Free-Agent Frenzy

The first day of free-agency in the new NHL season kicked off yesterday, and there were some players finding new homes, either through trade or free-agency.  The day kicked off with Jason Spezza accepting a trade to Dallas.  Ottawa gets Alex Chiasson, a couple of prospects, and a draft pick in return.  The two biggest names in goaltending that were available were taken off the board, as Ryan Miller heads to Vancouver for three years while Jonas Hiller goes north to Calgary for two years.  Jarome Iginla will be expected to provide a veteran presence for a youthful Colorado team for three years, as he will be heading there after signing with them while Anton Stralman translated a strong playoff performance into a big deal with Tampa Bay, who also helped themselves by signing Brian Boyle to provide a big body up front and Evgeni Nabokov as insurance for Ben Bishop in net.  This is to add to an earlier trade for Jason Garrison, who hopes for a bounce back year after stagnating in Vancouver.

Washington is apparently hoping to beat the Penguins by being the Penguins, since they decided to take a gamble on Matt Niskanen and Brooks Orpik.  Niskanen had a breakthrough year last year, becoming an offensive threat in Kris Letang's absence.  He was given a 7-year deal that says last year was just the beginning.  Meanwhile, Orpik gets 5 years, and given his age and injury history, it does not look so great.  Those were not necessarily the worst moves made, though, as Calgary and Florida outdid them.  While Calgary did well by signing Hiller, they also threw $8.7 million (!) and three years at Deryk Engelland, a guy whose only purpose is to fight.  Meanwhile, Florida attempted to recreate the 2011 off-season by signing veterans to deals.  The difference is that this time, the veterans are Shawn Thornton, Dave Bolland, Willie Mitchell, and Jussi Jokinen.  Thornton is strictly a fighter, and while he provides a tough presence to a Panthers locker room that desperately needs it, two years seems to be a bit much.  Mitchell will be with the Panthers for a couple of years and the hope there is that Erik Gudbranson, Dmitry Kulikov, and Aaron Ekblad will learn a lot from him.  Jokinen is a fine complimentary player, but who exactly will he be complimenting?  Unless the kids such as Jonathan Huberdeau and Aleksander Barkov start taking a hold of the offensive reins, this signing doesn't make great sense.  However, the worst signing was Bolland, who was inked for five years at a clip of just over $5 million a year.  While Bolland is at his best when agitating and providing occasional offense when healthy, the health part is the big problem.  He missed considerable time in his only year in Toronto last year and has never played a full season in his career.