NHL Free Agency 2016: Early Grades for Every Team

Even with Steven Stamkos safely locked up by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the lead-up to July 1, there was still plenty of action in the opening days of NHL free agency. 

It's always perilous to try and judge these deals immediately because we don't know how things are going to turn out. Nevertheless, NHL general managers have to make their decisions in the here and now and with imperfect information, so it's only fair we make do under the same conditions. 

The following slides list the gains and losses of every NHL team, a summary of that club's situation following the opening days of free agency and our view on how the work of each franchise should be graded.

In each case, we're looking solely at work done since July 1, so teams such as the Montreal Canadiens and Edmonton Oilers, who made big trades prior to free agency, are not getting marked for their work beforehand.

What we're looking for is improvement. Contracts we regard as bad will naturally earn poor grades, but teams that just sit out free agency don't get off the hook. There's value to be found, and other clubs in the league are getting better, so wallflowers aren't doing themselves any favours.

Anaheim Ducks

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Transaction List

• Signed RD Nate Guenin (one year, $600,000 AAV).
• Lost G Anton Khudobin to the Boston Bruins.
• Lost LW Jamie McGinn to the Arizona Coyotes.
• Lost LW David Perron to the St. Louis Blues.
• Lost RW Chris Stewart to the Minnesota Wild.

Summary

The Anaheim Ducks are a Stanley Cup contender, one that can't really afford to sit back and do nothing when a couple of additions might make all the difference. On the other hand, they are also a budget team that needs to find room for Hampus Lindholm's new contract.

The results so far have been uninspiring. Anaheim has leaked talent, with David Perron being the most difficult loss. The only addition has been Guenin, a fringe NHLer who fills a depth role on an already deep defence. 

Grade: C-

Anaheim needs a top-line left wing and a backup goaltender. The Ducks have the assets to trade for the former, and there are still options for the latter role out in the world. But the longer they wait, the more calcified the teams around them get.

Arizona Coyotes

Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Transaction List

• Signed RD Jamie McBain (one year, $600,000 AAV).
• Signed LW Jamie McGinn (three years, $3.33 million AAV).
• Signed C Ryan White (one year, $1.0 million AAV).
• Lost C Boyd Gordon to the Philadelphia Flyers.

Summary

The Arizona Coyotes took care of one big need—help on defence—in the days leading up to free agency, acquiring the rights to Alex Goligoski from the Dallas Stars and promptly signing the defenceman before he had a chance to go to market. 

Up front, the team is short on talent, and despite plenty of cap space, it's likely that budgetary restrictions will force Arizona to give minutes to its top young players and hope they can carry the load. 

Grade: C+

It would be higher if we were counting the Goligoski deal, but even so, the Coyotes haven't done too badly. Jamie McGinn is a decent middle-six left wing who will add some stability, and the team also brought in some reasonable depth pieces.

Boston Bruins

Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

Transaction List

• Signed C David Backes (five years, $6.0 million AAV).
• Signed G Anton Khudobin (two years, $1.2 million AAV).
• Signed C Riley Nash (two years, $900,000 AAV).
• Re-signed LD John-Michael Liles (one year, $2.0 million AAV).
• Lost RW Brett Connolly to the Washington Capitals.
• Lost RW Loui Eriksson to the Vancouver Canucks.
• Lost G Jonas Gustavsson to the Edmonton Oilers.
• Lost RW Lee Stempniak to the Carolina Hurricanes.
• Lost RD Zach Trotman to the Los Angeles Kings.

Summary

The Boston Bruins entered free agency with two major problems to address. The first was the pending exit of Loui Eriksson, the polished winger who scored 30 goals for the club last season. The second was an obvious need for a top-four defenceman, ideally a right shot. 

David Backes, who has spent time at centre and right wing, is a reasonable enough replacement for Eriksson, but the opening on defence still hasn't been addressed. Boston has some money left, but the list of available rearguards is thinning out rapidly. 

Grade: D-

Boston has made some good bets in Anton Khudobin and Riley Nash. The former should provide more reliable backup goaltending than Jonas Gustavsson did last season while the latter may be able to play third-line minutes for fourth-line dollars. 

The problem is Backes. The 32-year-old centre has accumulated a lot of mileage over rough roads and saw both his five-on-five scoring rate and personal shooting rate fall to the lowest levels of his career last season. A half-decade contract at that price when the decline has already started is hard to defend. 

