5 NHL TEAMS THAT IMPROVED IN FREE AGENCY
Long gone is the NHL free-agent frenzy. At this point, it’s safe to say which teams did the best and worst in free agency, even though a couple of notable UFAs (James van Riemsdyk and Daniel Sprong, to name a couple) remain available. Let’s look at five teams who did best in free agency this summer.
*Of note, these are just free-agent signings, so if your favorite team made some trades this offseason, those transactions will not be part of this article.
Edmonton Oilers
Notable UFA signings:
I raved about the Edmonton Oilers’ offseason in my article about the best free-agent contracts handed out this offseason, so it’s no surprise they made this list. Their two biggest additions were signing Jeff Skinner and Viktor Arvidsson to very affordable contracts to improve their scoring depth.
Skinner has averaged 32 goals and 67 points per 82 games over the last three seasons, while Arvidsson has averaged 26 points and 68 points per 82 contests. Skinner may have flaws defensively, and Arvidsson has some health concerns, but both players should be significant scoring upgrades in the team’s top nine.
Also returning to the team are Adam Henrique and Mattias Janmark, who played key parts in the Oilers reaching Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final. Henrique is coming off a 24-goal, 51-point season and seemingly took less money to stay with the Oilers. Even if his counting totals slip a bit, he should provide more worth than his $3 million average annual value (AAV).
My only concern with the Oilers is their roster got quite a bit older this offseason. Skinner, Arvidsson and Henrique are 31 or older, which may be a concern come playoff time. Still, I love their offseason moves, and they should once again be contenders to win the Western Conference in 2024-25.
Oilers Free Agency Grade: A
Chicago Blackhawks
Notable UFA Signings
Are the Chicago Blackhawks going to be a playoff team next season? Probably not, but general manager Kyle Davidson made some significant improvements to his roster for this coming season and beyond. His most notable additions were Tyler Bertuzzi and Teuvo Teravainen, who should help give Connor Bedard some scoring help on his wings. Bertuzzi and Teravainen were 20-plus goal scorers this past season, while Teravainen is excellent two-ways.
Meanwhile, the Blackhawks added some veterans to their blue line. Their defense is still a work in progress, but T.J. Brodie and Alec Martinez should stabilize things if the Blackhawks keep them to bottom-four minutes. There are some promising young blueliners in Chicago (Kevin Korchinski and Alex Vlasic), so having some veterans to shield them should help, even if it doesn’t make the Blackhawks a playoff threat.
Finally, the Davidson took a gamble on Laurent Brossoit, who’s put up some fantastic numbers in net over the last couple of seasons, though in a limited sample. Brossoit has a .927 save percentage since the start of 2022-23, but it’s only been in a sample of 34 games.
Goalies are voodoo, and Brossoit’s workload will likely increase with the Blackhawks. Will those numbers keep up in a bigger sample? If so, perhaps they are a bit more competitive than we think they might be in 2024-25. But even if not, Davidson had a pretty solid offseason. At the very worst, the Blackhawks should see progress next season.
Blackhawks Free Agency Grade: B+
Carolina Hurricanes
Notable UFA Signings
The Carolina Hurricanes had a busy offseason, and it wasn’t just adding players. There was a lot of turnover with their roster, with them losing key players such as Brady Skjei, Brett Pesce, and Jake Guentzel. It still feels like their roster is incomplete, especially since we don’t know what will happen with Martin Necas, who’s seemingly been in the rumor mill for ages.
But, at least for now, new GM Eric Tulsky did a solid job of replacing some of those players they lost. Shayne Gostisbehere and Sean Walker are not Skjei and Pesce, but are solid defensemen who will fill those vacancies. Gostisbehere needs sheltered minutes, but he totaled 50-plus points last season. He will replace some of, if not all, of the offense they lost by Skjei signing with the Nashville Predators. He just may not be able to play the tougher defensive minutes Skjei did.
Walker was having a career year with the Philadelphia Flyers, but he came back down to Earth after getting traded to the Colorado Avalanche at the trade deadline. I’m on the fence about what he is. I don’t think Walker is as good as he was in Philadelphia, but he’s certainly not as bad as he was with the Avalanche. He’s likely a reliable second-pair defender, so the Hurricanes signing him for $3.6 million per year has bargain potential.
