was an impressive +15, meaning he was on the ice fifteen times more when his team scored versus being on the ice when the opposition scored. Green will be a significant addition to the Red Wings defense.

Edmonton Oilers

Like Buffalo, the Oilers’ most significant signing was Connor McDavid, the 1st overall pick, to his entry level contract. McDavid was on pace to shatter the all-time scoring record in the CHL until he broke his right hand in a needless fight. There is a ton of pressure on McDavid in Edmonton to lead the Oilers back to the playoffs.

Given the importance of the upcoming season, the Oilers were active on the free agent market and in trades. They acquired ex-Rangers goalie Cam Talbot. Talbot had a very successful six week stint as the Rangers starter while Henrik Lundqvist recovered from surgery. Talbot will be the Oilers’ starter.

The Oilers also added veteran defender Andrej Sekera. The one concern is Sekera has played on bottom feeder teams (Sabres and Hurricanes) so losing might be ingrained in his mind. Sekera is not a big point getter either. Look for Sekera to play in the number 5 or 6 role in the Oilers lineup.

The final significant signing was Mark Letestu. Letestu will play on the Oilers’ 4th line and PK.

Florida Panthers

The Panthers, like the Arizona Coyotes, face an uncertain future. They have difficulty drawing fans. As such they had a limited budget this year and only added spare parts Cameron Gaunce and Brent Regner. The Panthers will ice a team mixed with veterans past their prime and young prospects.

LA Kings

The big off-season move was trading for Milan Lucic. He brings a hard-hitting game to the Kings and makes them a team no one wants to face. The trade also means Lucic will face the Canucks five times next season. Lucic has had run ins with Canucks fans during the 2011 Stanley Cup finals and in 2014.

The Kings also signed backup goalie Jhonas Enroth. Enroth has put up respectable numbers throughout his career.

Minnesota Wild

The Wild snapped up a pair of prospects in Zac Dalpe and Tyson Strachan. Neither players had stellar seasons in 2014-15. Dalpe was in the minors for the majority of the year. Strachan split time between Hershey and Washington.

Montreal Canadiens

Will the third time be the charm for Zack Kassian. Kassian is the equivalent of the star student who never reaches their full potential. When Kassian is on his game, he can be a game changer. Kassian has great hands and can score goals in bunches. On the downside, he is a defensive liability and is prone to taking stupid penalties and making stupid plays. This will be Kassian’s third team in 3 years and 5th coach. Thus far, he has had a very short leash. The biggest problem for the Habs last season was scoring goals. Kassian has every potential to be the solution. At the same time, he must earn his playing time under Michel Therrien.

Nashville Predators

The Predators have been quiet on the free agent market. Their lone signing was defensive prospect Conor Allen.

New Jersey Devils

The Devils signed defenseman John Moore to a multi-year deal. Moore will compete for a spot on the team but will likely start the season in Albany.

New York Islanders

The Islanders only foray into the free agent market was to sign backup goalie Thomas Greiss. He has put up decent numbers and should give the Islanders adequate goaltending. The Islanders have the potential to be a dangerous team next season.

New York Rangers

The Rangers made a risky signing, inking Viktor Stalberg to a 1 year deal. Stalberg was bought out by the Predators after failing to live up to his rich contract. He’ll have much to prove this season.

Other signings were prospects  Matt Lindblad, Jayson Megna and Brian Gibbons.

Ottawa Senators 

Tough guy Zack Stortini was the Senators lone free agent signing likely to play for the club next season. Stortini’s job will be to stick up for his teammates and maybe play a bit on the PK.

The Senators also added prospect Eric O’Dell.

Philadelpia Flyers

As always, goaltending looks like it will be the Flyers’ Achilles’ heel next season. They signed goalies Michal Neuvirth and Jason Labarbera. Both are career backups and neither will be mistaken for Patrick Roy. Neuvirth is the scarier of the two signings. He was the last of the Sabres five, yes that’s right, FIVE goalies that played in at least one game last season. In fact, he was acquired because the Sabres goalie at the time was winning too much. Jason Labarbera has better numbers and will likely be named the starter.

The Flyers also signed several prospects (Tim Brent, David Drewiske, Chris Conner and Colin McDonald).

Pittsburgh Penguins

The big move for Pittsburgh was trading for sniper Phil Kessel at the draft. Pittsburgh now boasts arguably the most potent offense in the NHL featuring Kessel, Evgeni Malkin, Sidney Crosby and Chris Kunitz. With so much money tied to just a few players, the Penguins have little to spend to fill out their line-up. This means if opponents can shut down the Penguins’ top two lines, they will stand a good chance of winning.

San Jose Sharks

The San Jose Sharks added several free agents this year. First, they signed ex-Kings back-up Martin Jones. Jones played behind Jonathan Quick, arguably the best in the business at the moment. Among his career highlights was a shutout versus the Canadiens, the 1st Kings’ goalie to do so. Thankfully, Montreal will not have to face him much.

