Team-Player Free-Agent Matches That We Didn't Expect to See

NHL teams have done most of the heavy work of free agency, with a few secondary signings each week drifting in. Fans are often ahead of the curve in terms of identifying the best available fit to match need, but the market dictates where the top free agents go and the mid-level players are left to find work in other cities.

Supply and demand resulted in some unusual matches this summer, with several of the 30 teams settling—or targeting—options that appear unusual on first blush. There is considerable risk in this area—the less popular path also means more criticism—but the truth will be in the performance.

There are some fascinating team-free agent marriages for 2016-17. Here are eight free-agent signings that surprised us the most this summer, and their possible outcomes.

Arizona Coyotes Sign Luke Schenn

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The Signing: The Arizona Coyotes signed defenseman Luke Schenn to a two-year contract on July 23, as covered by Jerry Brown of NHL.com. 

Why Is It Unusual? New general manager John Hayka is regarded as being strong on analytics, as reflected here in an article from Ivey—the University of Western Ontario's school of business website. Schenn is mostly regarded as a poor possession defender—something analytics values highly.

Will It Work? The Coyotes made a solid move in acquiring Schenn. Arizona is building a strong, veteran defensive group. The team's depth chart at General Fanager shows tremendous depth—the best in many years in Arizona—and Schenn should be able to settle in on the third pairing and perform well. Stats.HockeyAnalysis.com shows Schenn finishing over 50 percent in Corsi for percentage at even strength last season, and he should be able to repeat it over the next two seasons.

Buffalo Sabres Sign Forward Kyle Okposo

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The Signing: The Buffalo Sabres signed star winger Kyle Okposo to a long-term contract. Darren Dreger of TSN had the story on July 1.

Why Is It Unusual? The Sabres are adding big contracts at a rapid rate, with Ryan O'Reilly, Evander Kane, Matt Moulson, Brian Gionta, Dmitry Kulikov and Cody Franson all being added in the last two years. As General Fanager shows, the cap ceiling is approaching, and impact youngsters like Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart will need to be signed soon.

Will It Work? Buffalo is going to have a difficult time if one or more of these players performs below established levels. Gionta and Kulikov come off the books next summer, but the margin for error is far less after the aggressive summers of 2014 and 2015 for the Sabres. Okposo should be productive for several years, so the contract itself should be worthwhile.

Chicago Blackhawks Sign Jordin Tootoo

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The Signing: The Chicago Blackhawks signed winger Jordin Tootoo, as shown via General Fanager. 

Why Is It Unusual? During his NHL career, Tootoo routinely takes a large number of penalties. Last season, he had over 100 penalty minutes in 66 games with the New Jersey Devils. Chicago hasn't had a single player with 100 penalty minutes since Ben Eager in 2009-10 and the team ranked No. 28 in penalties in 2015-16.

Will It Work? Tootoo's aggressive style is going to get him into trouble, but coach Joel Quenneville's teams tend to be disciplined. A good guess is that Tootoo finds a way to play his game without taking penalties, or the relationship between player and coach may be rocky at times this coming season.

Detroit Red Wings Sign Frans Nielsen

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The Signing: The Detroit Red Wings signed forward Frans Nielsen—details via General Fanager. 

Why Is It Unusual? The Red Wings have solved major needs internally for over 25 years, going to back to Steve Yzerman and Sergei Fedorov. The exit of still brilliant Pavel Datsyuk left a major hole at center, and this time the club was forced to sign an impact free agent to fill the vital position.

Will It Work? Nielsen is a brilliant solution, one of the very best options in the entire league. Credit to general manager Ken Holland and his staff, this is an astute decision and should work out very well. Losing Datsyuk would be a difficult transition for any franchise, but Detroit negotiated a difficult summer with aplomb.

Florida Panthers Sign James Reimer

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The Signing: The Florida Panthers signed James Reimer early in free agency, with details via General Fanager. 

Why Is It Unusual? The Panthers have Roberto Luongo in net and he is signed through 2021-22. He posted another strong season in 2015-16 and appears to be playing at a high level despite being 36 years old. There was no clear need for another starter, and Reimer projects as one—and his contract implies that expectation.

Will It Work? Florida may have made a brilliant move. Expansion next summer gives them the option of protecting one goalie, while also sending one free to the new Las Vegas franchise. It also protects the team's position players from expansion worry. General Fanager's expansion tool allows fans to tweak the Florida roster and set the protected list.

Minnesota Wild Sign Eric Staal

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The Signing: The Minnesota Wild signed Eric Staal this summer to address a major hole at center. General Fanager detailed the three-year deal. 

Why Is It Unusual? The Wild could use a big, effective two-way center and Staal has been exactly that for a long time—since his arrival in the NHL in 2003. What makes it a curious move is recent performances—Staal has seen his point totals reduced from 61 to 54 to 39 over the last three seasons.

Will It Work? Staal should recover in year one of the deal, but the odds of delivering quality throughout the life of the contract seems a stretch. At age 31, Staal should have several solid seasons ahead, but the output has been heading in a downward direction for some time.

Montreal Canadiens Bring Back Alexander Radulov

Julio Cortez/Associated Press

The Signing: The Montreal Canadiens made an unusual signing this summer, bringing back Alexander Radulov from the KHL. 

Why Is It Unusual? Despite his impressive performance in Russia—Radulov's last four KHL seasons have been splendid—there have been issues in the past for the talented winger. His NHL experience was not positive, as Bruce Arthur of the National Post wrote about in 2012.

Will It Work? It is a risky move, but the KHL numbers are outstanding and Radulov is a more mature player than he was four years ago. There is no way to know for certain, but the contract is for one year—meaning the risk is not substantial.

Vancouver Canucks Sign Loui Eriksson

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The Signing: The Vancouver Canucks signed winger Loui Eriksson on July 1—details via NHL.com. 

Why Is It Unusual? Eriksson is a quality veteran and a fabulous addition to any team. The unusual portion comes in where Vancouver currently sits in its development window. The Canucks 2015-16 roster features a mixture of mid-30s veterans and very young talent—there are very few players in their prime. Eriksson—who is 31—is also outside prime range.

Will It Work? Among the free-agent additions this summer, Eriksson and Vancouver might be the strangest match. The club may feel it can rebuild on the fly, but NHL history teaches us these efforts often fail miserably. The Canucks may have been better off to bite the bullet and spend 2016-17 in development mode.