Following one of the most interesting Stanley Cup Playoffs in the history of the sport, an offseason not lacking fireworks took place. Here are my thoughts on the 2014 offseason.
– Aaron Ekblad, the first overall pick in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, will be good. I don’t think he is the player that can carry a team to the Stanley Cup, but he will become one of the best defensemen very soon.
– The Ryan Kesler acquisition in a trade from Vancouver was a smart move for Anaheim. They lacked a true second line center behind captain Ryan Getzlaf, and Kesler will offer excellent offensive and defensive prowess.
– I wasn’t a huge fan of Vancouver’s return for Kesler, but it was time for the team to part with him. Man, they really bungled up a team that won back to back Presidents Trophys. I like the addition of former player Trevor Linden as President, and Bruins assistant GM Jim Benning as the general manager. One thing they’ll do? Make the team tougher. That’s a priority in Vancouver.
– The James Neal trade from Pittsburgh to Nashville for Nick Spaling and Patric Hornqvist really shocked me. My biggest problem with the Penguins is that they haven’t given their two superstars, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, elite wingers to play with. Neal wasn’t the worst guy playing with Malkin, but the Penguins also have a serious lack of depth. Hornqvist and Spaling will help with that problem.
I loved this trade for Nashville. Playing in a very undesirable market for an average team is not particularly appealing to free agents, so this constituted their best way of acquiring a first line forward.
– When Brad Richards was bought out by the Rangers this offseason, I commented on Twitter that I expected him to sign in Chicago as a second line center. I nailed that one.
The ‘Hawks have five top six forwards in Jonathan Toews, Marian Hossa, Patrick Sharp, Brandon Saad, and Patrick Kane, but they lack a second center behind Toews. Richards will seamlessly slide into that position, bringing much more skill than those who played the position last year for Chicago. The Blackhawks just got that much better. Watch out.
– Who really won my award for the best general manager of the off-season? To me, there’s no doubt that it’s Jim Nill of the Dallas Stars. He acquired Jason Spezza and Ales Hemsky from the Ottawa Senators, adding another elite center behind star Tyler Seguin. In the last calendar year, Nill has acquired two top centers in a market that is barren of such elite talents.
– The Paul Stastny signing is very intriguing to me. The Blues gave the market’s top talent $28 million over the next four seasons. Is it an overpay? Sure, but St. Louis desperately needed to match the moves of Western competitors Anaheim (Kesler) and Chicago (Richards), especially after losing goaltender Ryan Miller to the Vancouver Canucks.
Captain David Backes is an elite forward, but he doesn’t bring the pure ability to put up points that Stastny does. This was an excellent move.
To be continued…
[Photo Credit: Getty Images]
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