Last week, we looked at which teams fared best in free agency. Today, we’ll look at some teams who took the wrong approach or maybe didn’t improve their rosters as much as it may seem. Of note, this article only includes UFA signings, so if your favorite team made some trades, those transactions will not be discussed in great detail.
Boston Bruins
Notable UFA Signings
- Signed Elias Lindholm: 7 years, $7.75 million AAV
- Signed Nikita Zadorov: 6 years, $5 million AAV
The Boston Bruins made a few depth additions, but their most notable acquisitions were signing Elias Lindholm and Nikita Zadorov to some pretty pricey contracts. Center depth was a problem for the Bruins this past season after the retirements of Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci last offseason. It’s not a surprise they signed Lindholm, but in doing so, they may have handed out one of the worst contracts of the summer.
Related: 5 NHL Teams That Improved in Free Agency
Lindholm has been declining since a 40-plus goal season in 2021-22, and it’s been a steep dropoff. He finished this past season with 15 goals and 44 points in 75 games, and his underlying metrics don’t suggest this is a fluke. Instead, it looks like his best days may be behind him:
The Bruins have a knack for figuring these things out, and Lindholm could rebound by centering an elite play driver like David Pastrnak. But it’s hard to see him becoming a player who lives up to a $7.75 million annual average value (AAV). Time will tell, but this contract could easily backfire on the Bruins.
The same is true for Zadorov. A $5 million AAV isn’t the worst for him, but six years for a No. 4 or 5 defenseman could be problematic in a couple of years. Still, I’d bet on him helping the Bruins more than Lindholm. Zadorov is an underrated puck-mover who defends well, but his contract is a little too rich for me for the type of defenseman he is. That’s top-four money, and he’s not a lock as a top-four defender.
Dallas Stars
Notable UFA Signings
- Signed Ilya Lyubushkin: 3 years, $3.25 million AAV
- Signed Matt Dumba: 2 years, $3.75 million AAV
- Signed Colin Blackwell: 1 year, $775,000
- Re-signed Matt Duchene: 1 year, $3 million
- Signed Brendan Smith: 1 year, $1 million
- Signed Casey DeSmith: 3 years, $1 million AAV
Stars general manager Jim Nill is coming off a GM of the Year Award, but he had an interesting offseason, and not necessarily in a good way. Re-signing Matt Duchene for one year at $3 million was one of the best contracts handed out on July 1, but the rest of Nill’s moves did not make much sense to me, specifically on defense.
Re-signing Chris Tanev always seemed like a long shot, but they could have gone about a better route to replace him. Matt Dumba and Ilya Lyubushkin are shells of what they used to be and were among the least valuable defensemen in the NHL this season. Dumba’s play was worth a total goals above replacement (GAR) of minus-8.2, while Lyubushkin’s was worth a total GAR of minus-6.9.
Both players got term, and I’m not sure why. Aside from their poor metrics, Lyubushkin and Dumba can’t move the puck, and their defensive games have fallen off a cliff. It seems like the Stars wanted to get physical for the sake of getting physical on the back end, but they didn’t add players who’ll have a positive impact. Brendan Smith fits that mold, too, but he should be fine since he’ll likely be their seventh defenseman.
The Stars are still one of the Western Conference’s top teams because of the talent they’re returning for 2024-25, but it’s hard to sit here today and say they’re a better team than they were last season after their free-agent signings. If anything, they got worse.
Los Angeles Kings
Notable UFA Signings
- Signed Joel Edmundson: 4 years, $3.85 million AAV
- Signed Warren Foegele: 3 years, $3.5 million AAV
- Re-signed Pheonix Copley: 1 year, $825,000
The Los Angeles Kings weren’t particularly active in free agency this offseason, but that feels like a missed opportunity. Sure, not doing anything in free agency is sometimes the best way to go. But for a Kings team that’s lost to the Edmonton Oilers in Round 1 of the playoffs three years in a row, they need to take a step forward next season.
Unfortunately for Kings fans, that doesn’t look like it’ll be the case. And in trying to improve their team this offseason, GM Rob Blake also handed out one of the worst contracts by signing Joel Edmundson for four years at an AAV of $3.85 million. Edmundson’s game has fallen off a cliff in the last three years, with his play worth a total GAR of minus-6.8 over that stretch. Signing him to a one-year deal would’ve been tolerable, but four years is unacceptable, even if the AAV isn’t particularly burdensome.
At least signing Warren Foegele to a reasonable contract will boost their forward group. He’s coming off a 20-goal, 41-point season with the Edmonton Oilers and will add more scoring to the top nine. Otherwise, it’s hard to see how the Kings improved this offseason.
