2019 has been a very busy year throughout the hockey world. There have been several big trades and free agent signings (including a record-setting contract), plenty of changes behind the bench, and much more. Over the coming days, PHR will take a look back at the top stories from around the game on a month-by-month basis. Next up is the month of June which saw plenty of headlines surrounding star players plus the annual NHL Entry Draft.
Defensemen On The Move: A pair of prominent blueliners found new homes. With Nashville looking to reallocate some money up front, they dealt P.K. Subban to New Jersey for Steven Santini, prospect Jeremy Davies, and a pair of second-round picks. More importantly for the Predators, the Devils absorbed Subban’s full $9MM AAV. The deal hasn’t worked out too well yet for New Jersey as Subban has struggled considerably, collecting just seven points in 39 games. Meanwhile, Winnipeg dealt defender Jacob Trouba to the Rangers for Neal Pionk and a first-round pick. Thus far, the deal has arguably worked out better for the Jets as Pionk has out-produced Trouba with less than half the cap hit but Trouba has given New York a capable top-pairing defender, something they had been seeking for a while.
Stars Sticking Around: Jeff Skinner’s first season in Buffalo was an unqualified success and it led to a huge payday for the winger. He decided to forego testing free agency and instead signed an eight-year, $72MM extension that contains a full no-move clause. Skinner has struggled through the first half of this season though; after scoring 40 goals a year ago, he’s barely on pace for half that total this season. Meanwhile, despite some speculation that he’d be hitting the open market, Erik Karlsson decided to stick around in San Jose. He received plenty of incentive to do so, signing the richest contract ever given to a defenseman worth $92MM ($11.5MM AAV) over eight years. The early returns haven’t been great as the veteran has been one of many that have struggled through the first half of this season.
Luongo Retires: The last couple of years had been tough for Panthers goalie Roberto Luongo. He had trouble staying healthy and wasn’t playing like he was in the prime of his career. As a result, he decided to call it a career despite having three years left on his contract. The future Hall-of-Famer spent 19 seasons in the league between the Panthers and Canucks (plus a short stint with the Islanders who drafted him fourth overall in 1997). His 489 career wins put him third all-time behind Martin Brodeur and Patrick Roy while he sits ninth in shutouts. While he isn’t playing anymore, he will still have an impact on both Florida and Vancouver for a while yet though. His back-diving contract (now illegal) was subject to cap recapture which means he’ll be on their books through the 2021-22 season.
Kessel To Arizona: In an effort to bolster their attack, the Coyotes made a big splash on the trade front, acquiring Phil Kessel (plus minor leaguer Dane Birks and a fourth-round pick) from Pittsburgh in exchange for Alex Galchenyuk and 2017 first-rounder Pierre-Olivier Joseph. Kessel was supposed to give them a legitimate top line scoring threat but he has been fairly quiet in the desert, scoring just eight goals through the first 41 games this season. However, the deal hasn’t been great for Pittsburgh either. While Galchenyuk was expected to flourish in Pittsburgh, the exact opposite has happened and his value has dipped considerably as a result. Joseph has some upside but is still a year or two away from being ready for NHL duty.
Eakins Takes Over In Anaheim: While there had been a head coaching vacancy for a while in Anaheim following their midseason firing of Randy Carlyle, it took a while for the Ducks to make what many expected official with Dallas Eakins taking over behind the bench. Part of the reason for the delay was Eakins helping lead their AHL affiliate through a lengthy playoff run and GM Bob Murray didn’t want to interrupt that to do the coaching search. While they’re sitting outside of a playoff spot, they have played better this season while integrating several young players into their lineup. That wasn’t the only notable move from them in June as the team decided to part ways with long-time veteran Corey Perry as they bought out the final two years of his contract.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.