Ranking the Worst 2024 NHL Free Agency Signings so Far
There were some really strong free-agent signings around the NHL this offseason, including the Nashville Predators' additions of Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault, the Washington Capitals' signing of defenseman Matt Roy and even the New York Islanders' under-the-radar signing of Anthony Duclair.
Nashville should be a Stanley Cup contender after its moves, while the Capitals and Islanders may have helped solidify their spots as playoff teams with their moves.
Not every move made in free agency is a clear home run, however, and those are the moves we are going to take a look at by examining the five worst signings of the free-agency signing period.
5. Yakov Trenin, Minnesota Wild
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Yakov Trenin is by no means a bad hockey player, and there are a lot of reasons for an NHL team to want him on its roster.
He is a relentless defender and would improve any team's bottom-six with his ability away from the puck.
So from a hockey standpoint, yeah, sure, sign bring him in.
So how does he end up on a list like this? It's a terrible fit for the Wild. At least this season while they are still hampered by a salary-cap crunch due to the Zach Parise and Ryan Suter buyouts from a few years ago.
The Wild have one more year when those buyouts take up more than $14 million in cap space, leaving them with limited room to build out their roster. Investing that type of cap hit in a defense-first forward who is not going to move the needle offensively just seems like an unnecessary investment for a team that needs more scoring punch.
It is also worth asking if a defense-first, bottom-six forward is the type of player you even need to invest a four-year contract in regardless of your salary-cap situation. Players like that always tend to be available for lower cap numbers.
Good player? Certainly. Good fit and investment for this Minnesota team? Probably not.
4. Sean Monahan, Columbus Blue Jackets
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The Blue Jackets have not been shy about spending big money in recent offseasons. They have simply not always spent it in the right places. Or gotten the desired results. The five-year, $27.5 million contract with Monahan might be another of those examples.
Monahan's 2023-24 season was a great bounce-back year for him with 26 and 59 total points split between Montreal and Winnipeg. Those 26 goals were two more than he scored over the previous three seasons...combined.
If he can find a way to duplicate that performance in Columbus, he would be a fine addition to a team that desperately needs offense and some help down the middle of the lineup. But how confident should the Blue Jackets be that he can duplicate that? Especially since his 2023-24 performance not only seemed like such an outlier compared to his recent seasons, but because it was also boosted by a significant spike in shooting percentage that resulted in a 15.2 percent number, including a near 20 percent mark following his trade to Winnipeg.
If that shooting percentage regresses, or he reverts back to the player he was prior to the 2023-24 season, this is going to be another ugly contract on Columbus' books.
3. Joel Edmundson, Los Angeles Kings
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There are two main issues with the Los Angeles Kings' signing of Edmundson.
The first is that it is a bit of a commitment (four years, $15 million) for a player whose game has shown some serious signs of decline over the past year or two.
The second is that he is being brought in to replace Matt Roy—who left in free agency for the Washington Capitals—who is, at this point in their respective careers, a far superior player. So it is a pretty big downgrade on the ice, while also adding a potentially expensive contract to the roster for a defender who might be best served as a third-pairing player.
That is not the type of player you need to invest $15 million in over four years, especially when your team has significant needs offensively and is trying to replace one of its best defensive players (Roy).
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2. Nikita Zadorov, Boston Bruins
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Nikita Zadorov had a really strong showing with Vancouver in the 2023 playoffs, which is the perfect development for a big, physical defenseman who is on the verge of hitting unrestricted free agency.
That is a player who teams are always going to line up to throw piles of money at, and that is exactly what the Bruins did with the 6'6", 248-pound Zadorov.
In some ways, Zadorov will probably work out for the Bruins and might even end up being a popular player given his style of play and how it might align with the Bruins' mentality. If put into the right role, he might actually be really effective.
That correct role, however, is probably more of a third-pairing role. But give the price tag ($30 million over six years), the Bruins might be eyeing him up as more of a top-four defender who is expected to play a major role, and that just might end up exposing some of his limitations and give them a case of buyer's remorse.
This might be a case of a solid player being put into the wrong position with a contract that isn't the best value against the cap.
1. Chandler Stephenson, Seattle Kraken
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There are some free-agent signings that you just know are going to leave fans—and eventually the team—frustrated as soon as pen gets put to paper, and the seven-year, $43.25 million deal Seattle gave forward Chandler Stephenson this offseason is one of those signings.
It is hard to fathom exactly what Seattle was thinking here, other than it got desperate for offense and tried to get whoever it could to fill a top-six forward spot.
This is not meant to be overly negative toward Stephenson as a player because he can still be a useful, productive guy in the right role, with the right expectations and with a more cap-friendly contract.
In other words, what he had been for the Vegas Golden Knights the past couple of seasons when he cost them just $2.75 million against the cap and found a home next to one of the best wingers in the league in Mark Stone to help boost his production.
But a seven-year contract for a 30-year-old player who isn't a star and doesn't really drive his own line is just an absolutely baffling contract for a team to hand out. Over the past three years, Chandler's teams averaged only a 47 percent expected goal share when he was not playing alongside Stone during five-on-five play and saw the offense drop by nearly half a goal per 60 minutes (3.28 down to 2.72).
It is very likely that within a year or two Seattle is desperately trying to rid itself of this contract.
Advanced stats via Natural Stat Trick.
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