You would have thought the Fourth of July celebration started early with the amount of fireworks that were on display Saturday afternoon. Tampa Bay Lightning GM Steve Yzerman went to bat for the Syracuse Crunch for the second straight off season in a row by landing a handful of promising players for the 2017-2018 season. The excitement was halted on a few occasions throughout the day as a couple of fan favorites departed to different organizations, but, in the grand scheme of things, day one of free agency was a success for the organization’s depth.
Who’s out?
Kristers Gudlevskis ——> Islanders
Byron Froese ——> Canadiens
Matt Taormina ——> Canadiens
Mike McKenna ——> Stars
Who’s in?
- Carter Verhaeghe/
The first move of the day came in a surprise trade that sent goaltender Kristers Gudlevskis to the New York Islanders for 21-year-old centerman Carter Verhaeghe. The rumors had been circulating for months that the Latvian goalie had his sight set on the KHL. Instead, Gudlevskis gets another shot at the NHL and the Bolts don’t let him walk without getting an asset in return. Verhaeghe brings good size down the middle, leadership, and an underrated scoring touch that was briefly highlighted this past season with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. In 45 games, he scored 16 goals to go along with 13 helpers for a total of 29 points. A former captain of the OHL’s Niagara IceDogs, Verhaeghe will be relied on to play a veteran role on a very young Syracuse Crunch team. A 21-year-old leader, you read that correctly.
- Jamie McBain/
After losing 2017 Eddie Shore award-winning defenseman Matt Taormina to Montreal, Syracuse needed a new offensive threat on the blueline and that’s exactly what they got in 29-year-old Minnesota native Jamie McBain. A 2006 second round pick by the Carolina Hurricanes, McBain is a highly coveted right-handed puck mover that will likely control the point on the Crunch’s first powerplay unit. At 6-foot-1, he brings more size and physicality than Taormina could before him. He has skated in 348 career NHL games scoring 30 goals and 80 assists for a career total of 110 points. Essentially nothing is lost in the leadership department, which will be huge in a room full of rookies in 2017-2018. In 64 games with the Tucson Roadrunners last season, McBain put up a solid 43 points on a dismal hockey team.
- Michael Leighton/
Perhaps the biggest surprise of the day came when the Tampa Bay Lightning passed on re-signing goaltender Mike McKenna after he led the Crunch back to the Calder Cup Finals this past spring. Instead, they opted to ink another veteran net minder in Michael Leighton to come in and mentor rookie goalie Connor Ingram. At 36 years old, Leighton has only gotten better over time. An elite AHL goaltender, Leighton will take over on day one as the Crunch starter between the pipes. In 23 games with the Charlotte Checkers last season, the 1999 sixth-round pick of the Chicago Blackhawks posted a solid 2.17 GAA and a .933 save percentage. If there’s anybody that can come in and fill the shoes of Mike McKenna, it’s Michael Leighton.
- Mat Bodie/
Remember last summer when the Lightning did little for the Crunch blueline but completely bolstered the scoring touch up front? It seems like the complete opposite was done on day one this year, and I like it. Coming over from the Rochester Americans is defenseman Mat Bodie. The 27-year-old is highly touted as a poised two-way defender with a knack of knowing how to lead by example. A former captain at both Union College and in Hartford, Bodie will be a big piece of the Crunch locker room in October. This past season he split time with the Pack and the Amerks, compiling an impressive stat line. In 62 total games, Bodie posted ten goals and 29 assists.
- Alex Gallant/
The final chip to fall on Saturday came in the form of grinder/enforcer Alex Gallant coming over to Syracuse from the San Jose Barracuda. At 24 years old, Gallant is a pure scrapper that was likely brought in to protect the youngsters from being pushed around. Dating back to 2008, he has scored only 13 goals but has compiled a laundry list of penalty minutes. In just 29 games with the Barracuda last season, he collected 126 PIM’s and nine fighting majors, a total wich was good for third in the league. Crunch fans are going to like this kid.
