Here are the 5 Best Moves teams have made since the Free Agency period opened:
1. Paul Stastny (C) to St. Louis Blues (4 yrs/$28 million)
The top center on the market, Stastny, just 28 years old, helped lead the Avalanche to a 52 win season en-route to a first place finish atop the Western Conference's Central division. Stastny finished the season with 60 points in 71 games and added 10 points in their 7 game series versus the Wild. Stastny's signing with the Blues adds the center that they have lacked in recent years and creates an even more potent lineup for the team that finished just one point behind the Avalanche last season and saw a very disappointing playoff performance with a first round exit. Stastny could be the final piece of the Blues playoff puzzle and St. Louis is a team that looks to finish near the top of the Western Conference standings next season.
2. Ryan Miller (G) to Vancouver Canucks (3 yrs/ $18 million)
From the top center to the top netminder, Miller was the biggest name on the Goalie market and after St. Louis decided not to extend a contract offer to the 33 year old goaltender, Vancouver scooped Miller up in hopes to stop their goaltending woes of recent. After the Roberto Luongo debacle and the trade of Cory Schneider, the Canucks were lacking a distinguished and proven goalie. Vancouver hopes that Miller can fill that void. The 33 year old finished last season 25-30-4 with a 2.64 Goals Against Average and .918 Save Percentage, going 10-8-1 after being traded to St. Louis at the trade deadline. Miller will attempt to lead Vancouver back to the playoffs and prove that he still is an elite level goalie after a subpar playoff performance. For Vancouver this is a great signing because it will give them stability in net so that they can focus on the rest of their lineup in front of Miller.
3. Thomas Vanek (LW) to Minnesota Wild (3 yrs/ $19.5 million)
Vanek spent the majority of the 13' - 14' season with the NY Islanders after an early season trade from Buffalo where he had spent his entire career. However, when the trade deadline approached, one name was amongst the most commonly talked about being on the move. Vanek was traded at the deadline to the Canadiens. Vanek finished the season with 68 points including 15 in his 18 games with Montreal during the regular season. Montreal reached the Eastern Conference Finals and along the way Vanek added another 10 points over 17 games. Thomas Vanek is still one of the purest scorers in the league and is just 30 years old. This signing by the Wild is one that shows that Minnesota is displaying a win now attitude after signing big name Free Agents Zach Parise and Ryan Suter last free agency period, they have now added Vanek who looks to play on either the top or second line as the Wild attempt to shore up their scoring after finishing 24th in the league last season.
4. Christian Ehrhoff (D) to Pittsburgh Penguins (1 yr/ $4 million)
Ehrhoff had a down season in 13' - 14' (33 pts, +/- minus 27) and his tenure with Buffalo after 3 seasons of his massive 10 year/ $40 million contract has come to a close after Buffalo decided to buy out Ehrhoff''s contract with concern that Ehrhoff would potentially retire before the end of his contract and leave Buffalo with salary penalties. With Ehrhoff on the free agency market and Pittsburgh in need of defensive help after Brooks Orpik and Matt Niskanen left for Washington, Ehrhoff was a perfect fit for the Penguins roster. A puck-moving defenseman who in his best seasons with Vancouver scored 14 goals and over 30 assists in each season, Ehrhoff is a very talented, albeit underrated, player who can easily step in and help make a difference for the Penguins. For just a one year commitment at a low price for a player of Ehrhoff's caliber, this could be the steal of free agency.
5. Brad Richards (C) to Chicago Blackhawks (1 yr/ $2 million)
This is a very interesting signing by the Blackhawks. Richards, once a perennial All-Star and MVP caliber player (Two seasons with 91 points) now 34 years of age is still a top 6 forward in any line up, but has had times where he doesn't show up for stretches of time. Richards fits with the Blackhawks roster perfectly as they have lacked depth at the center position behind Jonathan Toews. Richards finished the 13'-14' campaign with 20 goals for the ninth time in his career and added 31 assists to finish with 51 points. Richards is also a very valuable Powerplay asset with 356 Powerplay points over 13 seasons. If Richards can contribute the same, or better, numbers that he was able to supply to the Stanley Cup Finalist Rangers, then 1 year at $2 million is more than a steal for a player of Richards' talent. Richards also brings leadership to Chicago as he stepped up after Captain Ryan Callahan was traded away at the deadline. It will be interesting to see if Richards is able to make a major contribution to a team that is always in the race for the Stanley Cup.
Honorable Mentions
Jarome Iginla (RW) to Colorado Avalanche (3 yrs/ $16 million)
This would be a top 5 acquisition if it weren't for the years. Sure Iginla showed last season in Boston that he still is at the top of his game contributing 61 points with 30 goals. But a 3 year commitment to a player who is 37 years old is risky. However, it is a great signing for the Avalanche who can replace some of Stastny's production by plugging Iginla into the lineup and the 3 years could wind up paying off for the Av's.
Dan Boyle (D) to New York Rangers (2 yrs/ $9 million)
The addition of Boyle gives the Rangers perhaps the best top 4 defense as Boyle joins Girardi, Staal, and McDonagh in what was already one of the stingiest defenses in the league (4th in goals against). Boyle's offensive nature gives the Rangers blueline some firepower and Boyle can be an immediate boost to a powerplay which finished in the middle of the pack this year. The Rangers continue to boast a loaded blueline and look to build off of their Stanley Cup Finals appearance.
Anton Stralman (D) to Tampa Bay Lightning (5 yrs/ $22.5 million)
Stralman was one of the most consistent players on the roster for the Rangers on their playoff run and is a very talented defenseman. Stralman joins Brian Boyle as two former Rangers to join their ex-Captain Ryan Callahan with the Lightning. Stralman notched 13 points for the Rangers this season and is a player that can be leaned on to log a lot of ice time. He will be a top 4 defenseman for the Lightning and could very well be paired with rising star Victor Hedman on the top pairing for the Lightning this upcoming season.
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