2015 NHL free agency winners

The NHL’s annual frenzy of wheeling and dealing is done for another year, and, as always seems to be the case, there were plenty of storylines.

Now that the dust has settled, here are some of my free agency winners:

Columbus
Did something akin to a miracle, trading for Chicago’s Brandon Saad, and did so without compromising the rest of their young roster. They handed the two-time Stanley Cup champion a six-year contract after the Blackhawks had previously indicated that Saad was in their plans for many years to come.

Saad to the Blue Jackets was part of a monster six-player trade. He joins Ryan Johansen and a group of other really good players. The Jackets should be contenders this year.

Mike Green
A mainstay of the Washington defence in the past few years, and the only blue-liner to score 30 goals in one season in the last decade, was demoted in Washington, didn’t like that, and moved on to the Detroit Red Wings. Easily a top-four defenceman in the Motor City.

Calgary
Got Dougie Hamilton out of Boston, signed goalie Kari Ramo to a new deal and signed Michael Frolik from Winnipeg. The Hamilton acquisition is the only major one, but general manager Brad Treliving made smart moves that leave some cap space left for, possibly, another free agent.

Big moves aren’t always good moves, and Treliving seems to understand this.

Pittsburgh
There were whispers at the draft last weekend that the Penguins were keen to nab Phil Kessel from Toronto to stick him on a line with Evgeni Malkin, at a cap hit of $6.8 million a year.

It’s been suggested that the loss of James Neal stunted Malkin offensively last year, and Kessel is definitely an upgrade on Neal. That’s going to be a scary duo for opposition teams to handle going forward, and the good news for the often-abrasive Kessel is that he doesn’t need to be the team’s number one guy. He can lurk mostly in the background, and he’ll be happy about that.

Toronto
The trade of Kessel to Pittsburgh was a winner for both teams. Toronto wanted him gone. Kessel wanted to be gone. Now he is, and the Leafs can look towards a new future with Mike Babcock at the helm.

Wonder who else they’ll look to move? Tyler Bozak and Joffrey Lupul are likely candidates in that regard.

Washington
Definitely won, giving up Troy Brouwer for ex-St Louis Blue TJ Oshie, plus an AHL goalie and a 2016 third-round draft pick. The Olympic shootout specialist never quite became the superstar many of us thought he would be in the Gateway City – at least, not in the playoffs, where it really counts – but has a chance to reboot his career with Barry Trotz and the Capitals. Man, the Metropolitan Division is loaded now.

Buffalo
Grabbed Ryan O’Reilly from Colorado, and gave him a seven-year extension for a healthy $52.5 million. He’s only 24, and will doubtless enjoy playing with Evander Kane, Jack Eichel, Tyler Ennis and the rest of the group general manager Tim Murray is putting together.

Antoine Vermette
What a difference a few months make in hockey! Traded away from Arizona at the deadline, won a Stanley Cup with Chicago – and was a big part of that win, too – and now finds himself back in Phoenix, at least for as long as the Coyotes are there.

Obviously, Vermette is comfortable there, returning on a two-year contract at $3.75 million per year, and comes after Arizona received a first-round pick and a likely prospect for Vermette in the first place.

Martin St Louis
Had a chance to play on – there were apparently interested parties in New Jersey and Pittsburgh – but the pint-sized superstar, who wrote the book on punching above his weight, is retiring on his own terms. That doesn’t often happen in hockey, but I’m very glad it did for MSL, who is definitely one of the good guys in the sport.

We should see him in the Hall of Fame soon, too, if there’s any justice.