NHL Free Agency: Grading the Offseason's Top 15 Free-Agent Signings so Far

A lot of players made a lot of money this summer all over the NHL. As we now pass the first tenth of the season in most markets, some have been good, some have been bad and some have been awful so far.

Here, we'll look at the top 15 players that signed a deal with a new home this summer. We aren't including players that re-signed with their teams on this list.

Also, we didn't take just the 15 biggest contracts or the 15 biggest impacts in the league. Some of these players signed multi-year deals, while a few were shorter-term paper.

In all, these players came to their new teams with expectations and roles to fill. We grade how well they are fulfilling the hopes of the management groups that gave them a new home.

15. Jamal Mayers, Chicago Blackhawks

Contract: 1 year, $550k
Grade: A

Mayers had three goals in 78 games last year with the Sharks, but has already scored two in just seven contests with the Hawks this year. He has been the perfect remedy for the grit that was missing from the Blackhawks' bottom six last year.

14. Andrew Brunette, Chicago Blackhawks

Contract: 1 year, $2M
Grade: C+

He's looked entirely too slow to be a top-six forward in Chicago, but the length of the deal is perfect for the situation. Brunette has good hands and will probably improve on his numbers from last year by the end of this season.

13. Troy Brouwer, Washington Capitals

Contract: 2 years, $4.7M
Grade: B

Brouwer was brought in to be a grinder, and he's been good in that role so far for the Caps. Nobody's asking him to be a 60-point player, but he's been effective through seven games (one goal, two assists).

12. Tomas Kaberle, Carolina Hurricanes

Contract: 3 years, $12.75M
Grade: D

The size of his contract raised a few eyebrows this summer, something his play hasn't done since the season started. Kaberle has only two assists and is minus-five so far for the Canes, and he is skating almost four minutes less than he has at any point in his career.

11. Sean Bergenheim, Florida Panthers

Contract: 4 years, $11M
Grade: C

After a nice run in Tampa last year, Bergenheim got paid. He's been given a nice opportunity in Florida, skating a career-high 15:46 through four games, but has only scored one goal so far. The Panthers need him to be on the ice and effective to justify his cap number.

10. Tomas Kopecky, Florida Panthers

Contract: 4 years, $12M
Grade: B-

Kopecky had a stunning career year in Chicago last year, doubling almost every offensive statistic on his resume. Expectations should be that Kopecky is the 21-point player he was before the 2010-11 outburst, despite his new salary. So far, he has one goal and one assist through seven games, which is on par with his career.

9. Steve Montador, Chicago Blackhawks

Contract: 4 years, $11M
Grade: C-

With a deal like that, one would think Montador would be skating top-four minutes. But Montador is skating five minutes per game less than he did in Buffalo last year, and has only one assist in seven games. He had a mediocre preseason, and he hasn't looked comfortable with his role in Chicago yet.

8. Tomas Fleischmann, Florida Panthers

Contract: 4 years, $18M
Grade: B+

The question for Florida was whether Fleischmann would be the 23-goal, 51-point guy he was in Washington two years ago, or the 45-game, 31-point guy that split a broken season between Colorado and Washington last season.

So far, he's been solid for the Panthers with four points (one goal, three assists) in seven games. The key for Fleischmann is staying healthy moving forward.

7. Tomas Vokoun, Washington Capitals

Contract: 1 year, $1.5M
Grade: A

The start of the season might not have been pretty, but the fact remains that the Caps are undefeated and Vokoun is only there on a cheap, one-year deal. This might be the best paper written all summer in the NHL.

6. Ville Leino, Buffalo Sabres

Contract: 6 years, $27M
Grade: C-

Buffalo bought Leino hook, line and sinker after a breakout season in Philadelphia. Unfortunately, the 28-year-old hasn't looked like a 50-point player yet this year.

His ice time is down almost two minutes per game from last year, and he's only given the Sabres two points in seven games. They need more from Leino.

5. Ian White, Detroit Red Wings

Contract: 2 years, $5.75M
Grade: B-

If we're grading White on being Brian Rafalski's replacement, he's a C. But if we're grading him on being Ian White, he's a B. So his grade settles somewhere in the middle.

White wore three different sweaters last year and scored four goals in 78 total games; he's scored two already this year in only six, and he's skating over three minutes per game more than he did last year.

For the length and cost, White's been a decent value for the Wings.

4. Erik Cole, Montreal Canadiens

Contract: 4 years, $18M
Grade: D

On a Habs team struggling to find scoring, Cole has been an enigma who might be on the trading block before Halloween. A consistent 40-50 point player over the last decade, Cole has only one assist and is minus-three in seven games.

What's worse, he's skating 90 seconds per game less than he ever has while in the NHL. He hasn't found a role in Montreal, and might not be there long.

3. James Wisniewski, Columbus Blue Jackets

Contract: 6 years, $33M
Grade: F

He hasn't skated for them in a game yet after getting suspended for the first eight games of the year. The Jackets haven't won a game yet. Is he to blame? No. But so far, this has been a waste of money for Columbus.

2. Christian Ehrhoff, Buffalo Sabres

Contract: 10 years, $40M
Grade: B

Ehrhoff was the biggest name, and contract, brought into Buffalo this summer and he's been pretty good for the Sabres. After posting 50 points in Vancouver last year, he's put up five through four games this season. He and Robin Regehr have been outstanding additions on Buffalo's blue line.

1. Brad Richards, New York Rangers

Contract: 9 years, $60M
Grade: B+

Richards was handed the keys to the castle by the Rangers, and they assumed he would be the point-per-game player that he's been for the last decade.

He hasn't disappointed, scoring one goal and adding four assists in six games. He has also helped Marian Gaborik pick up his game to start the year; Gaborik has four goals in six games already.

The problem in New York is that there aren't many skaters on the Rangers other than Richards and Gaborik doing much offensively. Entering Monday, they're 27th in the NHL in scoring.