Quick-hit analysis of important NHL signings and trades completed Friday, Oct. 9, updating live as each transaction rolls in.
Signing: Canucks sign goalie Braden Holtby to a two-year contract
Analysis: Bye-bye, Jacob Markstrom. Moving forward, the Canucks' goaltending tandem will be youngster Thatcher Demko and Holtby, who'll earn $4.3 million a season on his new contract. This was pretty much GM Jim Benning's best-case scenario with Markstrom on his way out of town. And the price is justifiable given Holtby's resume. He's probably the only UFA goalie with starter potential, even at his age. Holtby, 31, can split the workload with Demko, who's still a little green. The veteran also brings stability, experience, and pedigree. Plus, according to TSN's Bob McKenzie, Holtby's deal doesn't include a no-movement clause, which means he's eligible for the Seattle expansion draft.
Signing: Oilers sign forward Kyle Turris to a two-year contract
Analysis: This is a tough one to project. On the one hand, good for Turris, who was recently bought out by the Nashville Predators. He gets a fresh start, a spot down the middle on Connor McDavid's team, and a solid paycheck at $1.65 million a year. On the other hand, from the Oilers' perspective, the term and money are fine, yet you wonder if they really need to be taking a gamble on a guy whose game has fallen off a cliff over the past few years. Edmonton needs to win now, and although this deal doesn't carry a ton of risk, it's far from a guaranteed success. Perhaps the change of scenery will help?
Signing: Wild sign goalie Max Talbot to a three-year contract
Analysis: After sending Devan Dubnyk to the San Jose Sharks earlier this week, the Wild have found a replacement in Talbot. The price tag is $3.67 million a year, or $11 million in total. This is Talbot's third team in three years following largely unsuccessful stints in Calgary and Edmonton. At the end of the day, there are more than a dozen goalies on the UFA market and GM Bill Guerin had to pounce on one of them sooner rather than later in order to have someone competing alongside Alex Stalock. Minnesota is in transition - as evidenced by Guerin's moves over the past few weeks - so shoring up the goalie position over the short term with a decent tandem is a smart bet.
Signing: Red Wings sign forward Bobby Ryan to a one-year contract
Analysis: Ryan, whose dedication to the game earned him the 2019-20 Bill Masterton Trophy, has found a soft landing spot after the Ottawa Senators surprisingly bought him out. The former 30-goal scorer is hoping to rebuild his career following multiple injuries and down years offensively. The woeful Wings could use some veterans in their lineup and at $1 million, this is a no-lose situation. The fit works on both ends. A+ signing on all fronts.
Signing: Panthers sign defenseman Radko Gudas to a three-year contract
Analysis: There's no denying Bill Zito, Florida's new GM, is looking to rock the boat this offseason. And here's one example: The addition of Gudas brings in a layer of physicality to the back end and a right-handed option to potentially replace MacKenzie Weeger, who is apparently on the trade block. Gudas, the former Tampa Bay Lightning and Philadelphia Flyers blue-liner, will make $2.5 million a season. He'll also make life difficult on opposing forwards.
Signing: Maple Leafs sign forward Wayne Simmonds to a one-year deal
Analysis: GM Kyle Dubas said the Leafs would do what they could in the offseason to get harder to play against and their first transaction of the day is a step in the right direction. Simmonds, a 32-year-old who's no doubt past his prime after more than 900 NHL games, has signed for $1.5 million. The deal includes a no-movement clause, according to TSN's Pierre LeBrun. Simmonds had been linked to the Montreal Canadiens and Calgary Flames in the lead-up to free agency but the Toronto native ultimately chose to come home. It's not quite a John Tavares-esque signing, but the Leafs add a 6-foot-2 right winger to their middle-six forward group. Low-risk, high-reward.
Signing: Blackhawks re-sign goalie Malcolm Subban and forward Dominik Kubalik
Analysis: After bidding farewell to longtime starting goalie and UFA Corey Crawford, Chicago re-signed Subban for two years at $850,000 per season. It remains to be seen if the Hawks' netminding tandem will indeed be Subban and Colin Delia moving forward, but that's what GM Stan Bowman has at his disposal right now. Meanwhile, Kubalik is coming off a 30-goal NHL debut that earned him Calder Trophy consideration. The Czech sniper's two-year extension comes in at a completely reasonable $3.7-million cap hit.
Signing: Capitals sign goalie Henrik Lundqvist to a one-year deal
Analysis: Lundqvist is headed to Washington a week after the Rangers bought out the final two years of his contract in New York. At $1.5 million, the future Hall of Famer will slide in behind the promising Ilya Samsonov on the Capitals' goalie depth chart. At 38 years old and coming off a season in which he posted a .905 save percentage, Lundqvist is firmly in the Stanley Cup-chasing stage and could be an ideal backup/mentor to Samsonov, aged 23. The signing also signals the end of the Braden Holtby era. Holtby, a 31-year-old UFA, has spent his entire career in D.C., but there was never much of a chance of him signing another extension.
Trade: Jets acquire forward Paul Stastny from Golden Knights for defenseman Carl Dahlstrom and a conditional fourth-round pick in 2022
Analysis: Winnipeg has picked up Stastny for the second time in three-plus years as GM Kevin Cheveldayoff looks to plug a hole at second-line center. Stastny, a 34-year-old cerebral and battle-tested pivot, carries a $6.5-million salary cap hit for the 2020-21 season. If it doesn't work out between player and team, no big deal; Stastny is slated to become an unrestricted free agent next offseason. This swap between the Jets and Golden Knights, which involves a fringe NHL defenseman and a mid-round pick going to Vegas, makes you wonder if the rampant Patrik Laine trade rumors will fizzle out. Stastny, Laine, and Nikolaj Ehlers were fantastic together during Winnipeg's 2018 playoff run. Stastny recorded 15 points in 17 postseason games before inking a three-year deal with Vegas as a UFA.
John Matisz is theScore's national hockey writer.
Copyright © 2020 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.