NHL Free Agency: Winners and losers from day one

Winner: Tampa Bay Lightning

Wait, the biggest winner from day one of free agency was a team that signed a whopping total of zero free agents? Sounds a bit ironic, but it’s true. The Tampa Bay Lightning improved their future far more than any other team on July 1 by locking up two extremely important pieces.

They started off by handing defenseman Victor Hedman, scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent after the 2016-17 season, an eight-year extension worth $7.85 million a year. That will make him the second highest paid defenseman in the NHL, behind only P.K. Subban. He’s worth every penny of it to the Lightning. Hedman is a perennial Norris Trophy candidate who plays huge minutes and has shown a ton of leadership over the years. Keeping him was arguably more important than keeping Stamkos.

Next, they gave young goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy a three-year deal worth $3.5 million a year. That’s an excellent signing because it provides insurance in case 2015-16 Vezina Trophy finalist doesn’t come back after next season (and he likely won’t). $3.5 million a year sounds like a lot, but it’s not even in the top 25 of cap hits for goaltenders. He should be worth a heck of a lot more than that if the past two postseasons are a sign of what is to come.

Steve Yzerman has had to navigate some extremely stormy seas in 2016, dealing with the Jonathan Drouin scenario and the questions regarding Steven Stamkos. He has performed as brilliantly as anyone could have expected. The Lightning still have to get a few more signings done, but they should be Stanley Cup contenders for the foreseeable future.