The offseason crawls along as we look at the worst signings of the Atlantic Division. Soon, it will be September and training camps will open. In the meantime, it is time to take a look back at what signings were made during the free-agency period.
When combing through the signings, this was the division that probably had the most. Let’s take a look at
Anton Stralman — D — Signed UFA with Florida (3 years, $5.5 million AAV)
Florida signed a polarizing figure in Sergei Bobrovsky (who is not on this list only because of results). However, Stralman getting $5.5 million AAV at this stage is interesting and troubling. Consider the defenseman has declined from an offensive point of view. He barely can muster 20-point seasons, though he was on a 30 point pace last year before injuries.
The 33-year-old defenseman started to play tougher defensive minutes last season and arguably he lost a step or two. His possession metrics tilted heavily toward the negative (-5% relative to team averages for Tampa Bay). This trend began in 2016-17 and has slowly worsened.
Here is a bit more from PuckPedia.
Again, Florida needed a veteran presence and that is understandable. However, was paying Stralman the answer? Probably not. Going the more expensive route for a defenseman whose numbers were decreasing is peak Dale Tallon.
Stralman’s numbers trended downward not just because of deployment. There were too many times during the season where the former Tampa defenseman was beaten by players that would not previously. Tampa probably was almost happy he went to an Atlantic Division rival.
First, it is not easy to see the decline in playing time and attribute it to nothing more than coincidence. Then, there is the fact that Stralman barely played over 20 minutes a night last season. Just a couple of seasons ago, he played nearly 23 minutes a night.
Some more thoughts on this Atlantic Division signing
There is probably no way he lasts this entire contract in Florida. Three years does not sound like long but the Swedish defenseman will be 36 then. It seems more likely Stralman would get traded at some juncture than bought out. However, with Florida, one never quite knows.
Florida will not make the playoffs or contend in the Atlantic Division with this type of move. Bobrovsky was the bigger splash but this signing makes Bobrovsky’s job harder not easier — especially in years 2 and 3 of the deal.
Keith Kinkaid — G — Signed UFA with Montreal (1 year, $1.75 million AAV)
While the price tag is okay and there is a risk, Kinkaid needs to work on quite a bit to be a serviceable backup to Carey Price. Something fell off precipitously in New Jersey last year. It was more than the on-ice performance that got Kinkaid traded.
His games started (38) was the same as 2017-18 where Kinkaid guided the New Jersey Devils into the playoffs. Then, he hit the wall against Tampa Bay during the first two games of the series. After that, the goaltender was never quite right. Something seemed off and the first ten starts of the regular season were telling.
The goalie went from 16 games above .500 to three games below. That is not all on Kinkaid but some games the goalie looked like he checked out. There was a game against Toronto where he let up three goals an AHL goaltender would never allow. It was a sign of things to come.
PuckPedia has a little more on the goalie here.
Kinkaid’s goals saved above average plummeted to nearly 22 goals below average. That again is replaceable. Montreal needed to upgrade from Antti Niemi and that is true. However, there were other goaltenders out there like Curtis McElhinney (who signed for cheaper in Tampa Bay).
The fact that Columbus never played Kinkaid once tells people something. Again, has he learned anything from this experience? Time will tell. Montreal hopes he did because they will need him to be more like 2017-18 Kinkaid and quickly.
A few final thoughts on this Atlantic Division signing
The upside seems to be the term, amount, and little else. At least Montreal did not spend over $2 million here.
