NHL free agency The season is well underway and teams are taking advantage of the yearly chance to improve.
Some teams are. Others, however, have been strangely silent, refusing to make moves to clear caps space, or simply not doing enough when needed.
There are also teams in the middle of the field, such as the Toronto Maple Leafs. They have made trades and signed players. But are they really better off? The Leafs let Jack Campbell Edmonton is the best place to go after you have acquired the (often-injured) and recently in need of help Matt Murray From Ottawa. Is this a lateral transfer? Signing Ilya Samsonov Murray’s backup should be upgraded Petr Mrazek (who was traded for Chicago). Murray could be back to being the Stanley Cup champion of his youth. If Campbell has a great start, the pressure on Murray will be greater.
There are also the Blackhawks. The Blackhawks are on the right track if their top priority is a quick teardown, good positioning in the 2023 Draft lottery to land Connor Bedard. The flurry of moves — trading young players that could be part the next contender like Alex DeBrincat Kirby DachNon-qualifying fellow twentysomethings Dylan Strome Dominik Kubalik It seems like a recognition that GM Kyle Davidson is looking for a new direction. The forwards were signed Max Domi, Andreas Athanasiou Colin Blackwell — appear more like players that will eventually get traded, rather than filling production gaps left after the departures of Strome (23 goals and 48 points last season) and DeBrincat (41)
It’s fun to divide up what you see. winners and losers. These clubs may also be considered loser-friendly. But we are mostly referring to those who lack the ability to achieve their goals.
Is there still some time? It is. However, almost one week into free agency, teams are clearly falling behind in the work they need to address their issues and there is a shrinking pool of players to help them.
Florida loaded up at the 2021-22 trade deadline harder than anyone.
In free agency, the Panthers used a completely different strategy. Given their cap situation it’s difficult to blame them.
Florida started free agency by filling its gaps, agreeing to short-term, low money deals with forwards Colin White Nick Cousins, defensemen Anthony Bitetto Marc Staal Goaltender Alex Lyon. Lyon and Bitetto are also on two-way agreements. There’s not much there to move things along.
Florida is unable to manage its limited resources. Aleksander BarkovThe Panthers were almost forced to pay him more than twice his salary with a new contract that brought him to $10 million per year.
Those expensive deadline acquisitions Florida made? It’s gone, with no return. Claude Giroux Signed in Ottawa Ben Chiarot I went to Detroit.
Then there’s also the loss of Mason MarchmentThe star of the 2021-22 breakout season signed a four year, $18million contract in Dallas. That’s 47 points from 54 games.
The Panthers are coming off their greatest regular season in history. Although the President’s Trophy did not translate into playoff success, Tampa Bay sent them packing in round two — and Florida isn’t doing much better now that free agency has begun.
It’s the reality of a salary-cap world. It is not easy to keep up with the Joneses.
The Wild may not be done with signing free agents. There is however a smaller pool of players that can make an impact. General manager Bill Guerin It has not brought in anyone like this yet.
The Wild has signed four depth additions to two-way, short-term contracts so far. Forwards Brandon Baddock, Steven Fogarty Nic PetanDefenseman and a defender Andrej Sustr.
Minnesota is also available traded Kevin FialaLos Angeles rights for’s in a cap-related move. The free-agent acquisitions won’t replace his contributions to last season (33 goals, 85 points). The Wild also lost Nick Bjugstad After a strong season as a Swiss Army knife in Minnesota, he was eligible for free agency in Arizona.
Guerin claimed that he made calls Wednesday but that nothing had prompted him not to use more Wild’s (admittedly small) cap space. Minnesota could have signed Strome (now signed for one year with Washington) and Domi to boost their front. What about Minnesota’s middle depth? Are they strong enough for the Central Division?
Since 2014-15, the Wild have not won a playoff round. Guerin made the choice to lock in Marc-Andre Fleury He’ll be their goaltender for the next two seasons because he’s a winning player who has been proven to work. But it takes more to be successful. Guerin might still have some tricks in his bag.
Let’s start by saying that Lou Lamoriello, general manager, could have secretly signed a bunch of players but isn’t telling anyone. This is how he’s clever.
We can see that the Islanders haven’t added any free agents. It is a bit surprising, considering the team has many needs.
New York is proud of its core and has committed itself to it. More dynamic, complementary players are what the Islanders require. New York is a center-dense city. Mathew Barzal, Brock Nelson Jean-Gabriel PageauThis makes it clear that the team’s offensive focus should be on wingers, who can help those guys down the middle.
Islanders showed interest in grabbing the items. Johnny Gaudreau. He is an elite player and could have changed New York’s offense. Gaudreau didn’t bite.
Lamoriello could have pitched to other highly-sought skaters, but most have landed elsewhere.
Where does that leave Islanders? Lamoriello has always stressed the importance of “hockey trades” and this route can still be used to improve New York. It’s up to the Islanders to move. There aren’t many top-tier players to target. This season will be even more difficult for New York, which finished 20th in the league last season.
