...And We're Off!

For those that were waiting for the NHL Free Agency period to begin Friday, in earnest, the frenzy began today, as three big pieces came falling off the off-season house.

The first order of business: Steven Stamkos. The big fish in the free agency pool was officially taken out today by the Tampa Bay Lightning, as the Lightning signed him to an 8-year, $68 million dollar deal. That is an $8.5 million cap hit on average for the Lightning, and ends any speculation that the Lightning were going to lose their captain and leading goal scorer to another team. A two-time 50 goal scorer, he missed most of the playoffs this season, but the signing is an indication that the Lightning and Stamkos are both in it for the long run. Ultimately, the Lightning and Stamkos kept their respective words when it came to what the future would hold for the other, even if it took up to the 11th hour to do so.

Second order of business: the Montreal Canadiens and Nashville Predators decided that it would be a good idea to swap their respective top defensemen. That's right, Shea Weber and PK Subban are changing places in a move reminiscient of Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy doing the same thing in the 1983 movie "Trading Places." What does it mean for both teams? For Nashville, they get younger and though they do take on a little more of a cap hit with Subban, they also have five fewer years than with Weber. Translation: by the time Subban's contract is up, which will be in six years, he will be 33 while Weber will be 41 by the time his contract ends in 10 years. That is important for a Nashville team that generally never likes to operate to the salary cap ceiling. Meanwhile, the Canadiens get a leader who still has a menacing shot. The trade should benefit both players, as they're heading to the systems that will benefit each one more.

Third order of business: the Edmonton Oilers were known to be in the market for an NHL-ready defender. You can cross that off the list, as they acquired Adam Larsson from the New Jersey Devils. The cost? Taylor Hall. Like the Predators-Canadiens trade, this was a straight up trade that should, in theory, benefit both teams. The Devils need any and all defense that they can get, and getting Hall, who scored 26 times last season, will help in that regard. As for the Oilers, they unclog the logjam of forwards a little while trading for a defender that is just now beginning to figure it out in Larsson, as evidenced by his increasing ice time the last two seasons while also playing on the top pair last season. For both, who are also former first round picks (Hall in 2010, Larsson in 2011), it's a chance improve their new squads.