More often than not, the bulk of the NHL's free agent frenzy comes on the first day of free agency. Once the market officially opens, teams tend to snag the available premier players pretty quickly.
But heading into Day 1 on Sunday, there was a lot of uncertainty surrounding this year's prize free agent, former New York Islanders center John Tavares. It seemed as though the wheels might turn slowly this year. Ultimately, that wasn't really the case, as Tavares and a number of other prime targets agreed to terms on new deals on the very first day of the free agency period.
You can find a comprehensive list of this year's top free agents and their destinations here. It's still very early in the offseason, and some of the moves made on Day 1 of free agency may just be initial transactions for a number of teams that will continue to look at ways to improve through signings and trades, but let's take a look at who made a strong impression -- and who raised some eyebrows -- on July 1.
Winners
Toronto Maple Leafs and John Tavares
Duh, right? The Leafs scored the prize of the 2018 free agent class in John Tavares, and he took a hometown discount on top of it. (Not that an $11 million cap hit is chump change.) As a result, the second-best offensive team in the league last year adds a superstar playmaker and a guy who scored 37 goals and 84 points last season. Now they have Tavares-Auston Matthews-Nazem Kadri as their top three guys down the middle, with very solid talent around them. That's scary stuff.
For Tavares, he gets to join a true contender for the first time in his career, and he gets to do it in his hometown of Toronto. They've got a very solid, young core and the Leafs will have a good shot to make a real run at a Stanley Cup immediately, and if JT helps them get their first title since 1967, then he instantly becomes a legend in the city. That's a pretty tremendous opportunity for him, and it's not difficult to see why it was hard to pass up.
Philadelphia Flyers and James van Riemsdyk
Philadelphia is a team on the rise that also managed to scoop up a big-time offensive piece in Day 1 of free agency. That piece came in James van Riemsdyk, who signed a five-year, $35 million deal to return to the Flyers on Sunday.
Sure, the price tag might seem a bit hefty, but Philly is a bubble team that is looking to keep pace in the Eastern Conference and JVR is a dynamic player that should be able to make a big difference on the front end of their offense. Van Riemsdyk, who was drafted second overall by the Flyers in 2007, netted a career-high 36 goals for the Maple Leafs last season despite averaging less than 15 minutes of ice time per game.
The Flyers are banking on that sort of output carrying beyond his contract year, and van Riemsdyk has earned the added opportunity he should see in Philadelphia.
Paul Stastny
Not only did the 32-year-old center manage to score a three-year, $19.5 million deal, he also gets to move from Winnipeg to Las Vegas!
That price tag is probably a little steep for an aging Stastny, but Vegas has money to play with and they get a versatile, veteran playmaker down the middle and Stastny gets to cash in on another big deal while staying with a winner. In fact, he goes from the Winnipeg Jets to the team that eliminated them in the Western Conference Finals this spring.
Stastny was a good fit in Winnipeg centering serious talent between Patrik Laine and Nikolaj Ehlers, and it's possible that he may actually be heading for somewhat of a less ideal hockey situation in Vegas. But the Jets couldn't match the dollars offered by Vegas, and he should still have ample opportunity to succeed with the Golden Knights. The lifestyle (and wifi) upgrade is an added bonus.
Losers
Vancouver Canucks
Vancouver's Day 1 of free agency was honestly staggering. The Canucks are in serious need of some big-time playmakers on the front end of their lineup and on defense. So what did they do? They gave four-year deals worth around $3 million annually to both Jay Beagle and Antoine Roussel, who are bottom-six role players at best.
I like Beagle, who was a solid depth piece centering the Capitals fourth line and killing penalties during their championship season last year. But he's 32 years old, and he's a fourth-liner on a complete team.
Rousell, who will turn 29 next season, is a winger coming off a year in which he scored just five goals in 73 games. He's never hit 15 goals or 30 points in a single one of his six NHL seasons.
Those are not the kind of players that you give those sort of deals to. Over-commitment to aging depth players can often be a killer for teams, especially when it comes time to lock up front-end talent.
The Canucks are trying to build depth, character and grit through free agency, but their approach is alarming. Teams often have to give a little extra on term or money to lure free agents, but Vancouver is shelling out too much on both ends, and for players who aren't major difference makers. Go make sure you lock up front-end talent before overcommitting to the back end.
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 watch the Isles' captain and franchise star in Tavares walk, he had to watch him go to the Toronto Maple Leafs -- the team that Lamoriello had just departed.
Losing Tavares is a gut punch that will take a while to recover from, but it wasn't the only concerning transaction on Long Island. The Isles inked Leo Komarov to a four-year, $12 million deal, and that contract has bad news written all over it.
Komarov is 31 and he's coming off a season in which he only scored 7 goals and 19 points in 74 games, despite playing more than 15 minutes a night for the Maple Leafs -- the second-best offensive team in the league. He's a decent penalty killer who can get under opponents' skin, and he hit 30 points in his prior two seasons in Toronto, but he looks to be on the decline already, so giving him a four-year deal is a significant gamble.
Chicago Blackhawks
Chicago is coming off a frustrating season and the Blackhawks are looking to make some big changes to their lineup in order to get back to their winning ways. Unfortunately, they don't have a ton of cap flexibility, and thus they weren't able to make a major splash in free agency.
That being said, the additions they did make on Sunday were still a bit questionable. They signed goalie Cam Ward to a one-year, $3 million deal to come in as their backup to Corey Crawford. Ward appears to be a shell of the goaltender he once was in Carolina, and $3 million is likely more than you want to give to a questionable backup goalie when money is already tight, but the one-year commitment is what makes this deal somewhat palatable.
The Blackhawks also gave a one-year deal, $1 million deal to Chris Kunitz. It's relatively low risk considering the term and money, and Kunitz frequently receives praise for his leadership qualities (he's won four Stanley Cups) but he's 38 years old and doesn't seem to have a lot left in the tank.
Finally, they added Brandon Manning on a two-year deal worth $2.25 annually. Manning is a serviceable veteran blue liner but that's about it.
Given the current state of the 'Hawks, it's really hard to feel good about their Day 1 of free agency. Spending $6.25 million on the cap for Ward, Kunitz and Manning next year isn't going to get anyone excited, and the Blackhawks aren't much better off than they were yesterday.
That being said, it seems hard to imagine they're done. They have to be planning something big via trade(s).
Pittsburgh Penguins
Arguably the worst signing of Day 1 goes to the Penguins, who inked Jack Johnson to a five-year, $16.25 million contract. The Pens needed help on the defensive end and they seem to be looking for that help in the 31-year-old Johnson, who hasn't exactly been an impressive blue-line presence and is probably already on the downside of his career.
Giving a five-year commitment to a player like Johnson is unnecessary and uncharacteristic for the Penguins, and it's a deal that carries a decent potential to hurt them way more than it helps them.
Even worse, the Penguins had to deal Connor Sheary and Matt Hunwick to the Buffalo Sabres in order to make room for Johnson. Sheary is solid contributor up front, but shedding Hunwick's problem contract seemed like a positive for Pittsburgh, until the Pens turned around and handed out a deal that actually may end up being even worse.
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