NHL Free Agency 2017: 5 Worst Signings
These five NHL free agency deals are the worst signed so far. Some of them have already caused their team much grief.
The money spent around July 1 in the NHL gets crazier every year. Each time fans think maybe general managers have learned to stop overpaying players who aren’t stars, somebody signs a contract that makes jaws drop to the floor. 2017 has been no different thus far.
To be fair, there have been some very good contracts signed so far. This exercise is much easier than it has been in the past. So far in free agency, five deals stand out as being inexcusably awful. Heck, one of them is already crippling the team. All deals signed involving players who either were free agents or were going to be free agents count.
Bad deals in free agency can haunt a team for years to come. It wouldn’t be surprising to see at least two of these deals bought out eventually. Contract info is courtesy of Cap Friendly, who will never get enough credit for the work they do. Without further ado, let’s look at the five worst NHL free agency deals.
5. Nick Bonino – Nashville Predators
The contract: Four years, $16.4 million.
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Why it’s terrible: Look, I get the fit. The Nashville Predators needed to add a center badly. Ryan Johansen’s injury in the postseason highlighted their lack of depth. Nick Bonino is a decent center. He’s won two Stanley Cups, both with the Pittsburgh Penguins. But getting four years with a $4 million cap hit is way too much.
Bonino played behind Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin in Pittsburgh. Oh yeah, and he was flanked by Phil Kessel during their first Stanley Cup run. Bonino has scored over 40 points in a season only one more time than you have. For $4 million a year, more consistency is expected.
That said, I can also see how this deal could look good. The Predators don’t have Kessel, but their wings are an underrated strength of the team, even without James Neal. But even then, it doesn’t excuse overpaying Bonino.
4. Dan Girardi – Tampa Bay Lightning
The contract: Two years, $6 million
Tampa Bay Lightning
Why it’s terrible: This contract makes absolutely no sense. It’s not abysmal because the term is fine. What makes it awful is the amount of money involved and the fit. $3 million is far too much to pay for a third pairing caliber defenseman. Even if Girardi is still a pretty good penalty killer, you don’t pay guys to kill penalties.
The fit is even worse. Girardi is slow and not fleet-footed. The Tampa Bay Lightning’s system revolves around having mobile defensemen who can move the puck. Girardi isn’t mobile and he is a subpar puck mover. Tampa Bay needed some defensive depth, but not in the form of someone who is such a bad fit.
How bad is Girardi? The New York Rangers had a terrible defense last season. And even they didn’t see the value in keeping Girardi around. In fact, the Rangers are paying him to not play, as the Rangers bought him out. That’s pretty darn telling.
Oh, and it gets worse, Lightning fans. General Manager Steve Yzerman apparently told Girardi he’ll be a top four defenseman. Maybe this is just a smart general manager trying to make everyone else think he’s not the best so he can later screw them over. But yikes, Girardi is one of the worst decisions of Yzerman’s front office career.
3. Dmitry Kulikov – Winnipeg Jets
The contract: Three years, $13.1 million, six team no trade clause
Winnipeg Jets
Why it’s terrible: Oh man, there is so much to hate about this contract. Where to start? Let’s start with the one sort of redeeming factor about this contract – three years isn’t awful for a 26 year old defenseman. It is, however, inexcusable for someone who is coming off a season as bad as Kulikov’s.
Before joining the Buffalo Sabres via a trade at the 2016 NHL Draft, he played for the Florida Panthers. Kulikov wasn’t outstanding with the Panthers, but he was at worst decent. He averaged over 20 minutes a night and killed penalties without being a total liability.
Kulikov was certainly a liability with the Sabres, largely thanks to injuries. Five points in 37 games was his lowest total of his career. Kulikov’s 0.11 points per game in 2016-17 was the worst of his career. His next lowest? 0.23 per game. If this was a one-year deal, I still wouldn’t like it, but I’d at least understand it. Sign him for a year and hope he gets back to his Panthers form. But three years? Yikes.
And to top it all off, Kulikov somehow has a no trade clause. A minor one, mind you, but still.
2. Karl Alzner – Montreal Canadiens
The contract: Five years, $23.5 million, seven team no trade clause.
Montreal Canadiens
Why it’s terrible: The Montreal Canadiens lost Nathan Beaulieu and Alexei Emelin. They really needed to sign a defenseman, and Karl Alzner was probably one of the best available after Kevin Shattenkirk.
However, he doesn’t solve Montreal’s biggest issues. Sure, Alzner is a great defensive defenseman, if he’s healthy. But the Canadiens need some dynamic defenseman who can move the puck. They have enough clones of Alzner. Why not invest something in Michael Del Zotto instead? Del Zotto, by the way, signed a pretty good value deal with the Vancouver Canucks. When Jim Benning signs a defenseman to a better value contract than you did, you know you made an unwise decision.
Alzner’s deal could get ugly fast. He hasn’t missed a regular season game in over six seasons. That’s a little concerning because Alzner probably shouldn’t have been playing. Last season, he battled through a sports hernia. That’s an injury that often doesn’t just go away and can haunt players for the rest of their career.
Alzner has been declining over a two-year period as well, so it’s not like he just had one bad year. Five years is way too much of a risk, and a completely unnecessary one.
1. T.J. Oshie
The contract: Eight years, $46 million, $20 million signing bonus. 15 team no trade clause for the first four years, 10 team no trade clause for the remaining four.
Washington Capitals
Why it’s terrible: Yes, this deal was signed on June 23. But since Oshie was going to be a free agent this year, I’m going to count it anyway. His contract was questionable at best when he signed it. But at least the Washington Capitals could keep their top players, right?
Wrong. This deal has already caused a lot of pain for the Caps. Evgeny Kuznetsov got an eight-year deal on Sunday. It’s a slight overpay with a $7.8 million cap hit, but he’s proven he’s one of the top centers in the NHL. There’s no problem with young stars getting overpaid. If you’re going to overpay someone, it’s fine if it’s a star.
Oshie’s contract forced the Capitals to sell valuable, underrated wing Marcus Johansson, on a team friendly deal, to the New Jersey Devils for two draft picks. If it wasn’t for his deal, Washington wouldn’t have had to do anything.
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The worst part of the deal is Oshie got paid for a season he probably won’t replicate. He scored 33 goals, but with a league high 23.1 percent shooting percentage, that’s not happening again. Oshie is already 30 years old and turns 31 in December. He has a 13.4 percent career shooting percentage, but keep in mind this includes last season’s anomaly. Oshie’s contract should be a lesson why eight year deals for players over 30 is a terrible idea.