NHL Free Agency: Grading Each Team's Offseason Moves

Within the past seven weeks, two perennial Stanley Cup playoff no-shows have each reeled in multiple top-notch performers at no cost but a cap hit. Another team that has recently fluctuated between seasons ending in early April and one ending in late May has wasted no time replenishing the positions that need it most.

These are the heads of the NHL’s 2012 free-agency class; three of the six teams to garner an A-range grade through this stage in the summer.

Upon reviewing the complete list of signees since July 1 and taking into account what each team already had and what needs have been addressed via trade, everyone’s free-agency performance as of Monday morning is assessed as follows.

Anaheim: B/B-minus

New Faces: Daniel Winnik, Bryan Allen, Brad Staubitz, Sheldon Souray

The Ducks bear a nearly evenly split set of mixed reviews in its quartet of new signees. Allen and Souray should bring valuable seasoning to the defense, but Staubitz and Winnik hardly have the desirable scoring to supplement the aging and/or departing portion of the top six (i.e. Jason Blake, Saku Koivu and Teemu Selanne).

Boston: B

New Faces: Aaron Johnson, Garnet Exelby, Christian Hanson

One more established NHL forward could be useful, but Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli can at least be credited for re-loading his farm system.

Buffalo: C-plus

New Faces: Kevin Porter, Mark Mancari, John Scott

Mancari is a prolific minor-league scorer, Porter a potentially decent spare forward and Scott an unskilled enforcer. The odds are against any of them making a significant splash for the Sabres in the foreseeable future, but for Mancari and Porter, all hope is not lost for the long-run.

Calgary: B-Plus

New Faces: Jiri Hudler, Roman Cervenka

Hudler is Calgary’s only post-July 1 pick-up, although two months before the formal release of established NHL free agents, the Flames also nabbed Cervenka from the KHL.

If both parties can smoothly translate their productivity from Detroit and Russia to Calgary (the former is a little easier to bank on), then the Flames should have a dependable top-six.

Carolina: B

New Faces: Alexander Semin, Joe Corvo, Marc-Andre Gragnani, Tim Wallace

With only one playoff run to speak of in the time since they won the Stanley Cup in 2006, the Hurricanes can hardly be faulted for their gung-ho charge.

After trading for Jordan Staal, they have spent free agency picking up another top-six caliber forward in Semin and two offensively apt blueliners in Corvo and Gragnani.

Granted, all three of those players come with question marks, but also can benefit from a change of scenery. Corvo, in particular, is coming back to Carolina after a down year in Boston and may demonstrate more comfort with a return to valued power-play production.

Chicago: B

New Faces: Martin St. Pierre, Sheldon Brookbank

Brookbank has never been anything higher than a third-pairing defenseman, but in most years has been gratifyingly effective in that role. In addition, shortly after he signed, the Chicago Tribune touched upon his penalty-killing specialty and how that ought to strengthen one of the Blackhawks’ recent weaknesses.

Colorado: A-minus

New Faces: Greg Zanon, PA Parenteau, John Mitchell

Hard to find much folly in this assortment of new Avs.

Parenteau is a reasonably fruitful goal-getter and easily a top-six caliber playmaker. Mitchell is a suitable fourth-line pivot who has won the majority of his NHL faceoffs with two different teams the last two years. Zanon is a seasoned stay-at-home defenseman who piles on the hits and blocked shots.

Columbus: B

New Faces: Adrian Aucoin, Curtis McElhinney

The Blue Jackets blue line got instantly more mature with the import of Aucoin, an exemplary leader on the Phoenix Coyotes’ defense in recent years.

The only other player Columbus has acquired without giving anybody up in the process is McElhinney, a journeyman goaltender who if nothing else is another option in case of injury to Steve Mason and/or Sergei Bobrovsky.

Dallas: A

New Faces: Tyler Sloan, Jaromir Jagr, Aaron Rome, Ray Whitney

The highlights of the Stars offseason moves, apart from a trade for Derek Roy, are three rigidly established NHL free agents in Jagr, Rome and Whitney.

Between those two forwards and one defenseman are three Stanley Cups, an appearance in the 2011 finals and a combined scoring log of 47-94-141 in 198 games-played last year.

Granted, Rome is not responsible for much offense, but he can lend some much-craved defensive depth. Meanwhile, Whitney is coming from a divisional rival that he had just led in scoring and joins Jagr in defying the fact that he is past his 40th birthday.

Detroit: B-minus

New Faces: Jordin Tootoo, Mikael Samuelsson, Jonas Gustavsson

If he stays healthy, Samuelsson ought to dish up irreproachable third-line numbers. Meanwhile, Gustavsson should be the much-needed upgrade in the backup goalie role.

The only piece still missing, and a big one at that, is another veteran defenseman to, for at least one or two years, replace the likes of Nicklas Lidstrom and Brad Stuart.

