The NHL's offseason signing period was kicked into overdrive Sunday, as four star players were handsomely rewarded with fresh new contracts. The onslaught of news, which we'll get to below, created plenty of buzz in hockey circles, and rightfully so.
Alas, it's time to dole out some grades, and come to a verdict on which teams will benefit from, or come to regret their recent blockbuster roster decisions.
Carey Price
The Montreal Canadiens got things started, handing out an eight-year, $84-million contract extension to Price, which will make him the highest paid goalie in the NHL at the start of the 2018-19 campaign.
Price's new megadeal also ties him with Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane for the highest AAV in the league at $10.5 million. That, of course, will only last until Connor McDavid puts pen to paper on an extension in Edmonton.
Price has undoubtedly asserted himself as one of the world's best, and the Canadiens' most important player. He's two seasons removed from winning the Vezina Trophy and MVP, but eight years for a netminder who's about to turn 30 might be a tad lengthy.
General manager Marc Bergevin isn't wrong to identify Price as the club's centerpiece, but whether the netminder can be just that until he's 38 remains to be seen.
Grade: B-
Patrick Marleau
The Toronto Maple Leafs made a considerable splash Sunday by landing Marleau, but what comes next will be paramount to determine the success of the three-year, $18.75-million deal.
Marleau will be 38 when next season begins, but he hasn't missed a game since 2008-09, and is coming off a 27-goal campaign in San Jose. He should contribute nicely to an already potent Leafs attack as a complementary piece to Auston Matthews, William Nylander, and Mitch Marner.
However, the addition of Marleau alone doesn't exactly push the young club over the top. If he can replace a forward that perhaps gets dealt for the defensive help Toronto so desperately covets, this contract could be a major step toward the Maple Leafs contending while their window is wide open.
Grade: B
Evgeny Kuznetsov
Kuznetsov can be a hell of a player, but his lucrative eight-year, $62.4-million extension certainly doesn't help the Washington Captials' salary cap conundrum.
After recording 77 points in 2015-16, Kuznetsov appeared to be on the fast track to superstardom, but he dipped to 59 points last year, and his $7.8-million annual cap hit, among other choices from Brian MacLellan, has already forced Marcus Johansson out the door to alleviate some financial pressure.
The cap hit for Kuznetsov, just 25, is reasonable, but offering max term with numerous key decisions still to make this offseason raises several questions for the Capitals' front office.
Grade: C
Joe Thornton
Despite many, many offers, and watching his partner in crime land in Toronto, Jumbo Joe opted to stay in San Jose on a one-year, $8-million contract.
Even though he turned 38 the same day he signed his new deal, Thornton is still one of the premier set-up men in the NHL. He's recorded at least 50 points in every full season since 1998-99, is elite at both ends of the ice and in the faceoff circle, and has showed few signs of slowing down.
The Sharks might face the same situation next offseason should Thornton decide to continue playing, but for now, retaining him for another year is a big win for San Jose's front office, especially when you consider the $10 million in cap space Doug Wilson still has to work with.
Grade: A
(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)
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