Buffalo Sabres

Jay LaPrete/Associated Press

Transaction List

• Signed LD Justin Falk (one year, $650,000 AAV).
• Signed C Derek Grant (one year, terms not released).
• Signed RW Kyle Okposo (seven years, $6.0 million AAV).
• Lost G Chad Johnson to the Calgary Flames.

Summary

General manager Tim Murray has not been afraid to be aggressive as he continues his rebuild of the Buffalo Sabres, and that same aggressive approach has applied to free agency this season. 

With Steven Stamkos re-upping in Tampa Bay, Kyle Okposo was either the best or second-best forward available in free agency. He'll add scoring punch at a position where the Sabres need it, and as was the case with the New York Islanders, he will have the opportunity to play alongside an extremely talented centre. 

Grade: B+

Okposo makes the Sabres better immediately, and seeing as he's 28 years old, it should take a while before we start seeing a noticeable depreciation of his skills.

Additionally, although he landed a deal loaded with signing bonuses, the money is heavily front-loaded. That's important because it means Buffalo has preserved the option of buying out the last year or two of the contract should that become necessary. 

Calgary Flames

Paul Vernon/Associated Press

Transaction List

• Signed RW Troy Brouwer (four years, $4.5 million AAV).
• Signed G Chad Johnson (one year, $1.7 million AAV).
• Lost LW Joe Colborne to the Colorado Avalanche.
• Lost C Derek Grant to the Buffalo Sabres.

Summary

The Calgary Flames have completely overhauled last season's big weakness, which was in net. Starter Brian Elliott was acquired on the cheap from St. Louis at the draft, and the signing of Chad Johnson to a one-year deal is a bit of a coup, as he showed himself capable of handling the No. 1 job in a pinch last season.

Troy Brouwer brings some qualities the Flames lack at right wing. He's a big, physical player, which isn't a bad fit for a smaller roster, but more importantly he's a two-way presence who can be trusted in a tough minutes role. 

Grade: B-

Unlike his ex-teammate Backes, Brouwer isn't clearly in decline just yet and actually had a strong campaign last year in terms of both scoring and shot rate at 5-on-5. He'll turn 31 in August, so we should see him start to slip before the end of his deal, but neither the length nor the cost is especially onerous. 

Johnson will push Elliott and should split time with him in net; with the exception of 1A goalie James Reimer, he may have been the best goaltender available in free agency. 

Carolina Hurricanes

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Transaction List

• Signed LW Viktor Stalberg (one year, $1.5 million AAV).
• Signed RW Lee Stempniak (two years, $2.5 million AAV).
• Lost LW Nathan Gerbe to the New York Rangers.
• Lost LW Brad Malone to the Washington Capitals.
• Lost C Riley Nash to the Boston Bruins.
• Lost LW Chris Terry to the Montreal Canadiens.

Summary

One of the Carolina Hurricanes' problems last year was a lack of scoring presence, which is presumably why Lee Stempniak (51 points in 2015-16) was brought in. Viktor Stalberg was less potent but still provided the New York Rangers with solid minutes in a depth role and will help the Canes on the wing. 

The core of the team is young at virtually every position, and it's fair to wonder whether Carolina is done. There's a case to be made for additions across the board if the team has the budget. 

Grade: C+

Stempniak was the ultimate bargain last year, and even after a great season, he didn't command much in terms of years or dollars. Stalberg isn't a bad bet, either; his scoring rate was decent in a depth role, and he may surprise with his production if his minutes are increased. 

However, the Hurricanes just haven't done enough yet. The club needs more than a couple of smart, lower-case signings. 

Chicago Blackhawks

Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports

Transaction List

• Signed LD Brian Campbell (one year, $1.5 million AAV).
• Re-signed Michal Rozsival (one year, $600,000 AAV).
• Lost LW Andrew Ladd to the New York Islanders.
• Lost RW Dale Weise to the Philadelphia Flyers.

Summary

The losses of Andrew Ladd and Dale Weise would've hurt the Chicago Blackhawks if either player had been an integral part of the team; instead, they were the same kind of deadline additions the Blackhawks make every year. The same is true for most of the unsigned free agents still waiting for new deals who most recently wore a Hawks sweater.

