The dust has settled on what was a relatively underwhelming NHL free-agent class. There are still a few stragglers who could sign for cheap, especially the longer they stay unsigned, but all of the top names have found new homes. With that, let’s review some of the best contracts signed in free agency so far.
Jonathan Drouin
The New York Islanders have had an interesting offseason. It began by trading Noah Dobson to the Montreal Canadiens, then drafting Matthew Schaefer, Victor Eklund and Kashawn Aitcheson in the first round of the 2025 draft. They were relatively quiet in free agency, though they did sign Jonathan Drouin to a two-year contract worth just $4 million annually.
Drouin played in just 43 games this season due to injury, but did produce at a 71-point pace. He was one of the Colorado Avalanche’s most efficient five-on-five scorers, and seemed to resurrect his career in his two seasons with the Avalanche. Time will tell if his uptick in production was due to Nathan MacKinnon, but even if it is, the Islanders should get proper value.
Even if Drouin regresses to being a 40-50 point player, which is possible since the Islanders don’t have a ton of offensive firepower, he’ll still be worth a $4 million cap hit. Considering he was one of the better top-six wingers available in free agency, the Islanders got him at a cheaper-than-expected cap hit.
Will Cuylle
Perhaps it’s because there was the threat of an offer sheet, but the New York Rangers moved swiftly to sign Will Cuylle to a two-year bridge deal worth $3.9 million per year. He was one of the few bright spots in an otherwise disappointing season for the Rangers, totaling 20 goals and 45 points in 82 games.
Cuylle is a physical player with some shooting ability and finishing touch. He skates relatively well for someone 6-foot-3, 210 pounds and has some more untapped potential that the Rangers could get out of him in the coming seasons. An apt comparison for him could be Matthews Knies lite, and if he becomes a 25-goal, 50-plus-point player for the Rangers across his two-year bridge deal, they’ll repeat the benefits of having one of the better contracts on their books.
Matt Duchene
The term of Matt Duchene’s new contract with the Dallas Stars might be slightly concerning, but you can’t ignore how valuable his $4.5 million cap hit will be for the next four years. Duchene is not showing any signs of slowing down, as he finished with 30 goals…
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