Many of the biggest names in 2019 NHL free agency have already found new teams. What are the best signings that went under the radar?
2019 NHL free agency started off with a bang. On the two days of free agency, teams spent over $700 million on over 100 players. After a frantic first 12 hours of action, things have slowed down to a bit of a halt, even with some quality players left on the market.
The biggest dominoes fell early. Artemi Panarin surprised everyone by signing with the New York Rangers. As expected, he got the most expensive deal of free agency, as his deal is worth $81.5 million over seven years. Joe Pavelski went off the board quickly to the Dallas Stars.
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Sergei Bobrovsky got a historic deal – $70 million over seven years. That’s, by a significant margin, the largest contract ever given to a UFA goaltender. It’s also the second-biggest deal given to a goalie in the salary cap era, trailing only Carey Price. Bobrovsky’s $10 million cap hit sets the bar for elite goaltenders.
After a chaotic start, teams are starting to emerge from the carnage. Defenseman Jake Gardiner is the only huge name left on the board, which is a bit interesting with several teams still looking to upgrade their defense. Ryan Dzingel, Micheal Ferland, and Justin Williams are among the forwards who have yet to find a new home.
To this point, the big deals have been the ones getting the most attention. And rightfully so. However, there have been some underrated signings that have flown under the radar. They might not be getting too much attention right now, but chances are, those signings will be talked about positively through the duration of the deal.
I’ll count both UFA and RFA deals for the purposes of this article. However, I won’t count the Sebastian Aho offer sheet fiasco because the Canadiens literally handed the Hurricanes a well-below market value deal for him. Let’s take a look at five signings that could turn out great for both the teams involved and the players. All stats are courtesy of Natural Stat Trick and contract information is via CapFriendly.