NHL Free Agency thread

[lightsout]

So for those who didn't read the other thread, Petr Mrazek got picked up by the Canes on a one-year deal. Good pick up, meets a need. Now, this still leaves room for other pickups to fill out Charlotte, because I think we can see somebody like Jordan Staal, Brock McGinn, or Rask traded soon to make room for some of the prospects we have there. But who knows what management is thinking currently.

In other league news, here are the notable signings on day 1 of the FA period:

- Toronto grabbed John Tavares. Bit shocking, thought San Jose was all but a done deal. Guess not. Tavares took a pay cut to play in Toronto, his hometown.
- Flyers grabbed James van Riemsdyk at 5 years, $35 million. Bit steep for JvR but it's Philly.
- Las Vegas signed Paul Statsny. Huge move. 3 years at $19.5 million, which is expensive for an aging centerman, but this is probably a stop gap move to move guys they don't anticipate being able to re-sign over the next year or two.
- Vancouver signed Jay Beagle. Not really sure why. He's a depth guy and they have players similar to him in their system already. Odd move. 4 year deal, haven't seen a number on it though.
- Chicago gets Cam Ward and Chris Kunitz on one year deals. I've seen some hate on these signings, but they both make sense in my mind. Crawford has a backup, Kunitz brings leadership and is a steady guy to put on your back lines.
- The Penguins gave away money to a guy who I wouldn't sign for half of what they gave him. 5 years at $16.25 million for Jack Johnson is the worst deal you're likely to see this season. Jack Johnson USED to be a solid d man a few years back. Jack Johnson is currently only useful if you have nothing else to skate out there. He's 31 years old, he's not as good as he used to be, he's not worth that money. He's at -109 in +/- and he struggles to produce any offense at all. He's a body to put in front of the goalie for 3rd pair minutes, so they may as well sign me if that's what they're needing.