Pettersson - who was plucked fifth overall - netted two dazzling goals and concluded the night with another stunner in the shootout, quickly giving fans something to look forward to.
It wasn't just the Texas lifestyle that drew free agents to the Dallas Stars.
So too did Ben Bishop, the Stars' new netminder who was acquired from the Los Angeles Kings earlier this offseason and later signed a six-year extension with his new club.
"When we were talking to all of these free agents during the interview period, (Ben's) name always came up," Stars general manager Jim Nill told "NHL Tonight" on Wednesday. "He's a quality guy. He's got a great resume and I think that's a big part in what enticed a lot of these players to want to join us."
The veteran goaltender split last season between the Kings and Tampa Bay Lightning, where in recent seasons he established himself as one of the NHL's top netminders. In 2015-16, he appeared in 61 games, producing 35 wins and a .926 save percentage to finish as a Vezina Trophy finalist.
The Stars hope Bishop can replicate that play in his new surroundings. It's undoubtedly a big upgrade for Dallas, which struggled to keep pucks out of its own net last season, as the tandem of Kari Lehtonen and Antti Niemi owned an NHL-worst combined save percentage of .893.
Niemi has since moved on, with the Stars buying out the final year of his contract, leaving Lehtonen to hold down the second-string duties behind Bishop.
Dallas has talents like Tyler Seguin, Jamie Benn, and John Klingberg, but it's Bishop's addition in the crease which Nill believes was the catalyst for Dallas' offseason makeover.
"Ben was a big pickup for us," Nill added. "He was probably the one that started this turnaround for us this signing season. We made the trade for him and he showed the commitment to want to be here."
In addition to Bishop, the Stars also dipped into free agency to add shutdown center Martin Hanzal on a three-year deal, while former Montreal Canadiens winger Alexander Radulov was recruited on a five-year pact. The possibility exists he could complete one of the league's most intriguing trios with Seguin and Benn.
After finishing with just 79 points last season, the potential exists for a big bounce-back in Dallas, with Bishop sure to play a major role in the upswing.
The 24-year-old - who was a restricted free agent - earned a promotion after signing a one-year, $875,000 deal last year.
"Brett is a big, physical presence who also possesses the ability to score," general manager Jim Nill said in a release. "We feel that he has just scratched the surface in regards to his ability and that he will continue to elevate his game."
Ritchie is coming off his first full season with the Stars since first being drafted in the second round back in 2011. He posted 16 goals and 24 points in 78 games.
Mark Pysyk is really putting in work this offseason - yard work, that is.
The Florida Panthers announced the signing of the 25-year-old defenseman to a three-year deal Thursday. Pysyk posed for a photo in which he put pen to paper while sitting on a lawn mower - though it was a push mower, unlike the riding mower Joe Thornton signed his contract upon Sunday.
Client Joe Thornton, who turns 38 today, signing new 1 year contract with a total value of $8 million. Happy Birthday Jumbo! @SanJoseSharkspic.twitter.com/MzDU8ovEgp
With Pysyk's new deal set to pay him an annual average of $2.73 million, that seems like a good start on getting that riding mower - or possibly hiring someone to mow the lawn for him.
Jaromir Jagr is still unsigned. Yes, he's 45 years old, but he's still a very effective forward who's capable of playing a second-line role.
Jagr's point total dipped from 66 in 2015-16 to 46 a season ago, but that was largely due to his linemates in Florida, Aleksander Barkov and Jonathan Huberdeau, missing a combined 72 games. In fact, Jagr was still analytically better than the average second-line winger:
(Graph courtesy: ownthepuck.blogspot.ca)
Jagr is still arguably the league's best puck protector. He's 6-foot-3 and as strong as an ox, uses an abnormally long stick, has soft hands, and is obviously one of the smartest players of all time. His ability to protect the puck and generate shots was evidenced by his 55.4 Corsi For percentage last season, second only to Barkov among Panthers skaters.
Sure, Jagr isn't exactly a burner on the ice, but considering he'll only demand a one-year contract with a modest cap hit, he'd be a very valuable asset for the following five teams (lineup projections with Jagr included):
Edmonton Oilers
LW
C
RW
Maroon
McDavid
Strome
Lucic
Draisaitl
Jagr
Caggiula
Nugent-Hopkins
Puljujarvi
Slepyshev
Letestu
Kassian
Slotting Leon Draisaitl at center makes the Oilers a much better, deeper, and more balanced team, but in doing so they desperately need another top-six winger.
It'd be tough for Jagr to keep up with Connor McDavid's pace, but his ability to cycle down low would mesh well with the big bodies of Draisaitl and Milan Lucic. His ability to maintain possession could also work well with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who's often a liability when the opposition has control of the puck.
Nashville Predators
LW
C
RW
Forsberg
Johansen
Arvidsson
Fiala
Bonino
Jagr
Hartnell
Jarnkrok
Smith
Aberg
Sissons
Watson
The Predators' top line was great last season, but the team's in need of some secondary scoring, especially since James Neal was plucked by Vegas in the expansion draft.
Wouldn't Nashville's die-hard, passionate fan base just adore Jagr?
Montreal Canadiens
LW
C
RW
Pacioretty
Plekanec
Jagr
Drouin
Galchenyuk
Gallagher
Byron
Danault
Shaw
Lehkonen
Mitchell
Hemsky
The Canadiens are in win-now mode and need help scoring goals. Jagr would add a nice kick to their offense, and maybe help his fellow countryman Tomas Plekanec rediscover his offensive touch.
St. Louis Blues
LW
C
RW
Schwartz
Stastny
Tarasenko
Steen
Schenn
Jagr
Fabbri
Sobotka
Bennett
Paajarvi
Brodziak
Jaskin
Note: Center Patrik Berglund is out until December and therefore wasn't included in this lineup projection.
