NHL's Top Five Free Agent Winners This Summer

Although guys like Alex Tanguay and Petr Sykora remain unsigned, we are just weeks away from the start of NHL training camps.

I think we’re safe to identify some of the teams that were definitely on the winning side of the free agent game this summer.

Here’s how I picked the winners:

The team made their deals on or after July 1.

The team addressed a legitimate need through free agency.

The financial terms of the deals demonstrate good cap management.

Think these criteria are a little subjective?

You bet they are.  You don’t like ‘em, write your own list.

Here are my winners:

5. Detroit Red Wings

Okay, hear me out before you write your derisive comments. 

Detroit lost more than any other team this summer.  They lose the best UFA of the summer in Marian Hossa, an improving and dangerous Jiri Hudler, a streaky but often clutch scorer in Mikael Samuelsson, and a solid backup goaltender in Ty Conklin. 

There was no way to make up for all of that through free agency.  However, the fact that they addressed their most glaring need, additional scoring, by signing Patrick Eaves, Jason Williams and Todd Bertuzzi, all of them former 20+ goal scorers, for $3.5 million deserves some recognition. 

All three of these guys are far from a sure thing, but are all capable of ably filling the holes Detroit has after this summer’s mass exodus.

4.  Columbus Blue Jackets

Again, hear me out. 

After making the playoffs for the first time in franchise history last season, Ohio was buzzing about hockey for the first time in, well, ever.  The excitement didn’t last long as the young Blue Jackets team didn’t win a single game in the first round, but they got there, and that’s something to build on. 

Columbus signed Samuel Pahlsson to a three-year deal just hours after free agency began.  What a great move.  Pahlsson is just the kind of player the players in Columbus need on their team to help them get to the next level: defensively superb and works like a dog. 

This is the kind of team Columbus was rounding out into last season and is just the way coach Ken Hitchcock likes it.  Barring a monumental collapse, Calder Trophy (rookie of the year) winner Steve Mason should be the best goalie in the Central Division next season.

If he does stumble, Mathieu Garon should be able to fill in as a solid 1A goaltender: another smart move by Columbus this summer.  Make no mistake—Columbus is close, really close, to becoming a major force in the NHL. 

They didn’t need to do much this summer, but the moves they made (for under $4 million) were just what they needed to continue their upward mobility.

3. Toronto Maple Leafs

Brian Burke likes his players physical and intimidating.  He got both when he signed Mike Komisarek and Francios Beauchemin. 

The rebuilding Maple Leafs (and isn’t that getting a little tired on the ears?) have a solid defensive foundation in these two punishing defensemen. 

With the lack of any bona fide offensive power, the Maple Leafs are being built into a team that will rely more on stifling defense and physical intimidation than scoring ability to win games. 

While Komisarek and Beauchemin are definite improvements to the Leafs, it’s a stretch to say that they will turn the Leafs into a playoff team…unless you add a mysterious Swedish monster in net. 

That is exactly what Burke did. 

Jonas Gustavsson has yet to play one NHL game, but that didn’t stop almost every team in the league from trying to figure out a way to add him to their roster.  Gustavsson is big (6’3”, 192 lbs), quick, and more mature (24 years old) than many NHL rookie goalies. 

His past two seasons in the Swedish Elite League saw him average a 2.10 GAA and a .928 SV%.  Those are indeed monster numbers.  All reports indicate Gustavsson has the talent, work ethic and maturity to step into a No. 1 role between the pipes in Toronto. 

If he works out, Toronto may make it back to the second season quicker than you think.

2. Vancouver Canucks

As of this writing, rumors are the Canucks are very close to signing veteran offensive defenseman Mathieu Schnieder.  Considering the moves they’ve already made, that would be quite an addition. 

Vancouver concluded their long, drawn out, agonizing, annoying (did I mention long?) contract negotiations with Daniel and Henrik Sedin in the wee hours of free agency, breaking the hearts of several GMs around the league. 

This was a move they had to make and a move they made well.  The Sedins are the heart of Vancouver’s offense, and losing them would have been extremely damaging to Vancouver’s plans of becoming perennial Cup contenders. 

They got the duo signed for $12.2 million a year (combined) for six years, a very cap-friendly price considering their talent level.  Oh, but that was just the beginning. 

They went on to sign Detroit defector Mikael Samuelsson to a three-year deal, and the surprisingly gifted offensive contributor Kyle Wellwood to a very safe, one year, $1.2 million deal. 

Add these guys to a line up that includes Pavol Demitra, Ryan Kesler, Kevin Bieksa, and Roberto Luongo, and Vancouver looks like a team ready to get comfortable at the top of the Western Conference standings.

1. Chicago Blackhawks

Well, this shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone.  Any time you add a player the caliber of Marian Hossa to your lineup, for 12 years no less, you’re doing pretty well on the free agent front. 

Despite the league raising an eyebrow at this deal, getting Hossa at around a $5 million annual cap hit was absolutely brilliant.  Then again, it may have contributed to GM Dale Talon being, ahem, “demoted” and replaced by Stan Bowman. 

Hossa won’t see action in the Second City until December due to the recovery time necessitated by a shoulder surgery he had AFTER he signed in Chicago.  Nonetheless, the signing itself was a major win for the suddenly loaded Blackhawks. 

John Madden, a former Selke Trophy (best defensive forward) winner, was another great signing that often gets overlooked amid the Hossa hoopla, but was a very solid signing that should pay big dividends for Chicago come playoff time.

The Hawks also made some unexpected deals thanks to the US Post Office. 

Apparently, several qualifying offers made to Chicago RFA’s were lost in the mail.  The mishandling opened up the possibility of these players becoming UFA’s prematurely, and thus, free to sign with any team they chose. 

The Hawks put the two of these bigger fires out, namely Calder Trophy Finalist Kris Versteeg and talented blue-liner Cam Barker, by signing both to three-year contracts, worth over $3 million apiece annually. 

This is more than Chicago would have paid either had the qualifying offers been handled correctly, but both should prove to be bargains in the long run. 

Though Chicago will ice a team worth far more than their payroll for the 2009-10 season, they are going to be facing some very tough cap issues next summer.

Keeping this team together will be impossible, however, as loaded as the Hawks have become, the moves they made this summer should solidify their spot as a Western Conference power for years to come.