As always, the game for general manager Stan Bowman is to sneak as much cheap talent as he can into the gaps around his expensive Cup-winning core. This summer, that's meant re-signing Michal Rozsival on the cheap and bringing back Brian Campbell. 

Grade: A-

As said on Friday, Brian Campbell represented the best value of the first day of free agency. He's an impact defenceman, and his willingness to sign a dirt-cheap, one-year deal with his old team gives the Hawks a much-needed shot in the arm on defence. 

The only complaint here is it would have been nice to see Chicago a little more active on the bargain-hunting front. Rozsival is cheap but may not be able to bring much next year, and there were a few decent players signed for tiny amounts around the league who might have been lured to the team with a little more effort.

Colorado Avalanche

Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports

Transaction List

• Signed LW Joe Colborne (two years, $2.5 million AAV).
• Signed LD Fedor Tyutin (one year, $2.0 million AAV).
• Signed LD Patrick Wiercioch (one year, $800,000 AAV).
• Lost LD Andrew Bodnarchuk to the Dallas Stars.
• Lost LW Mikkel Boedker to the San Jose Sharks.
• Lost RD Nate Guenin to the Anaheim Ducks.
• Lost LW Shawn Matthias to the Winnipeg Jets. 
• Lost RD Zach Redmond to the Montreal Canadiens.

Summary

It's already been a busy offseason for the Colorado Avalanche, who said goodbye to a pair of trade-deadline additions and a whole pile of depth defenceman from last season's underperforming blue line. It isn't done yet, either, as Colorado has two big RFA contracts to negotiate (Nathan MacKinnon and Tyson Barrie).

Joe Colborne should slide neatly into one of the vacated left-wing roles, while the hope will be that Fedor Tyutin and Patrick Wiercioch can help stabilize that troubled defensive group. 

Grade: C+

Colborne almost certainly isn't going to score 19 goals next season. That was an aberration based on a career-high shooting percentage. The good news is with that contract, he doesn't need to do so; as long as he can handle a third-line role, he'll be delivering decent value.

Wiercioch is an excellent bargain addition. Tyutin got more money than might have been expected for a recently bought-out veteran, but he'll only be 33 when next season opens, and he's only on a one-year deal.

As was the case with Carolina, there's no real argument against these moves; the only concern is a poor team hasn't done enough to improve.

Columbus Blue Jackets

Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports

Transaction List

• Lost LD Justin Falk to the Buffalo Sabres.
• Lost LD Fedor Tyutin to the Colorado Avalanche.

Summary

The Columbus Blue Jackets are in a bad spot. A team that didn't get close to the playoffs last year is nevertheless loaded to the gills with long-term contracts, aging veterans and no-move clauses. The result is a team with precious little ability to maneuver and almost no cap space.

A quiet summer was virtually unavoidable, and the team's primary objective was always to get RFA defenceman Seth Jones under contract. That task was accomplished. 

Grade: C-

General manager Jarmo Kekalainen has painted himself into a corner and seems to lack the ability to get himself out of it. None of his expensive veterans will see their deals expire for at least two seasons, so he'll just have to hope for internal growth.

Dallas Stars

Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports

Transaction List

• Signed LD Andrew Bodnarchuk (two years, $725,000 AAV).
• Signed LD Dan Hamhuis (two years, $3.75 million AAV).
• Re-signed RW Patrick Eaves (one year, $1.0 million AAV).
• Lost RD Jason Demers to the Florida Panthers.
• Lost C Vernon Fiddler to the New Jersey Devils.
• Lost RW Colton Sceviour to the Florida Panthers.

Summary

After a successful season ended far too early in the playoffs, the Dallas Stars faced some difficult choices.

First, three of their top-four defenceman—Alex Goligoski, Jason Demers and Kris Russell—were bound for free agency. The Stars traded Goligoski away, let Demers go and appear primed to let Russell depart as well. Filling the void is Dan Hamhuis and youth.

Second, the goaltending duo of Kari Lehtonen and Antti Niemi badly let the team down last year yet remains in place. 

Grade: D+

Hamhuis is a good player, but the Stars are substantially worse on defence and unimproved in net. With a forward corps that's good enough to win it all, general manager Jim Nill's laissez-faire approach is difficult to fathom. 

Detroit Red Wings

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Transaction List

• Signed C Frans Nielsen (six years, $5.25 million AAV).
• Signed C Steve Ott (one year, $800,000 AAV).
• Signed LW Thomas Vanek (one year, $2.6 million AAV).
• Re-signed C Darren Helm (five years, $3.86 million AAV).

