Seriously, who among us will ever forget the Dallas Stars' victory parade last summer?
Armed with free agent signings Ben Bishop, Alexandre Radulov, Martin Hanzel and Marc Methot, the Stars were can't-miss. Were poised to run roughshod over the NHL and win the Stanley Cup.
Except, of course, they didn't. Dallas didn't even sniff the playoffs.
Remember the one about the Capitals? They were the biggest losers last offseason, right? Not only were they taking a big step back after losing Karl Alzner and Justin Williams, their Metropolitan Division rivals were all getting better. The Rangers made the best free agent signing by adding hometown boy Kevin Shattenkirk, formerly of the Capitals. The defending champion Penguins were going to be even better with Matt Hunwick.
The Jets added Steve Mason because, obviously, they didn't have confidence in Connor Hellebuyck.
The Lightning were going to struggle mightily because all they did was sign Chris Kunitz and Dan Girardi.
The Devils? Brian Boyle was a decent signing but they could forget about making the playoffs.
See what I'm saying here?
The Stanley Cup might be awarded in June but it's seldom won in July through free agency.
Yet all the aforementioned were legitimate talking points made by knowledgeable people this exact same time one year ago, even on this site at times. We're going to protect the names of the not-so innocent here, but predicting winners and losers in free agency is a fool's errand.
But you know what? It's fun. Hockey is a multimillion dollar business, but in the middle of July when the only thing frozen has salt around the lip and a tiny umbrella sticking out of it, it's fun to think what the coming season could bring.
So, without further adieu, here are my winners and losers so far this offseason. And if I'm wrong, please forget to remind me next year.
WINNERS
1. MAPLE LEAFS: Doesn't matter if it's a trade or free agency, if you get the best player, you win. John Tavares was the biggest fish out there and GM Kyle Dubas and the Leafs landed the former Islanders star for seven years at $11 million per. Toronto was already a team on the rise and Tavares certainly puts them among the favorites. But unless JT can play defense, I don't see how he puts them over the top this season. Toronto bills itself as the Center of the Hockey Universe. This time, it's actually true.
2. FLAMES: After scoring 40 goals with the Penguins in 2011-12, James Neal always leaves you wanting just a little more. But he's still a solid 25-goal guy and plays with an edge. Five years at $5.75 million sounds about right for his services. He's also helped each of his last two teams, the Predators and Golden Knights, to the Stanley Cup Final. Can he do the same for the Flames? They certainly have some talent up front with Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan and Matthew Tkachuk to go along with former Hurricanes Elias Lindholm and Derek Ryan.
3. FLYERS: It's not just the addition of James van Riemsdyk. JVR scored a career-high 36 goals last season in a contract year. More than likely, he's a 25-goal guy in his return to Philadelphia. But it's what he allows the Flyers to do that is intriguing. Of course, this is assuming that 2019 UFA Wayne Simmonds isn't dealt. Theoretically, the Flyers could move Claude Giroux back to center with Sean Couturier and Nolan Patrick behind him. As we know on the other side of Pennsylvania, center depth is paramount.
LOSERS
1. ISLANDERS: To be fair, the summer hasn't been a total loss. They got the best coach available and a Cup champion in Barry Trotz. Lou Lamoriello also had a very strong draft, particularly in the first round with Oliver Wahlstrom and Noah Dobson at picks Nos. 11 and 12. They still have Calder winner Mathew Barzal. But that can't sugarcoat the loss of Tavares, their captain. If there's any consolation for long-suffering Islanders fans, it's that their Cup drought is only 35 years. Tavares is facing a 51-year drought in a fishbowl environment in Toronto.
2. CANUCKS: Vancouver lost two of its best players and civic icons in Daniel and Henrik Sedin. And they replaced them with bottom-six guys like Jay Beagle and Antoine Roussel. Both are complementary players, the final piece for a legit Cup contender. The Canucks are clearly not that. Incredibly, Beagle and Roussel both got four-year deals at $3 million per. Those type of contracts are anchors around a bad team's neck.
3. KINGS: Los Angeles was exposed as slow and out of touch during the first round by the speedy Golden Knights. Naturally, the Kings signed Ilya Kovalchuk to a three-year, $18.75 million contract. Oh, did we mention that Kovalchuk is 35 and hasn't taken a shift in the NHL in five years? Part of me gets that the Kings believe their window is still open to win one more Cup ... but they haven't won one in five years. Might be time to move on. In 2020-21, the Kings will have $54 million tied up in eight players over age 30, five of them over age 35.
