NHL · 9 hours ago

The Top 10 Worst NHL Free Agency Signings of the Offseason

Grant White

Host · Writer

Alex Ovechkin - 1 Year, $4.25 Million ($4.25 Million AAV)
At face value, bringing back the NHL's all-time leading goal scorer seems like a no-brainer for the Washington Capitals. But when we start to evaluate the details of Alex Ovechkin's contract, it becomes increasingly difficult to understand the Capitals' rationale.

Ovechkin inked a one-year deal worth $4.25 million. Tucked away inside that contract is a $4.75 million bonus once Ovi reaches 10 games -- which is nothing more than a formality. With that, the Caps will be on the hook for an additional $4.75 million against next year's salary cap.

Washington only has two unrestricted free agents coming off the books at the end of the 2026-27 campaign, one of which is Ovechkin. Further, they have less than $100K in salary cap space ahead of training camp.

Spreading Ovechkin's $9 million deal over two seasons is a terrible decision, particularly if Ovi elects to come back for another season after this one. If that's the case, the Russian winger could end up playing for the veteran's minimum, acknowledging that he's being overpaid this season.
Leo Carlsson - 5 Years, $90 Million ($18 Million AAV)
Pat Verbeek did his usual song and dance, only this time it came back to bite him in the worst way. The Ducks were forced to acquiesce to the Flyers' offer sheet, overpaying their star center for the foreseeable future.

Assuredly, Leo Carlsson is one of the most promising young forwards in the NHL. Still, it's hard to make the case that he should be the highest-paid player in the league. The Swede broke out last season, putting up 67 points in 70 games on the strength of 29 goals. While impressive, that production stands in stark contrast to the 56 players who stood in front of Carlsson at the end of last season.

The Ducks couldn't afford to let Carlsson get away. In doing so, they have tidal locked their success to their young centerman. As soon as Anaheim starts to falter, Carlsson immediately becomes the whipping boy.
Sergei Bobrovsky - 3 Years, $21 Millions ($7 Million AAV)
We all knew John Chayka was out of touch, but no one knew he was this disconnected from the modern game. Inheriting a mess from his predecessor, Chayka elected to overpay an aging netminder for too long in hopes of salvaging the Leafs' Auston Matthews' era.

To put it gently, Bobrovsky looked absolutely terrible last season. The two-time Stanley Cup-winning goaltender had the worst statistical campaign of his career, giving up a 3.07 goals against average, an 87.7% save percentage, and -23.4 goals saved above average. Usually those types of numbers would warrant a dramatic decrease in your salary, but not if John Chayka's in charge.

This was a total whiff on the Maple Leafs' part, and it's unlikely that anyone will soon forget about Chayka's misstep. Unfortunately, Leafs' fans will get to live the nightmare for the next three seasons.
Boone Jenner - 4 Years, $23 Million ($5.75 Million AAV)
There was a time in Boone Jenner's career when he was worth $5.75 million per year. But that time is not now. The 33-year-old has been on the decline for a few years, and his style of play is not conducive to playing until Jenner is 37-years-old.

At his best, Jenner was a truculent forward with scoring potential. Currently, he's a middle six depth option up the middle in the autumn of his career. The Canadian tallied just 57 points over the past two seasons, albeit while appearing in just 93 games.

Therein lies the dilemma in Jenner's game. He plays an unforgiving brand of hockey and hasn't appeared in more than 68 games since the 2019-20 season. The Capitals needed scoring depth, but they didn't achieve that with the Jenner signing.
Jacob Trouba - 4 Years, $33 Million ($8.25 Million AAV)
The San Jose Sharks were on the brink of breaking out in the Pacific Division. However, the Jacob Trouba signing limits their potential in the immediate future.

Trouba has earned a reputation for being one of the hardest hitters in the league. Unfortunately, that's where his upside ends. Trouba hasn't finished as a plus-player since 2022-23 amid deteriorating offensive production. Granted, he had a resilient year with the Ducks in 2025-26, but that stands in stark contrast to the 36 points he put up in the two years prior.

I get what Sharks GM Mike Grier was trying to do, but there was no need to add Trouba and Darnell Nurse in the same offseason. Worse, San Jose is paying Trouba until his age-36 season, while the rest of its young playmakers head into their prime years.

The rest of the NHL is speeding up while the Sharks are slowing down.
John Carlson - 2 Years, $17 Million ($8.5 Million AAV)
The Tampa Bay Lightning have been a reload not rebuild team over the past few seasons. Low on ammunition, the Bolts shot themselves in the foot with one of their last bullets.

John Carlson landed in Anaheim ahead of the 2025-26 trade deadline, bolstering the Ducks ahead of their triumphant postseason success. In reconciling Carlson's analytics profile with his on-ice performances, we can't help but see the holes in his game. Despite starting 61.4% of his shifts in the attacking zone, the American rearguard finished with an actual goals-for rating of 46.7%.

