8 Underrated Signings from 2025 NHL Free Agency
The beauty of NHL free agency is that the best signings don't always have to be the most obvious ones.
A big-time player signing for big-time money is easy to notice, but sometimes there's a guy who makes for an intriguing fit with a new team and their new contract makes it all the more interesting.
We're looking at a handful of the signings that have happened over the past week or so and giving kudos where they're due. Some of the players here may not have been flying under the radar, but the circumstances make it an underrated move nonetheless.
Just keep that in mind when you see a couple of these names and you're saying, "Hey, wait a minute..."
Brent Burns, Colorado Avalanche
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The Avalanche are the kind of team that doesn't necessarily have to go wild in free agency to make themselves a better team. They're already loaded with talent and are among the best in the league.
Tweaks are better than turnover and adding veteran defenseman Brent Burns counts as that.
At 40 years old and with a career of defined play, the Avalanche know just what they're getting from him. He's a workhorse player who hasn't missed a game in over a decade.
Last season with Carolina, he had 29 points with six goals, his lowest output for an 82-game season in more than 10 years. He still has a big shot, he can still move the puck, and he'll set up on the third pair to give them someone they know they can count on in that role.
The Avalanche would love it if Burns could turn back the clock and dial up the production again, but they know they're going to get someone who will give them a steady presence in a depth role on the blue line and present matchup issues for foes deeper in their lineup as well.
Andrew Mangiapane, Edmonton Oilers
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The Oilers losing Corey Perry to the L.A. Kings in free agency and trading Evander Kane to Vancouver meant they lost a lot of net presence in the offensive zone.
Having another crease-crasher to go along with Zach Hyman means they can diversify their attack, and adding Andrew Mangiapane from Washington does just that.
The 29-year-old has been a steady 15-to-20 goal scorer every season he's been in the league, apart from his massive 35-goal season in Calgary in 2021-2022. He's a guy who digs in around the net, finds loose pucks low in the offensive zone and plays a more physical style of play all over the ice.
He's an ideal player for Edmonton to both score goals and muck it up.
What's more is that they know how effective Mangiapane can be after seeing him on the other side of their rivalry with the Flames for many years.
The Oilers are more than aware of what they'll get out of Mangiapane, and they're counting on him to keep that up and allow their offense to maintain a strong presence around the net.
Evgenii Dadonov, New Jersey Devils
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The New Jersey Devils are hoping to stop being one of the "if they can ever stay healthy" good teams in the league, and the best way to do that is to have enough depth to weather injuries to top players like Jack Hughes.
They re-signed Cody Glass and added Connor Brown in free agency, but also brought in former Stars scorer Evgenii Dadonov.
Dadonov, on a one-year, $1 million contract, is a good way to make the most of what you spend. Last season with Dallas, he had 20 goals and 20 assists, which is about on par for what he'll produce in any given season.
Spending a million to add 20 goals to the offense is a solid use of cap space, and his natural offensive abilities should help those on the ice with him, no matter where the 36-year-old plays in the lineup.
With Hughes returning next season after shoulder surgery, the additions the Devils made to the lineup make them much deeper overall, but with Dadonov, it's almost like a lottery ticket.
They didn't spend a lot of money to add him and if he can do what he's done in Dallas and Florida in the past, it will help New Jersey compete more strongly with the likes of Carolina and Washington atop the Metropolitan Division.
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Anthony Mantha, Pittsburgh Penguins
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The Pittsburgh Penguins aren't exactly a team that's looking like it will compete for a Stanley Cup on paper, despite having Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin on the roster, but they're still capable of making savvy signings.
Adding Anthony Mantha in free agency was one of those.
The 30-year-old is coming off a torn ACL that required surgery and held him to 13 games a year ago. While he had seven points in 13 games for the Flames, it's a tough injury to come back from, and the Penguins are hoping they'll see more of the guy who had 23 goals for Washington and Vegas two seasons ago.
Getting that kind of production would be great for the Pens to give them more options up front, but it will also give them the chance to trade Mantha at or near the deadline to further stuff their own coffers with picks as they rebuild on the fly.
A great comeback season for Mantha could make for a great deadline for Pittsburgh and the chance for him to latch on to a Stanley Cup contender late in the year.
Nick Perbix, Nashville Predators
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Last summer, we were eager to crown the Nashville Predators as the winners of the offseason with the big moves they made to add Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault and Brady Skjei.
This summer, they were more modest in signings, but the addition of defenseman Nick Perbix was a solid move.
The 27-year-old gives Nashville a steady two-way right-handed defenseman to slot in next to any of Skjei, Roman Josi or fellow newcomer Nicolas Hague.
With the Lightning, Perbix proved to be a quietly solid defender and was able to earn a lot of playing time early in his time there with Victor Hedman because of it.
After landing in Nashville, Perbix will get to do more of the same for a team that needs to better support goalie Juuse Saros and find better ways to spark its offense.
Pius Suter, St. Louis Blues
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At first blush, that dollar amount center Pius Suter signed for with the Blues may make you think it's less an underrated signing than it could go sideways for them.
But when you consider his strengths (two-way play, faceoffs, defensive matchups) and the way he's able to add offense while doing all of that, getting him on a two-year deal was a great way to get in while the getting was good.
The 29-year-old sets up to be either the Blues' No. 2 or No. 3 centerman behind Robert Thomas. Whether he's on the second line or Brayden Schenn is could affect how many points he puts up, but if he's on the third line, his natural strengths will shine and allow the Blues to get the better of the line matchups they'll draw further down the lineup.
Versatility is the name of the game in the middle six of the forward group and Suter provides a ton of it. That ability to slot in either spot makes him worth the money, especially with the kind of offensive production he's capable of.
Aaron Ekblad, Florida Panthers
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Eight years, $48.8 million
Aaron Ekblad re-signing with the Panthers before hitting free agency probably should disqualify him from this list, but Florida being able to retain its alternate captain at a rate that falls well below what he would've gotten on the open market as an unrestricted free agent is a massive win for GM Bill Zito.
A player of his quality and ability getting to market would have almost certainly meant he'd have cashed in massively elsewhere. That he stays with the only team he's played for at $6.1 million per year on a cap hit is an astounding bargain and proof that winning goes a long way. That and maybe friendly local taxes, too.
The 29-year-old certainly would have commanded at least $8 million per season in free agency if not more and Florida getting to retain him while they've still got Seth Jones on the right side of the blue line as well is nearly unfair to other teams on and off the ice.
Drafting and developing the right way goes far, but winning regularly and always competing for the Stanley Cup can do amazing things.
Nikolaj Ehlers, Carolina Hurricanes
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Nikolaj Ehlers could have stayed with the Winnipeg Jets and no one would have faulted him one bit.
The Jets could have given him an eight-year contract and a massive payout just the same, but Carolina landing him for six years at $8.5 million a year against the cap is somehow still a sneaky-good play on its part.
Ehlers was eager to be part of what's going on in Raleigh under coach Rod Brind'Amour, but it also proved Carolina was saved from itself by Mikko Rantanen not wanting to stay, even with a massive offer to do just that.
The Dane, coming in around $4 million less per year than what Rantanen was offered, turns him into the bargain signing you'd never imagine. Although Rantanen's numbers come in a bit higher, the fit Ehlers provides in the Hurricanes' lineup should prove to be a lot smoother and a fair bit more cohesive than the Finn was in his short time with Carolina.
Yes, $8.5 million a year is a sizeable cap hit for any team, but compared to $12 million a year, it's a bargain.
Salary information was provided by Puckpedia
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