'BUYER BEWARE': 5 UFAS TEAMS SHOULD BE HESITANT TO SIGN THIS OFF-SEASON

As the NHL’s 2024 free agent period draws near, there are going to be many UFA players teams will have interest in. That said, some UFAs are more of a risk than others, Here are five "buyer beware” players teams should be hesitant to sign:

Anthony Mantha, LW, Vegas Golden Knights

Mantha produced 23 goals and 44 points in 74 games last season, but that’s the most amount of games he’s played since 2017-18, when he played 80 games. The 29-year-old’s salary cap hit of $5.7 million won’t be nearly the same next season and beyond, but Mantha could have problems staying healthy and becoming a 20-goal-scorer once again. Some team will pay him an above-average salary, but if Mantha is sidelined again, that team may come to regret it.

John Klingberg, D, Toronto Maple Leafs

It wasn’t all that long ago that Klingberg was regarded as a top-level defenseman. But things have quickly fallen apart for the 31-year-old, and this past season, his stint with the Maple Leafs saw him appear in only 14 games – with just five assists in that span – and he certainly won’t be back in Toronto for the 2024-25 campaign. Klingberg’s cap hit of $4.15 million will drop notedly, and while he may have some gas left in his competitive tank, Klingberg’s days as an above-average D-man are over. If you pay him more than $2 million per year on a new deal, you may still wind up wishing you’d spent that money elsewhere.

Jonathan Drouin, LW, Colorado Avalanche

Drouin had a terrific bounce-back season with the Avalanche this past year, posting career-best numbers in goals (19), assists (37) and points (56) – and the 29-year-old did it with a bargain-rate $825,000 salary. However, in the four years prior to last season, Drouin appeared in 58 games or fewer. He showed he can be a good finisher on a top team, but if Drouin makes a decision based on the biggest payday he can get, he might sign with a playoff-fringe team, and his numbers on offense could drop in a major way. Drouin needed a long time before he showed he could be a difference-maker, but if he’s a one-and-done top-level talent, the team that signs him could grind its collective teeth after handing out money not well spent.

Adam Henrique, C, Edmonton Oilers

Henrique’s cap hit of $5.825 million is an awful lot for a 34-year-old who appeared in more than 62 games in only one out the past four seasons. Henrique has performed well with the Oilers, but if he’s asking for anywhere close to the same amount of money, teams should be extremely wary of giving it to him. He’s a secondary scoring option and needs to be paid accordingly. Any new contract that pays him $4 million or more is an overpayment, and Henrique could be a fixture on the Long-Term Injury Reserve. That’s obviously not ideal, but that’s the chance you’re taking by signing him.

Anthony Beauvillier, LW, Nashville Predators

Beauvillier played on three different NHL teams last season, and he’s played on four different teams in the past two years. This is not what you’d expect from a guy with a cap hit of $4.15 million, but Beauvillier has been a disappointment wherever he’s gone. The 27-year-old probably is aiming for a 20-goal season – even though he’s scored more than 20 just once, when he had 21 goals in 2017-18 – but he’s not come close to that total in recent years. His relatively young age may tempt a team to take a chance on him, but Beauvillier’s best performances could be long in the past. Unless you’re desperate for offense, it’s smart to stay away from him.

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2024-06-15T20:31:32Z dg43tfdfdgfd