Yesterday at noon marked the opening of the NHL free agency period. In total, 70 players inked free agent deals on day one. Edmonton, Calgary, Toronto, Arizona and Nashville were among some of the busier teams. Only one team, Pittsburgh, did not sign a free agent but may have made the biggest splash of day one.
Kessel
The Pittsburgh Penguins sent Kasperi Kapanen, Nick Spaling, Scott Harrington a protected 2016 first round pick and a 2016 third round pick to the Toronto Maple Leafs for Phil Kessel, Tyler Biggs, Tim Erixon and a 2016 second round pick. Toronto wil also retain 1.2 million dollars of Kessel's salary.
Pittsburgh gets one of the better natural scorers in the league in Kessel. Toronto gets three good young assets to help in their rebuilding.
Playoff MVP's
A pair of former Conn Smythe winners found new homes yesterday when Justin Williams and Brad Richards inked deals. Williams, who won the award last year, signed a two year deal with the Washington Capitals. The deal will pay him an average of 3.25 million per season.
Richards, 2004 winner, signed a one year deal with the Detroit Red Wings. The deal will pay him 3 million. Richards is a two time Stanley Cup champion (2004, 2015) while Williams has won it three times(2006, 2012, 2014).
Battle of Alberta
The Calgary Flames have bolstered their roster by adding Michael Frolik to the mix. They also were able to resign goalie Karri Ramo. Add in Dougie Hamilton, acquired at the draft, and Calgary is a young team poised to make the playoffs for the second consecutive year.
Not to be outdone by their Alberta rivals, the Edmonton Oilers signed a pair of players yesterday as well. The Oilers came to terms with forward Mark Letestu and defenseman Andrej Sekera. Sprinkle in Connor McDavid, Cam Talbot and new head coach Todd McClellan and Edmonton is starting to become an attractive option.
Love for the Desert
Arizona signed six players yesterday three of which have been Coyotes in the past. Fresh off a Stanley Cup championship, Antoine Vermette returned home signing a 2 year deal worth 3.75 million annually.
Zbynek Michalek will be starting his third stint with the franchise signing a two year deal. He was a member of the Coyotes from 2005-2010 and again from 2012-2015. Like Vermette, Michalek was dealt at this year's trade deadline and decided to return.
Steve Downie ( 1 year, 1.75 million) Anders Lindback ( 1 year, 875K), Brad Richardson (3 years, 2.08 million AAV) and Dylan Reese (two way contract) round out the signings.
On the Prowl
The Nashville Predators signed three players on day one. Before the noon start they had come to terms with forward Mike Ribeiro on a two year contract extension. Once free agency began, they inked longtime Blues defenseman Barret Jackman and former Sabres forward Cody Hodgson.
What's Next?
Alexander Semin, Joel Ward, Cody Franson, Johnny Oduya and Christian Erhoff are just a few of the names still on the open market. As we head into day two expect some if not all of those names and more to be picked up by someone.
Bill Minchin is a contributing writer for Flyerdelphia. Follow Bill on Twitter @wtfd103074.
