Although hindsight is usually the only way to be certain as to when a deal flops, it seems reasonable to make an immediate assessment as to what deals will backfire or pay dividends. Today was a far more reserved July 1st than the league has accustomed itself to, but there are still a few contracts that stick out – for better or for worse.
Pretty: Patrick Sharp – Chicago Blackhawks – $800,000, 1 year.
This doesn’t seem fair. Chicago has been trapped in cap jail, and suddenly, here arrives a productive asset at nearly no cost. Sharp, coming off an injury-filled season, is coming back to the Windy City at a dirt-cheap rate. If he can even find half of the production he had during his last outing, this is a monumental steal. There’s no risk here, and a ton of upside. He still has the hands and hockey IQ to contribute.
Ugly: Steve Mason – Winnipeg Jets – $4,1 MM per, 2 years
Winnipeg was seemingly the last team standing when the music stopped playing. With a goaltending market that inspired no one, the Jets decided today to place their faith in Steve Mason. Coming off a .908 save percentage year, it’s hard to see him doing much worse. But behind the Winnipeg defense, it’s hard to see him doing much better. The pricetag is what really seals this as poor value relative to play. Luckily, if things don’t pan out, it’s only for two seasons. Connor Hellebuyck better prepare himself just in case. Taken in tandem with the highly questionable Dmitry Kulikov contract, GM Kevin Cheveldayoff maybe should have taken the day off.
Pretty: Radim Vrbata – Florida Panthers – $2.5 MM per, 1 year
Vrbata is absolutely a top-six winger, and he was signed for bottom-six money. He can assist a powerplay, and slot up and down a lineup as needed. Florida desperately needed to re-coup some scoring on the cheap after letting so many of their top point-getters walk or be lost to Vegas. With bonuses added in, this becomes a good prove-it deal for Vrbata as well. Solid value was found here for both parties and for a 20 goal, 55 point player, Florida will happily run away from this one.
Ugly: Trevor Daley – Detroit – $3.18MM per, 3 years
Daley was bereft of ice time in these playoffs, and he was competing with some really underperforming defensemen. It’s not like he had a good regular season either – his Corsi For % fell off a proverbial cliff (53.7 to 46.1), and the eye test certainly agreed. He put up decent points, 5 goals and 14 assists through 56 contests, and he can still skate well enough. But long are the days where he can make a difference on special teams or drive an offense with confidence. His turnover rate and inconsistency are not what Detroit needed to stabilize the back-end, and Daley will be 36 at the conclusion of the deal. The last time Daley cut a lucrative free agent deal, Chicago had to offload him due to poor play.
Pretty: Kevin Shattenkirk – New York Rangers – $6.65MM per, 4 years
The money could end up being a slight overpayment, but at the moment it is solid value. Shattenkirk finished 4th in points among defensemen last season and St. Louis never looked the same after he left. He could instantly and single-handedly transform the Rangers’ defense from the jumbled mess they were last season. He will reliably feed the puck to the forward group, and be the quarterback of the Ranger powerplay. What makes this a beautiful deal, however, is the term. If Shattenkirk has a bad year or doesn’t fit the system, New York is not on the hook for eternity. One of the biggest pitfalls in free agency with the bigger names is offering far too many years on contracts. Time and time again, it burns teams who were looking to attract a big fish. GM Jeff Gorton deserves credit here for not going insane with the length, although he was helped by Shattenkirk’s strong desire to return home.
Ugly: Dan Girardi – Tampa Bay – $3 MM per, 2 years
Nothing about this deal makes sense. Girardi earned his buyout from New York through brutal play and horrible possession numbers. Of all the NHL defensemen who played more than 40 games, only Rasmus Ristolainen of Buffalo and Luke Schenn of Arizona had worse Corsi Against per 60 minutes – Girardi finished with 65.11 (versus a 51.67 CF60). By no metric other than shot blocks was he an effective player. He might be worth a flier in hopes of regaining form, but he’s not worth much more. This agreement is made even worse by the fact that Girardi will be stealing valuable playing time from a solid young defenseman like Slater Koekkoek or Jake Dotchin. Combined with the Chris Kunitz signing, this is a team that didn’t get any younger, or any better.
Shattenkirk could also turn the Rangers defense into a mess if he performs like he did in the playoffs against the Penguins. The Rangers have to be careful how they deploy him defensively. If they pair him with McDonough & send him out against the other team’s best players, Shattenkirk will get exposed over and over again. He cannot play a shutdown role at all. In that role, the Rangers will look like fools. If the Rangers use him as a power play specialist & use him more in a second pairing role, it could work.
That’s why they pair him with McDonough – Ryan is the shut down guy. Rangers have plenty of defensive defensemen, but need someone who can push the puck and play QB on the PP. That’s where Shatts comes in.
But if you pair Shattenkirk with McDonough, he will be getting 1st pair minutes & that won’t work. Shattenkirk is a train wreck in his own zone. McDonough can’t cover for him all the time. Pittsburgh exposed all of Shattenkirk’s defensive weaknesses in the playoffs and he wasn’t even playing on the top d pairing. The top line on other teams will do the same. Shattenkirk has never been asked to play on the top d pairing for a reason, he can’t handle it. St. Louis had him on the 2nd d-pairing. The Caps didn’t ask him to be the shut down guy. If the Rangers put Shattenkirk on the top d-pairing, it will fair miserably because that is not who he is.
Right Shattenkirk is at best a 3 or 4 defender not a 1 or 2. He struggled so much against the Pens he only played on PP and against Pens 3rd or 4th liners I effectively. Bonino smoked him in game 1. He was used and abused often. Strong O and bad D
Not effectively
I don’t think the Mason contract is ugly, at all. His underlying metrics are solid and he was hung out to dry by a putrid Philly defense. I am still a big believer in Hellebuyck, but Mason is a solid platoon partner for a small term commitment. If he was evaluated properly, he would be starting somewhere.
Problem is Mason is not a platoon player in his own mind and his attitude about it detracts from being a team player, even though he is not a front line #1.
“St. Louis never looked the same after he (Shattenkirk) left?” While you’re right, you’re insinuating that they got worse when in fact, that’s when they took off. When the trade occurred St. Louis as at 31-25-5 and shedding Shattenkirk’s horrendous defense allowed the Blues to go on a 15-4-2 run to finish the season. They then beat Minnesota in the playoffs before losing to Nashville in the next round. Shattenkirk on the other hand saw his average time on the ice go down in Washington’s playoff run, I’m guessing because he turns the puck over too much. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed Shattenkirk’s offense here in St. Louis but unless he turns things around, his defense is going to kill the Rangers.