As this free agency winds down, on the opposite end of the spectrum of winners is losers. Which teams disappointed during this years free agency?
Buffalo Sabres
But you could have never guessed that the Buffalo Sabres would be first on the list of free agent losers. The JJ Peterka trade leading into free agency was questionable to say the least. They did not do anything special in terms of free agent signings. And to top it off Bowen Byram continues to be mentioned on the trade block. If the Peterka return is anything to go by, Sabres fans should brace for impact.
Los Angeles Kings
The LA Kings have made a flurry of moves during this free agency window, but nothing earth shattering. They have signed a collection of middle of the pack players in Cody Ceci, Corey Perry, Joel Armia, Brian Dumoulin and Anton Forsberg. That is a lot of money tied up in average pieces, not needle movers. And losing Vladislav Gavrikov has to be a tough pill to swallow.
Anaheim Ducks
The Ducks did bring in a solid top 6 piece in Mikael Granlund. But that is about all they did in terms of signings. They were more active on the trade market, finally moving John Gibson and got Petr Mrazek in return. They also parted with Trevor Zegras and traded for Chris Kreider a while back. There is skepticism as to whether these moves are enough to get this Ducks team back to the playoffs, which seems to be the goal under new coach Joel Quenneville.
Seattle Kraken
As usual, the Seattle Kraken are left making low risk medium yield investments that likely will not push the team forward. They did bring in defenseman Ryan Lindgren to aid the D core, but besides that few notable moves. The squad has depth, but the lack of top end star power in the system is still prevalent.
Detroit Red Wings
The Wings did extend fan favorite Patrick Kane and finally upgraded their goaltending, bringing in John Gibson. Unfortunately the Gibson move feels a bit late as the netminder is past his prime and has not even been a starter since Lukas Dostal emerged in Anaheim. The James Van Riemsdyk addition only cancels out losing Vladimir Tarasenko, it won’t add much offensive depth to a group that needs it. And they did not do enough to address a suspect D core.