Another key signing was veteran defenseman Paul Martin. Martin is a solid shut down defender. He’ll definitely be among the Sharks top four D pairings.

Also signed was veteran winger Joel Ward. Ward is infamous for having racial slurs spewed against him during the 2012 Eastern Conference semi-finals online by Boston Bruins fans. He plays a solid two-way game.

St. Louis Blues

St. Louis opted to concentrate on re-signing/extending their own players. Thus they only added veteran Kyle Brodziak. Brodziak will play on the PK and among the bottom 6 forwards.

Tampa Bay Lightning

The Lightning mostly stood pat this year. They came within 2 games of winning the Stanley Cup this year. The only signing was veteran Erik Condra who plays a solid 2-way game.

Toronto Maple Leafs 

The Maple Leafs made a pair of interesting moves. First, they re-signed Nazem Kadri, who will be a much sought after unrestricted free agent next year, to a one year deal. Kadri was suspended twice last season. The team suspended him for 4 games for missing a team practice and the league suspended him four games for an illegal check to the head of Oilers defenseman Colin Fraser. Kadri has a lot of skills and there will certainly be teams willing to take a chance with him should he be available next July 1st.

The other major signing by the Leafs was center Shawn Matthias to a 1 year deal. He will be a solid contributor to the 4th line. He also can contribute offensively as he scored some nice goals last season. Matthias struggles with consistency.

Perhaps the biggest and best move the Leafs made was getting rid of the bloated contract of Phil Kessel. Ever since the Maple Leafs traded for Kessel back in 2009, he has had immense pressure to score. The two biggest knocks against him are his fitness level and his inability to back-check, two things new Leafs head coach Mike Babcock is a stickler for. Clearly Kessel was not going to work out in Toronto, so the Leafs dealt him to Pittsburgh, along with prospects Tyler Biggs, Tim Erixson and a conditional 2nd round pick  in exchange for Kasperi Kapanen, Scott Harrington, Nick Spaling and conditional 1st and 3rd round picks. Kessel will certainly be a big loss offensively as he can score but in the long run having him gone gives the Leafs more money to play with for free agents and better defensively.

Finally Daniel Winnik was signed to a two year deal. Winnik will be a key member of the Leafs’ penalty kill team.

Vancouver Canucks

The Canucks have had a busy off-season thus far. They made three significant trades. At the draft, they traded popular goalie Eddie Lack to the Carolina Hurricanes for a third and seventh round pick. While this move proved unpopular among fans, Canucks management ultimately felt Jacob Markstrom had a greater upside. The second trade involved sending veteran defenseman Kevin Bieksa to division rivals Anaheim Ducks for a second rounder. Two important things were accomplished in this trade. First, the Canucks freed up valuable cap space to sign other players. Second, there is now a roster spot open for one of the Canucks prospects, e.g. Frankie Corrado, to make the team.

The other major development for the Canucks was the firing of the remainder of the previous management regime, including assistant GM’s Lorne Henning, cap guru Laurence Gillman and director of player personnel Eric Crawford. Gillman will be sorely missed as he was responsible negotiating the contracts. Among his best moves was re-signing the Sedin twins in 2013 when Toronto was waiting to snatch them up when free agency opened that year. Had he not gone to Sweden with GM Mike Gillis, the Sedins would almost certainly be playing elsewhere. Also let go was long-time athletic trainer Mike Burnstein. Burnstein had been with the Canucks for two of their three Stanley Cup runs (1994, 2011). He developed great relationships with many players over the years.

Finally, the Canucks signed a trio of prospects, goalie Richard Bachman, defenseman Taylor Fedun and forward Blair Jones. Bachman nearly single-handedly defeated the Canucks farm team, Utica Comets, in the second round of the Calder Cup last season

Washington Capitals

The Capitals were also very active in the free agent market this year. They added veteran center Justin Williams. Williams brings a wealth of experience to a mostly young Capitals team, including 2 Stanley Cups. He will likely play on the 3^rd line and see time on the PK and second PP unit. The Capitals also added career backup Dan Ellis. Ellis has been on the decline in his career and has bounced around the NHL and AHL in recent years. He will back-up starter Braydon Holtby. Finally, the Capitals added the following prospects: Carter Camper, Aaron Ness, Taylor Chorney, Sean Collins, and Mike Moore

Winnipeg Jets

The Jets are coming off their first playoff appearance since 1995 if you count the last team to play in Winnipeg or 2007 if you count the current franchise (they were in Atlanta then). As a vote of confidence, the Jets are largely opting to keep last year’s team intact. In fact, their only free agent signing outside the current organization was former Oiler Matt Fraser. Fraser will play on the bottom six and see PK time.