Opening Day, NHL Free Agency

It's been quite the first-ever opening day for the Kraken and GM Ron Francis. The team agreed to terms with three more big-name free agents-G Philipp Grubauer, F Jaden Schwartz and F Alexander Wennberg-after landing D Jamie Oleksiak, D Adam Larsson and G Chris Driedger during Seattle's exclusive window to negotiate with free agents as part of the expansion draft process.
Here's a roundup of the most notable, head-turning moves by the Kraken and other NHL clubs (special emphasis on Pacific division rivals). The Kraken no doubt were part of the North American buzz all day.

6 p.m.

Name Game: Big and Bigger

While the Kraken landed three more free agents (G Phillip Grubauer, F Alexander Wennberg, F Jaden Schwartz) to go with the three signed as part of the Expansion Draft (D Adam Larsson, D Jamie Oleksiak, G Chris Driedger), other teams loaded up too.
Some teams with significant salary cap room took big swings, but so did other clubs not so flush with AAV jumped in anyway.
The New Jersey Devils shored up its goalie tandem to sign Jonathan Bernier (two year, $8.25 million/$4.125 million AAV) to pair with solid young goalie Mackenzie Blackwood. Seems like a quiet move, but could play big dividends for Jersey to contend for a playoff spot. Those are two goalies who can keep their squad in games every night.
Tweet from @NJDevils: Our newest goaltender Jonathan Bernier has played 394 regular-season NHL games in his career, posting a .913 SVG% and a 2.77 GAA. Welcome to Jersey! pic.twitter.com/UbnIa202vz
The Devils and their ample cap space went all-in Wednesday, signing consensus top free agent, defenseman Dougie Hamilton, to a seven-year, $63 million deal that has a $9 million AAV. Bigger move and quite the potential mentor for 2021 No. 4 overall draft choice Luke Hughes.
Boston replaced Jaroslav Halak with a eye-opener: Signing G Linus Ullmark to a four-year, $20 million/$5 million AAV deal. He steps in as No. 1 and NCAA-turned-NHL goalie Jeremy Swayman looks to be No. 2 or maybe 1A. That sort of money for Ullmark indicates the former.
The veteran Halak is off to Vancouver to pair with another solid young goalie, Thatcher Demko, making that tandem better than Demko-Braden Holtby. Do not be surprised, Kraken fans, if Halak steals a game in the four-game set between Pacific Northwest rivals. Demko could do that same-and so could Philipp Grubauer or Chris Driedger.

Kraken Pacific division rival Los Angeles persuaded 2021 playoffs stalwart and center Phillip Danault to move west from Montreal with $33 million over six years ($5.5M AAV) perhaps talking the most. Montreal filled the gap with center Mike Hoffman (three years, $13.5 million/$4.5M AAV), which might result in more goals but likely less tenacious defensive play among Canadiens forwards.
Pacific division rival Edmonton had a good day, announcing D-man Tyson Barrie as re-signed early Wednesday. Then Oilers GM Ken Holland -added ex-New York Islander Cody Ceci to the defense corps, filling a hole left by the Kraken signing D Adam Larsson.
The biggest EDM move was reported and expected-former Toronto forward Zach Hyman (seven years, $38.5 million/$5.5M AAV) joining the Oilers and an already potent powerplay unit with megastars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. One word: Yikes.

In an intriguing one-for-one deal, Edmonton traded ex-Seattle Thunderbirds defenseman Ethan Bear to Caroline for forward Warren Foegele. Both players were protected last week during Expansion Draft proceedings, now switching teams and conferences.
Calgary was active too. If you are eyeing Flames games on your ticket planning, you can now look for former Tampa Bay Blake Coleman in the lineup. He signed Wednesday, six years, $29.4 million/$4.9 M AAV. Calgary also swapped a 2022 third-round pick for jumbo-size defenseman Nikita Zadorov from Chicago.
Coleman figures to become a favorite of old-school head coach Darryl Sutter. Not so sure the same can be said about Zadorov, who will be expected to play a physical game and get better handing the puck coming out of the defensive zone.
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4 p.m.

Kraken trade goalie Vanecek back to Caps

When Kraken GM Ron Francis and goalie Philipp Grubauer agreed to terms on a six-year deal during early Wednesday hours of NHL Free Agency, one look at the depth chart prompted a conclusion. One of the three other goalies listed would likely be changing NHL teams.
For goalie Vitek Vanecek, the change is more figurative than literal. Picked in the Expansion Draft last Wednesday as the selection from the Washington Capitals, the winningest 2020-21 rookie NHL goalie was traded back to D.C. one week later in exchange for a 2023 second-round draft choice.

The trade clears the way for a Philipp Grubauer-Chris Driedger tandem that shows great promise, with former Ottawa Joey Daccard looking to No. 3 on the depth chart.
Vanecek was a second-round pick (39th overall) in the 2014 NHL. He made his NHL debut Jan. 15, 2021, notching 30 saves in a 2-1 win against Buffalo. His first shutout also came against the Sabres, on March 15. His 21 wins in 2020-21 led NHL rookies.
11:20 a.m.

Grubauer is third new Kraken player to agree to terms

In the day's biggest surprise across the NHL, the Kraken sign goaltender Philipp Grubauer from Colorado.The contract is six years for $35.4 million total and $5.9 million salary cap hit.
Let's review Grubauer's past season. Top goalie for team with best record during 2021 regular season. Record of 30-9-1 in 40 games, notching a .922 save percentage and seven shutouts.

NHL.com columnist reported that Grubauer told him it's a "no brainer" to join the Kraken. Hmm, exactly what unrestricted free agent and Kraken defenseman said last week when asked why Seattle during an exclusive first interview.
Seeing a trend here. GM Ron Francis and his rock-solid hockey ops group are not just the talk of the Pacific Northwest, but across North America on one of hockey's renown "holidays."
11 a.m.

