A few days ago, the free money market opened in the NHL and many clubs did not waste time and have already significantly strengthened themselves. “Nashville”, which usually remains in the shadows at such events, blew up the media space with high-profile signings, “Edmonton” is stepping up its efforts to make a more successful campaign for the cup, and “Tampa” has considerably shaken up its roster, including getting rid of Sergachev, with whom it had recently signed a very generous contract.
The opening day of the free agent market was the first in league history in which teams spent more than a billion dollars in total. In addition to good multi-million dollar signings like Guentzel, Marchessault, Tanev, Kane, there were those who raised many questions. We will talk about them now.
Jason Zucker (Buffalo Sabres)
Contract amount: $5 million
Term: 1 year
Understanding the logic of Buffalo’s management can sometimes be very difficult, and sometimes completely impossible. This is probably due to the difficulty of attracting good players to a team that hasn’t made the playoffs in over 10 years, has one of the lowest attendance figures, and seems to be mired in a quagmire that even the best draft picks can’t pull themselves out of. Generally speaking, the franchise’s reputation with fans and players is declining.
But why waste extra money, which in the era of caps has more value? This could be supported by the argument that young talents like Dahlin, Power, Benson, Peterka lack someone who can share their experience and guide them in case of difficulties. But what does Jason Zucker have to do with this? He was not a leader in spirit on any team in the league. As well as a leader on the court. Jason is an honest worker in the bottom 6 positions. But even in this role, he is not some kind of elite representative that general managers pay attention to first when they need to fill this position.
Jason Zucker
Photo: George Walker IV/AP/TASS
Yes, the only upside to all of this is the length of the deal. A one-year deal isn’t a long-term threat, but Buffalo now has such a talented roster that another playoff-less season would be a stigma for the organization. So far, this looks like a bust, one that will, at best, end in a trade at the deadline with half of the salary retained in exchange for a fifth- to seventh-round pick, nothing more.
Sean Monahan (Columbus Blue Jackets)
Contract amount: $5 million
Term: 5 years
The GM’s job in Columbus is also plagued by a number of difficulties that, I recall, were raised by Panarin and Bobrovsky when they were not going to negotiate with a team that was willing to give both of them half the kingdom. Gaudreau’s move, according to the former GM, was intended to end the rumors that tarnished the franchise’s reputation: “I think we can finally get rid of this bullshit about being in a bad city and stuff like that. This was never true. The club got a bad reputation because some people decided at some point that they didn’t want to stay here for a long time for various reasons. But it was never related to the city or the organization. We had to accept this quietly. However, every time I see comments like these, I get a rash.”
Sean Monahan
Photo: Erin Hooley/AP/TASS
Last season, Columbus clearly lacked a leader: Gaudreau fell into melancholy, Laine struggled with his inner demons and did not have much desire to play hockey, and the trio of Russian forwards, although they showed themselves well, are not yet ready to play the role of leaders. The scope of the upcoming work was clear, but then Monahan was signed, which in terms of time and amount clearly says that they count on Sean as a leader. But is it wise to write such a check to a 29-year-old player (he will be 30 when the season starts) who in the past five seasons has only surpassed the 50-point mark once?
No one is calling Monahan a bad player, but the set of qualities he has will not allow him to become a leader even in Columbus.
Chandler Stevenson (Seattle Kraken)
Contract amount: $6.25 million
Term: 7 years
Seattle, like last season, is completely dejected. The short-term momentum the team had in the spring of 2023, when the Krakens eliminated the defending Stanley Cup champions in the first round, quickly faded and the team returned to its early stages.
So it seemed management would address the problem by aiming to hire creative players who could dilute the gray paint left by an artist named Dave Hakstol. But the tide turned, or did so unintentionally, and the choice fell on Stevenson. Chandler had an impressive career with Vegas, winning a Stanley Cup and being useful at both ends of the ice. But he is not a stand-alone unit; rather, he is a strong, reliable cog that must be inserted into a nearly finished structure.
That is no longer the case in Seattle, and there are serious doubts that Stevenson will be able to take on the key role. Moreover, Chandler is already 30 years old and only a few players make progress at this age. The Canadian’s seven-year contract could start to affect his salary in just two or three years.
Alexander Wennberg (San Jose Sharks)
Contract amount: $5 million
Term: 2 years
Last year, San Jose’s goal in the summer was very clear: the team was recruiting players on one-year contracts, which they would trade at the deadline for draft picks. Sharks fans lamented this, but for the sake of McLean Celebrini, it seemed like they could give it a try, although this question is also ambiguous. But that’s not what we’re talking about now.
Related materials
No Trophy: 10 NHL Teams That Never Won the Stanley Cup
What will the Sharks strive for in the coming years? That’s right, not at all. Therefore, the signing of Wennberg does not seem so disappointing. Alex currently seems to be a player in the category “I won’t spoil the mood, but I won’t bring anything inspiring either.” But why allocate such an amount to a role player, and not for one year? It will be difficult to transfer him next season. Wennberg, of course, will probably get a place in the top 6, but in the same “Rangers”, periodically playing with Kreider and Zibanejad on the first line, he did not show anything, in “Seattle”, where the first line of the fourth sometimes cannot be distinguished, he also did not show anything outstanding.
The signing doesn’t seem deliberate. It was like they picked up something that was wrong. But maybe these are the realities of today’s San Jose.
Yakov Trenin (Minnesota Wild)
Contract amount: $3.5 million
Term: 4 years
Much has already been said about Minnesota’s situation: worthless contracts, painful acquisitions, poor draft analysis. Because of this, a relatively strong team with a superstar on its roster cannot take a step forward.
Related materials
Minnesota has considered signing Russian forward Yakov Trenin to a contract
What offensive potential do the Wild have right now? Kaprizov, Boldi, the aging Zuccarello. All of them. The team is short on money, counting every penny, but at the same time signing a third- or fourth-line player for $3.5 million over four years. The Wild had no problem with role players, but they signed a contract that could come back to haunt them later.
Perhaps Minnesota believes that Yakov will progress and has the potential to fill a top-six role. Of course, we would all be happy for Trenin, but he never created the conditions for that during his five-year NHL career. The bottom line is that such a signing could be afforded either by a team that is not short of funds, or by one that is plugging its last holes and going for the Cup. “Minnesota” cannot be classified as any of the listed options.