Summary

The Detroit Red Wings entered free agency with some pretty significant problems.

The loss of top centre Pavel Datsyuk was a massive blow, and while general manager Ken Holland managed to get out from underneath his cap hit he still needed to find a replacement and upgrade a forward group that hadn't been good enough even with Datsyuk's presence. There was also a need to shore up an aging blue line.

Holland got busy and likely isn't done. Frans Nielsen will fill a void at centre, Thomas Vanek will help on the power play and, with a ridiculously long list of forwards at his disposal, shoring up the blue line via trade may yet be possible. 

Grade: D

That six-year contract to Nielsen may have been necessary, but it's also troubling—particularly because Nielsen's five-on-five scoring has fallen off a ledge the last two seasons. The Red Wings needed a centre, but it's hard to imagine that commitment not hurting them down the road.

Vanek, at this stage of his career, is a one-dimensional offensive specialist. Ott's performance in St. Louis the last three seasons has been bad enough it's a little surprising he was able to secure a one-way contract. 

Edmonton Oilers

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Transaction List

• Signed G Jonas Gustavsson (one year, $800,000 AAV).
• Signed LW Milan Lucic (seven years, $6.0 million AAV).
• Lost RD Adam Clendening to the New York Rangers.

Summary

The biggest splash the Edmonton Oilers made this summer falls outside the purview of this piece. The trade of Taylor Hall for Adam Larsson did change the way the team looked entering free agency, though, shifting the club's primary position of weakness from defence to left wing.

Edmonton also needed to add a backup goaltender. 

Grade: C+

Milan Lucic was the only player in free agency who could plausibly fill Edmonton's sudden gap on the port side, and much like Okposo in Buffalo, he's young enough and good enough that the team should get better immediately and stay improved for a while.

The difference is contract; while Okposo's is front-loaded and gives the Sabres some flexibility, Lucic's back-loaded deal is virtually buyout proof. That makes Lucic a bigger risk for Edmonton than Okposo is in Buffalo. 

Jonas Gustavsson may be serviceable as a backup goalie, and he's certainly cheap enough. But the less he plays, the better off the Oilers will be. He ranks 70th in 5-on-5 save percentage among goalies with at least 1,000 minutes played over the last four seasons. 

Florida Panthers

Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

Transaction List

• Signed RD Jason Demers (five years, $4.5 million AAV).
• Signed C Jonathan Marchessault (two years, $750,000 AAV). 
• Signed G James Reimer (five years, $3.4 million AAV).
• Signed RW Colton Sceviour (two years, $950,000 AAV).
• Lost LD Brian Campbell to the Chicago Blackhawks.
• Lost LW Quinton Howden to the Winnipeg Jets.
• Lost G Al Montoya to the Montreal Canadiens.
• Lost RW Teddy Purcell to the Los Angeles Kings.

Summary

The Florida Panthers entered free agency with modest needs. The addition of Keith Yandle prior to July 1 had already been made to help compensate for the loss of Brian Campbell (that move falls outside our window here), so the team's most pressing issues were depth pieces on defence and at forward.

Looking over a longer term, goaltending might be regarded as a concern, though with Roberto Luongo coming off a fine season, the concern was not immediate. 

Grade: A-

Florida took a proactive approach to solving its remaining problems in free agency and accomplished a lot.

Jason Demers is obviously the biggest add, and he's a good one—a versatile two-way defenceman signed over reasonable term and at a reasonable dollar figure. James Reimer was a somewhat surprising addition, but Luongo's cap hit is low enough that there's room, and he both gives the Panthers a chance to spell Luongo as he gets older and also offers a reasonable replacement down the line.

Jonathan Marchessault and Colton Sceviour are both excellent, low-risk signings who should be able to provide competent NHL minutes at virtually no cap hit. 

Los Angeles Kings

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Transaction List

• Signed RD Tom Gilbert (one year, $1.4 million AAV).
• Signed C Michael Latta (one year, $600,000 AAV).
• Signed RW Teddy Purcell (one year, $1.6 million AAV).
• Signed RD Zach Trotman (one year, $650,000 AAV).
• Signed G Jeff Zatkoff (two years, $900,000 AAV).
• Lost LW Milan Lucic to the Edmonton Oilers.
• Lost RD Jamie McBain to the Arizona Coyotes.