Jaden Schwartz agrees to terms with Kraken

It's official and it's monumental for the Kraken franchise.
St. Louis Blues left wing Jaden Schwartz has agreed to terms on a five-year contract with Seattle as an unrestricted free agent. The $27.5 million deal will come with a $5.5 million salary cap or average annual value (AAV).
"Jaden plays a responsible two-way game and knows how to put the puck in the net," said Seattle Kraken GM Ron Francis. "He brings veteran leadership to our group.

"His knowledge of the game and what it takes to win hockey's ultimate prize will be valuable as we continue to shape our inaugural roster. We're looking forward to adding his guidance to our team."
Schwartz, 29, scored 154 goals and added 231 assists in 560 games with St. Louis. The fan favorite scored 24 goals and notched 26 assists during 82 playoff games.
But here is the statistical nugget to remember: During the Blues' 2019 victorious run to the Stanley Cup, Schwartz scored 12 goals in 26 games, including two game-winners and several more momentum-changers.
He added eight assists during that postseason. Only playoffs MVP Ryan O'Reilly scored more points on a team with the more acclaimed Alex Pietrangelo, Vladmir Tarasenko and David Perron.

Special Delivery for Expansion Draft Doubters

OK, Expansion Draft doubters and critics, let's talk. Schwartz' production (12G, 8A) during the 2019 Cup run bettered the unprotected and not Kraken-selected Vladmir Tarasenko (11G, 6A) in goals and assists despite Tarasenko playing a full minute more per game on the man-advantage powerplay.
Tarasenko scored five of his 11 goals on powerplays compared to two for Schwartz. Neither scored a shorthanded (in fact, the Blues as a team didn't score one).
That computes to 10 goals from Schwartz during the vital 5-on-5 ice time, an analytics data set that discerns how a player performs when both teams are at full strength. Tarasenko calculates out to six goals during 5-on-5.
Both players averaged a bit more than 15 minutes of 5-on-5 ice time during the 2019 postseason. Schwartz checks out as nearly twice as productive.
10:50 a.m.

Wennberg agrees to terms with Kraken

We're on the Opening Day transaction board, Kraken faithful!
Center Alexander Wennberg joins the Kraken with a three-year, $13.5 million contract that equates to a $4.5 million salary cap hit or average annual value.
Wennberg is fresh from a one-year deal with Florida. The 26-year-old, left-shooting Swede scored a career-high 17 goals for the Panthers, earned an average of 18-plus minutes of ice time.
That shows trust from three-time Stanley Cup-winning coach Joel Quenneville, who increased his use of Wennberg on powerplays and penalty kills during an impressive season for Florida. Quenneville, by the way, is a former Hartford Whalers teammate of Kraken GM Ron Francis.

"Alexander is coming off of his best goal-scoring season to date and gives us an offensive-minded center down the middle," said Francis. "He's still young [26].
"We think he has room to grow even further as he has taken large strides in each of his last few seasons. We like his combination of size and skill and think he will fit well with our group."
Wennberg was drafted by Columbus in the first round (14th overall) of the 2013 NHL Draft. He played one season in his homeland pro Swedish League, then graced the CBJ roster for most the 2014-15 season (he played six AHL games with Springfield).
He played five years with the Blue Jackets, including a 13-goals, 46 assists stat line in his third season. While plus/minus (goals for and goals against per a player's time on ice) is not a preferred metric among hockey analytics experts, Wennberg's numbers do stick out.
His last four years with CBJ he was plus-21, plus-12, plus-12 and plus-16. In Florida, he was plus-8. Yes, there are lots of factors, such as who is on the ice with him and against him. But that's a strong trend paired with the aforementioned trust from Quenneville.
9:30 a.m.
No wonder Canadians say Free Agency Day 1 is like the winter holidays in July. Here a strong list of free agents who have officially moved to new teams in the first half-hour:
7:45 a.m.

Landeskog, Barrie, Ovie re-sign with their teams

With just 75 minutes away from any official announcement of players switching jerseys, time to review some late-night/overnight news about players who decided to stick with their franchises instead of testing the market.
The biggest name is Colorado captain Gabriel Landeskog, who agreed to an eight-year, $56 million contract with annual average value (AAV) of $7 million. The AAV is also called the salary cap hit. The eighth year is only allowed by the free agent's current team and expires at the 9 a.m. opening of NHL Free Agency.
Landeskog's loyalty didn't surprise too many media members. He is beloved by fans and teammates, plus the Avalanche will be in the Stanley Cup hunt for the foreseeable future.

One caveat: If goalie Philipp Grubauer slips away as an unrestricted free agent, then Colorado has a big hole to fill. There are lots of goalies in play today and throughout the weekend.
This just in: Defenseman Tyson Barrie stays with Edmonton, getting a deal done with GM Ken Holland, who clearly is a believer. Barrie signed a three-year deal for $13.5 million with a cap hit of $4.5 million.
Not-a-surprise category: Capitals megastar Alex Ovechkin re-ups in D.C. He was clear about his intent to stay and owner Ted Leonsis expressed his sentiments by giving Ovie another five years at $9.5 million.
Any eyebrows raising at the terms for a 35-year-old might take a close look at Ovechkin's production in recent seasons. His 2020-21 regular scoring pace would have yielded 44 goals during the usual 82 games.
Plus, there is the motivation to break Wayne Gretzky scoring record, which doesn't hurt ticket, gear and local broadcast/streaming. Leonsis is an innovative thinker while also understanding old-school has its own renewable qualities.