NHL free agency: 5 free agents that will be overpaid this offseason
By Alex Hoegler
The 2019 NHL free agency market is loaded with All-Stars, but a handful of them stand to get vastly overpaid when July 1st rolls around. Here’s a look at five free agents who will get overpaid.
The San Jose Sharks re-signed Norris Trophy blueliner Erik Karlsson, thus taking the top unrestricted free agent of 2019 off the market. But there are still a handful of All-Star players that round out a stacked NHL free agency class, and it all starts with Russian standout Artemi Panarin.
Panarin won’t come cheap, but the team that lands him will be rewarded. We are talking about a player who has tallied at least 27 goals and over 70 points in each of his first four NHL seasons.
More from Puck Prose
- Detroit Red Wings 2023 Rookie Camp Has Plenty of Ups and Downs
- This Columbus Blue Jackets rookie doesn’t want to be forgotten
- 2 trades the Boston Bruins must make to secure the Stanley Cup
- 3 reasons the Avalanche won’t win the Stanley Cup in 2024
- This is a big year for Alex Turcotte and the Los Angeles Kings
Though most lucrative free agent contracts turn out to be mistakes, it’s hard to see a world-class talent like Panarin flopping with whichever team he signs with. He’s that much of a franchise-changing player. But just like every other year, a large portion of free agents are going to get massively overpaid in the offseason.
In 2016, Loui Eriksson (six years, $36 million), Andrew Ladd (seven years, $38.5 million), and Milan Lucic (seven years, $42 million) each received contracts that have turned into giant mistakes. Kyle Okposo is another one from 2016.
Meanwhile, in 2017, Kevin Shattenkirk (four years, $26.6 million), Karl Alzner (five years, $23.125 million), and Martin Hanzal (three years, $14.24 million), were among the many free agent signings that became big-time busts. That said, most of last year’s top free agent signings didn’t disappoint in 2018-19, though Jack Johnson (five years, $16.25 million), looks like a bust already.
Well, expect a handful of this year’s top free agents to follow the footsteps of the 2016 and 2017 offseasons. That is, look for a handful of teams to get too aggressive and wind up passing out mega contracts that they’ll end up regretting. Here are five NHL free agents who are about to get overpaid big time.