Rifkins List : NHL FREE AGENCY

Posted byMichael RifkinPosted inNHL, Rifkin’s Rift TideTags:, , , , , , , , , ,

By : Mike Rifkin

With NHL Free Agency in full force, here are moves I like and moves that made me scratch my head. 

Positives

  1. Matt Duchene – Dallas Stars – After being bought out by the Nashville Predators, Matt Duchene finds himself staying in the Central Division. Duchene last season led the Predators in goals and was second in points. Now he joins a team with Jason Robertson, Joe Pavelski, Roope Hintz, Tyler Seguin, Wyatt Johnston, etc., so Duchene won’t have to be the guy in Dallas, but he should have a significant impact. 
  2. Tyler Bertuzzi and Max Domi – Toronto Maple Leafs – The Leafs won their first playoff series since 2004 after beating the Lightning in six games before losing to the Panthers in five games. The Maple Leafs added jam and grit to their game by adding Tyler Bertuzzi and Max Domi. Bertuzzi was traded from the Red Wings to the Bruins at the trade deadline and had eight goals in 50 games. Domi went from the Blackhawks to the Stars at the trade deadline and had 20 goals in 80 games played; Domi also has a family tie as his dad Tie played for the Leafs. 
  3. Taylor Hall – Chicago Blackhawks – The Blackhawks’ rebuild got expedited when they won the draft lottery, AKA the Connor Bedard sweepstakes. The Blackhawks took advantage of having cap space and another team having a cap crunch, so they acquired former first-overall pick Taylor Hall from the Bruins. Hall had 16 goals in 61 games last year, but he’ll play with Bedard in Chicago. 
  4. Ryan O’Reilly – Nashville Predators – O’Reilly was one of Nashville’s first signings of the Barry Trotz era. O’Reilly, who won a Stanley Cup with the Blues, was traded from St. Louis to Toronto at the trade deadline. O’Reilly had 11 points in 13 regular season games for the Leafs. He goes to a Preds team that bought out Matt Duchene and Ryan Johansen, so now O’Reilly will slot in as the number-one center in Smashville.
  5. Ryan Graves, Lars Eller, Noel Acciari – Pittsburgh Penguins – Kyle Dubas has had an interesting first offseason in Pittsburgh. Eller and Acciari are excellent bottom two centers and can help the Penguins’ PK. Graves is a shot-blocking machine and can replace John Marino, who the prior regime traded to the division rival Devils, from whom the Penguins got Graves. 
  6. Blake Wheeler – New York Rangers – To acquire a player who had 50 points for 800,000 dollars is a massive win. Wheeler was a productive player for the Jets before being bought out. He can slot in anywhere in the top nine on Broadway. 
  7. Conor Sheary – Lightning – Trading away Pat Maroon and Corey Perry meant the Lightning needed to add speed and toughness to their bottom-six forward. Sheary has been an impactful player everywhere he has been and, again, a bargain for the Lightning. 

Negatives 

  1. Alex Killorn – Ducks – Yes, Killorn won two Cups with the Lightning, so he took the payday from the rebuilding Ducks. Going four years for a guy who will be 34 in September is an interesting decision. 
  2. Tristan Jarry – Penguins – I get the Penguins might not have the necessary tools to trade for a goalie like Connor Hellebuyck, but I can’t trust Tristan Jarry to stay healthy for an entire season. When he’s good, he’s outstanding. The problem is finding that consistency while staying healthy. Kyle Dubas believes he’ll figure it out; he’ll have to show the world. 
  3. John Klingberg- Maple Leafs – Klingberg has always been a solid offensive defenseman, but he could have been better defensively. But is Klingberg going to be taking minutes away from Morgan Reilly? This is a fascinating signing. 
  4. Joonas Korpisalo – Senators – I love the direction the Senators are heading, but for me, this move is a head-scratcher. Korpisalo did have a 2.87 GAA and a .915 save percentage last season, but his numbers improved when he went to the defensive-heavy LA Kings. How will he fare with a young team in Ottawa that could be on the cusp of the playoffs?
  5. James Reimer/ Alex Lyon- Red Wings – Reimer had a 3.48 GAA and a .890 save percentage and made headlines for the wrong reasons in San Jose last season. Lyon was 9-4-2 with a 2.89 GAA and .914 save percentage and was significant for the Panthers in their run to make the playoffs. I’m not too fond of the signings because none of these two guys, along with Ville Husso, have shown the ability to be number one. When you look at Husso’s numbers from before he got traded, he was in a solid tandem with Jordan Binnington. The things I said about the Senators can be said for the Red Wings; if they get the goaltending, they’re a playoff team. 
  6. Milan Lucic – Bruins – Yes, reunions are fun, but shouldn’t the Bruins have focused more on Centers? Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci are still on the market, but what’s the plan if they’re not returning? Unless something changes, the Bruins are looking at Pavel Zacha and Charlie Coyle as their top two Centers. 

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