NHL free agency: Ten things to note -- the good, the bad and the ugly
Capitals struggle to make do with cap limitations, while Dallas is your offseason winner
•
4 min read
NHL free agency has been busy.
Big deals have been lacking, but teams have been active and plenty of notable names have found new homes. A couple of franchises have even stepped forth as clear-cut winners early this offseason.
What about the not-so-good stories of the signing period, though?
Here, we go top to bottom and tackle 10 happenings from the NHL's early-summer frenzy with a look at the good, the bad and the ugly:
The Good
1. The Dallas Stars: If anyone deserves an award for making the offseason exciting, it's Stars general manager Jim Nill.
From landing Ben Bishop and Marc Methot in trades to nabbing Martin Hanzal at a reasonable cost to welcoming back Ken Hitchcock as coach and landing a surprise stud in Alexander Radulov, Nill has restocked Dallas in unrelenting fashion -- and in ways that make sense. At the least, he has the team back at the forefront of league headlines.
2. Kevin Shattenkirk: Good for Shattenkirk to land a playoff opportunity with the Washington Capitals after March's trade deadline and turning an underwhelming Caps stint into a four-year deal with the Rangers. A "New Yorker at heart," he gets another big-market shot at success. And good for the Rangers on landing Shattenkirk -- a top-four D-man with undeniable scoring talent -- without making a fool of themselves in free agency.
3. Nick Bonino: A win-win situation unfolded in free agency for Bonino and the Nashville Predators, who replaced James Neal's proven experience with another ex-Pittsburgh Penguins forward at a reasonable price. Bonino, meanwhile, gets a long-awaited and much-deserved shot at more ice time -- and with this past season's surprise Stanley Cup contender, no less.
4. Carey Price: Don't look now, but someone might have gotten a big-money contract that makes sense. Paying $10.5 million per season is a big toll for the Montreal Canadiens, and by the time Price reaches the end of the eight-year extension he signed this week, he'll be 38 and probably too expensive. But the Habs need Price in more ways than one. Not only is he a fan favorite as a staple of the Canadiens' competitive roster, but he's also a proven playoff-caliber goalie. The numbers and Vezina Trophy bids, even after injuries, speak for themselves.
5. Brandon Saad and Artemi Panarin: The Chicago Blackhawks' trade of Panarin to the Columbus Blue Jackets technically came before free agency opened, but it still impacted two contenders' plans. Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews should be happy to have Saad back, just as Columbus should be stoked to welcome Panarin and take a scoring talent off Chicago's hands for the second time in three years. The real winners in the Blackhawks-Blue Jackets trade, though, are the players involved. Chicago's plan to reunite vets in the name of nostalgia might or might not pan out, but Saad gets a chance to succeed alongside Kane again. And Panarin, a premier scorer, gets a legitimate shot at earning a long-term deal on a rising Blue Jackets team.
The Bad
6. Patrick Marleau: The longtime San Jose Sharks winger finding a new home isn't bad for him. But it can't be pleasant for anyone in California hoping the soon-to-be 38-year-old forward would've finished his career as a Shark alongside Joe Thornton, Brent Burns and Co.
Also, the Toronto Maple Leafs should be thrilled to pair Marleau with Auston Matthews in 2017-18, but committing $6.25 million per year over three seasons to an aging, statistically declining Marleau? That's steep.
7. The Montreal Canadiens: The Habs get a pass from landing in "The Ugly" thanks to their long-term investment in Price. But until they do something else to alleviate their offensive concerns, we're left to judge their five-year commitment to defenseman Karl Alzner. In theory, Alzner's shutdown defense should be a nice addition, but paying him $4.6 million per season could come back to haunt the Habs. In the meantime, let's see if Jonathan Drouin makes all the offensive worry moot.
The Ugly
8. Dan Girardi: It's not like the Tampa Bay Lightning doled out tens of millions of dollars on a bad free-agent contract, but that doesn't make their deal for Girardi, an aging and declining reserve, any less nonsensical.
Chris Kunitz was a nice add for Tampa Bay, but Girardi, cast off by the Rangers after another year of all-around decline, certainly didn't warrant $6 million over two years.
9. The Washington Capitals: Give them credit for locking up important pieces like Evgeny Kuznetsov and Dmitry Orlov. But the Capitals have had an otherwise shoddy start to the offseason. This is a team that warrants some kind of shakeup but not the kind Washington has endured thus far. The Caps probably gave too much money to 30-year-old T.J. Oshie, then lost the following vets largely because of salary cap problems they created: Kevin Shattenkirk, Karl Alzner, Marcus Johansson, Justin Williams, Nate Schmidt.
10. Jaromir Jagr: Things aren't ugly for Jagr as much as they are a disappointing reality. Yes, there's still plenty of time for the NHL's ageless wonder to find a team. The feeling here is he eventually will find a home, perhaps with a contender seeking veteran depth. For now, though, Jagr has to bask in the uncertainty of being an unsigned 45-year-old hockey player.
