Labar: NHL Free Agency from the Fans’ Point of View

By Abby Labar
Sportmoney Columnist

Oh the beauty and drama of NHL Free Agency. Following the NHL Draft and the few trades we witnessed then, free agency officially opened at noon on July 1st. Hockey fans have been watching closely over the past week, on the edge of our seats with high hopes that our favorite players re-sign or sign, while also fearing the worst: having to throw away our $200 dollar jerseys with a name on the back that broke our hearts. 

I was going to compose another “Ask the Experts” column to get favorite and least favorite moves from friends that are dialed-in the most to the NHL. But then I thought to myself, some of the die-hard fans I know could be considered experts themselves. Many of them probably follow the organizations more closely than anyone because they are focused on one team rather than the entire league. And let’s be honest…at the end of the day, us experts are fans of the sport too. 

So low and behold, we “Asked the Fans” their favorite and least favorite free agency moves. I texted a few friends, took to Twitter and posted on Instagram as well. I didn’t include all of the responses because a lot of them were actually similar. 

Many agreed that the New Jersey Devils made some paramount moves that have their fans excited despite a disappointing season that fell below expectations (myself included, because I bet on them to win the Stanley Cup when I was in Vegas last June). Others were in awe of what Nashville did overall and felt that bittersweet feeling in regard to Steven Stamkos leaving Tampa Bay. 

The last chunk of responses I received that expressed similar thoughts and emotion? The angry Buffalo Sabres fans. Sorry guys, I feel you on that too. 

Let’s get into it!

• Rich from Ocean City Maryland, a lifelong Blackhawks fan who grew up with the likes of Doug Wilson, Jeremy Roenick, and Chris Chelios, and now loves the Kyle Davidson rebuild: “A huge fan of adding Bertuzzi, Teravainen and Brossoit. Exactly the talent the Blackhawks need to take the next step of being competitive on the ice in addition to adding veteran leadership in Martinez, Maroon, C. Smith and Brodie. Incremental steps from worst to first, I believe the Blackhawks are on their way to another decade of great hockey.”

• Ian Glazer, 34 years old, New York Rangers season ticket holder: “Stammer to the Preds!!!!!!”

• Jason R., 29 years old, die-hard Stars fan since his STH neighbors growing up shared their tickets with his family 13 years ago: “Favorite move was the Devils picking up Brett Pesce. He slots into their top four and solidifies their defense in front of a newly obtained goalie in Markstorm. [Jason, I love this move too] As for my Stars, I loved the re-signing of Matt Duchene to a team-friendly deal. I’ve enjoyed the chemistry he has with Seguin and Marchment as well as his honesty in interviews. My least favorite move overall in the NHL and unfortunately for me is the Stars signing of Lyubushkin. On paper it makes sense but I think the eye test and analytics tell a different story. I think the term and AAV are both too high, but maybe he will surprise everyone.”

• JD Lindberg, 37 years old, NHL/MLB Network Producer and lifelong Bruins fan: “Moreso takeaways rather than favorite and least favorite moves here, the Stamkos and Marchessault reunion with the Predators is exciting for me. How about what was basically a trade between the Bruins and Vancouver? An interesting one with three Boston players (Jake DeBrusk, Danton Heinen, Derek Forbort) to Van and two coming back (Nikita Zadorov, Elias Lindholm). Tyler Toffoli disappointed me a little by taking the money in San Jose. I would have rather liked to see him sign a shorter term deal somewhere with a legitimate contender.”

• Sam Wallace, 26 years old, Co-Host of a podcast that covers the Carolina Hurricanes called The Caniac Report: “Favorite move is Nashville signing Brady Skjei and least favorite move was Columbus signing Sean Monahan.” 

• Debbie Holmes, Carolina Hurricanes Season Ticket Holder since 2000: “We were really upset to lose Jake Guentzel because of his scoring abilities, and the duo of Brett Pesce and Brady Skjei on defense was one of the hardest losses. I knew we couldn’t keep everyone with so many free agents this offseason so trying to be optimistic about bringing Ghost back and adding Sean Walker.” 

I obviously have a very big Carolina Hurricanes following having formerly spent several years within the organization. I had many other Canes fans reach out echoing similar sentiments. Despite losing a beloved player in Teuvo Teravainen, the consensus was more that Brady Skjei and Brett Pesce were harder losses to bear. Even the Jake Guentzel signing in Tampa Bay seemed to be one of the more crushing to the souls of Hurricanes fans. Well, with the exception of this one fan…

• Michael Hall, 27 years old, OG Carolina Hurricanes fan but more recently a Nashville Predators fan: “Sean Walker and Ghost at $6.8 combined AAV is better for the Canes by a mile than Pesce and Skjei at $12.5 combined.” 

Okay, so I have to say I was impressed with the insight from fans. I agree with a lot of it more than I disagree with these takes. I do think one team that got better that wasn’t mentioned or discussed enough is the Washington Capitals. They have been extremely active over the last couple of weeks in restructuring and bringing in some solid talent, especially on the blue line, filling in the gaps perfectly. 

Personally, as somebody who lives in New York and covers the Devils, Islanders, and Rangers now, I’m really excited about this Devils team. In my time with the Hurricanes, I can tell you how great of a locker room guy Brett Pesce is – in addition to his skillset – so it’s a great move not only on the ice, but for the culture and the fan support. Enough to put my money on them again to win it all? Let’s have that conversation another day.