How disappointing was the Flyers’ free agency debut?
Sign-wielding fans drove to the practice facility in New Jersey to heckle Chuck Fletcher, the general manager of the team. They even chanted “Fire Chuck”, which was a match for the posters on their posters.
In January, The Flyers made promises to their fans that an “aggressive restructuring” would take place. Dan Scott, the CEO, stated that they should “be in it next season” about a team who finished 29th overall (25-46-11). It takes big swings to go from being a bottom dweller into a potential contender. Fletcher has so far been playing small ball.
Instead of reeling Johnny Gaudreau, or Nazem KadriFletcher signed two agents for free last Wednesday: a 31 year-old enforcer Nicolas Deslauriers A 35-year-old defenseman with third-pairing experience Justin Braun. Do it for the day.
Fletcher attributed Philadelphia’s cap problems to the Flyers’ alleged inability to take Gaudreau, who was long rumored as having them as his No. 1, landing spot — or other UFAs. Fletcher was able to find the space. trade for and then sign polarizing defender Tony DeAngelo DeAngelo’s former Carolina team wasn’t ready to sign a contract that would have cost him $10 million over two years.
Fletcher’s purchase is part of making DeAngelo fit Oskar LindblomLast week,’s contract. Philadelphia was not able to do anything in free agency after Lindblom’s departure.
Fletcher made sure to emphasize that the Flyers were “retooling” and not “rebuilding.” John Tortorella must have heard that pitch before he joined the Flyers last month to turn things around. Claude Giroux has left the Flyers without a leader. Sean Couturier Are you considering back surgery? Ryan EllisThe status of your health remains uncertain.
Philadelphia has serious questions, and potentially huge gaps that Fletcher hasn’t addressed in free agency. He seems confident about the organization’s prospect pool which could bring an unexpected spark. If not, they could have to wait for results from their retool.
Ah, Vegas. This is a team that loves to be big but ends up in a difficult situation.
The NHL’s (mostly), flat cap existence has hurt some franchises more than others. The Golden Knights are clearly at the top of this list. Vegas is nearly $1.4 million in debt for the next season, before any long-term injuries reserve moves. Vegas isn’t stopping at talent players simply because there isn’t enough real space. The Golden Knights have had to lose others because of it.
The Golden Knights have been losing players, while most teams have used free agency to add to their rosters. It all started in Vegas. traded Evgenii Dadonov Montreal, June The Golden Knights received nothing in return for the winger, but Shea WeberThey will be rescued from cap hell by their LTIR-bound contract. Yay?
Then, at the beginning of free agency, Vegas sent Max Pacioretty Carolina for “future considerations”, i.e., not much that will actually benefit the team on ice.
While Pacioretty’s recent injuries have caused some problems, he is still a 20-goal scorer and had 37 points in 39 games this season. The Golden Knights couldn’t resist paying $7 million for their cap. Why? Because, Jack Eichel.
Vegas wanted Eichel, so he traded with Buffalo. Eichel is paid $10 million each season. Mark Stone He was already living in Vegas and earning $9.5million per season. Alex Pietrangelo Makes $8.8 Million. That trio is responsible for $8.8 million in debt. This has forced us to cut corners elsewhere. Dadonov, Pacioretty were the ones who were sent packing this time.
The Golden Knights’ main free-agent “adds”, which were their major free-agents, were two of their own. Reilly Smith Brett Howden. This is a good thing, but the Golden Knights aren’t improving. The losses of Pacioretty & Dadonov only make them worse.
Kevin Cheveldayoff, general manager, is in a unique spot.
Barry Trotz was Barry Trotz’s choice for the role of head coach. Trotz eventually decided to skip the next season. Instead, Rick Bowness took over the Jets’ job.
Cheveldayoff’s bold move of hiring Trotz would have been quite a statement. He has not done this type of thing in free agency. Winnipeg signed only two players on Wednesday, the veteran netminder. David Rittich The depth center Kevin Stenlund.
The Jets are at an important juncture. The Jets have a solid core, and it is important to keep them that way for the long-term. How can Cheveldayoff achieve that without being more assertive about adding players to Winnipeg’s top talents.
Kyle Connor Nikolaj Ehlers There are many talented players who have been signed for more seasons. But Pierre-Luc Dubois After next season, he will be an UFA and has already indicated that he plans to explore the market in 2023. Mark Scheifele He has two years remaining on his contract, and he expressed disappointment at last season’s finish by saying that he “just had to understand where the team is going.”
This is a great topic for discussion. The Jets’ free agency moves so far don’t offer an answer. Is Winnipeg capable of returning to the playoffs, and being a contender by remaining the status quo? Are the possibilities of this core good enough for Dubois for him to consider staying on the team for the long-term.
The opportunity to grow is offered by free agency Winnipeg has not done that.