NHL Summer Update #2
A lot has happened since the first blog about all the free agency and trades in the NHL. There have been a bunch of roster shake-ups, as seasoned veterans are now finding themselves in different colors, in different cities, and with different teams. Let's dive in:
1) Perry; Pavelski Sign Deals with Stars
The Dallas Stars added some goal-scoring when they inked former Anaheim Ducks winger Corey Perry to a one-year contract and former San Jose Sharks center Joe Pavelski to a three-year deal. With a roster that now includesscoring threats such as Tyler Seguin, Jaime Benn, Miro Heiskenan, Alexander Radulov, John Klingberg, and breakout rookie Roope Hintz, Dallas is gearing for another deep playoff run while Seguin and Benn are still in their primes and while goalie Ben Bishop is still in good form. Some might say the Stars are taking a bit of a risk, signing two aging former elite talents. Dallas has a reputation for buying names to win now rather than develop talent. They currently have twelve players on the active roster over 30 years old. The Stars were bounced by the eventual-Stanley Cup Champions the St. Louis Blues in the second round of the playoffs this season. The Stars have (at minimum) two or three seasons left to win a Stanley Cup, while their best players can still perform at a high-level.
2) Mats Zuccarello Signs with Wild
Former New York Ranger and Dallas Stars winger Mats Zuccarello signed a five-year deal with the Minnesota Wild. He will join the roster of Eric Staal, Zach Parise, Mikk Koivu, Jason Zucker, Ryan Parise, and Matt Dumba. The Wild didn't make the playoffs this season after a rocky season where they only won 37 games. Zuccarello provides some great passing, light scoring, and a finesse game that is great on the powerplay. He is exactly what that Wild need after selling high at the trade deadline when they shipped Nino Nidereitter and Charlie Coyle out. That being said, much like Dallas, the Wild are known to give out big contracts to big names. While Zuccerallo had a solid 40-point season, he is also on the other side of 30; a five-year deal isn't exactly ideal. The Norwegian will be a good short-term solution for the Wild, but once Parise and Koivu age out, Minnesota might not emerge as the Cup contender they are aspiring to be. Eventually, the roster will need to get younger, but with tough contracts like Zuccarello's, signing elite free agents might be tricky.
3) Binnington Gets His Pay Day
St. Louis handed their Stanley Cup-winning goalie Jordan Binnington to a much-deserved two-year deal. Binnington played a massive part in the Blues' turnaroud at the midway point of the season when he became the starting goalie and played a crucial part of the Blues' Cinderella Cup run. The young Canadian netminder will be part of the franchise for another two years, and he still has time to develop into one of the best new goalies in the league.
4) Matt Duchene Signs Seven-Year Deal With Predators
Nashville continues to load up their offense with goal-scoring and passing with the announcement of Matt Duchene's seven-year, $56 million contract. As predicted by NHL Insider Bob McKenzie, Duchene's signing comes in the wake of the PK Subban trade with the New Jersey Devils. With the freed-up cap space, the Predators added a Top-6 forward capable of playing center or winger. He will join Ryan Johansen, Filip Forsberg, Mikael Granlund, and Kyle Turris. After splitting time between Ottawa and Columbus this season, Duchene is finally settling in for the long-term after his career started off rough as part of the Colorado Avalanche. After netting 31 goals this season between two teams, Duchene will be asked to keep up the same kind of performance. Nashville's Cup window is in uncertain territory; while they have a strong squad both offensively and defensively, the time is ticking on veteran goalie Pekka Rinne's playing days, meaning the time to win is now. Duchene could be the X-Factor the Preds have been searching for to get them over their obstacles.
1) Perry; Pavelski Sign Deals with Stars
The Dallas Stars added some goal-scoring when they inked former Anaheim Ducks winger Corey Perry to a one-year contract and former San Jose Sharks center Joe Pavelski to a three-year deal. With a roster that now includesscoring threats such as Tyler Seguin, Jaime Benn, Miro Heiskenan, Alexander Radulov, John Klingberg, and breakout rookie Roope Hintz, Dallas is gearing for another deep playoff run while Seguin and Benn are still in their primes and while goalie Ben Bishop is still in good form. Some might say the Stars are taking a bit of a risk, signing two aging former elite talents. Dallas has a reputation for buying names to win now rather than develop talent. They currently have twelve players on the active roster over 30 years old. The Stars were bounced by the eventual-Stanley Cup Champions the St. Louis Blues in the second round of the playoffs this season. The Stars have (at minimum) two or three seasons left to win a Stanley Cup, while their best players can still perform at a high-level.2) Mats Zuccarello Signs with Wild
Former New York Ranger and Dallas Stars winger Mats Zuccarello signed a five-year deal with the Minnesota Wild. He will join the roster of Eric Staal, Zach Parise, Mikk Koivu, Jason Zucker, Ryan Parise, and Matt Dumba. The Wild didn't make the playoffs this season after a rocky season where they only won 37 games. Zuccarello provides some great passing, light scoring, and a finesse game that is great on the powerplay. He is exactly what that Wild need after selling high at the trade deadline when they shipped Nino Nidereitter and Charlie Coyle out. That being said, much like Dallas, the Wild are known to give out big contracts to big names. While Zuccerallo had a solid 40-point season, he is also on the other side of 30; a five-year deal isn't exactly ideal. The Norwegian will be a good short-term solution for the Wild, but once Parise and Koivu age out, Minnesota might not emerge as the Cup contender they are aspiring to be. Eventually, the roster will need to get younger, but with tough contracts like Zuccarello's, signing elite free agents might be tricky.3) Binnington Gets His Pay Day
St. Louis handed their Stanley Cup-winning goalie Jordan Binnington to a much-deserved two-year deal. Binnington played a massive part in the Blues' turnaroud at the midway point of the season when he became the starting goalie and played a crucial part of the Blues' Cinderella Cup run. The young Canadian netminder will be part of the franchise for another two years, and he still has time to develop into one of the best new goalies in the league.4) Matt Duchene Signs Seven-Year Deal With Predators
Nashville continues to load up their offense with goal-scoring and passing with the announcement of Matt Duchene's seven-year, $56 million contract. As predicted by NHL Insider Bob McKenzie, Duchene's signing comes in the wake of the PK Subban trade with the New Jersey Devils. With the freed-up cap space, the Predators added a Top-6 forward capable of playing center or winger. He will join Ryan Johansen, Filip Forsberg, Mikael Granlund, and Kyle Turris. After splitting time between Ottawa and Columbus this season, Duchene is finally settling in for the long-term after his career started off rough as part of the Colorado Avalanche. After netting 31 goals this season between two teams, Duchene will be asked to keep up the same kind of performance. Nashville's Cup window is in uncertain territory; while they have a strong squad both offensively and defensively, the time is ticking on veteran goalie Pekka Rinne's playing days, meaning the time to win is now. Duchene could be the X-Factor the Preds have been searching for to get them over their obstacles.
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