It has been a tumultuous summer in the NHL, and so much of the action has centered around the New York area. The Devils and Rangers picked Nos. 1 and 2 in the draft, respectively, and by all accounts, both took generational players. New Jersey then traded for one of the most flamboyant and talented players in the league, P.K. Subban, while the Blueshirts countered by signing the biggest free agent, Artemi Panarin.
The Islanders, who spent the past year showing the positive impact of having adults in charge, are on the verge of getting a shovel in the ground for their long-awaited new arena.
There are still a couple of impactful things that could happen between now and the start of training camps in September. But the 2019-20 NHL season is going to be as interesting as any in this area in a long time, so let’s recap what has happened and what still might.
Rangers
The rebuilding is going splendidly, even though new team president John Davidson likes to just call it a “build.” General manager Jeff Gorton is also averse to using the word “accelerated,” as in the timeline from tearing it down to being competitive has turned out to be quite a bit shorter than most might have realized.
The summer started with trading for the long-coveted righty-shot defenseman in his prime, Jacob Trouba. Gorton only sent back the Jets the first-round pick (No. 20 overall) obtained from Winnipeg in the Kevin Hayes rental, plus Neal Pionk. Now he just has to find the salary-cap space to sign Trouba, a restricted free agent.
Gorton then had a no-lose situation of picking second in the draft, taking big-bodied Finnish winger Kaapo Kakko. The 18-year-old is already penciled into the opening day lineup.
Then came the windfall, the signing of the biggest free agent, Panarin, to a seven-year, $81.5 million deal. The super-talented Russian winger immediately took the Rangers from being an interesting young team into a dangerous one.
Gorton still has to figure out how he’s going to clear some cap space, and that includes deciding the future of power forward and team leader, Chris Kreider, who is going into the final year of his deal. Also on the trade block would be restricted free agent Pavel Buchnevich, as well as Vladislav Namestnikov.
Islanders
Team president Lou Lamoriello struck out on his biggest offseason target, Panarin. He then somehow managed to bungle the negotiations with Vezina Trophy finalist, Robin Lehner, who didn’t bite on an ultimatum and ended up walking out for just a one-year, $5 million deal in Chicago. Lamoriello replaced him with a bloated four-year, $20 million deal for 31-year-old Semyon Varlamov, the highest hope being that he can mentor highly touted prospect and fellow Russian, Ilya Sorokin, who has at least one more year left in the KHL.
Lamoriello did lock up his other three big free agents with relatively modest deals — Anders Lee (seven years, $7 million per), Brock Nelson (six years, $6 million per), and Jordan Eberle (five years, $5.5 million per).
Defenseman Nick Leddy remains the best possible trade piece, with his three years at $5.5 million per being an attractive price for the smooth-skating 28-year-old. But he likely won’t bring back the big return that would turn the Islanders into a contender.
Devils
Draft weekend in Vancouver was huge in raising interest for the hockey team in Newark, starting with the selection of Jack Hughes with the top-overall pick. The diminutive American center has long been thought of as the gem of this draft class, and Devils general manager Ray Shero took him with little hesitation. The 18-year-old wunderkind will have every chance to make the team out of camp.
But before that weekend could wrap up, Shero traded for Subban, the electric 30-year-old defenseman who brought his $9 million salary-cap hit for the next three seasons with him from Nashville. Going back were two young (and marginal) defensemen, Steve Santini and Jeremy Davies, along with two second-round picks.
Immediately the Devils were more interesting. Then added into the mix was the free-agent signing of Wayne Simmonds to a one-year, $5 million deal.
With some questions still in nets, including the health and remaining ability of Cory Schneider, the team might not be ready for the big time. But it will be ready for some increased attention.