NHL's Free Agency Opening

The NHL free agency started with a lot of high profile players going to new teams. First off, was Vincent Lecavalier. It came as a surprise, to even myself, when the Lightning announced they were buying out his contract. Lecavalier remains a significant offensive asset and it surprised me to see him go like that. He signed a 5-year, 22.5 million dollar contract with the Philadelphia  Flyers. I think he still has some years left, and he'll definitely enhance the offence in Philly.

The cap space to sign Lecavalier was only made possible when Philly bought out veteran forward Daniel Briere. Coming off his least productive season of his career, Briere has moved on to the Montreal Canadiens with a two year agreement. While I'm not sure it adds to the size factor GM Marc Bergevin is aiming for, but maybe a new atmosphere will be beneficial for Briere. Besides, Montreal also acquired George Parros from the Florida Panthers to give the Canadiens more size and toughness; Parros stands at a towering 6'5".

Other big signings include Jarome Iginla going to Boston for a year. After rejecting a trade to Boston before going to Pittsburgh, his reception in Boston will most likely take a little time. Michael Ryder,  along with Ryan Clowe, signed with the New Jersey Devils. And Nikolai Khabibulin returns to Chicago now that Devan Dubnyk has taken over in Edmonton. Lastly, Nathan Horton has settled on a seven year deal with the Columbus Blue Jackets after announcing he would test free agency instead of re-signing in Boston.

Along with free agent signings, some very big trades happened today that require recognition. The Dallas Stars have traded for Tyler Seguin from Boston, sending Loui Eriksson in return. The Stars have also acquired Shawn Horcoff from the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for Philip Larsen and a draft pick. Another team making a big trade is Ottawa as they get Bobby Ryan from Anaheim. Ryan has had three consecutive 30-goal seasons and is sure to bolster the Sens offence now that Daniel Alfredsson has gone to the Red Wings.

The free agency isn't over yet, and many players are still looking for homes for this coming season. I doubt I'll be reporting on those, most of the high profile players have already been signed.