Questionable Free Agent Signings

Once again sorry it took so long for this to come out had a kid in between this article and the first.

(Wild) Cal Clutterbuck: 1 year $4.5 mill cap hit. This was the first signing of free agency. Dont know why Mikka felt Clutterbuck and his 99 CK, 85 DF deserved $4.5 mill cash but in my eyes this is a high overpayment for a 4^th line guy.

(Canadiens) Jussi Jokinen: 1 year $4 mill cap hit and $2 mill SB. I get it he has ok all around rates 75 SK, 82 PH, 70 SC,70 PA, 76 DF but he is definitely a 3^rd line guy and to give up that $4 mill and that cash this early felt like a bit of a stretch. Call me picky because when you look at some of the signing towards the end this isn’t as bad but to target a guy this early who wont help offensively and I doubt plays any PK time I just feel the cap could of been used elsewhere on a better target with so many still on the board without a bid yet.

(Stars) Mikko Koivu: 1 year $12 mill cap hit. I don’t care what anyone says this was an overpayment. He over shot to get his target early. Another guy who has ok all around rates (77 PH, 85 PA, 74 SC, 86 DF) but there were so many better options who went in this price range. Put it in perspective he is by far Junyas highest paid player and won’t even fit on the PP depth chart ( 3^rd best PP Center behind Sheifle and Bozak). Way overpaid a guy who will play 2^nd line and pitch in on the PK.

(Lightening) Tomas Plekanec: $4.25 mill for 2 years. Has 3^rd line rates and has hit a hard wall in his career making that 2^nd year a high risk gamble. For a rebuilding team this might make sense if they kept him and hoped for a hot streak to trade him using retention but Eric is aiming for playoffs and probably wont be trying to move him especially with the trade penalties.

(Devils) Mike Fischer:  3 years $6.9 mill cap hit. ( WHEN I FIRST STARTED THIS AND LEFT HIM OFF THE LIKE LIST FISCHER HAD NOT ANNOUNCED RETIREMENT YET ) Like the cap hit this year but don’t like the gamble he is not signed yet to a team and if he does will be stuck in a limited role and a bad contract to carry around, best case I’m proven wrong and he retires and Tim makes a real smart move taking advantage of the multi year loyalty bonus.

(Bruins) Brad Richardson: 1 year $5 mill cap hit. He is a good 3^rd line player. Know Dan loves the all around rated guys but $5 mill for a 3^rd line player especially on his roster where he will definitely be a 3^rd line guy. Just felt he could of spent that big of a cap hit in a different area of need.

(BlueJackets) Ryan Callahan:  4 years $4.5 mill. He is 32 years old coming off an injury riddled season. Before this last injury season he regressed 28 points the year before. He has 4^th line rates and in 2 years I fully expect this to be a buyout situation, I don’t think he will be able to move this contract unless it is in year 4 or retains on multiple years. But even then I don’t think there will be suitors and this smells like a buyout.

(Bruins) Mike Green: 1 year $4.5 mill cap hit. I don’t like this contract because Green is a meh 1 dimensional player with 78 PH, 65 PA and 72 DF. I get a lot of guys sign PP specialists they can burry on the 3^rd pairing and shelter with someone but most are not at a cap hit this high. I understand Dan had the cap and a lot of areas to address  so I do get why he targeted Green I just don’t like the thought of $4.5 mill of his cap being tied up on his 3^rd pair and 2^nd PP blue line.

(Bruins) Cam Ward: 1 year $2 mill: I promise I’m not trying to pick on Dan here I complimented the majority of his signings he just had a very busy free agency so he gets mentioned a lot and I know this was a pretty minor signing but I didn’t like the missed opportunity. Scott Darling has not won anything yet much less the official starting role for Carolina or anywhere else. If this was a multi year deal I would of loved it. Had potential to be a low risk high reward signing at that low $2 mill cap but since it is only the single season with just these rates its just another backup signing. Dont like it because of the missed opportunity, even with expansion because I’m sure that was a factor guarantee you he would of found someone at deadline to take him if he was putting up average to serviceable numbers this year with a rising Hurricanes team.

