Photo Credit: Frank Gunn /The Canadian Press
Since NHL free agency started in July, there have been a lot of trades and new signings. While some of these have been confusing or just downright weird, others have already made an impact either for the teams needs or have beefed up the roster even more. Here is a round-up for some trades and new signings in the NHL so far.
First up is trades. The NHL was full of trades this year and a lot of them really helped a lot of rosters. One of the most publicized was the trading of Phil Kessel to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Kessel is one of the league’s highest scorers and has one of the highest shots on goal which is why he fits in so well with the Pens. Kessel will be a great addition to a roster that includes Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.
Another highly publicized trade was the Blackhawks trading Brandon Saad. Beyond Saad’s multiple Stanley Cup appearances, he’s 3rd overall in the league for the amount of games played and 8th in the number of goals scored in playoffs. Saad is certainly going to beef up the Blue Jackets roster, possibly helping them to make the playoffs next year. A trade that puzzled some was the trading of Brandon Prust to the Vancouver Canucks. Prust is a world-class player, full of talent, never ready to drawback from a fight and a fierce competitor. Some wonder why the Canadiens would give up one of their star players for Zack Kassian and a draft pick. While this is not a complete list, here are a few to mention: Patrick Sharp to the Dallas Stars, Cam Talbot to the Oilers, Eddie Lack to the Hurricanes and Dougie Hamilton to the Flames.
Obviously free agency is a big part of the NHL offseason and it leads to players negotiating with other players and signing with them. Most of these signings are used to help fill a team need or like already mentioned, to help make their roster even better. One of the biggest players in this year’s free agent market was Washington Capitals defenseman, Mike Green. Green had 10 goals last season, 45 points, and multiple playoff appearances. Green was eventually signed by the Detroit Red Wings. With the Leafs losing one of their top scorers, they needed someone to be able to pick up the slack.
Luckily, the Leafs picked up Shawn Matthias. Matthias scored 18 goals last seasons, 9 assists and he is a physical player which adds some power back to their roster. The Oilers had an unfortunate season last year, but fortunately for their fans, they’re building up their roster. The Oilers signed defenseman Andrej Sekera. Sekera is an NHL veteran, has been in the playoffs twice and is skilled at his position which was a need for the team. Some other notable free agency signings were Michael Frolik to the Flames, Antoine Vermette back to the Coyotes, Justin Williams to the Capitals and Blake Comeau to the Avalanche.