Summary

The Los Angeles Kings are a legitimate Stanley Cup contender coming off two disappointing campaigns, which created some problems for general manager Dean Lombardi.

The first was maintenance. Most good teams end up running into cap trouble sooner rather than later, and keeping the band together is an ongoing challenge. This year, it was Lucic who slipped loose, thereby making the Kings weaker.

The second was improvement. L.A.'s lack of depth on defence and lack of scoring punch up front have both been issues over the last two seasons, and to get back to where they were would require an influx of talent.

Grade: C

It's hard to get upset with any of these signings. Teddy Purcell represents excellent value and is a solid complementary scorer. Michael Latta and Zach Trotman are both depth pieces with the ability to play. Tom Gilbert's coming off a terrible year and is the riskiest of these four bets, but the term and dollars are low, and if he can bounce back, he'll add value. 

Given the lack of cap space available to him, Lombardi likely did all he reasonably could. The trouble is it's hard to look at the roster and say it's much better than it was at the start of last season. 

Minnesota Wild

Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

Transaction List

• Signed LD Victor Bartley (one year, $650,000 AAV).
• Signed C Eric Staal (three years, $3.5 million AAV).
• Signed G Alex Stalock (one year, $650,000 AAV).
• Signed RW Chris Stewart (two years, $1.15 million AAV).
• Lost LW Thomas Vanek to the Detroit Red Wings.

Summary

Last season was, to put it mildly, a disappointment for the Minnesota Wild. Their progress didn't only stall, but the team actually fell backward. The core up front and on defence is still relatively young, but there was a need to bolster that group.

Particularly acute was the desire for a forward who could play on a scoring line, thereby giving the Wild the ability to shift Mikael Granlund over to the wing. 

Grade: B

Eric Staal is a gamble, and the trendline is concerning. At 5-on-5, he's gone from scoring 2.0 points/hour in 2013-14 down to 1.6 in 2014-15 and all the way to just 1.3 last season. There were some extenuating circumstances, including a midseason trade, in that last year, but there's clearly a need to reverse a decline. 

The money and term were reasonable; the only question is whether he'll be able to hold down a top-six role for the Wild.

The loss of Vanek is marginal; he provided some offence but was a black hole by on-ice shot metrics. Chris Stewart is signed to essentially fourth-line money and shouldn't have any problem meeting the expectations of that contract.

Montreal Canadiens

Mike Strasinger/Associated Press

Transaction List

• Signed G Al Montoya (one year, $950,000 AAV).
• Signed RW Alexander Radulov (one year, $5.75 million AAV).
• Signed RD Zach Redmond (two years, $612,500 AAV).
• Signed LW Chris Terry (one year, $600,000 AAV).
• Lost LD Victor Bartley to the Minnesota Wild.
• Lost RD Tom Gilbert to the Los Angeles Kings.

Summary

The Montreal Canadiens are another one of those teams whose biggest summer move falls outside the free-agency window, so don't expect to see a thrashing of the P.K. Subban trade here.

However, last season's debacle sans Carey Price revealed some weaknesses in the team. The defensive group was reasonably solid, but the forward corps needed upgrading, and the lack of an insurance policy in net proved a serious mistake. 

Grade: B+

We may be in the minority, but from our perspective the Alexander Radulov gamble is a good one. The biggest risk in free agency is signing guys to term; Montreal was perhaps the only team to add a legitimate impact scorer while only committing to a one-year deal.

Al Montoya is a big upgrade at the backup position, while Zach Redmond and Chris Terry are both cheap depth options. Redmond in particular may be able to outperform his deal.

Nashville Predators

Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Transaction List

• Signed RD Yannick Weber (one year, $575,000 AAV).
• Lost G Carter Hutton to the St. Louis Blues.

Summary

The Nashville Predators made their big splash prior to the opening of free agency, when they traded longtime franchise cornerstone Shea Weber to the Canadiens in exchange for the younger, more dynamic P.K. Subban.

The forward group skews young, and there were no significant needs at the position, so the Predators had the option of standing pat there. There was a need for some improvement of the team's defensive depth, but the primary issue is goaltending. Pekka Rinne is under contract at big money and let the team down rather badly in 2015-16.

