6 unanswered questions after Day 1 of NHL free agency
Just like that, the opening flurry of the NHL's free-agent frenzy has come and gone. Teams have already doled out hundreds of millions of dollars in a matter of hours, leaving hockey fans breathless in a whirlwind of transactions.
There's surely more action on the horizon. But now that the dust has mostly settled on the league's busiest day of the year, let's take a step back and look at the potential ripple effects from some of Wednesday's moves.
Just how good is the Atlantic Division now?
The Atlantic Division had four teams - Florida Panthers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Boston Bruins - finish top 10 in the league standings last season. None of those squads were major players in free agency, and all should be competitive again in 2022-23. However, the gap between the elites and rebuilders within the division appears to have gotten significantly smaller.
The Senators continued their aggressive summer on Wednesday by signing Claude Giroux to a three-year deal. Factor in his arrival with the Alex DeBrincat and Cam Talbot trades, along with a burgeoning pre-existing core, and suddenly Ottawa seems ... half decent? At worst, the Sens are a strong offensive club with capable goaltending. At best - perhaps coupled with a move or two to reinforce the blue line - they look like a potential fringe playoff team.
Steve Yzerman and the Red Wings appear to be in a similar position. Detroit made a handful of notable signings Wednesday, bringing in Andrew Copp, David Perron, Dominik Kubalik, and Ben Chiarot. That quartet of reliable veterans adds much-needed depth to the Red Wings and should insulate a promising group of incumbent youngsters. Yzerman's busy day may not pay immediate dividends, but there are surprise teams in the NHL every year. Detroit is now better equipped to be one of those clubs than it was previously.
It remains to be seen how the moves from the Senators and Red Wings will pan out on the ice, but one thing is certain: there will be no nights off in the Atlantic next season.
What's the latest on the unsigned big guns?
Despite an avalanche of early moves, a few of this summer's biggest free agents remain ripe for the picking. What gives?
Nazem Kadri: No bites for Kadri on Day 1. The Avalanche forward met with suitors Wednesday, while some teams in the market for centers (Rangers, Red Wings, and Penguins) went other routes. Interestingly, Colorado re-upped with fellow free agents Darren Helm, Josh Manson, and Artturi Lehkonen.
John Klingberg: A weak market for defensemen didn't lead to anything for Klingberg. His options took a hit when Dallas opted to ink Colin Miller for cheaper and potential suitor Carolina traded for Brent Burns. Klingberg might not get the deal he hoped for at this point.
Who still has room to add?
Most teams across the league are pressed too close to the cap and are probably done for the summer. Here are some squads that still have the financial flexibility for fireworks.
New York Islanders: After whiffing in the Johnny Gaudreau sweepstakes, the Isles are scrambling to Plan B with a ton of dough to spend after losing out, but where they pivot remains a mystery. One would think New York wants to be aggressive after a tremendously disappointing season.
New Jersey Devils: New Jersey was also in on Gaudreau, but managed to make a nice contingency signing in Ondrej Palat. It still feels like the Devils have more to give though, with over $17 million in cap space and a hunger to take a step forward as a young team.
Winnipeg Jets: The Jets entered the day with roughly $15 million in cap space - a number that will shrink significantly with a new deal for restricted free-agent forward Pierre-Luc Dubois - and all they did was sign journeyman backup netminder David Rittich for $900,000. Not only could Winnipeg do something of significance, it probably should.
Senators: As busy as GM Pierre Dorion has been, he still has $15 million to continue his impact summer. As mentioned above, allocating the extra funds to the blue line is probably the best course of action.
Seattle Kraken: Ron Francis made a nice add in Andre Burakovsky but still has $10.6 million available to help erase the memory of a disappointing inaugural season in Seattle. Could the Kraken go big-game hunting on Day 2?
Who signed a deal they may already regret?
Admittedly, this was the most fun section to write. The salary cap has turned hockey fans into chaos fiends, and a big part of the fun on the first day of free agency is the disbelief of an immediate red-flag signing breaking on Twitter.
