By Anna Mueller
The summer is a difficult time for hockey fans. From mid-June to early October, we have to find some other form of entertainment, whether it be another sport like baseball or football, or religiously keeping up with the NHL trades and signings. For hockey fans, this is the only sliver of hockey available during that 118-day off-season. However, it’s important to pay attention to these seemingly insignificant news alerts. This article will take a quick look at five of the most high profile trades and signings to watch as the season begins.
Artemi Panarin, #27, is a left-winger who finished the 2018-19 season with the Columbus Blue Jackets and was traded to the New York Rangers over the summer. He had a very successful season with Columbus and will play on the Rangers’s first line. Among the most expensive trades, his AAV is $11.6 million for seven years.1
What this means: Moving Panarin to the New York Rangers was an overall smart move in coming back from the team’s unexpectedly fast rebuilding process.
Sergei Bobrovsky, #30, is a goalie who also finished the 2018-19 season with the Columbus Blue Jackets and was traded to the Florida Panthers. He is now the Panthers’s number one goaltender, with an AAV of $10 million for seven years.2
What this means: This was another smart move since the Panthers were looking for a new goalie after Roberto Luongu retired at the end of last season. Bobovsky is currently one of the best in the league.
Sebastian Aho, #20, is a center who finished the 2018-19 season with the Carolina Hurricanes. When the Montréal Canadiens made him an offer sheet, the Hurricanes didn’t hesitate to lock their top center. With an AAV of $8.45 million, Aho will play with the Hurricanes for another five years.3
What this means: Locking in Aho, last season’s team leader in points, for another five years was a crucial move for Carolina as they continue to grow and rebuild after not qualifying for the post-season for the nine years in a row.
Jack Hughes, #86, is a center who will play his first NHL season in 2019-20. He has played for the USA National Development team in the USHL (United States Hockey League) since 2017. This summer, he was drafted as the first pick overall by the New Jersey Devils.4
What this means: The addition of Hughes to a recently stacked team could put the New Jersey Devils into a position to qualify for the play-offs this coming season.
Mitch Marner, #16, is a right-winger who finished the 2018-19 season with the Toronto Maple Leafs. His successful season left the team’s fans waiting anxiously for him to be signed for the 2019-20 season. While it was a later deal, eventually it was decided that he would play with the Leafs for another six years with an AAV of $10.893 million.5
What this means: The Maple Leafs devoted a large portion of their money to young, high-profile players like Marner, but keeping him will likely continue the team’s progress from last season into contention for the Atlantic Division title.
These five examples give us a sense of the types of moves that are made during the off-season, but they’re only some of the most expensive and notable. Many other moves were made on a smaller scale but will still undoubtedly yield great results in the coming season. It is not the player, but the overall team that succeeds in a sport like hockey. Beyond the pre-season games, as the regular season begins, we will start to see the impact these players have on their teams both new and old. Let the hockey begin!
Sources:
- https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/27096159/2019-nhl-free-agency-grades-analysis-every-big-signing
- Ibid
- Ibid
- https://www.forbes.com/sites/mattkalman/2019/09/15/marner-signing-means-maple-leafs-core-must-win-now/#7b87285b1987
- https://www.si.com/nhl/2019/09/13/mitch-marner-toronto-maple-leafs-six-year-contract