It was a stingy summer in the NHL.
Sure, significant investments were made in prospects and players at premium positions. But overall, free agents and their representatives misread the market, and were left scrounging for spare change and professional tryout contracts.
So with an increased understanding of salary dynamics, and the pressure general managers are under, it begs the question: Does anyone want to get paid?
Save for the headliner, Steven Stamkos, this is far from the most tempting free-agent class, but players competing for dollars down the line are making it easy for executives to keep their wallets in their pockets.
Here are a few that stand to lose:
Jiri Hudler
Hudler's career season came 12 months too soon.
The veteran Flames forward hit the 30-goal mark for the first time, established a career high in helpers, and averaged just short of a point per game last season while helping shepherd Johnny Gaudreau. His year put him on stage in Las Vegas - in his socks - accepting the Lady Byng at the NHL Awards.
Now he has barely a foot to stand on. Injuries and decline have seen his role diminish considerably. Hudler's spilling off the boards with the third forward unit, which should make it more difficult to net the 10 goals he's on pace for.
Eric Staal
If Staal remains in Carolina, which, because of all he's done for the club, will most certainly be the organization willing to pay the most, he should have signed an extension long ago.
His current pace is consistent with an alarming downward trajectory across his last four full 82-game seasons:
| Year | Goals | Assists | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-12 | 24 | 46 | 70 |
| 2013-14 | 21 | 40 | 61 |
| 2014-15 | 23 | 31 | 54 |
| 2015-16* | 16 | 33 | 49 |
*based on current projections
Andrew Ladd
The walls seem to be closing in on Ladd.
The Jets captain has had a laundry list of concerns this season, ranging from his team's poor play, to the lingering effects of offseason surgery, and, of course, his pending unrestricted free agency.
It's easy to look back now and say he should have signed a deal on the heels of a 24-goal, 62-point season. But really, his camp should have been able to figure out that offseason hernia surgery could hurt individual stats in a contract season.
David Backes
He still wears the letter, but the Blues have become less and less Backes' team.
More than a decade of heavy, heavy hockey seems to be taking its toll at the wrong time for Backes, who though third in team scoring, is actually piling up points (28) at a very pedestrian rate. And though his on-ice goal rates are strong, his effect on shot attempts lags behind the young Blues emerging as important contributors.
Considering the club's forgettable playoff past and his decline, it might be real easy to fire out a lowball offer and turn the page.
Steven Stamkos
Stamkos is going to get his, obviously. In fact, he might get it all.
But his ordinary production is at the nub of all this.
Stamkos will be paid in the top percentile when he finally brokers a deal with Tampa, or elsewhere. But let it be known: the sniper's current goal- and point-per-game averages are his worst since his rookie campaign, both following a downward trend.