(Maple Leafs) Patrick Marleau: 3 years $8.5 mill cap hit. Dont mind this cap this year for 86 PH and 84 SC thats usually what the market is set at but the multiple years is what I don’t like specifically year 3. Yes next season he will definitely get some looks with the young guns in Toronto but Marleaus foot speed has been regressing for a couple years now and when he is 40 years old (year 3) he wont be a $8.5 mill cap hit hell I wouldn’t be surprised if he was struggling to get top 6 minutes by that 3^rd year. Suspect this will be a retained trade down the line in a year or so.

(Senators) Jaromir Jagr: 2 years $4.2 mill. Good 3^rd line rates but hate that 2^nd year. Best chance is that he retires and saves kirk from that  ugly bottom 6 cap hit again next season but we all know Jagr still feels he has some left in the tank.

(Lightening) Justin Williams: 1 year $6.2 mill cap hit. Realistically not horrible for free agent standards with serviceable 2^nd line rates ( 78 PH, 75 PA, 81 SC ) but not great either. Had to add this to this list because I didn’t like that price enough I was bidding for him at the time with a loyalty even and still thought it had got too high of a hit and backed out. Was a fringe decision to be put on this list.

(Predators) David Perron:  3 years $5.3 mill cap hit. Good all around rates (79 PH, 77 PA, 73 SC, 75 DF) don’t mind this late signing at that hit for this season but moving forward Perron is behind Tarasenko and Steen on the RW side in St.Louis, now factor in a healthy Fabbri next season and an emerging Barbashev and I think Perron struggles to get any kind of special teams time and will be a limited 3^rd line player and his rates will drop across the board making years 2 and 3 of this contract a bad situation.

(BlueJackets) Alexander Steen:  2 years $8.5 mill cap hit. Free Agency standards the cap hit isn’t that horrible of an overpayment for a 2^nd line guy with very average rates of 80 PH, 83 PA, 72 SC, and 78 DF. Steen is now 33 years old, had a couple of 60 point years but on average is a pretty consistant 50 point guy so I wouldn’t expect these rates to increase next year at best they are the same so I don’t like the 2^nd year of the contract its a risk he doesn’t really start to decline with all the youth mentioned in the Perron deal coming up in the Blues system. But what really bugs me about this signing is Jesse decides Way into free agency once many/most of the big names are off the board, prices are already pushing overpayment and his biggest previous signing was the Callahan contract that he is now going to compete this season. For the situation he is in and adding that 2^nd year I think he is just going to be that much harder for Jesse to move at deadline if his team isn’t in the playoff picture.

(Coyotes) Marian Hossa: 1 year $12 mill cap hit. Don’t understand it, one day he wants to compete the next he is selling off and on one of those compete days he pays one of the bigger cap hits in free agency to a guy who has 71PH, 71 PA, 86 SC, 73 DF. Yes I understand the 86 SC is sexy but besides that he has very underwhelming stats and especially now that it seems Joel is going to try and refocus on retooling assets he is now stuck with this. Im sure he will try and move Hossa all season and finally flip him to someone around deadline when most of his salary is paid for the year with full retention but wont get near the return Wheeler or Byfuglien will get which is what makes this an ugly signing.

(Sharks) Semyon Varlamov: 5 years $6.5 mill cap hit. Understand the gamble, the player being signed makes a lot of sense for Ty but at that $6.5 mill cap hit and with the full 5 years it just turned it into an extremely high risk/reward deal. There are just so many lingering injuries worries that he can stay healthy enough for starter rates especially with the new rates system. The hope is that the Avs had enough faith in him to protect in expansion so hopefully he can put up a good year and atleast become an option to be moved to other teams. Really wish this was a 2-3 year deal. Afraid this turns into a costly buy out situation when Ty is ready to take the next step organizationally and has to make room on his roster.

