If there’s one thing the rise of hockey analytics has given us, it’s the ability to instantly confirm just how good or bad free-agent contracts really are.
And man, some of the deals handed down on Tuesday were insane in their stupidity. And we say that with love for the Panthers and Capitals. After all, if your team isn’t signing superstars, the next best thing on the opening day of free agency is to be glad it wasn’t your team landing on this list.
The worst teams do the stupidest things, so we shouldn’t be surprised that the Sabres, Panthers, Flames, Canucks and Capitals—with nary a single 2013–14 playoff game among them—were all over the news Tuesday. Meanwhile, the Blackhawks, Kings, Bruins, and Rangers mostly made small-money moves or signed veterans to limited terms. Hmmmm… nope, nothing to be learned from those organizations. You can’t win the Stanley Cup on July 1, you see, but you can definitely lose it.
Without further ado here are the worst of the worst. Maple Leafs fans rejoice! Your team isn’t on here…yet!
5. The forthcoming deal for David Legwand, assuming it’s worth more than $3 million/season: See Leafs fans? There’s still a chance. We learned two important things about David Legwand when he was traded to the Detroit Red Wings last year: 1) He doesn’t have the speed or skill to hang with a fast puck-possession team—as Mike Babcock played his rookies, Legwand found himself increasingly unable to keep up and plummeted down the depth chart of a team that was, at the time, desperate for centres. And 2) He was in Nashville too long. This isn’t Legwand’s fault, but sometimes a player becomes so entrenched in an environment and a system that either he can’t adapt once he’s moved on, or a change of scenery exposes flaws his longtime system hid.
It’s hard to imagine a player of Legwand’s resume landing anywhere for less than $3.5 or 4 million per season—and it’s tough to see him being worth that once he hits the ice in October as a 34-year-old centre without the speed to keep up.
4. Jarome Iginla to Colorado for three years, $16 million: Look, Jarome Iginla is a legend. Gold medals, Hall of Fame stats, by all accounts a lovely guy and a great leader. But then again: He’s 37, is in decline, and managed to scratch out 30 goals last year by virtue of playing on one of the most dominant possession teams and in one of the most favourable line situations of anyone in hockey.
Iginla was a negative CorsiRel% player during the regular season and seemed to be one of few Bruins who couldn’t keep up with the speed of the Red Wings and Canadiens during the playoffs. And while the Colorado Avalanche are a fast, exciting young team that will benefit from Iginla’s leadership, they are… well, not the Bruins. Iginla will be 40 when this deal is up and for a player who is not exactly fleet of skate, this seems an egregious overpay in terms of both term and dollar value. It’s one thing to do as the Bruins did last year and offer him a bonus-laden deal—if he earns it, that’s fine. This deal is another thing entirely. The Avs don’t have the puck nearly as often as the Bruins did and Iggy will find it much harder to pick his spots.
3. David Clarkson to Toronto for seven yea—sorry, that was left over from last July. Anyway, breathe deep, Torontonians.
3. Deryk Engelland to Calgary for three years, $8.7 million: Deryk Engelland’s fists are arguably his best attribute—so who else but Brian Burke would pony up solid money for that kind of truculence? Nobody. The answer is nobody.
This deal was universally ridiculed the moment it was signed. His possession stats are basically nonexistent. His offensive contributions are negligible. When you begin to Google his name, the first additonal word the algorithm supplies is “fights.” In four seasons as a mostly full-time player, Engelland has never had more than 17 points or fewer than 54 PIM—and now he makes $100,000 per year more than quality second-pair defenceman Tom Gilbert, who signed his contract on the same day.
2. Dave Bolland to Florida for five years, $27.5 million: It’s tough to imagine a competent GM putting out $27.5 million over five years for both Orpik and Bolland combined, never mind each of them. But hey, it’s the silly season and it’s not like stars are lining up to become Panthers.
Dave Bolland scored a goal that won the Stanley Cup one time a few years ago. No really, he did. So, ummm, pay the man? Aside from that, he’s done not much of note in the NHL—at least not much that would command anywhere near the money and term he just received. He’s a decent third liner assuming his skating recovers from his tendon injury. So definitely give him a similar annual salary to John Tavares right now!
1. Brooks Orpik to Washington for five years, $27.5 million: Ohhh, Washington. Did you really need to get worse defensively and pay to do it? Only among defensive defencemen is it possible to have an ugly season, clearly show all the signs of decline… and get a $1.5-million raise.
Dating back to 2011–12, Orpik has never had a positive CorsiRel% season, he doesn’t move the puck, possess the puck or pass the puck well and while he might clear the front of the net, he’s increasingly not fast enough to get there in time to do it. Oh, and he’s 33, soon to be 34. He’s signed until he’s nearly 39. It’s not hard to imagine a buyout two years from now—which is definitely what you want to be thinking about on the day you sign the deal.