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Tuesday 10: RFA logjam opens up

September 17, 2019, 3:29 PM ET [4 Comments]
Ty Anderson
Boston Bruins Blogger •Bruins Feature Columnist • RSSArchiveCONTACT
The camps are open, and hockey is finally here.

There's been no shortage of movement, too, as the restricted free agency logjam has appeared to open up with some of the bigger names off the board.

Here are 10 thoughts on the week and what's ahead in the NHL...

1. A surprising bargain: Zach Werenski’s deal with the Blue Jackets

The Blue Jackets’ move to get Zach Werenski in on a three-year, $15 million deal was a gigantic win for Columbus. In fact, I found it a little shocking. Given the talent-drain that’s gone on in Columbus -- the Jackets lost Matt Duchene, Artemi Panarin, and Sergei Bobrovsky and replaced them with Gustav Nyquist -- that cap opened up (and in a major way) for a talent like Werenski. And though he was a restricted free agent, limiting his options, the desperation of the Blue Jackets not wanting to lose another high-end talent could have led to an overpayment on the part of Jarmo Kekalainen.

Instead, the sides found a compromise that gives a powerful CBJ defense intact.

Werenski’s team-friendly deal could and should make a major difference if the Blue Jackets find themselves back in ‘buyer’ status when it comes to another high-impact offensive forward.

2. Jack Hughes is gonna make me a believer in NJ

Got my first look at 2019 No. 1 overall pick Jack Hughes last year. And oh man, do the Devils have something special with this kid. Like all these new kids coming up, the way he moves and handles the puck just looks so smooth and borders on effortless. I’m sorta hoping the Devils go all out and load him up with Taylor Hall and P.K. Subban on the backend this year. It would be must-watch action.

3. Don Sweeney deserves a ton of credit for his in-house work

The Bruins were staring down the barrel of salary cap hell all summer, and Bruins general manager Don Sweeney worked his way out of it by getting Charlie McAvoy and Brandon Carlo signed for under $8 million. This feels like a Jedi Mind Trick. Then again, this has been Sweeney’s MO in Boston.

Sweeney re-signed Torey Krug to a four-year, $21 million contract in 2016. Krug has been the fifth-most productive defenseman in the NHL over that contract with its $5.25 million cap hit, with 163 points in 221 games. Sweeney also re-upped Brad Marchand that summer, and Marchand has since emerged as one of the best wingers in hockey, with 109 goals (seventh-most) and 270 points (fifth-most) in the NHL since carrying that $6.125 million cap hit.

The Bruins dealt with a David Pastrnak contract standoff -- for all of 45 minutes, anyway -- in 2017’s training camp before getting Pastrnak signed to a six-year deal with a $6.66 million cap hit. Pastrnak has 161 points in 148 games since signing that deal, and his 1.09 points per game rank as the 15th-best figure in hockey among qualifying players over that stretch.

He’s nailed this part of the gig.

4. It amazes me that Brian Boyle remains unsigned

Nobody pumps up veteran leadership and size quite like the NHL. Seriously, if Andrew Bogut knew how to skate, he’d have a job as a professional athlete for another 20 years. I guess that’s why I’m somewhat surprised that veteran center Brian Boyle remains unsigned in mid-September. He’s not even in camp on a professional tryout, actually. Now, that’s not to say that there’s not a market for the 6-foot-6 pivot. There’s about five or so teams that have been linked to the Hingham, Mass. native, and he’s been staying busy skating on the South Shore. But coming off the Blues’ Stanley Cup win, which may bring back the idea that you need size and grit to win it all, it’s surprising that Boyle has become the victim of teams not wanting to open up their wallets or commit to “older” players.

Boyle, who split last year between the Devils and Predators, tallied 18 goals and 24 points in 73 games, and added two assists in three postseason appearances for the Preds. Experience is the name of the game for Boyle, as his 114 postseason games since 2011 are the fourth-most in hockey. Only Dan Girardi, Ryan McDonagh, and Carl Hagelin have played more since then. The Rangers, man.

5. Other unsigned free agents that seem somewhat surprising

I’m a little surprised that nobody’s taken a chance on Thomas Vanek. Of course, this assumes that Vanek still wants to play, and wants to play somewhere other than Detroit. One thing that I think has flown under the radar in recent years: Just how productive Vanek has been when traded to a contender. Since 2014, Vanek has scored 15 goals and totaled 40 points in 57 post-trade games to a contender (that includes Vanek’s runs with the Canadiens, Panthers, and Blue Jackets).