Their goalie tandem is also Darcy Kuemper and David Rittich, which doesn’t inspire much confidence. Blake may have gotten out of the Pierre-Luc Dubois contract, but the Western Conference will probably be a bloodbath next season. It’s hard to see the Kings coming out unscathed, and it wouldn’t be a shock if they missed the playoffs.
Detroit Red Wings
Notable UFA Signings
- Signed Vladimir Tarasenko: 2 years, $4.75 million
- Signed Tyler Motte: 1 year, $800,000
- Signed Jack Campbell: 1 year, $775,000
- Signed Erik Gustafsson: 2 years, $2 million AAV
- Signed Cam Talbot: 2 years, $2.5 million AAV
- Re-signed Patrick Kane: 1 year, $ 4 million AAV
Steve Yzerman has gained a reputation as one of the NHL’s most overrated GMs, and this offseason hasn’t done anything to eliminate that feeling. It’s not that the Detroit Red Wings necessarily had a bad offseason, but their NHL additions continue to be puzzling.
Vladimir Tarasenko is still a good player, but is he what the Red Wings’ roster needs, especially after re-signing Patrick Kane? Erik Gustafsson should be a solid replacement for Shayne Gostisbehere, who signed with the Carolina Hurricanes in free agency. Still, their defense is a work in progress bogged down by the Ben Chiarot and Jeff Petry contracts.
Cam Talbot posted a .916 save percentage with the Kings last season, but the Red Wings now have three goalies with him, Alex Lyon and Ville Husso. Something will have to give there. Are the Red Wings a better team after the moves Yzerman made? Maybe slightly, but to me, they look like the same team they were a season ago. And that was a not-very-good one that almost lucked their way into the playoffs on some unsustainable shooting and save percentages.
Seattle Kraken
Notable UFA Signings
- Signed Chandler Stephenson: 7 years, $6.25 million AAV
- Signed Brandon Montour: 7 years, $7.14 million
The Seattle Kraken had a similar offseason to the Bruins in that they made a bunch of depth signings but handed out two of the priciest UFA deals on July 1. And like the Bruins, they may have agreed to two of the worst contracts signed in free agency this summer.
There’s really no excuse for signing Chandler Stephenson to a seven-year deal. One) He’s coming off a down season that saw him post 16 goals and 51 points with some concerning underlying metrics. That right there should be enough reason to look elsewhere, but even if he weren’t coming off a down year, Stephenson is a second-line center at best. Giving him seven years at an AAV of $6.25 million will likely cause the Kraken problems down the road.
Likewise, Brandon Montour got top-pair money, signing for seven years and an AAV of $7.14 million. The best years of his career came with the Florida Panthers, but they found the right role for him on the second pair behind Aaron Ekblad, who logged the more difficult defensive minutes. Is that how the Kraken will use Montour? I doubt it, given the money they gave him, which may be a problem.
What it seems like to me is the Kraken panicked a bit this offseason. They took a step back in 2023-24 after making the playoffs the year before and needed to do something to re-energize their fanbase. Unfortunately, they likely made the wrong moves in handing out two of the worst contracts of the summer.
Vegas Golden Knights
Notable UFA Signings
- Signed Victor Olofsson: 1 year, $1.075 million
- Signed Ilya Samsonov: 1 year, $1.8 million
It would be remiss of me not to mention some of the Vegas Golden Knights’ departures when talking about their free agency because it’s played a big part in their offseason. Out are Stephenson, Logan Thompson, Michael Amadio, Jonathan Marchessault, and in are…well, really no one. They did acquire Alexander Holtz from the New Jersey Devils, but the former top-10 pick has yet to break out in the NHL.
The Golden Knights’ lone UFA signing up front was Victor Olofsson, who has struggled to produce at five-on-five in the NHL. It’s unlikely he and Holtz will fill the scoring voids left by Stephenson, Amadio and Marchessault, and this was a team that finished seventh in the Western Conference last season.
They also signed Ilya Samsonov to replace Thompson, who they traded to the Washington Capitals. Samsonov struggled mightily this past season with the Toronto Maple Leafs, but did post a .918 SV% in 2022-23. The Golden Knights hope he can regain some of that form next season.
Golden Knights GM Kelly McCrimmon was always going to be up against it this offseason due to the salary cap. It’ll be interesting to see if prospects like Pavel Dorofeyev and Brendan Brisson can finally break through in the NHL because the Golden Knights will need that to happen to stay in the playoff hunt.