(BlueJackets) Thomas Greiss: 2 years $5.5 mill cap hit. Once again Jesse has decided very late that he is competing this season and invests in someone who isn’t a top 20 Goalie this year. To add to that he signs him for two seasons, Greiss was shaky last year and when Halak came back up he definitely was the better goalie, even if they split starts next year (which I think Halak will be the starter and get majority) his rates wont be good with the new goalie rating system we have and Jesse will be stuck with a $5.5 mill backup.

(BlueJackets) Fedor Tyutin: 1 year $4.5 mill cap hit. I get it the 89 DF is attractive but thats all he has, he even boasts a 71 SK so realistically should probably be a 3^rd pairing guy. By the time Tyutin hits trade block there will be a flooded market of similar defensemen but they probably wont be at a $4.5 mill cap hit and $1 mill SB cash was added to the deal. Lot to give up for what is hoped to be best case a later round pick around deadline.

(Maple Leafs) Joe Thorton: 2 years $9.5 mill. 74 SK, 82 PH, 84 FO, 87 PA, 59 SC, 67 DF. Premier cap hit for 2^nd line Center with poor rates outside of a PA and ok PH rating. Thought it was a product of the market driving the price up towards the end like it always does but really dislike the 2^nd year on the term. Jumbo Joe is on the wrong side of 35 (he is 38) and seems to be dropping off in play and I think chances of him putting up a better season are slim and best case he gets similar rates on an already overpriced contract. Could see this being a big retention move next off season.

(Senators) Patrick Sharp: 1 year $3.1 mill cap hit. Poor 3^rd line rates and with Kirks team wouldn’t be surprised if he was picked up on waivers at some point. Another big missed opportunity keeping this to a 1 year deal. Think Sharp has a great chance at bouncing back this year in Chicago and at that cap hit could of been a real low risk/high reward signing.

(BlueJackets) Andrew Ladd: 1 year $6 mill cap hit. 80 SK, 72 PH, 60 PA, 80 SC, 69 DF. The 80 SC was obviously the draw here but outside of that does not have good ratings, on a good team he is a 3^rd line guy. If Jesse is competing this year I think it was a poor option to pay that much but if he gets moved and retained for a mid round pick at some point this year it can end up being an ok move.

(Jets) Mike Ribeiro : 1 year $4 mill cap hit. Figure he is a 3rd line Center on any good team. The price is higher than I would like to see but ive come around on this and it isn’t a bad signing. Not going to give a tonne here because I have come around and he should be easy enough to move if thats what Jordan decides.

(Sharks) David Backes: 2 years $10mill cap hit. Why? 3^rd line rates this year, don’t see any sign those number will improve especially to that premium price tag. Honestly don’t think there will be any takers and this will be a buyout situation. I just cant wrap my head around this one at all.

(Jets) Scott Hartnell: 2 years $4.2 mill cap hit. Little high for 3^rd line rates but what I don’t like the most is the 2^nd year term. Another case where its a gamble on an aging player to even put up similar numbers and these very well could turn into 4^th line rates next year. Dont see him getting any special teams or top 6 time in Nashville next season and have seen a steady decline over the past 3 seasons in his production.

(Panthers) Brian Elliot 2 years $5.58 mill cap hit. Rex is in his final cup run season with this roster before taking over expansion, has better rated goalies on the board still with Miller ($7.3 mill) and Luongo ($5.8 mill) and he doesn’t look over stats and goes off name value. Never mind the nearly $10 mill in cap he still has he bids on Brian Elliot and his much weaker starter ratings. So now when he goes to move him and upgrade his goaltending he will have the high penalty which we know he probably wont be able to afford. Embarassing... Then adds a 2^nd year that makes no difference to him but could maybe help the gm next year (doubt it after seeing his play behind one of the better blue lines in Calgary this past season) or screwing him if he splits or flat out loses the starting job to Neuvirth. Disappointed in the Panthers GMs asset management in his final year.

(Kings) Andy Greene: 1 year $5.25 mill cap hit. We have seen plenty of defensive defensemen go in this price range so far but at only an 84 DF where the others were like 89 + I think this was a clear overpayment.

Hope you all enjoyed the article and hope it stirs up some conversation in the slow summer days.