Jack Roslovic may not be an exciting addition up front, but he did produce at a 43-point pace this offseason. He needs to stay healthy, but he could be a value pickup for the Hurricanes if he can stay healthy and contribute in the middle six.
William Carrier seems like the prototypical Hurricanes signing. Six years may be a bit questionable, but keeping his AAV at $2 million should make that less of a concern as the cap ceiling rises. He’s one of the best fourth-line wingers in the NHL, and if his impacts continue to look like this, the Hurricanes will love this signing:
Of course, bringing back Jordan Martinook was also huge for the Hurricanes, especially since Stefan Noesen signed with the New Jersey Devils. It sure feels like the Hurricanes need another scorer, especially since they couldn’t retain Guentzel, and we don’t know what Necas’ future holds. But at least in free agency, Tulsky managed to stop some bleeding from all the departures. The Hurricanes may take a step back, but still look like a contender in a weakening Metropolitan Division.
Carolina Hurricanes Free Agency Grade: B+
New Jersey Devils
Notable UFA Signings
The New Jersey Devils were among the most disappointing teams last season, but that should not be the case in 2024-25. Not only did they acquire a goalie in Jacob Markström, but they addressed some very specific roster flaws through free agency.
I won’t go as far as to say the Devils were soft last season, but they did need some toughness in their lineup. GM Tom Fitzgerald addressed that by adding Brenden Dillon and Pesce to the blue line, two defensemen who played difficult minutes for the Winnipeg Jets and Hurricanes over the last few seasons. Dillon is 6-foot-4, 220 pounds, while Pesce is 6-foot-3, 210 pounds. They’re different defensemen but make the Devils harder to play against.
We mentioned Noesen signing with the Devils above, but he gets rewarded for two breakout years with the Hurricanes with a three-year deal from the Devils. He should help add some scoring in the bottom six while being physical and one of the team’s best defensive forwards. That’s something the team lacked this past season in their bottom six.
Finally, Fitzgerald brought back old friend Tomáš Tatar, who played for the Devils from 2021-23. Tatar was one of the Devils’ best players in 2022-23, totaling 20 goals and 48 points in 82 games while helping Nico Hischier earn his first Selke nomination. He struggled this past season with the Seattle Kraken and Avalanche, so the Devils are hoping for a bounce back. But if he looks like 2022-23 Tatar again, the team’s top six should get a boost.
New Jersey Devils Free Agency Grade: A-
Vancouver Canucks
Notable UFA Signings
The Canucks were one of the NHL’s surprise teams last season, making a run to Round 2 of the playoffs and nearly eliminating the Oilers. It’s not a surprise they looked to build off that this offseason, as they were quite active in free agency.
GM Patrik Allvin’s most aggressive addition was signing Jake DeBrusk to a seven-year contract worth $5.5 million per year. I don’t love giving a middle-six winger seven years, even if the intent is to keep his AAV down, but he has averaged 26 goals per 82 games over the last three seasons and will add some offense to their middle six.
Elsewhere, the Canucks did well to shore up their depth. Kiefer Sherwood is one of the most physical players in the NHL but will also chip in some offense. Likewise, Danton Heinen has long been one of the more underrated bottom-six wingers. He finished this past season with 17 goals and 36 points in 74 games and finally secured a contract with some term after being a PTO option the last couple of offseasons.
On defense, the Canucks brought back Tyler Myers on a three-year deal worth $3 million per year. They also signed the 6-foot-7 Vincent Desharnais to a two-year contract, so they will still have some size on the back end after losing Nikita Zadorov to the Boston Bruins in free agency.
I’m not used to the Canucks doing the right things in free agency, but it’s safe to say they had the correct approach this offseason. The DeBrusk contract is questionable, but they shored up their depth with some cheap signings. The Western Conference looks like it will be a bloodbath next season, especially among the top teams, so having that depth should prove valuable.
Canucks Free Agency Grade: A-
Taking the Right Approach Should Pay Off
Most teams don’t do well for themselves in free agency (we’ll get into that in the coming days), but the ones that take the right approach usually have short- and long-term success. We’ll see if these signings bear fruit, but these teams have put themselves in a position to be successful in 2024-25.
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