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Early NHL Free Agency Winners

Which teams have come out of the gate with the best NHL signings so far?

By Kyle VandenbergPublished 7 years ago 3 min read
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Dallas locked up coveted winger Alexander Radulov, capping off an excellent first few days of free agency. (Image via sportsnet.ca)

Let the insanity begin!

The first week of free agency is behind us with a number of huge splashes and new faces. Fans and analysts alike are making projections or registering complaints, depending on how you feel about your team’s activity (or lack thereof). None of this takes into account the NHL Draft, the Vegas Expansion Draft, and the number of trades that have occurred, adding to the shakeups.

So who do we see as the three biggest winners through this first week of the free agent market? Take a look:

Stars head coach, Ken Hitchcock (Image via NHL.com)

Dallas Stars

Starting with a changing of the guard behind the bench, the Stars began their offseason by bringing back legendary head coach Ken Hitchcock in April, and then got right to work when the markets opened. In early May, Dallas locked up their goalie situation by trading for Ben Bishop and promptly signing him for six years. Less than a week after the expansion draft, Dallas then acquired defenseman Marc Methot from the Vegas Golden Knights, adding a strong, veteran defensive presence. They picked a potentially elite defensive prospect in the draft, grabbing Miro Heiskanen with the third overall pick. When the free agent market opened up on Saturday, Dallas then jumped in and signed two of the most coveted forwards out there in Martin Hanzal and Alexander Radulov. Gambling on the injury-prone Tyler Pitlick could work out too, and at least gives the team depth.

Adding to a team that already features Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin, and Jason Spezza, Dallas has given themselves plenty of options, and Ken Hitchcock has shared his excitement over the possibilities. The team has plenty of scoring on their top two lines now, a strong defensive core with young talent and veteran experience, and a Vezina-nominated goaltender as they look to bounce back from a disappointing season. Dallas missed the playoffs last year. Chances are, they’ll be back in 2018.

Kevin Shattenkirk (Image via Sports Illustrated)

New York Rangers

Even with some dramatic losses, the Rangers found a way into the winner’s bracket this offseason by accomplishing exactly what they set out to do. By buying out Dan Girardi and trading away Antti Raanta and Derek Stepan, the Rangers cleared over $20 million of cap space and made their intentions clear: they were going for Kevin Shattenkirk. By the end of July 1, they had him.

The loss of Stepan may hurt more than any of the others, and the Rangers stand to take a hit without him. The consolation is the ability to sign the top defensive player available and to still have room to re-sign Jesper Fast and Brendan Smith, as well as bringing in Ondrej Pavelec as a great backup to goalie Henrik Lundqvist. Shattenkirk’s contract is the big win here: he’s only signed for four years, meaning he is free to walk by the time he’s 32. If the Rangers can lock up Mika Zibanijad, they may have very well accomplished everything they wanted to this offseason.

Western Conference champs, Nashville Predators (Image via Predlines)

Nashville Predators

Another team that started out the offseason with some losses, the Preds used the free agent market to rebound and fill in some spots with very efficient contracts. James Neal was selected by the Vegas Golden Knights and takes his 20+ goals a year with him. Colin Wilson was traded to Colorado for picks. With a Western Conference title to defend, how would the Preds bounce back?

The biggest move was to sign former Penguin Nick Bonino. He beat them — now he joins them. With back-to-back Stanley Cups on his resume and signed to a four-year contract, Bonino helps add some depth to a position of concern for Nashville (what will happen to Mike Fisher?) and solid two-way play. Nashville also traded for Alexei Emelin, adding a quality defenseman to an already stacked blue line. They also pulled off a huge value addition in bringing home Scott Hartnell for just $1 million next season, again adding depth to the roster and reuniting him with Peter Laviolette, with whom he experienced great success in Philadelphia. Additions of Anders Lindback and Matt O’Connor add to an increasingly deep team, a feature that is often overlooked and is vital to continuing playoff success.

With many good players still out there, trades in the works and extensions being given out left and right, not to mention a brand new team, a busy start to the offseason has us excited for October. Wherever your team stands, the months ahead stand to only expand the growing excitement around hockey — something every fan of the world’s greatest game can be happy about.

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About the Creator

Kyle Vandenberg

NJ Resident, Hockey fanatic, Staff Writer for The Unbalanced.

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