Buffalo Sabres
Notable UFA Signings
- Signed Jason Zucker: 1 year, $5 million
- Signed Sam Lafferty: 2 years, $2 million AAV
- Signed James Reimer: 1 year, $1 million
- Signed Nicolas Aube-Kubel: 1 year, $1.5 million
Like many teams this offseason, the Buffalo Sabres seemed to take the harder-to-play-against approach to improving their roster. In addition to acquiring Ryan McLeod from the Edmonton Oilers, they signed bottom-six regulars Sam Lafferty and Nicolas Aube-Kubel to short-term contracts. Aube-Kubel is one of the best forecheckers in the NHL, while Lafferty will add 10-15 goals and plenty of hits in a fourth-line role.
GM Kevyn Adams also signed Jason Zucker to a one-year deal, though at a pricey $5 million. Zucker had a so-so season between the Arizona Coyotes and Nashville Predators, but did produce a 23-goal pace with the Predators after getting dealt there at the trade deadline. If he can add that to the Sabres’ roster, he should help, but him being their main addition seems a bit underwhelming.
There’s a lot of pressure building in Buffalo. They missed the playoffs by one point in 2022-23 but took a step back last season and did not come as close as many hoped they would. They have the longest playoff drought in the NHL (12 years), tied for first with the New York Jets for the longest in North American sports. But it doesn’t feel like they did enough this offseason to end their playoff drought in 2024-25.
New York Rangers
Notable UFA Signings
- Re-signed Chad Ruhwedel: 1 year, $775,000
- Signed Sam Carrick: 3 years, $1 million AAV
Aside from acquiring Reilly Smith from the Pittsburgh Penguins, it was a surprisingly quiet offseason for the New York Rangers. Elliotte Friedman linked them to Tyler Toffoli and Teuvo Teravainen ahead of July 1. But Toffoli signed with the San Jose Sharks for four years, while Teravainen returned to the Chicago Blackhawks on a three-year deal.
Otherwise, Rangers GM Chris Drury didn’t make any notable additions aside from the Smith trade. That’s not to say the Rangers will fall off a cliff and miss the playoffs next season. They’re the reigning Presidents’ Trophy winners and are returning almost everyone from last season’s squad. They’ll be more than fine, especially in a Metropolitan Division that doesn’t look as fierce as it once did.
Still, I thought the Rangers would be more active after coming two wins away from winning the Eastern Conference. As constructed, it seems like this team has gotten as far as they can in the postseason. Igor Shesterkin can only carry them so far, and players like Artemi Panarin, and especially Vincent Trocheck, may not repeat career years. So it feels like a missed opportunity to only come away with Smith as their top addition.
Nashville Predators
Notable UFA Signings
- Signed Steven Stamkos: 4 years, $8 million AAV
- Signed Jonathan Marchessault: 5 years, $5.5 million AAV
- Signed Brady Skjei: 7 years, $7 million AAV
- Signed Scott Wedgewood: 2 years, $1.5 million AAV
- Re-signed Alexandre Carrier: 3 years, $3.75 million AAV
Oh boy, Alex. You are ending this article on a spicy note. I will 100 percent eat crow on this a year from now if I’m wrong, but I don’t think the Predators had as great an offseason as everyone thinks. Yes, they signed plenty of big names and probably did get better. But how much better? And they did hand out some questionable contracts.
Steven Stamkos is coming off a 40-goal, 81-point season, but he is starting to show some signs of decline. He’s not the five-on-five scorer or play driver he used to be, with nearly half of his points (40) coming on the power play this past season. There’s no Nikita Kucherov to set him up on the man advantage anymore, so will that continue in Nashville? Time will tell, but he might not necessarily be the upgrade that he seems, and an $8 million AAV for four years carries a fair amount of risk at his age.
Marchessault is coming off a 42-goal season, but he’s unlikely to do that again. He’s still probably good for around 25-30 goals, but his skating has fallen off, and that usually spells trouble for smaller players such as him. The contract isn’t the worst, but I’m also unsure if this will work out as well as some think.
Finally, there’s the seven-year, $7 million AAV deal they signed Brady Skjei to. He’s coming off a career year with the Carolina Hurricanes and is a legit top-four defenseman. However, seven years at an AAV of $7 million seems a bit rich for him, especially since he’s leaving a Hurricanes system that’s tailor-made for defensemen.
It’s also worth noting that the Predators downgraded in net by replacing Kevin Lankinen with Scott Wedgewood. Lankinen finished this past season saving 4.1 goals above expected, while Wedgewood allowed 9.4 goals above expected; Lankinen is still a UFA, by the way. The Predators may have had a flashy offseason, but that may just be it. They’ve probably lapped the Winnipeg Jets in the division, but are they better than the Stars and Colorado Avalanche, who also didn’t have great offseasons? I don’t think you can make that argument.
Swing and Miss
Swings and misses happen in free agency all the time, and more often than not, they come back to bite teams, even if it isn’t in the following season. Time will tell how these teams fare, but they may struggle more than anticipated in 2024-25.