Philadelphia Flyers: Rather than moving money to go after Gaudreau (clearing James van Riemsdyk's $7-million cap hit would have been a good start), Philadelphia boxed itself in with a questionable $10-million extension for Tony DeAngelo. GM Chuck Fletcher then decided to buy out the final year of Oskar Lindblom's $3-million contract to sign Nicolas Deslauriers to a four-year deal. Deslauriers recorded 13 points and 113 penalty minutes last season.
Blue Jackets: Before Columbus shocked the hockey world by landing Gaudreau, it was labeled the laughingstock of the day for signing Erik Gudbranson to a $16-million contract over four years. Overjoyed fans have probably forgotten all about the deal for the aging blue-liner for the time being, but Gudbranson's pact is a near lock to age poorly.
Red Wings: We previously lauded Yzerman for being active, but that's a lot of money for Chiarot. Teams need serviceable players, especially rebuilding ones. But dedicating $4.75 million per year to a stay-at-home defender with dreadful underlying numbers is never a good thing. This contract could be a major hindrance down the road if Detroit's rebuild elevates to the next phase.
St. Louis Blues: Did Nick Leddy really need $4 million per season? It's less than what he previously earned, but St. Louis has three defensemen ahead of him on the depth chart, and all of them are being paid until at least 2026-27. Additionally, Ryan O'Reilly and Vladimir Tarasenko are playing on expiring contracts this coming season. Keeping as much money available as possible seemed smart for the Blues this summer.
Vancouver Canucks: We identified Ilya Mikheyev as a prime candidate to be overpaid this signing season, and Vancouver took the bait. The Canucks have been overpaying depth players for years, and it's costed them. This deal looks like the same old story despite a new regime in place.
What's next for Matthew Tkachuk?
Losing Gaudreau has Flames fans feeling jaded. We regret to inform loyal Calgarians that it may get worse.
All of general manager Brad Treliving's focus will now shift to Tkachuk, a restricted free agent with a ton of leverage. Will he want to sign a long-term deal with Calgary now that his linemate has left town? Can the Flames stomach a bridge deal - or worse yet, Tkachuk signing his qualifying offer - to walk him straight to unrestricted free agency in his prime? It's an extremely delicate situation, one that feels more tenuous when remembering Tkachuk briefly held out a few offseasons back before signing his current contract: a three-year bridge.
Treliving must consider trading Tkachuk for maximum value and begin a rebuild if the superstar isn't willing to sign a long-term deal. A full teardown felt unfathomable mere months ago when the Flames looked like a legitimate Stanley Cup contender, but it's a real possibility now.
What should we make of the goalie carousel?
The number of teams seeking goaltending improvements was a major subplot heading into this year's frenzy. And, as predicted, the netminder market was scorching hot. Accurately forecasting goaltending is usually a fool's errand. With so much movement this summer, that notion is truer than ever. Below we'll try to make sense of some of the most impactful signings between the pipes.
Maple Leafs gamble on Samsonov: Toronto found a partner for Matt Murray by luring Ilya Samsonov, a former can't-miss prospect, into town on a one-year deal. Instead of giving Jack Campbell the contract he desired, the Leafs opted to pay their new tandem a combined $6.4 million with minimal term. It's a high-upside bet with major implications, but GM Kyle Dubas is hopeful the two reclamation projects can be enough to complement the deep roster he built elsewhere.
Campbell joins Oilers: This deal was a formality leading up to Wednesday, and Edmonton got its guy. Campbell is still largely unproven as an NHL starter with a small body of work and a wonky contract year in Toronto, but he's undoubtedly better than Mike Smith and Mikko Koskinen. The signing is a win for now, but the stakes are high in Oil Country. We'll see how it plays out.
Kuemper heads to D.C.: The former Avalanche backstop was considered the best goalie available, and he picked the Capitals on a five-year pact. Kuemper was more of a weak spot than a difference-maker during Colorado's Cup run. It'll be interesting to see the effect of a bigger workload on a less-stacked team in Washington.