Edmonton: C-plus/B-minus

New Faces: Dane Byers, Justin Schultz

Byers should at least bring production to the Oilers’ AHL farm club in Oklahoma City and could garner the occasional hard-earned call-up.

Schultz, a two-way defenseman who was one of Wisconsin’s leaders in every key category the last two seasons, transferred his rights from Anaheim shortly before formal free agency. How soon and how well he translates his NCAA proficiency to the professional, let alone NHL level, remains to be seen.

Florida: C-minus

New Faces: Peter Mueller, Jean-Francois Jacques, George Parros, Filip Kuba

While rising rookie Jonathan Huberdeau looks promising, the Panthers still do not have nearly enough scoring to supplement the first line. Furthermore, they have lost the aforementioned Samuelsson to Detroit and playmaking point patroller Jason Garrison to Vancouver.

All they have done to come remotely close to remedying that is pick up Mueller at forward and Kuba at defense. Both of them have at least broken double digits in both the goal and assist column at least once in their careers.

Still, more can and should be done if the defending Southeast Division champions want to put forth a formidable title defense. The fact that Florida presently has $16,459,667 worth of cap space isn’t yielding any excuses for a lack of additional action.

Los Angeles: Incomplete

New Faces: Andrew Bodnarchuk

The champions are on pace to practically ice the exact same roster on their banner night as they did the night they clinched the Cup this past June. That could leave the Kings particularly prone to the effects of post-title hangover, but may also ensure a better opportunity for more deep runs at the Cup further down the road.

Or it might not. This experiment will simply not yield anything to assess until after play resumes.

Minnesota: A

New Faces: Brian Connelly, Zach Parise, Ryan Suter, Jake Dowell, Torrey Mitchell, Zenon Konopka

Coming off a campaign that saw them finish dead-last in league offense, the Wild acquired an elite player to shore up the top tier on both offense and defense in Parise and Suter, respectively.

Arguably the busiest franchise in this free-agency period, the Wild also addressed the lower tier of each position, particularly with the import of Mitchell, an ideally useful fourth-line type.

Montreal: B-minus

New Faces: Francis Bouillon, Cedric Desjardins, Brandon Prust, Colby Armstrong

Armstrong and Prust should both shore up the fourth line, giving it the exact physicality and scoring touch that a fourth line should have. Nothing wrong with those moves.

But considering the recent injury histories of Travis Moen, Brian Gionta and Andrei Markov, the Habs could also stand to pack some more quantitative and qualitative insurance on the defense and the, as it were, middle six (second and third lines) of the offense.

Nashville: B

New Faces: Scott Hannan, Mike Moore, Chris Mason

No one said filling the aforementioned Suter’s skates would be easy, especially on the offensive side.

However, the Predators still have Shea Weber and nearly a full offense of 12 men who can all crack double digits in the goal column. If all of the forwards, in particular, play to their potential, their team’s offensive output should increase despite the loss of Suter.

In terms of transactions this summer, writing an insurance policy on the blue line and in the blue paint is a little more important. Nashville has done that to a reasonable extent with defensemen Hannan and Moore and backup goalie Mason.

New Jersey: B

New Faces: Bobby Butler, Phil DeSimone, Krys Barch

Butler’s scoring log from his rookie year in 2010-11 suggests he is capable of reaching the 20-goal range. The Devils will need him to reach for that ceiling as at least one of their key scorers, namely Parise, has departed and the resultant shift has left voids in the lower echelon of the depth chart.

NY Islanders: B-plus

New Faces: Nathan McIver, Eric Boulton, Matt Carkner, Brad Boyes

The Isles can bank on Boyes picking his game back up with a change of scenery and on the stay-at-home Carkner lending some much-needed seasoning to the bottom defensive pair.

NY Rangers: A

New Faces: Brandon Segal, Jeff Halpern, Taylor Pyatt, Micheal Haley, Arron Asham

By trading for Rick Nash, the Rangers addressed their need to shore up the top six, which meant all they needed to reel in through free agency was secondary scoring.

By signing Pyatt, who more often than not has cracked double digits in both goals and assists, they addressed their need for capable third-line material.

In addition, if they max out their potential, the newly signed Asham and Halpern should provide enough fourth-line production to give John Tortorella a roundly-braced strike force to go with his elite defense and goaltending.

Ottawa: C/C-plus

New Faces: Nathan Lawson, Tyler Eckford, Guillaume Latendresse, Mike Lundin

If his luck turns around health-wise, Latendresse can be an invaluable additive to a Senators team that needs better depth beneath its first line.

He is better than nothing, but there is only so much he can do and none of Ottawa’s other signees appear NHL-ready. More new blood is recommended among the forwards in particular, but possibly on defense as well.

Philadelphia: B-minus/C-plus

New Faces: Bruno Gervais, Ruslan Fedotenko, Danny Syvret

Remember those math and science classes where partial credit was awarded whenever a student showed his/her work on a problem, even if that work did not bring about the correct answer?

