Grading NHL Free Agent Summer – Central Division Pt I

With the majority of the big-name unrestricted free agents signed and training camp just around the corner, it is time to take a comprehensive look at the additions and subtractions made by each team since July 1 and evaluate how they did.

Today we take a look at the Central Division:

Arizona Coyotes

Subtractions: Christian Fischer

Additions: Matt Dumba, Travis Dermott, Jason Zucker, Nick Bjugstad, Troy Stecher, Alexander Kerfoot

Grade: C

If you look at the Coyotes’ additions at face value, GM Bill Armstrong added a solid scoring winger in Zucker, a decent second/third line forward in Kerfoot, and a top-four blueliner in Dumba, but none of them for a significant term, which is emblematic of a rudderless disgrace of an organization that seems to have no interest in winning. Until they move out of Arizona or get a new building built in the Phoenix area, they will continue to be a blight on the NHL.

Chicago Blackhawks

Subtractions: Alex Stalock

Additions: Ryan Donato

Grade: D

GM Kyle Davidson did most of his work via the trade or trade-and-sign market, adding veterans Taylor Hall, Nick Foligno, and Corey Perry to provide a support structure for young phenom Connor Bedard. Still, the Hawks did not accomplish much in free agency, losing Stalock to Anaheim and signing winger Donato away from Seattle.

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Colorado Avalanche

Subtractions: JT Compher, Lars Eller, Erik Johnson, Denis Malgin, Evan Rodrigues

Additions: Miles Wood, Jonathan Drouin

Grade: C+

The Avs were limited by cap constraints but received some unwelcome relief on that score with the long-term injury news of team captain Gabriel Landeskog. GM Joe Sakic addressed the departure of centers Compher, Rodrigues, and Eller by trading with Nashville for Ryan Johansen and Tampa Bay for RFA Ross Colton. Adding Wood at a $2.5 million AAV was solid but for six years, was unadvised. Drouin was a junior linemate of Nathan MacKinnon and, at $825,000, was a low-risk signing.

Dallas Stars

Subtractions:  Max Domi, Luke Glendening

Additions: Craig Smith, Matt Duchene, Sam Steel

Grade: B

The Stars made it to the Western Conference Final but ran out of gas against Vegas. GM Jim Nill did not have the luxury of significant cap space to make any major additions in free agency but lucked out when Nashville bought out Duchene and signed the former 40-goal scorer to a one-year, $3 million deal. Smith replaces Glendening as a veteran depth forward, while Steel could be a steal after scoring 28 points with the Wild last season.