Today, a whole mess of things happened. This is like if Frank Ocean finally leaked his new album on the same day that a surprise Beyonce album dropped but also Creed came back (and yes, Creed represents the PK Subban trade).
Let’s take this day one monumental decision at a time, starting with the guy I was in the process of writing an article on – about the decision he did make – but he decided before I could predict that decision – but rest assured, it was predicted accurately.
Steven Stamkos Re-Signs
It’s a hard thing to make the major UFA re-signing with his drafting team (before free agency actually begins) be the third biggest story of the day. When Stamkos was projected to be the biggest free agent maybe ever, during his peak prime, and he chose not to get a massive pay day, that’s going to be a loud story, one discussed over and over, but the fact that the Subban-Weber trade and the Hall-Larsson trade also happened makes this story quiet.
I guess we shouldn’t be surprised Stamkos re-signed when rumors like the one that he never even met with Detroit are leaked. Still, it felt like Stamkos was unsatisfied in Tampa, and that’s why he hadn’t re-signed. Him not playing center must have played a major role in his not re-signing during the year, but I think his holding out led to Yzerman and Cooper, instead of allowing Stamkos more money, said that he would play center going forward, and I think that, combined with Florida’s lower tax, made Stamkos feel more welcomed back on the team he has spent his career with, and I think winning a championship meant more than the 1-2 million a year Stamkos may be able to make elsewhere.
I think the fact that no other team (besides maybe Toronto) was ever in this race says a lot about Stamkos, about his negotiation tactics, and about Yzerman’s willingness to allow Stamkos to leave if they couldn’t agree on a price. It sets a mark going forward for other Lightning free agents, and it should spark good GMs in the League to do the same thing – Stan Bowman has been doing the same thing for a while now, and it’s been successful in Chicago. Yzerman, Poile, and Bowman are the three best GMs in the League right now, and today’s moves will show that.
So good on Yzerman. Good on Stamkos for sticking with his team, for staying where he’ll be the captain and first line center moving forward. The deal, an 8×8.5, is a solid deal for both parties, but it will be interesting to see how Yzerman negotiates with the cap going forward. It’s sometimes hard to remember this Lightning team hasn’t managed to win a cup yet.
Hall for Larsson
The Devils were able to acquire Taylor Hall for Adam Larsson, and I think the Devils won this trade, but I don’t believe this trade is as bad as people are saying it is, especially in the light of the trade that came immediately after it.
This trade is still bad, however, because of what the Oilers gave up in Hall. He’s a strong player in every statistical category, he’s young, he’s a difference maker, and he’s a top 5 winger in this League. And that’s what the Oilers gave up in exchange for a top 4 defenseman – make no mistake, while it’s a stretch to call Larsson a top 2, he’s definitely a top 4. And that’s something Edmonton needs.
The Devils need better scoring, and they were willing to sacrifice defense for it, because if the Devils have one thing in abundance it’s defense. They can also replace Larsson on the cheap, but the same can’t be said for Hall. With everyone on the Devils roster reaching free agency, it’s important for the Devils to have a dynamic core, and with the acquisition of Hall, it’s looking like the Devils are taking shape. Plus, the Devils are a future looking team, and at just 24, Hall should be a solid part of that future. The Devils still have 24 million dollars in cap space, so we’ll see how they spend it, and how they ready themselves to compete in a strong Metro division.
But again, it’s looking like the Devils will be a much stronger team than they were last year, especially offensively.
Edmonton needs that top 4 defenseman, and while there are better options out there, especially for a return like Hall, getting a young defenseman that can grow within the team and for a cheap contract was a move the Oilers obviously considered strong enough to go through with. I just think they shouldn’t have given up Hall, who with McDavid and Puljujaarvi would have been one of the best first lines in a short time and for a long time.
Subban for Weber
And finally, the trade that has Montreal fans pulling out their hair and drinking to excess and has Nashville fans drinking to excess for a very different reason.
This is not a trade that is good for both sides. This is not a trade that makes sense for one side. This is a trade that was completely dominated by a team already with a number one defenseman, who just acquired another one. With Roman Josi, PK Subban will have the space to roam, will continue to be dangerous offensively, and will be the dominant force he was in Montreal. And goddamn the Habs for putting him in the Central. As if we didn’t already have enough problems. The Nashville Predators’ defense is stacked and while it’ll be interesting to see how they deal not only with Pekka Rinne but also with the issue of who’s captain (it’ll be Josi).
The Habs side makes much less sense. Not only did they trade a franchise player in PK, but they traded one of the NHL’s true saints. This was a guy so in love with the city of Montreal that he was raising 10 million for its hospital. And he grew up a Leafs fan. The Habs also lost a locker room guy, one of their goalie’s best friends, and someone who brought a leadership to the team, and for a team that says it values leadership – see the press release after Shaw’s acquisition citing leadership as one of the reasons he was brought in – this was not a good move.
Weber is a fine defenseman, but he’s not got the future of Subban. He’s past his prime, in his thirties, and doesn’t save the Habs that much cap room. It’ll be interesting to see how Montreal does next season, but it looks like they will remain a one man army of Carey Price, and with the entire team on his back, I doubt he’s on the Canadiens much longer.
The Predators have to be careful about Weber’s retirement, though, because if he retires before his contract expires, the Predators will have to deal with a large amount of dead cap space.