As you can see, the Blues are deep at left wing, but have very few natural right wingers with offensive ability outside of Vladimir Tarasenko. Jagr would slot in nicely on the club's second line and prove to be a nice bargain for the cap-crunched team.
Columbus Blue Jackets
LW
C
RW
Panarin
Wennberg
Jagr
Foligno
Dubinsky
Atkinson
Milano
Jenner
Bjorkstrand
Calvert
Sedlak
Anderson
Columbus' biggest need is down the middle, but considering the scarce center market why not upgrade down the wing to help out?
Cam Atkinson is obviously superior to Jagr at this point, but the veteran could mesh well with Artemi Panarin (right-handed shot), who became accustomed to playing with a left-handed-shooting right winger alongside Patrick Kane in Chicago. Obviously, Jagr is not Kane, but he has the ability to hold the puck and create space for his linemates, theoretically allowing Panarin to set up for his one-timer.
Plus, if Jagr signed with Columbus, he'd only be two teams shy (Hurricanes and Islanders) of suiting up for every club in the Metropolitan Division during his career. What a feat that would be.
The Montreal Canadiens locked up a big piece of their core Wednesday, with the signing of Alex Galchenyuk to a three-year contract extension worth a reported $4.9 million per season.
On Thursday, Galchenyuk had a chance to speak to the Montreal media, sharing his thoughts on his new contract.
"I'm really happy with the deal," Galchenyuksaid. "I love the team, I love the fans, I love the city. ... I know I can bring a lot to the team. We're all hungry and we all want to get to the top."
Perhaps the part Galchenyuk is most looking forward to is forming a potentially formidable scoring threat with newly acquired forward Jonathan Drouin, as both players possess elite-level scoring talent.
"I was really excited when we added Drouin," said Galchenyuk. "Having a chance to play with a skilled forward like that is always a plus."
Last season, Galchenyuk, 23, put up 44 points in 61 games during a campaign hampered by knee injuries.
Nick Bonino may have missed out on his chance to play in a Stanley Cup Final game at Bridgestone Arena last month because of a broken leg, but that didn't stop him from taking in the raucous crowd that Nashville has become famous for.
The Predators' newest addition was candid about his desire to be in Nashville on Thursday.
"Nashville was my No. 1 the whole way," Bonino told reporters, according to Colton Pouncy of The Tennessean. "Very happy and fortunate to get a deal done."
Grubauer, 25, is arguably one of the league's best backup netminders. He posted a .926 save percentage and a 2.04 goals-against average in 24 games last season.
For his career, all of which has been spent in D.C., the Germany native owns a .923 SV% and a 2.25 GAA in 66 games.
While $1.5 million isn't much, every penny counts given the cap crunch Washington is in. After this re-signing, the club has just over $4 million in cap space, according to Cap Friendly, but it could still use one or two forwards and another two or three defensemen.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have quickly proven over the last year they can score in bunches, finishing the 2016-17 campaign with the fifth-most goals scored in the NHL at 250. The only problem is they can also allow goals in bunches.
So when the Leafs reached an agreement Wednesday to ink forward Zach Hyman to a four-year, $9-million contract extension, it became clear that the team is in excellent position to address a blue line that allowed the ninth-most goals in the league last season at 234.
The bottom line is that the Leafs need a top-four defenseman, and with Hyman now being a Leaf for at least the next four seasons, moving one of the club's talented forwards on expiring deals could bring Toronto the D-man they've been looking for.
Both players are on expiring contracts, and the Leafs have a core group of talented offensive players, making Van Riemsdyk and Leivo largely expendable.
There's no doubt that the pair brings an offensive flair - especially JVR, who has 55-plus points in three of his last four seasons - which should have teams sniffing around.
Considering we already know that Van Riemsdyk was previously dangled in the Leafs' attempt to acquire Travis Hamonic from the New York Islanders, and that Hyman is now locked down, the potential to move him before training camp starts is very high.
The 28-year-old has spent the last five seasons in blue and white after being dealt to Toronto from the Philadelphia Flyers and has put up strong offensive numbers.
But that doesn't change the fact that his trade value would help the club more than his 25-30 goals a season. The Leafs did just add a perennial 30-goal man in Patrick Marleau, after all.
And sure, Jake Gardiner, Nikita Zaitsev, and Morgan Rielly all have top-four potential and are emerging as elite-level offensive defensemen who combined for 106 points last season, but they are not ready to carry the team on their own.
Adding Ron Hainsey to the defensive mix provides a stabilizing element for the trio that could potentially serve as a successful band-aid solution for next season, or maybe the year after.
But Leafs general manager Lou Lamoriello is playing the long game, and Hainsey, while serviceable, isn't the guy Toronto needs on its blue line moving forward - especially if his defensive partner is one of Martin Marincin, Alexey Marchenko, or Connor Carrick.
Don't forget, Hainsey just played in the first playoffs of his 14-year career last season with the Pittsburgh Penguins, so his track record doesn't exactly have Leafs fans lining up to get his name stitched on their jerseys.
Despite performing admirably on a battered Pens back end, the 36-year-old journeyman defenseman isn't the answer Toronto is searching for.
So where, you ask, are they to find this savior to resurrect one of the most storied franchises in pro sports? The answer isn't clear at the moment, but a good start would be to cast JVR or Leivo - or maybe even Leo Komarov - back out into the open market and see what kind of bites they get.
At the end of the day, it's as simple as this: The Leafs are loaded up front and have holes on the back end. Moving a forward for a D-man just makes way too much sense.