Dion Phaneuf is another one. I know, I know. Phaneuf barely registered an impact in Los Angeles last year, but with buyout checks coming his way, Phaneuf could latch on with a contender as a depth piece. Then again, why leave a comfortable life in Los Angeles unless you really have to?

6. What the hell is going on in Minnesota?.

I just want to make sure I understand this correctly: The Wild is finding out what it’s like to be haunted by bad contracts to aging players, so they go ahead and re-sign Jared Spurgeon, who turns 30 in November, to a seven-year extension worth $53 million ($7.575 million cap hit)? This means that the Wild will have Spurgeon, Mats Zuccarello, Zach Parise, and Ryan Suter all on their books in their mid-to-late 30s at a combined $28.65 million through 2023-24. Oof.

7. The Maple Leafs are spending big up front, but they really had no choice

Another team who could be in some serious cap trouble: The Toronto Maple Leafs.

The owners of three of the league’s top seven cap hits, there’s been a lot of talk about how the Leafs are going to possibly make it work when you have Auston Matthews, John Tavares, Mitch Marner, and William Nylander accounting for almost half of your total salary cap. It’s a worthwhile discussion, sure, but it also implies the Maple Leafs had any other choice but than to pay their young stars and sign the top free agent (Tavares) this market has seen in probably, well, ever? That's the fundamental problem with that debate.

In no world should the Leafs have entertained the idea of trading Matthews or Marner. Or not signing Tavares. Out of that group, Nylander is the only one they should consider moving, and that's only if it netted you a young, high-end defenseman worth also building around. Such talents are often considered gold in today's game, making it infinitely easier said than done. And no, I don't think swapping Nylander for... say Dougie Hamilton... was something the Leafs should have seriously entertained. You've seen the way he's bounced around, and the idea of making him a cornerstone of your franchise, especially in Toronto, is a little worrisome.

The key for Kyle Dubas and company: The good old fashioned pump-and-dump. The Pens have done this with Sidney Crosby’s wings over the years, and now it’s on the Leafs to do the same; Find cheap, young talent that can play with your best, have them build up their stats, and then find the next guy when it comes time to pay them. I mean, jeez, Brad Boyes was a star on Tavares’ right on the Island.

8. Which team’s Cup window has officially closed?

Age is going to smack some team upside the head in 2020. Many have been quick to point to the Bruins as that very team, especially after their Game 7 loss this past Stanley Cup Final, with Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci, Tuukka Rask, and Brad Marchand all approaching their mid-30s while captain Zdeno Chara turns 43 next March. The Bruins may be saved by some of their young players -- David Pastrnak, Charlie McAvoy, Brandon Carlo, and Jake DeBrusk to name a few -- taking that next step forward, but it’s a definite talking point that will face the Bruins this upcoming season.

Krejci, for one, hates that angle.

“I don’t even know what means -- ‘the wrong side of 30,’” Krejci said earlier this month. “You look around the league, there’s so many [good] players who are in their 30s.”

But assuming the Bruins aren’t the only team facing this narrative (they’re not), who would you say is the next team we’re talking about in regards to a closed window? I’d like to say the L.A, Kings, but that doesn’t really feel like a hot take in 2019. Maybe the Penguins? Even then, it’s tough to count Pittsburgh out so long as they have an effective Crosby-Malkin punch down the middle.

My pick: The Predators.

9. Surprise playoff pick on Sept. 17, 2019

I’m all in on the Coyotes. They’ve added Phil Kessel, their younger pieces are getting better, and I do believe that Antti Raanta is one of the more underrated goaltenders in today’s game. If they can stay healthy (always seems to be an issue for them), that Pacific should allow them to make it interesting.

10. Could we finally get some labor peace?

The NHL and NHLPA have agreed that the current CBA works. Awesome. Now make sure it stays that way with this next one. It would be so painfully embarrassing -- and so painfully NHL -- to put Vegas and Seattle through a work stoppage when they’re not even a decade into existence.

Ty Anderson is a writer, columnist, and weird personality for 98.5 The Sports Hub in Boston, where he covers all things Boston sports. He has been covering the National Hockey League for HockeyBuzz.com since 2010, and has also been part of the Boston Chapter of the PHWA since 2013. In addition to writing, Ty can occasionally be heard on the air at 98.5 The Sports Hub in Boston, and seen and/or heard on the NHL Network every now and then. He will not give you his email, so yell at him on Twitter (@_TyAnderson).
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