Believe it or not, there are prizes in free agency beyond John Tavares.
Oh and landmines. Many, many landmines.
On what promises to be a busy beginning to free agency — and expensive, even, beyond the mega deal Tavares has signed with the Maple Leafs — follow along for instant analysis on all the major deals.
Tavares chooses Toronto
It’s over. And it actually happened.
John Tavares, maybe the most talented player to hit free agency in a generation, has signed with the Maple Leafs. He tweeted this shortly after 1 p.m. ET:
It will be a seven-year deal worth $77 million.
Rieder returns to Oilers
Seven years after drafting him, Edmonton has brought Tobias Rieder back into the fold on a one-year, $2-million deal. His production sputtered last season with the Coyotes and Kings, but he possesses the speed the Oilers are desperate for. He could put up massive numbers if he can carve out a spot on Connor McDavid’s wing.
Beagle cashes in with Canucks; Roussel, too
Hey, Jay Beagle is a tremendously valuable depth piece, there is no doubt. But what in the world are the Canucks doing paying a premium price for talent at the margins? Committing $12 million to Beagle is treading water. That’s it.
Roussel, who will earn $13 million over the same time span, is useful as well, and brings a little more versatility in terms of deployment options, but remains a needless acquisition.
Penguins bag Jack Johnson
There are few reasons to be excited about what a diminishing asset like Johnson can offer this upcoming season, let alone in three, four and five seasons down the road. There may be a lesser role that can render him useful at just a shade over $3 million, though, and the Penguins must find it.
Bozak to the Blues
Piecing together a middle six through free agency is seldom a wise strategy, but signing Bozak to a three-year, $15 million isn’t a terrible decision for the Blues after committing dollars and terms as well to Perron. Bozak is by no means a reliable defensive centre, even being sheltered last season by Mike Babcock, but routinely meets the expected production of a secondary scorer and remains a power play weapon. St. Louis, though, will need likely another centre to push for minutes and compete in the middle six.
What does this mean for Toronto? Well that question actually applies here. It’s believed the Maple Leafs had interest in retaining Bozak if their courtship of Tavares didn’t pan out.
Stastny bolts to Vegas
Ditching Steve Mason goes unrewarded for the Winnipeg Jets — at least in the form of a new contract for Paul Stastny. He’ll instead sign a three-year deal with the Golden Knights worth almost $20 million, leaving the enviable centre-ice spot between Patrik Laine and Nik Ehlers vacant.
Though Vegas is where the money is for free agents, this isn’t a gross overpayment from George McPhee’s standpoint. However Stastny never did earn the $7 million on his last contract, and will now make just a shade under that.
Vanek back to Detroit
Vanek has worn eight different sweaters over the last five seasons, and aside from a highly-productive 47-game run with the Islanders, he was most effective in Detroit. Perhaps he’ll pick up where he left off, setting the table to secure another future asset for Detroit while earning another jersey in the process.
Blues circle back on Perron
You would think a team that drafted, developed, traded, reacquired and left Perron unprotected in expansion would see through a 66-point outlier season, but the Blues invested four years and $16 million into him for a third term, anyway.
Sabres to sign Hutton
On the heels of severing ties with Robin Lehner, the Sabres are aiming to solve their goaltending woes with a 32-year-old career backup. Hutton emerged as the top goaltending option in free agency with a superb second season behind Jake Allen in St. Louis. He made 32 appearances last season, compiling a 17-7-1 record on the strength of a .931 save percentage. You have to be concerned about a massive workload increase as a starter, but if Hutton and Linus Ullmark can find an effective balance, the Sabres could see a marked improvement in goal for less than $4 million combined.
It’s believed Hutton will sign a three-year deal worth $2.75 million a season.
Derek Ryan to Flames
After reportedly receiving interest from 20 (20!!) NHL teams, the utility centre is expected to sign a three-year deal with Calgary worth a little more than $9 million. TSN’s Frank Seravalli reports that Ryan left money on the table to join the Flames and to reunite with head coach Bill Peters. Before four seasons at the University of Alberta and another four overseas before his first three NHL seasons with the Peters-led Hurricanes, it was Ryan that starred for Peters’ Spokane Chiefs.
Ryan, 31, scored 15 goals and tallied 38 points in his third NHL season. In addition to secondary scoring that the Flames have lacked, he supplies the right intangibles, winning faceoffs and putting up strong possession numbers.
Philly takes back JVR
Coming off a 36-goal season with the Maple Leafs, James van Riemsdyk entered the free agent period with more leverage than any player, save for Tavares. While he’ll be paid handsomely on an annual basis with the Flyers, signing for $7 million annually, it seems he forfeited some of that leverage. Amid reported interest from non-playoff teams, van Riemsdyk instead returns to the team that drafted him on a five-year agreement. The term will help keep him stay productive throughout the lifespan of the deal, but severely impacts his earning potential.
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