Live Blog: Free Agent Day–Tanev Analysis, Panarin to Rangers

At noon the frenzy begins. You can update this page as we will catalog each move from all teams. We may even break a signing. The Pittsburgh Penguins are in a position which they didn’t expect just several days ago: They have money to spend. The Penguins didn’t have cap space to make a noteworthy move via free agency so they pushed off free agents. Now they’re in the conversations for several.

UPDATE–DONE DEAL: Brandon Tanev is a done to Pens. I think we got it first, literally by a half-second over John Shannon of Sportsnet. We’re chasing terms. Sounds like Tanev getting a five-year deal for $12-14 million. 

Terms are SIX-years, $3.5 per for a total of $21 million. Whoa boy.

Snap Analysis: That’s the same cap hit as Bryan Rust. Both are about the same age, too. Tanev and Rust are both gritty players with tireless motors and tenacity. Tanev popped 14 goals 15 assists last season in 80 games. Rust knocked home 18 goals and 17 assists but had an extraordinary run in January.

Tanev makes the Penguins tougher to play against and adds bottom-six grit. If he and Rust anchor the bottom-six crew, the Penguins will be better. But wow, that contract is a long, long time. Six years. Realize, we’ll have TWO Presidential elections before that contract expires. I’m not against it, though. 33-years-old is not over the hill. In fact, that’s about when you want to have a grinder’s contract expire.

Tanev dished 278 hits last season with a 48% Corsi but 59% of his shifts started in the defensive zone. Coaches trust him. Opponents shouldn’t. THAT’s why he’s getting paid.

Grade: B. The term is big, but not oppressive.

Blog:

The Penguins have a need for a top-six sniper and bottom six forward. Since they probably can’t afford a 30-goal scorer on the market, look for the Penguins to add their bottom-sixer. TSN Insider Daren Dreger has linked them to Winnipeg grind liner Branden Tanev, who is a name which had not been previously linked to the Penguins.

Tanev has a tireless motor and grit. He’s a 15-goal on lower lines type guy, which could help the Penguins.

Not sure what happened to Alex Chiasson. We’ll find out. Maybe.

Penguins GM Jim Rutherford always has a surprise in store–remember the trade deadline? We were all assembled in the media room at 2:30 p.m., but Rutherford wasn’t done until after 4 p.m. because of the Erik Gudbranson for Tanner Pearson deal. Even when he thinks he’s done, sometimes he isn’t.

Rumors continue to swirl the Penguins were or are talking about a deal involving one of their defensemen. Stick tap to Josh Yohe of the Athletic for tamping it down.

Artemi Panarin to NYR. Wow. Seven years, $81.5 million. The Metro Division just keeps getting better, doesn’t it? Truth be told, if I were an unrestricted free agent and the Rangers called, I’d listen. The chance to live and play in New York City? Yeah, I’m interested.

Mika Zibanejad is a good center; he’s a power center. He and the breadman could leave a few opponents crusty (I’ll show myself out). And add Kappo Kaako, too.

Yes, the Metro Division is stacked and getting better.

Also in the Metro is Gustav Nyquist, who signed in Columbus to replace Panarin. The deal is four years at $5.5 per year. That’s not a bad move for Columbus…now about getting a center to dish the puck.

Richard Panik has inked with the Washington Capitals for four-years, $11 million. That’s probably not a great signing for the Capitals. Panik scores in short streaks, but is otherwise a plugger who doesn’t plug. Several teams have taken their turn with Panik hoping he will become a consistent point producer but he’s a 30-point guy.

Wayne Simmonds–One year, $5 million. I expected a 2-3 year deal worth about $6 million. So, in that sense, it made sense for both sides, but if it also negates the upside for the team. They’re spending big and if Simmonds pops, he gets the same money next year. If he stinks, New Jersey is spending what it would have cost them over three years (and they could have used a buyout if it didn’t work and spent less than $5 million).

The Live Blog is CLOSED at 2:30 p.m. EST.

Here’s the base for the noon explosion (We’ll update with terms, soon). 

Artemi Panarin to New York Rangers

Matt Duchene to Nashville

Joe Pavelski to Dallas

Corey Perry to Dallas

Jason Spezza to Toronto

Luke Schenn to Tampa Bay

Curtis McElhinney to Tampa

Sergei Bobrovsky to Florida

Anton Stralman to Florida

Noel Accicari to Florida

Brett Connolly to Florida

Mats Zuccarello to the Wild

Ron Hainsey to Ottawa

Tyler Myers to Vancouver

Seymon Varlamov to New York Islanders

Keith Kincaid to Montreal

Mike Smith to Edmonton

Jordie Benn to Vancouver

Andrej Sekera to Dallas

Daniel Carr to Nashville

Cam Talbot to Calgary

Ryan Hartman to Minnesota

Valtteri Filppula to Detroit

Tomas Jurco to Edmonton

Jujhar Khaira re-signs with Edmonton

Wayne Simmonds to New Jersey

Oscar Fantenberg to Vancouver

Markus Granlund to Vancouver

Pierre Eduard Bellemare to Colorado

Patrik Nemeth to Detroit

Tyler Ennis to Ottawa

Jonas Donskoi to Colorado

Richard Panik to Washington

RFAs

Ryan Murray re-signed with Columbus

Timo Meier re-signed with San Jose