In this edition of the hotstove, we share our thoughts on our favorite UFA signings thus far.
Todd Cordell
Artemi Panarin is the clear cut top signing. He is one of the best wingers in the league and all it took was money to get him. He'll join a very strong core featuring the likes of Mika Zibanejad (26), Pavel Buchnevich (24), Jacob Trouba (25), Adam Fox (21), Vitali Kravtsov (19), and Kaapo Kakko (18), among others.
Beyond the obvious, my favorite signing is Joonas Donskoi in Colorado. He is a very solid 5v5 point producer (108th in points/60 over the last two seasons, good for a high-end 2nd liner), a plus-defender, and he can really skate. I think he's the perfect fit for a very fast Avalanche team that was looking for a little more production and depth on the wing.
James Tanner The best UFA signing was Artemi Panarin - he was the best player available in a game that rewards icing elite players.
While almost ever single deal was overpaying for a marginal gain (because the difference between Tanev and any reasonable replacement isn't something your eye could even notice) Panarin is at least overpaying for a significant gain.
He's arguably a top ten forward (likely higher) and he makes a huge impact, and is the best signing of the year in the same way that Tavares was last year. (i.e any arguments to the contrary are wrong).
Since this is so obvious as to make it uninteresting, a good one to look at is Robin Lehner at $5 million.
If he is the goalie he was last year, this is like getting Panarin for less than half price. If you could guarantee Lehner would repeat his performance from last season, he'd be worth $15 million ,easily.
Just guessing, but $5 million for a one-in-three chance of being a $15 player is probably about right. Still, the fact that the Hawks get such a low cap-hit on a no-term deal is pretty insane.
Based on last year alone, if he were to sign a one-year deal, you'd think Lehner would be able to command way more. That alone makes this the second best deal of the day, and possibly the best.
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