In a day where there's much running, only to stand still, many teams took care of re-signing players and making smaller deals to shore up their depth, save for a few teams.
Arguably the biggest story of the day is the signing of defenseman Jason Garrison by Vancouver to a 6-year, $27.6 million deal, who may have not taken the biggest offer he received, according to TSN's Bob McKenzie. Garrison will fill the role vacated by Sami Salo, who signed a three-year, $7.5 million contract with Tampa Bay earlier on Sunday. The prospect of Garrison and his booming shot on the power play with the Sedins and Alexander Edler is certainly intriguing. Garrison, a BC native, had 16 goals this past season and shot the puck at a whopping 10.9 percent. His goal totals waned in the second half, with a more human three goals after the All-Star break. Whether Vancouver will regret this signing remains to be seen, but considering what Calgary gave Dennis Wideman, Garrison's signing could be justified.
Fantasy-wise, don't overpay for Garrison's numbers last season, but do not ignore him entirely, especially if there are not many defenders capable of scoring 10-plus goals remaining. He won't have Brian Campbell with him in Vancouver, but Alexander Edler and Kevin Bieksa can certainly help.
-As reported by CSN Philly's Tim PanaccioJaromir Jagr received much interest, according to his agent, Petr Svoboda. One of the teams heavily in the mix for Jagr is Montreal, as noted by The Sporting News's Jesse Spector. Jagr alongside Max Pacioretty is an entertaining prospect as well as a rising playmaker like David Desharnais. Toss in the fact that Jagr and turtleneck-sporting Tomas Plekanec are countrymen that have played together internationally, it could be a good fit. Montreal could use a veteran with Jagr's talent and experience while Jagr would fill a similar role as he did in Philly, but with as much or more offensive potential. If Jagr signs with Montreal, he could be a nice value pick on draft day.
-Detroit shored up their checking line with the addition of Jordin Tootoo, who definitely agitated the Red Wings at times during his tenure with Nashville. However, Detroit is giving $3 million to Mikael Samuelsson, whom they also signed today.
-Colorado made a big splash early on Sunday with the signing of center Pierre Parenteau to a four-year, $!6 million deal, as noted by TSN's Bob McKenzie. Parenteau certainly cashed in after his strong season with the Islanders, where he quietly notched 18 goals and 49 assists for a career best 67 points. Yes, many of these points were attached the outstanding season John Tavares had, but Parenteau joins a young Colordao squad that was just a few points out of the postseason. The Avs have several great young centers in Paul Stastny and Matt Duchene, so conventional wisdom suggests one of the three will move to a wing. Toss in Jamie McGinn, who had 13 points in 18 games with Colorado following his trade from San Jose, and David Jones and the Avs have some nice forward depth. Parenteau has vision on the ice and be a very nice mid-round pick on draft day, cementing your secondary scoring.
More to come over the next few days, drop a line @dpennucci on Twitter
-Pennucci