2020 was certainly a unique year away from the rink. However, it was also a year that featured several big trades and free agent signings, coaching changes, and much more. We continue our look back at the top stories from around the game on a month-by-month basis. Next up is October, a month that is typically full of excitement with action picking up on the ice. Last year, it was one to remember for everything that happened away from it.
The New July 1: Normally, July 1st is when there is a frenzy of free agent signings as the market opens up. This year, that opening came on October 9th and there was once again a large number of signings. The full signing recap of the day can be found here but some of the notable deals included Jacob Markstrom going to Calgary to take the spot vacated by Cam Talbot who signed in Minnesota; Braden Holtby signed with Vancouver to take Markstrom’s spot. While quite a few people expected Torey Krug to remain in Boston, he didn’t, instead signing the biggest deal of the day, a seven-year, $45.5MM pact with St. Louis.
Draft Activity: Just three days before the opening of the free agent market was the draft. As expected, Alexis Lafreniere went number one to the Rangers and there weren’t too many surprises near the top. While trade activity has fallen off at the draft in recent years, there were a couple of trades of note. First, the Senators found their goalie for the future, acquiring Matt Murray from Pittsburgh for a second-round pick and prospect winger Jonathan Gruden and they wasted little time signing Murray to a four-year, $25MM contract. Meanwhile, the Predators and Wild made a notable swap, as Luke Kunin and a fourth-round pick went to Nashville in exchange for Nick Bonino plus second and third-round selections. Bonino gives the Wild much-needed depth down the middle while Kunin is a promising winger although he’s off to a slow start with his new team.
Pietrangelo To Vegas: While the Golden Knights had been speculatively linked as a suitor for Alex Pietrangelo on the off-chance he’d leave the Blues, the salary cap appeared to be a very steep impediment. How could a team that’s over the cap ceiling afford the highest-priced free agent on the market? They found a way by offloading Paul Stastny and his $6.5MM cap hit to Winnipeg and then shipped Nate Schmidt ($5.95MM) to Vancouver, taking below-market returns for both of them in the process. That freed up just enough money to afford to give Pietrangelo a seven-year, $61.6MM contract and stay in cap compliance (although they’ve often been dressing just five defensemen to accomplish that). While Vegas has had a strong back end early in their franchise’s history, they now have a legitimate number one to anchor that group for years to come.
More Notable Trades: There were quite a few trades in October with a lot of them centered around freeing up cap room. However, there were a couple of notable ‘hockey deals’ that were made. First, Montreal sent center Max Domi along with a third-round pick to Columbus for winger Josh Anderson. Both teams wasted little time signing their new players to contracts though they took a different approach. The Blue Jackets gave Domi basically a second bridge contract with a two-year, $10.6MM deal that walks him to UFA eligibility. On the other hand, Anderson inked a seven-year, $38.5MM pact, a considerable risk considering he had just one goal last year with significant shoulder issues. Meanwhile, Colorado added winger Brandon Saad with a bit of retention plus defenseman Dennis Gilbert from Chicago for blueliners Nikita Zadorov and Anton Lindholm. In Saad, the Avalanche get a capable top-six winger on an expiring contract that fits their current financial window while Zadorov gets a change of scenery with the Blackhawks hoping he’ll do well enough to be part of their long-term plans.
Hall To Buffalo: It usually doesn’t take long for top free agents to find a contract with deals typically getting done on the first day. It wasn’t the case for the top defenseman in Pietrangelo and it wasn’t for the top forward in Taylor Hall who waited until the third day before signing a one-year, $8MM contract with the Sabres. While Hall had previously indicated an openness to signing a short-term pact, it still came as a bit of a surprise, especially signing with a non-playoff team in Buffalo. However, pairing him up with Jack Eichel on the top line certainly could be the boost to his numbers that he’s looking for in order to try to cash in with a long-term deal at a similar price tag this coming summer. However, while he has eight assists so far, he has just one goal through ten games.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.