That applies here to the Flyers, who made a valiant effort to lure Weber away from Nashville. The Predators simply would not let that happen.

Nonetheless, the key word in “partial credit” is “partial,” and the signings of Gervais and Syvret are not nearly enough to remedy a defense depleted by injuries. Nor will Fedotenko―who, granted, at least tends to perk up in the playoffs―add much to an already explosive offense.

Phoenix: B

New Faces: Nick Johnson, Joel Rechlicz, Steve Sullivan, Rob Klinkhammer, Chris Conner, Chad Johnson, David Moss

Nick Johnson can fit in on the fourth line. Conner can be a go-to stand-in while serving as a spare winger or top minor-leaguer. Sullivan should be good for goals in upper teens and Moss could crack the 20-goal plateau.

Bottom line, though, if career-long Coyote Shane Doan cannot be retained, a plunge is all but inevitable for this franchise, which has lost enough as it is in Whitney.

Pittsburgh: B-minus/C-plus

New Faces: Benn Ferriero, Philippe Dupuis, Trevor Smith, Warren Peters, Dylan Reese, Tanner Glass, Riley Holzapfel, Jeff Zatkoff

The aforementioned trade of Staal to the Hurricanes cracks open the question of whether the Pens can continue to attack in droves while the top-six forwards are refueling on the bench.

Unless Ferriero permanently graduates from the AHL and has a breakout year, they will need to answer that question with Brandon Sutter―the main piece of compensation for Staal―and their returning core. Everybody else projects to embolden the farm team in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, which should at least make for better development of some of Pittsburgh’s most-prized prospects.

St. Louis: A-minus

New Faces: Andrew Murray, Jeff Woywitka, Scott Ford, Mike McKenna

There aren’t exactly any big-name additives here. But based on the direction Ken Hitchcock has taken this franchise since debuting as head coach last November, general manager Doug Armstrong’s implicit stay-the-course approach is not a bad one.

San Jose: B-plus

New Faces: Jonathan Matsumoto, Bracken Kearns, Adam Burish

Burish is an effective fourth-line forward who knows the division, having just come from Dallas. Kearns and Matsumoto might not be NHL material, but can nonetheless bolster the organization by rejuvenating a Worcester team that has missed the last two AHL playoffs.

Tampa Bay: A

New Faces: Matt Taormina, Matt Carle, Sami Salo

Unless you count Anders Lindback and Benoit Pouliot, a goalie and forward each claimed via trade and then re-signed a few weeks later, all of the Lightning’s free-agent pick-ups are defensemen.

One of them, Taormina, is a candidate to fill in whenever injuries or illnesses strike the parent club. The other two, Carle and Salo, are solid veterans who should replenish much of what has been missing in the absence of Mattias Ohlund.

Toronto: B

New Faces: Keith Aucoin, Jay McClement, Mike Kostka

On the one hand, given their playoff drought that is as old as the post-lockout era, it is easy for Leafs fans to harbor a shallow or empty jar of patience.

On the other hand, Toronto did spring for James van Riemsdyk in a trade and does have a multitude of Marlies climbing up the ranks and coming off an appearance in the Calder Cup Finals.

Considering the team’s collection of prospects and the fact that Randy Carlyle is about to embark on his first full season behind the bench ought to lessen one’s expectations for a free-agency shopping spree. But McClement, at least, is a decent addition to the middle of the depth chart.

Vancouver: Incomplete

New Faces: Guillaume Desbiens, Derek Joslin, Patrick Mullen, Jason Garrison

Garrison is a sensible addition to the blue line, but the Canucks still need to add some depth to the offense. Both Vancouver papers have detailed the team’s reported interest in seasoned center Jason Arnott, who would bring a decent lower-six scoring touch and valuable winning experience if the deal actually happens.

Washington: B/B-plus

New Faces: Wojtek Wolski, Ryan Stoa, Jack Hillen, Joey Crabb, Garret Stafford

The Caps have taken on a couple of dark horses in Wolski, who shall try to put a recent injury history behind him and return to the form of his Colorado years, and Stoa, who could be a go-to reinforcement if hungry enough.

They have also accumulated couple of upper-twenty somethings who can plug the bottom of the nightly offense and defense in Crabb and Hillen, respectively.

Come what may, as vital as the contributions of these new acquisitions may be, they still take a backseat to Washington getting the best out of its established core from early autumn to late spring. In some cases, the presence of the new guys may serve as a useful motivational sparkplug for the others.

Winnipeg: B-plus

New Faces: Mark Dekanich, Al Montoya, Olli Jokinen, Alexei Ponikarovsky

With Jokinen and Ponikarovsky, the Jets have broadened the assortment of scorers they will lean on.

With Montoya and Dekanich, they have clearly addressed the backup goaltending void left by the second-term Predator Mason and then by Gustavsson. Although, making a better effort to have Gustavsson’s rights for more than eight days might have been a shrewder move.