NHL free agency 2022: Who are the winners and losers of day 1?

After one day of the 2022 NHL free agency period, one thing is clear and that’s quite simply that nothing is ever clear. From a day of a few twists and one very unexpected turn, we’ve picked out the winners and losers for your viewing pleasure.

Johnny Gaudrau starts 2022 NHL Free Agency with a bang

The first day of the 2022 NHL Free Agency period saw quite a few contracts signed by free agents, but for the most part none of them were surprising. Then, Calgary Flames star Johnny Gaudreau - out of nowhere - sign a massive $68.6 million deal with the Columbus Blue Jackets and with that, effectively plunged everything on its head. Reports suggested that the Flames put a large sum of money on the table, but Gaudreau - citing family reasons - said no. Then there were the Philadelphia Flyers, a team long linked with Gaudreau and his expected destination, but they too failed to convince one of the league’s best players. It was on that note, that Free Agency started and with that, we present you with the winners and losers from the first day:

Winners

Ottawa Senators

The Senators seem to be in a great moment. Having traded for Alex DeBrincat, thereby freeing up cap space by dealing Matt Murray, the Senators found even more success after a very prosperous NHL Draft weekend. That’s now topped off by the signing of a local hero, with Claude Giroux joining on a three-year contract. It should be said that was heavily criticized less than a year ago, perhaps there about to turn a corner, at least it certainly looks that way.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Though they left it late, the Penguins must be commended for maintaining their core trio of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang even though they had limited salary cap space to work with. This of course was after some strenuous weeks during which it seemed as though both Malkin and Letang could be out the door. Ultimately, the franchise was able to agree on salaries and terms, which is noteworthy where Malkin specifically is concerned, because of how near to Free Agency it was agreed.

Tampa Bay Lightning

Suprise package of the day? While the Lightning didn’t acquire any new star on Wednesday, what they did do was very skillfully negotiate eight-year contract extensions for existing stars Mikhail Sergachev, Anthony Cirelli, and Erik Cernak. Even more impressive is that they all came within minutes of each other. Also worth mentioning, is the fact that none of the three were on expiring contracts, which is to say that convincing them to commit for the foreseeable future was quite a feat.

Edmonton Oilers

At long last, the Oilers have found themselves a decent goaltender. On the first day of free agency, the Oilers signed Jack Campbell to a five-year contract with long term and unpredictable Mike Smith expect to either depart or for long term-term injury reserve or retirement. Though some may argue that Campbell’s signing is a risk following a less than ideal spell with the Maple Leafs, the fact is Smith was a hole that needed to be plugged and they did just that

Losers

Calgary Flames

Though it’s probably unfair to include them in this list, to lose a player of Gaudreau’s caliber can only be counted as a loss. On the other hand, this is in no way a reflection of ineptitude on the franchise’s part, but rather the way the cookie crumbled. GM Brad Treliving said, they did everything they could to retain Gaudreau and quite frankly they did. A reported eight-year contract worth more than $10 million a year was offered, but Gaudreau’s mind was made up. Incidentally, up to 48 hours before Free Agency began it most definitely seemed like a clear-cut case of a team wanting a player to stay who in turn, wanted to stay. In the end, Gaudreau cited a desire for a new home for his family as the reason he wanted to leave and that was that. “...The hard part of this business is that we have to move on,” said Treliving.

Philadelphia Flyers

Another candidate on this list who is here due to fallout from Gaudreau’s shock move, the Flyers have long been linked with the prolific winger. A Cherry Hill native, it seemed all but certain that Gaudreau would be on his way to Philadelphia. Yet, what’s interesting here is that even if Gaudreau had chosen the Flyers, they wouldn’t have been able to clear cap space to get him following the acquisition of Tony DeAngelo and Rasmus Ristolainen. Additionally, for a team that claimed it’s trying to “aggressively retool” it seems odd that their only acquisitions were Justin Braun and Nic Deslauriers.

Las Vegas Golden Knights

Last but not least, we’ve got the Golden Knights. The Las Vegas based franchise traded left wing Max Pacioretty to the Hurricanes for what we can essentially call peanuts. While it’s true that they needed the cap space - some $7 million - in order to acquire forward Reilly Smith to the contract they had promised him, that they traded Pacioretty for nothing is actually quite embarrassing.

And there you have it! Be sure to check back in with us here on AS USA as we will be brining you constant updates as the NHL’s Free Agency period continues!