Kalman: Day 1 Of NHL Free Agency Winners & Losers
BOSTON (CBS) -- Maybe not since J.D. Drew hit that grand slam in the 2007 American League Championship Series against Cleveland has a Boston sports figure turned negative public sentiment the other way faster than Bruins general manager Don Sweeney.
After he traded Dougie Hamilton and Milan Lucic for draft picks, a backup goaltender and an AHL defenseman at the NHL Draft last week, Sweeney was raked over the coals until Wednesday. Free agency opened and the Bruins not only dealt the underproductive, disengaged Reilly Smith to Florida for behemoth right winger Jimmy Hayes, they also landed one of the top two young forwards on the open market in Matt Beleskey.
Former Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli always downplayed the importance of winning the first day of free agency or trade-deadline day, and his protégé Sweeney has to take the same approach. No one will remember July 1 as a victory if the Bruins' season ends April 9. Sweeney's not resting on his laurels with a little more than two months before training camp begins.
"I don't know if anybody picks their team per se in July," Sweeney said Wednesday. "I think you assemble a group of guys you feel confident with. And I think now we're taking a position where any trade that we look to make or any player movement we look to make is one that we absolutely want to and not have to. And we have some flexibility now to look at things completely that way going forward. You know no promises. A lot of balls still in the air. A lot of players that need to get back to their high side of their capabilities and be excited about being a Boston Bruin. That to me now is what the entire focus is about. It's about wanting to be a Boston Bruin and hitting your high side to win."
So the Bruins aren't done remaking the roster that failed to reach the playoffs last spring. Sweeney's next moves will play a part in shaping future opinions about his July 1. For now, the Bruins were one of the winners on the first day of free agency. Here's a look at their moves and the other winners and losers:
Winners
Bruins
Even if Beleskey and Hayes don't match the 41 goals they combined to score last season, the Bruins won the day. The 22nd-ranked offense from last season needed an infusion of wingers with the ability to score. Based on last season Beleskey and Hayes were the right acquisitions. Signing Beleskey was a low-risk move because he only carries a $3.8 million cap charge and his full no-movement clause only lasts through the first season. Hayes, a restricted free agent, won't cost the Bruins much in money and he'll be under the control for a few more years. Signing Ryan Spooner for less than one million per season also made the day a win.
Edmonton
Chiarelli probably had to give himself a refresher course on what to do when a team has some cap space to work with on July 1. He did well by acquiring probably the best in-his-prime defenseman Andrej Sekera for a reasonable $5.5. million per season for six years. Sekera is 29, so the Oilers will have him for much of his prime. And adding a solid, three-zone defenseman to a team built around Connor McDavid and a legion of talented young forwards is a wise move to move along the rebuild in the right direction.
Toronto
It's rare to say that the Maple Leafs won anything, especially on a day when they only made minor (Matt Hunwick, Daniel Winnik, P.A. Parenteau) free-agent signings. But their biggest move July 1 was a trade that proved they've finally decided to go ahead with a youth movement and change the culture that's rotted for 48 years since the last Stanley Cup championship in Toronto. By trading Phil Kessel for prospects and draft picks, the Maple Leafs rid themselves of a $6.8 million cap hit. Regardless of your opinion on how Kessel plays, the Leafs were going nowhere with him on the roster. Now they have flexibility to make moves for younger players and can start to integrate their own prospects and target 2016-17 as the season they compete for a playoff spot.
Losers
Colorado
The Avalanche jumped the gun on free agency by trading a draft pick to the Bruins for Carl Soderberg's rights. They then knocked everyone's jaw to the floor by signing Soderberg to a five-year contract worth a cap hit of $4.75 million per season. If that overpay didn't make the Avs look back enough, they then lavished 35-year-old Francois Beauchemin with a three-year deal worth $4.5 million per season. In a league that's stressing youth and speed, Colorado could have spent their money better to upgrade their back end.
Pittsburgh
On the other side of the Kessel trade were the Penguins, who now have more than $25 million invested in their top three forwards – Kessel, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. They slimmed their prospect pool to get Kessel, haven't replaced Christian Ehrhoff on their back end and don't know what they're going to get from Pascal Dupuis, who counts $3.5 million against the cap, assuming he can return to full health. The Penguins are going to have a hard time filling in a capable roster around their Big Three.
Matt Kalman covers the Bruins for CBSBoston.com and also contributes to NHL.com and several other media outlets. Follow him on Twitter @TheBruinsBlog.