Now 36-years-old Carlson will never recapture the glory of his younger days. That didn't stop the Lightning from overpaying him for the next two seasons while the rest of their aging core deteriorates.
Pavel Mintyukov - 5 Years, $36 Million ($7.2 Million AAV)
Talk about a knee-jerk reaction. After the Flyers inked Leo Carlsson to an offer sheet, Pat Verbeek was quick to overpay his other notable restricted free agent, Pavel Mintyukov. The Russian defender will spend the next five years in Anaheim, with expectations that he performs as a top pairing defenseman.

Mintyukov has shown flashes of brilliance early in his career, but consistency has limited his on-ice production. The 22-year-old has just 69 points across 204 NHL games, failing to reach more than 22 points since his rookie season. Further, he's been a minus player in each one of those campaigns, with a career 47.0% expected goals-for rating.

Verbeek was desperate and the Flyers forced him to amend his usual approach with his restricted free agents. It's entirely possible that Mintyukov eventually deserves the $7.2 million salary. In the short-term, we just don't see it.
Connor Bedard - 5 Years, $75 Million ($15 Million AAV)
It's hard living up to the hype when you're touted as a generational talent. That didn't stop the Chicago Blackhawks from overpaying their foundational piece, hoping Connor Bedard lives up to his billing as a franchise cornerstone.

The Hawks re-upped with their restricted free agent on a five-year, $75 million deal this offseason. Bedard was thrust into the limelight and sold as the savior that would deliver the Blackhawks back to glory. Sadly, Chicago has only gotten worse with each successive season.

Bedard has improved his point total every season since coming into the league in 2023-24. But with a staggering -98 rating across that sample and no more than 75 points in any campaign, it's tough to rationalize the hefty investment. Particularly when we measure that against the team's ineffective performances.

Without a supporting cast around him, we can't endorse Bedard being worth $15 million a season. Even with a growing cap, there are significantly better players worth more than what Bedard is getting paid.
Radko Gudas - 6 Years, $9 Million ($1.5 Million AAV)
One and a half million for a defenseman is a bargain in today's NHL. Of course, that's presuming that you aren't paying that defender until his age-42 season. That's the misstep the Florida Panthers made when they elected to bring Radko Gudas into the fold until the 2032-33 season.

Gudas has some admirable qualities. He plays a rugged style of defense, and has earned a solid reputation as a team leader. Still, that doesn't excuse his negative metrics in two of the last three seasons or his limited offensive upside. Since the start of the 2023-24 campaign, Gudas is skating around with a deflated 49.4% expected goals-for rating and just 47 points.

On a one or two-year deal, the Lightning could have looked like geniuses, bringing Gudas in to solidify their bottom pairing. Instead, they are on the hook for the next six years, hoping Gudas reverses course on his downward trajectory.
Andrei Kuzmenko - 1 Year, $5 Million ($5 Million AAV)
It's hard to fault a team for taking a flyer on a free agent on a one-year deal. That is unless that team has dramatically overpaid for that player.

That's the case working against the Pittsburgh Penguins after they elected to sign Andrei Kuzmenko to a one-year deal earlier this offseason. The Russian left winger was brought in as a scoring option, without a resume backing up his mid-range salary.

Since putting up 74 points in his rookie season, Kuzmenko has tallied just 108 points across 190 games. Moreover, he's finished a combined -19 over those three seasons.

Kuzmenko has been given every opportunity to replicate his early-season success. At every stop, he's failed to deliver. The Penguins didn't over-extend the length, but they will regret their investment before the end of next season.
Alex Ovechkin - 1 Year, $4.25 Million ($4.25 Million AAV)
At face value, bringing back the NHL's all-time leading goal scorer seems like a no-brainer for the Washington Capitals. But when we start to evaluate the details of Alex Ovechkin's contract, it becomes increasingly difficult to understand the Capitals' rationale.

Ovechkin inked a one-year deal worth $4.25 million. Tucked away inside that contract is a $4.75 million bonus once Ovi reaches 10 games -- which is nothing more than a formality. With that, the Caps will be on the hook for an additional $4.75 million against next year's salary cap.

Washington only has two unrestricted free agents coming off the books at the end of the 2026-27 campaign, one of which is Ovechkin. Further, they have less than $100K in salary cap space ahead of training camp.

Spreading Ovechkin's $9 million deal over two seasons is a terrible decision, particularly if Ovi elects to come back for another season after this one. If that's the case, the Russian winger could end up playing for the veteran's minimum, acknowledging that he's being overpaid this season.
Leo Carlsson - 5 Years, $90 Million ($18 Million AAV)
Pat Verbeek did his usual song and dance, only this time it came back to bite him in the worst way. The Ducks were forced to acquiesce to the Flyers' offer sheet, overpaying their star center for the foreseeable future.

Assuredly, Leo Carlsson is one of the most promising young forwards in the NHL. Still, it's hard to make the case that he should be the highest-paid player in the league. The Swede broke out last season, putting up 67 points in 70 games on the strength of 29 goals. While impressive, that production stands in stark contrast to the 56 players who stood in front of Carlsson at the end of last season.

The Ducks couldn't afford to let Carlsson get away. In doing so, they have tidal locked their success to their young centerman. As soon as Anaheim starts to falter, Carlsson immediately becomes the whipping boy.

The Top 10 Worst NHL Free Agency Signings of the Offseason

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