Free agent signing is a very important aspect of the NHL, but it can’t ever be easy bringing in a player from the free agency market, and more often than not, players don’t live up to expectations and are overpaid, even at the best NHL betting sites.
With that said, here are five of the best free singings in the NHL.
5. Artemi Panarin (New York Rangers)
Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. To kick start this list we will sacrifice the 5th position to an active player (only one on this list) who has yet to win a Stanley Cup, but hear us out.
Before his departure in Chicago, the “bread man” Artemi Panarin was already a Calder Trophy winner and two-time all-star with Chicago, he then went on to play two seasons with the Columbus Blue Jackets and became the first Blue Jacket to score 80 points in 80 games.
Following four very impressive seasons in the NHL, the New York Rangers paid Panarin the big bucks when he signed as a free agent in the summer of 2019, and despite having yet to win a Stanley Cup, Panarin has proved to be a key signing, having picked up 341 points in 268 games.
Panarin has scored 26 points in just 17 games thus far this season and remains one of the most consistent points scorers in the NHL at the age of 32. His chance to win a Stanley Cup is far from over, regardless of how his career ends up, he has been one of the best free agent signings of the previous 10 years.
4. Ed Belfour (Dallas Stars)
Having played seven seasons for the Chicago Blackhawks, Ed Belfour’s playing time was decreased, which led him to sign for the San Jose Sharks in 1997. Following a shockingly bad start to life in California with the San Jose Sharks, goaltender Ed Belfour was released and picked up by the Dallas Stars.
Although the Stars were most definitely taking a gamble on what looked to be a washed-up goaltender who was now 31 years old, he proved to be much better than anybody anticipated. Belfour must have found a new lease of life in Dallas, as he had one of his best seasons to date with just 1.88 goals allowed and picked up 37 wins from 61 starts in the crease.
The next season things got even better, as he allowed only 1.67 goals per game. He also had three shutouts in the playoffs and the Stars became Stanley Cup champions. Belfour would go on to guide his team to the finals the following season but eventually came up short, finishing in second place after losing in double overtime.
Any free-agent signing who can almost single-handedly guide his team to back-to-back Stanley Cup finals has got to go down as one of the best free-agent signings of all time.
3. Scott Niedermayer (Anaheim Ducks)
Maybe Scott Niedermayer being a star in Anaheim might not have been a surprise to many, as he had already come to California with a big reputation. Niedermayer was a triple Stanley Cup champion from his time in New Jersey and an Olympic gold medal winner by the time he had been signed by the Ducks in the summer of 2005.
Following 12 years in the NHL by the time he had signed, Niedermayer didn’t waste any time in setting up his retirement chair in Anaheim, as he picked up right where he left off in New Jersey. In his first season, he had a career-high 13 goals and 63 points at the age of 33 and managed to follow that up the next season, having had 15 goals and 69 points.
During his time in California, he managed five all-stars, was runner up of the Norris trophy on two occasions, and managed to bag himself a Conn Smyth trophy as well as a 4th Stanley Cup. Even during his final season in the NHL in 2009 with the Ducks he was still averaging 26 minutes per game and scored 48 points in his final season at the age of 36. He even went on to win another gold medal at the Olympics during his retirement year.
2. Marian Hossa (Chicago Blackhawks)
Marian Hossa had a raw deal prior to the Chicago Blackhawks signing him as a free agent. Hossa made the Stanley Cup finals in back-to-back seasons, firstly with the Pittsburgh Penguins, losing out in the final to the Detroit Red Wings. The next season, Hossa joined the Red Wings and lost in the finals to the Penguins.
Finally, Hossa found a home in Chicago, as he went on to play for the team in the windy city for 8 seasons, lifting the Stanley Cup on three occasions in 2010, 2013 and 2015. Hossa managed to become one of the most formidable goalscorers during his time with Chicago, banging in 20+ goals in 6 of his 8 seasons with the team.
Hossa was a dominant two-way player who guided the Blackhawks to three Stanley Cups in five seasons. We can argue the Blackhawks might not have won as many cups if Hossa wasn’t signed through free agency.
1. Zdeno Chara (Boston Bruins)
The 6 foot 9 defender Zdeno Chara joined the Boston Bruins in 2006 following three successful seasons with the Ottawa Senators.
Chara went on to become one of the Bruins’s Hall of Famers. Winning the Norris trophy in 2009, he was also a finalist on a further five occasions during his time with Boston.
At the time of his arrival, Chara was a key piece in strengthening the blue line and went on to become a six-time all-star during his time with Boston. Chara helped guide the Bruins to a Stanley Cup in 2011 and was a runner-up in both 2013 and 2019. He served the Bruins for 13 seasons, which obviously means he was wanted enough to keep around that long. Not bad for a free-agent signing.
To top it off, Chara is the all-time leading appearance holder in the NHL for a blue-line player, totaling 1680 games. Sometimes you don’t have to win the Stanley Cup multiple times to become an important player, but Chara did deserve at least two in his trophy cabinet.