Grade: C

Yannick Weber is a nice addition, a quality defenceman who can add a puck-moving element to the third pair and be a regular player for peanuts. The loss of Carter Hutton isn't a big deal, as there are internal options good enough to fill the backup role, but the Predators are one of those teams that could have used a backup good enough to challenge Rinne.

New Jersey Devils

Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

Transaction List

• Signed C Vernon Fiddler (one year, $1.25 million AAV).
• Signed RD Ben Lovejoy (three years, $2.67 million AAV). 
• Lost LD David Schlemko to the San Jose Sharks.
• Lost RD David Warsofsky to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Summary

The New Jersey Devils were one of the big beneficiaries of the flurry of activity before the opening of free agency, bringing in a dynamic offensive player who should dramatically improve the team's offensive capability in Taylor Hall.  

There remains work to do, though. New Jersey had all-world goaltending and missed the playoffs a year ago, and in addition to Hall, there was a need to upgrade depth at the forward position. Acquiring Hall necessitated losing Adam Larsson too, which gave the Devils their own problems on the right side of the blue line.

Grade: C+

For the most part, general manager Ray Shero took a slow, cautious approach. Ben Loveyjoy is a competent defensive defenceman who can complement a puck-moving partner, while Vernon Fiddler is a nice depth addition down the middle. Both players will help, but neither should be expected to fix New Jersey's roster issues. 

New York Islanders

Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

Transaction List

• Signed LW Jason Chimera (two years, $2.25 million AAV).
• Signed LW Andrew Ladd (seven years, $5.5 million AAV).
• Signed RW Pierre-Alexandre Parenteau (one year, $1.25 million AAV). 
• Lost LW Matt Martin to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
• Lost C Frans Nielsen to the Detroit Red Wings.
• Lost RW Kyle Okposo to the Buffalo Sabres.
• Lost LD Brian Strait to the Winnipeg Jets.

Summary

The New York Islanders were one of the teams that had to worry about a serious talent drain in free agency. Okposo and Nielsen are both unique players, with one arguably the top offensive player going to market and the other a capable two-way centre. 

Defence and goaltending were more or less set heading into free agency, but the challenge for general manager Garth Snow was to find players to replace the ones he was about to lose. 

Grade: D

Andrew Ladd is older than Okposo, not as good as Okposo and is signed to a virtually identical contract. Jason Chimera just turned 37. Pierre-Alexandre Parenteau's a nice cheap add and, as a bonus, a player who has familiarity with the organization. On balance, though, New York got worse and committed too much money to players in their 30s.  

New York Rangers

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Transaction List

• Signed RD Adam Clendening (one year, $600,000 AAV).
• Signed LW Nathan Gerbe (one year, $600,000 AAV).
• Signed RW Michael Grabner (two years, $1.6 million AAV).
• Lost C Eric Staal to the Minnesota Wild.
• Lost LW Viktor Stalberg to the Carolina Hurricanes.

Summary

The biggest concern with the New York Rangers is the team's back end. Henrik Lundqvist is 34, and while he's still performing at a high level, at some point he's going to be unable to cover up the team's mistakes. The blue line is showing cracks, with Marc Staal and Dan Girardi in particular struggling to live up to rich, multi-year pacts. 

Compounding matters is a long list of restricted free agents looking for raises up front and the limited amount of cap space to get all those deals done.

Grade: C

None of the contracts New York signed were particularly bad. Michael Grabner is a two-way player who will certainly be useful in a depth role. Nathan Gerbe and Adam Clendening both have flaws, but given the cap hits involved here, both were reasonable gambles.

The trouble is virtually nothing was done to address the club's most pressing issues.

Ottawa Senators

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Transaction List

• Signed RW Mike Blunden (two years, $737,500 AAV).
• Lost LD Patrick Wiercioch to the Colorado Avalanche.

Summary

The Ottawa Senators have a relatively young, relatively balanced team with no glaring holes at any position. The trouble is this relatively balanced team has won all of two playoff games in three years, so there should be a desire to upgrade pretty much across the board.

Grade: C-

Ottawa has a habit of sitting quietly to one side while the teams with money talk to free agents. The advantage is it's a good way of avoiding stupid contracts; the disadvantage is it's a vote for the status quo. The Sens even failed to avail themselves with some of the cheap, bargain-bin type players out there.

