A bit off the beaten path from the usual fare on this channel, but this is something I’ve wanted to analyze for some time now. Free agency comes with significant risk for the signing party: The player in question can either decline significantly, fail to mesh with the team, or just fall victim to bad luck. That part is always inevitable.
The one class I keep coming back to, however, is the NHL free agent group of 2016. What has surprised me is how many signings from this particular class backfired spectacularly for teams. Lots of money and term being thrown around (some foolishly) only for it to end up looking even worse in hindsight.
It’s disturbing that I can say this less than three years after the fact. To see long-term issues crop up on this grand of a scale is relatively uncommon. Just look at how many signings were left available during the Vegas Expansion Draft. One year after signing these players, some teams were having regrets (or couldn’t do anything because of no-movement clauses).
This video… may show you something. Maybe it won’t. If it were up to the athletes, they’d rather be playing at peak level. But injuries, age and time have other plans, unfortunately.
Revisiting the 2016 NHL Free Agent Class