The first day of NHL free agency opened the door to plenty of expensive mistakes, but a few teams managed to find real value before the market could turn ugly.
That was no small feat. With the salary cap climbing and the pool of true difference-makers thin, Wednesday had the feel of a trap for general managers.
A lot of the deals handed out across the league are going to look shaky before long. But a handful stood out for the right reasons.
One of the cleanest bargains belonged to the Los Angeles Kings, who landed Mats Zuccarello on a one-year, $1 million contract. Ken Holland had a rough first offseason as Kings general manager a year ago, but this was a strong recovery.
Zuccarello is 39, yet when he’s healthy he still produces like a top-line scorer. He has missed at least 12 games in each of the past three seasons, but over that stretch he has averaged a 19-goal, 70-point pace per 82 games.
For a Kings team that had only one player finish above 49 points last season, with Adrian Kempe leading the way at 79, that kind of price is a steal. It might be the best bargain of the day, maybe of the whole offseason.
The Utah Mammoth also found a useful piece in Anders Lee, even if the bigger headline for them was the major trade that brought Vincent Trocheck over from the New York Rangers. Lee is entering his age-36 season, but he still gives a team exactly what it wants around the crease.
He can park in front of the net, work the power play and still has the look of a 20-25 goal threat. Utah got him on a $5.2 million salary-cap hit over three years, which is solid work for a team trying to build toward contender status.
Detroit added some needed scoring depth with Viktor Arvidsson, and the price was right there too: $10 million over two years. Steve Yzerman still has plenty on his plate, especially with the Dylan Larkin trade request hanging over the offseason, but Arvidsson is a smart addition.
He’s not going to alter the Red Wings’ future by himself, and he’s not a true top-line scorer. Still, he’s a good bet for 20 goals and brings the kind of forechecking and depth scoring Detroit can use.
The New York Islanders may have pulled off one of the quietest values of the day with Matias Maccelli. The Toronto Maple Leafs didn’t tender him a qualifying offer as a restricted free agent, which sent him into the market, and the Islanders got him on a one-year deal worth just $2.5 million.
He won’t solve every scoring issue on Long Island, but he’s still only 26 when the season starts and he can move the puck. Over the past three seasons, his 1.19 assists per 60 minutes at 5-on-5 rank 72nd among 517 players with at least 500 minutes of ice time.
That’s real playmaking value at a modest price.
Then there’s Mason Marchment, who landed with the San Jose Sharks on a five-year, $33.75 million deal. That’s close enough to the danger zone to raise eyebrows, especially with Marchment at 31, and long-term contracts of four years or more are where free agency can start to bite.
But this one isn’t as inflated as it could have been with the cap rising, and Marchment still brings something San Jose badly needs. He’s an outstanding two-way player who drives possession and gives the Sharks a depth presence they’re short on.
In Other News...
Former Kings Are Finding New Homes And One Stings Most
The Kings offseason has already produced a familiar kind of churn, with several former players moving on to new NHL homes as free agency opened. Jeff Malott landed with the Anaheim Ducks on a three-year contract, Glenn Gawdin signed with the New York Rangers after leaving the Reign, Mathieu Joseph headed to the Edmonton Oilers, and Pheonix Copley found a new landing spot with the Columbus Blue Jackets after a season that took him through waivers and a brief stop with Tampa Bay.
For Los Angeles, the list is a reminder that roster turnover has not been limited to the active lineup. Each departure carries a different kind of sting, whether it is a depth forward crossing the freeway, a deadline pickup moving on quickly, or a goalie trying to reset after a turbulent year. The most notable move among the ex-Kings is still the one that sent a former scoring option to Pittsburgh, another sign that the Kings are watching familiar faces settle elsewhere while their own offseason picture keeps changing. [Read more 🡒]
Kings Fans Already Have One Big Day 1 Free Agency Debate
The first day of unrestricted free agency gave Kings fans plenty to sort through, even without a headline-grabbing splash. General manager Ken Holland added six new players and brought back several others, leaning into experienced veterans and organizational depth with a string of low-risk, value contracts that fit a very specific kind of summer plan.
Erik Gustafsson is the name most likely to spark the biggest debate, because the defenseman arrives on a one-year deal and comes with familiarity in Peter Laviolettes system. For a team trying to round out the roster without boxing itself in, the move makes sense on paper, but it also leaves open the bigger question fans always ask on Day 1: whether this is the start of a smart reset or simply the first step in a quieter offseason than they hoped for. [Read more 🡒]