Philadelphia Flyers

Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

Transaction List

• Signed C Boyd Gordon (one year, $950,000 AAV).
• Signed RW Dale Weise (four years, $2.35 million AAV).
• Lost C Ryan White to the Arizona Coyotes.

Summary

Times have changed with the Philadelphia Flyers. Once an NHL leader in signing second-tier free agents to massive contracts, under general manager Ron Hextall, the focus has shifted to building through the draft and making smaller, smarter bets in free agency.

With goaltending locked down and a bunch of prospects hammering down the door on the blue line, it made sense for Hextall to focus on forwards in free agency.

Grade: B-

Essentially, the Flyers opted to tread water here. Boyd Gordon is a respectable fourth-line centre, faceoff specialist and penalty-killer. Dale Weise takes over Sam Gagner's role as a right-shooting offensive specialist and upgrades the team's size and speed in the process.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

Transaction List

• Signed RD David Warsofsky (one year, $575,000 AAV).
• Lost RD Ben Lovejoy to the New Jersey Devils.
• Lost G Jeff Zatkoff to the Los Angeles Kings.

Summary

It's good to be the Stanley Cup champions.

The Pittsburgh Penguins forward corps is brilliant and virtually without a peer across the league, featuring three lines anchored by three different elite offensive weapons and a host of mostly cheap, mostly capable support players. The defence isn't as strong but relies heavily on maturing talent, and of course, there are two options for the No. 1 goaltending job on the roster.

Grade: C+

General manager Jim Rutherford didn't do much, but then no other GM in the NHL had a better excuse for maintaining the status quo. 

San Jose Sharks

Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports

Transaction List

• Signed LW Mikkel Boedker (four years, $4.0 million AAV).
• Signed LD David Schlemko (four years, $2.1 million AAV).
• Lost RD Roman Polak to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
• Lost G James Reimer to the Florida Panthers.

Summary

In contrast with Pittsburgh, the San Jose Sharks can't look back with satisfaction on the past season; the goal is to get just that little bit better. 

Most of the team's free-agent losses were trade deadline additions and thus can be safely regarded as replaceable parts. However, San Jose proved unable to handle the Pens' depth in the final, so general manager Doug Wilson still needed to find a way to add some quality at the bottom end of the lineup. 

Grade: D

The Mikkel Boedker contract might have been worse since he's superficially the kind of player it makes sense to pay. The trouble is the Sharks have committed real money over four years to a winger who doesn't score much when not on the power play and whose team consistently gets worse by both shot and goal metrics the moment he steps on the ice.

David Schlemko should help the club's weak third defence pair, but San Jose paid a lot of money and term to add a guy who was on the waiver wire not all that long ago and who will now be the second left shot on their third pair.

St. Louis Blues

Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports

Transaction List

• Signed G Carter Hutton (two years, $1.13 million AAV).
• Signed LW David Perron (two years, $3.75 million AAV).
• Lost C David Backes to the Boston Bruins.
• Lost RW Troy Brouwer to the Calgary Flames.
• Lost C Steve Ott to the Detroit Red Wings.

Summary

Few teams had to worry about losing two players as effective as Backes and Brouwer. Backes is a longtime franchise cornerstone, a big, physical centre who plays the proverbial 200-foot game. Brouwer, meanwhile, is another two-way forward, one who cost the Blues T.J. Oshie just one year earlier. 

With both of those players heading into their 30s and plenty of other cap pressures (including the need to sign RFA Jaden Schwartz), the St. Louis Blues had to make some tough choices. 

Grade: C+

On the whole, the Blues did fairly well. David Perron is a passable replacement for Brouwer on the wing, and he commanded both a lower dollar figure and less term. It's a little surprising Carter Hutton was able to get a two-year deal given the job market for goalies, but he is coming off a good year, and the cap hit is also right.

It's hard to see how the team is much better than it was a year ago, but by the same token, it's hard to see how the Blues could have managed that without overpaying to keep Backes.

Tampa Bay Lightning

Chris O'Meara/Associated Press

Transaction List

• Lost RW Mike Blunden to the Ottawa Senators.
• Lost C Jonathan Marchessault to the Florida Panthers.

Summary

External improvement in free agency was a bit of an afterthought for the Tampa Bay Lightning. 

