The Edmonton Oilers re-signed netminder Mike Smith to a one-year, $2-million contract, the team announced Saturday.Smith, 38, joined the Oilers on a one-year deal last offseason and recorded a .902 save percentage and 2.95 goals-against average across 39 appearances in 2019-20.The 6-foot-5 puck-stopper owns a career .911 save percentage and 2.71 goals-against average over 610 NHL games.Edmonton was reportedly interested in All-Star goaltender Jacob Markstrom, who signed a six-year deal with the Calgary Flames on Friday.The Oilers also have netminder Mikko Koskinen under contract through the 2021-22 campaign.Oilers GM Ken Holland has been busy during his second offseason with the club. Edmonton agreed to deals with forwards Tyler Ennis and Kyle Turris on Friday before signing defenseman Tyson Barrie earlier Saturday.
With Day 1 of NHL free agency in the rearview mirror, theScore's handing out winners and losers from all of Friday's action.WinnersEdmonton Oilers Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / GettyThe Oilers went bargain hunting Friday and came up with a pair of nice finds. GM Ken Holland brought back Edmonton, Alberta native Tyler Ennis on a one-year, $1-million contract, and landed bounce-back candidate Kyle Turris on a two-year deal carrying a modest $1.65 million AAV.Edmonton needed depth scoring, and Ennis potted 16 goals in 70 games last year. He can drive possession while playing down the lineup, but he also has the burst and smarts to not look out of place on a line with Connor McDavid. That’s big at just $1 million.The Oilers also desperately required a third-line center. In a free-agent market with very few quality pivots, Holland managed to land one with upside in Turris. The 31-year-old is coming off two poor seasons, but the change of scenery could serve him well.Holland was reportedly involved in the Jacob Markstrom sweepstakes. After seeing the goaltender sign a six-year, $36-million deal with the Calgary Flames, the veteran GM made a smart move backing out.The Oilers could still use some help on the blue line and in goal, but so far so good for Holland.St. Louis Blues Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / GettyThe addition of Justin Faulk last year was a head-scratcher from the get-go and was always going to be a problem for the Blues. The seven-year, $45.5-million extension GM Doug Armstrong gave him likely spelled the end of Alex Pietrangelo in St. Louis. Along with Colton Parayko, it didn’t make sense to pay top dollar for three right-handed defensemen. But Armstrong helped rectify his own issue Friday.Instead of waiting to see if Pietrangelo would return on a deal that slightly handcuffs the team, Armstrong went out and got the next best rearguard on the open market, signing Torey Krug to a seven-year contract with a $6.5-million cap hit. If Armstrong waited on Pietrangelo, he still might've lost his captain and saw Krug go elsewhere. It was smart to strike a deal while he could.Now, by no means are we saying Krug is better than Pietrangelo - because he's certainly not - but the latter likely would have cost a couple million more per season. And, the fact Krug is left-handed evens out the potential pairings:LDRDTorey KrugJustin FaulkVince DunnColton ParaykoMarco ScandellaRobert BortuzzoCarl GunnarssonThat’s still an awfully strong blue line, even without Pietrangelo. Don’t be surprised if Faulk has a bounce-back year now that he doesn’t have to play his off side. He and Krug have played together before on the international stage, too.Toronto Maple Leafs Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / GettyMaple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas likely had two tasks on his agenda entering free agency: get someone to play with Morgan Rielly and add some sandpaper up front. Dubas accomplished both by signing TJ Brodie to a 4-year, $20-million deal and landing Wayne Simmonds on a 1-year, $1.5-million pact.The Brodie contract is by no means a bargain, but it’s a fair deal. The Leafs have searched for a legitimate, defensively sound, top-four blue-liner for too long. Brodie fills that need and will immediately be the best partner Rielly has ever had in Toronto. The Leafs’ blue line is no longer a weakness:LDRDMorgan RiellyTJ BrodieJake MuzzinJustin HollMikko LehtonenTravis DermottRasmus SandinSimmonds is not a sexy addition, but it was necessary. Toronto needed some toughness to replace Kyle Clifford's grit, and Simmonds can still provide value on the third or fourth lines at a reasonable price. His leadership presence can’t be overlooked, either.LosersBoston Bruins Elsa / Getty Images Sport / GettyIt wasn't about what the Bruins gained Friday but rather what they lost. Boston let Krug walk, and the star defenseman signed with the Blues - the club that defeated the Bruins in Game 7 of the 2019 Stanley Cup.Krug made Boston look even worse after signing with St. Louis, saying the Bruins hadn't made him an offer in a year and the contract was "pulled" from him.Boston could have something else in the works, and the team may ultimately prove to be savvy in the coming days, but the opening day of free agency was definitely not a good one for the reigning Presidents' Trophy winners.Ottawa Senators Joe Sargent / National Hockey League / GettyThe Senators are trying to get to the cap floor and still have a ways to go, but that's no excuse for the contract they handed Matt Murray. Two days after Ottawa acquired the goaltender in a trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Senators gave him a four-year, $25-million deal.It's not so much the term that's an issue. Murray is relatively young at 26 and has two championships on his resume. However, he doesn't deserve a $6.25-million cap hit. That's higher than what Markstrom got from the Calgary Flames ($6 million) and more than Robin Lehner received from the Vegas Golden Knights ($5 million). Markstrom was a UFA and Lehner signed as a pending UFA before the frenzy, but Murray was only an RFA, and the latter puck-stopper was nowhere near the caliber of those counterparts in 2019-20.Murray lost his starting job with the Penguins this past season while posting a paltry .899 save percentage in 38 games (third-worst in the NHL among goalies who played at least that many contests) and a minus-11.57 goals saved above average that ranked fourth-worst among the same group.His contract won't hurt the Senators in the short term, but it could cause headaches for the team down the road, especially if Ottawa plans to extend him with lots of other core pieces to potentially secure by that time as well. The deal will undoubtedly affect the entire goalie market going forward, which would affect any future goaltending moves the Senators initiate.The fansNo one lost more than the fans Friday. Despite the unprecedented circumstances and lack of the usual pre-frenzy UFA negotiating period that encourages more moves, the sheer number of marquee names available on both the free-agent and trade markets had the hockey world expecting a slew of blockbuster transactions.However, the would-be frenzy was not to be on Day 1. There were far fewer signings over the first six hours this year than on the opening day in 2019:
Quick-hit analysis of important NHL signings and trades completed Friday, Oct. 9, updating live as each transaction rolls in.Signing: Maple Leafs sign defenseman TJ Brodie to a four-year contract
The Florida Panthers have signed forward Alexander Wennberg to a one-year deal, the team announced Friday. The deal is worth $2.25 million, according to TSN's Darren Dreger.Wennberg was bought out by the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday. He had three years remaining on his deal, which carried an annual cap hit of $4.9 million.The 26-year-old recorded five goals and 22 points while logging 16:41 of average ice time through 57 games with the Blue Jackets in 2019-20.Wennberg has amassed 40 goals and 201 points across 415 NHL games, highlighted by a career-best 59-point season with the Blue Jackets in 2016-17.It's been an active couple of days for new Panthers general manager Bill Zito. The club acquired defenseman Markus Nutivaara in a trade Thursday and reportedly signed rearguard Radko Gudas and forward Carter Verhaeghe earlier Friday.