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More often than not, the bulk of the frenzy of the free agent of the NHL occurs on the first day of the free agency. Once the market is officially open, teams tend to hang the best players available quickly enough.
More free agency of the NHL
But at dawn of the first day of Sunday, there was a lot of uncertainty about this year's free agent , the former center of the New York Islanders John Tavares . It seemed that the wheels could turn slowly this year. In the end, this was not really the case, as Tavares and a number of other leading targets agreed terms on new offers on the first day of the agency period. free.
You will find an exhaustive list of the best free agents of this year and their destinations here . It is still very early in the off season, and some of the moves made on Day 1 of the free agency may be initial deals for a number of teams who will continue to look for ways to improve thanks to signatures and trades, but let's take a look at who made a strong impression – and raised a few eyebrows – on July 1st.
Winners
Toronto Maple Leafs and John Tavares
Duh, is not it? The Leafs scored the 2018 free agent category award at John Tavares, and he took a hometown discount on top of that. (It's not that a $ 11 million hat trick is a hen's change.) As a result, the league's second-best offensive team last year added a playmaker. superstar and a player who scored 37 goals and 84 points last season. Now they have Tavares-Auston Matthews-Nazem Kadri as their top three guys in the middle, with a very solid talent around them. It's a little scary.
For Tavares, he gets to join a real competitor for the first time in his career, and he gets to do it in his hometown of Toronto. They have a very young very strong core and the Leafs will have a good shot at making a real Stanley Cup race right away, and if JT is helping them get their first title since 1967, then he's instantly becoming a legend in the city. . It's a very good opportunity for him, and it's not hard to see why it was hard to let him through.
Philadelphia Flyers and James van Riemsdyk
Philadelphia is a rising team that has also managed to pick up an offensive offensive play on Day 1 of the free agency. This coin came to James van Riemsdyk who signed a $ 35 million, five-year contract to return to the Flyers on Sunday.
Of course, the price tag may seem a little heavy, but Philly is a bubble team that seeks to keep pace in the Eastern Conference and JVR is a dynamic player who should be doing a big difference on the front of their offense. Van Riemsdyk, who was drafted second by the Flyers in 2007, scored 36 career goals for the Maple Leafs last season, despite averaging less than 15 minutes per game.
The Flyers are banking on this type of production beyond its contractual year, and van Riemsdyk has gained the additional opportunity that he should see in Philadelphia
Paul Stastny
Not only the The 32-year-old center managed to sign a $ 19.5 million deal over three years, and moved from Winnipeg to Las Vegas!
This price tag is probably a bit steep for an aging Stastny, but Vegas has money to play with a versatile and experienced playmaker and Stastny gets to cash another big deal while staying with a winner. In fact, he pbades from the Winnipeg Jets to the team that eliminated him at the Western Conference finals this spring
Stastny squared in Winnipeg with a focus on serious talent between Patrik Laine and Nikolaj Ehlers, and it's possible he's heading for a less-than-ideal hockey situation in Vegas. But the Jets could not match the dollars offered by Vegas, and it should still have ample opportunity to succeed with the Golden Knights. The lifestyle upgrade (and wifi) is an added bonus.
Losers
Vancouver Canucks
The first day of the Vancouver Free Agency was honestly staggering. The Canucks are in dire need of great playmakers at the front of their training and defense. So what did they do? They have given four year contracts worth about $ 3 million a year to Jay Beagle and Antoine Roussel, who are at the bottom of the six roles.
I like Beagle, who was a depth player and who was penalizing during their championship season last year. But he is 32 and he is fourth in a full team.
Rousell, who will turn 29 next season, is a winger out of a year where he has scored just five goals in 73 games. He has never touched 15 goals or 30 points in just one of his six seasons in the NHL.
This is not the kind of player you give to this kind of transactions. Excessive commitment to aging deep players can often be a killer for teams, especially when it comes time to lock in the front line.
The Canucks are trying to build depth, character and courage through freedom of action, but their approach is alarming. Teams often have to give a little more time or money to attract free agents, but Vancouver spends far too much at both ends, and for players who are not major differentiators. Go ahead, make sure you lock the avant-garde talents before cashing them in the back
New York Islanders
Boy, oh boy, was it a tough day for Lou Lamoriello and the New York Islanders. Not only did Lou have to see the Isles captain and franchise star at Tavares walk, but he had to watch him go to the Toronto Maple Leafs – the team that Lamoriello had just left.
Losing Tavares is a fist that goes It took time to recover, but it was not the only deal that concerned Long Island. The Isles has signed a $ 12 million contract with Leo Komarov for four years, and this deal is bad news.
Komarov is 31 years old and he scored 7 goals and 19 points in 74 Even though they played more than 15 minutes per game for the Maple Leafs – the second-best offensive team in the league. He is a decent penalty killer who can be under the skin of the opponents, and he has scored 30 points in his previous two seasons in Toronto, but he already seems to be on the decline, giving him a four-year contract is a gamble important. 19659028] Chicago Blackhawks
Chicago has just come out of a frustrating season and the Blackhawks are looking to make big changes to their lineup in order to return to their victories. Unfortunately, they do not have much flexibility in terms of capping, and so they have not been able to take a major plunge into the free agency.
That being said, the additions they made on Sunday were still somewhat debatable. They signed goaltender Cam Ward on a one year, $ 3 million deal to help Corey Crawford. Ward seems to be a goalkeeper's shell that he once was in Carolina, and $ 3 million is probably more than what you want to give to a dubious goalkeeper when the money is already tight, but the commitment of one year is what makes this.
The Blackhawks also gave a one – year, one – million dollar contract to Chris Kunitz. This is a relatively low risk considering the term and the money, and Kunitz often receives praise for his leadership qualities (he won four Stanley Cups), but he is 38 and does not seem to have a lot in the tank.
Finally, they added Brandon Manning to a two-year contract worth $ 2.25 a year. Manning is a veteran veteran, but that's about it.
Given the current state of the Hawks, it is really hard to feel good in their first day of free agency. Spending $ 6.25 million for Ward, Kunitz and Manning next year is not going to excite anyone, and the Blackhawks are not much better off than yesterday. it's done. They have to plan something big via the shop (s).
Pittsburgh Penguins
The worst signing of the first day goes to the Penguins, who signed a $ 16.25 million contract with Jack Johnson. The Pens needed help on the defensive side and they seem to be looking for this help at Johnson, 31, who does not really have an impressive presence on the blue line and who is probably already lagging behind his career. 19659002] Giving a five-year commitment to a player like Johnson is pointless and unusual for the Penguins, and it's an agreement that carries a decent potential to hurt them a lot more than it helps them.
Even worse, the Penguins had to hand Connor Sheary and Matt Hunwick to the Buffalo Sabers to make room for Johnson. Sheary is a strong contributor to the front, but the removal of the Hunwick problem deal seemed to be positive for Pittsburgh, until the Pens turn around and hand out an agreement that could even be worse.