General manager Steve Yzerman's focus was clearly on more pressing internal matters. He locked up Stamkos to a long-term deal prior to July 1, preventing the exit of one of the NHL's two best goal-scorers. Then he extended the deals of both No. 1 defenceman Victor Hedman and goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy, who is the heir apparent to Ben Bishop in net.

Grade: C+

Unlike a lot of other teams that did nothing in free agency, the Lightning had a pretty good excuse and deserve to be graded on a bit of a curve as a result. Nevertheless, a depth signing on defence would not have been a bad idea.

Toronto Maple Leafs

Kathy Willens/Associated Press

Transaction List

• Signed LW Matt Martin (four years, $2.5 million AAV).
• Signed RD Roman Polak (one year, terms not released). 
• Lost RW Michael Grabner to the Rangers.
• Lost RW Pierre-Alexandre Parenteau to the New York Islanders.
• Lost G Alex Stalock to the Minnesota Wild.

Summary

The engine of the Toronto Maple Leafs' rebuild is the team's rich collection of quality young prospects. The task for the team's management group is to correctly support those young skaters, adding quality veterans who can mentor and shelter them. If those quality veterans can be flipped for more draft picks at the trade deadline, so much the better. 

Grade: D

It could have been worse. 

Toronto knows Roman Polak, and given the term of the deal, he isn't a terrible addition. Nor did the Maple Leafs commit the mistake of bringing in some of the older players signed in free agency on massive, long-term deals.

On the other hand, the Leafs gave Matt Martin, a fourth-liner, a four-year contract that can't be bought out because of signing bonuses and did so at a price that's probably double his value to the team in the present.

Vancouver Canucks

Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

Transaction List

• Signed RW Loui Eriksson (six years, $6.0 million AAV).
• Lost LD Dan Hamhuis to the Dallas Stars.
• Lost RD Yannick Weber to the Nashville Predators. 

Summary

The Vancouver Canucks are in a weird position. They have some good, young players, but they aren't rebuilding, and it's fair to wonder whether they have enough in the way of high-end talent for the team to be considered a long-term contender. They have some decent veterans too, but they are at best a playoff bubble team. 

The task general manager Jim Benning seems to be looking to accomplish is simply staying competitive while he waits for the younger pieces to take over.

Grade: C

Eriksson will go a long way toward boosting Vancouver's attack, either on a line with the still-potent Sedin twins or as the anchor point of a second scoring unit. Basically, the hope is he'll be the player Radim Vrbata was supposed to be last season. 

Still, his contract carries long-term risk, and he could end up being an albatross just as Benning's youth movement is in its prime.

Washington Capitals

Tom Mihalek/Associated Press

Transaction List

• Signed RW Brett Connolly (one year, $850,000 AAV).
• Signed LW Brad Malone (one year, $575,000 AAV).
• Lost LW Jason Chimera to the New York Islanders.
• Lost C Michael Latta to the Los Angeles Kings.

Summary

The Washington Capitals were the NHL's best regular-season team in 2015-16, and it's not hard to imagine a scenario where the team could have ended the year with a championship if only it had been a touch better against Pittsburgh in the second round. 

Mostly, the best way to handle that kind of situation is to stick with the status quo, upgrading around the edges and adding talent whenever possible. 

Grade: B-

The decisions to bring in Brett Connolly and allow Jason Chimera to depart look wise. Connolly had a decent run in 2015-16 and is entering his prime years; he will be a jack-of-all-trades talent in the bottom six. His actual cap hit represents fantastic value.

Winnipeg Jets

Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports

Transaction List

• Signed LW Quinton Howden (one year, $650,000 AAV).
• Signed LW Shawn Matthias (two years, $2.13 million AAV).
• Signed LD Brian Strait (one year, $600,000 AAV).

Summary

The Winnipeg Jets, like Toronto, are going to sink or swim based on how their young NHL players and NHL-ready prospects perform. In free agency, that makes the challenge supporting those players, finding complementary veterans who can aid and shelter the youth.

Grade: C+

Shawn Matthias is a good addition, a secondary scorer who can fill a role at either centre or on the wing and fill in on special teams. Quinton Howden is only 24, and there may be some untapped potential there; at worst he's a decent fringe player who could handle low minutes in the NHL or bigger ones in the minors. Brian Strait isn't anything special, but he's the right age and price for No. 7 work. 

Statistics courtesy of Hockey-Reference.com and Stats.HockeyAnalysis.com. Signing and salary information courtesy of General Fanager.