NHL free agency often results in some big misses, and this past summer was no exception. Even though we\u2019re only two months into the regular season, it\u2019s already clear that some of the contracts teams signed could turn out to be disasters, and for some, it was obvious from the start. Let\u2019s take an early look at a few contracts that might not age well.<\/p>\n
When Cody Ceci<\/a> signed his four-year, $18MM contract on July 1<\/a>, there was real sticker shock across the league. It was a significant overpay, destined to be a poor contract from day one.<\/p>\n Now, after 29 games, Ceci has one goal and five assists, averaging 17:39 of ice time per game while playing a third-pairing role at even strength. Ceci ranks 516th out of 554 players in the NHL in on-ice goal share for those who\u2019ve played over 200 minutes at 5-on-5 at 34.5%.<\/p>\n The tricky part for Kings fans is that this was quite predictable from the moment the contract was signed, but there was a silver lining in the potential for Ceci to provide some physicality on the back end. However, that hasn\u2019t been the case this year, as Ceci has managed just 15 hits in 29 games.<\/p>\n Ceci will turn 32 later this month, and there\u2019s no upside to his game at this stage. With three years remaining on the deal after this season, the contract might even become a buyout candidate before it expires.<\/p>\n Trent Frederic<\/a> signed one of the more surprising deals this past summer, agreeing to an eight-year extension worth $3.85MM per season<\/a> after the Oilers picked him up from the Bruins at last year\u2019s trade deadline. While the AAV is a bit high for what he offers, the length of the deal is also extraordinary.<\/p>\n Two months into the contract, it looks like a miss. Frederic has only two goals in 28 games this season and has been a burden to everyone he plays with.<\/p>\n The 27-year-old was never expected to live up to his contract fully, but in previous seasons, he showed some goal-scoring ability and contributed other intangible qualities. While he\u2019s still tallying 68 hits this year, he\u2019s doing so with virtually no other positive impact, making it hard to believe that he once produced 40 points in a season.<\/p>\n In 51 games as a member of the Oilers (29 regular-season games and 22 playoff games), Frederic has scored three goals and three assists. This, of course, dates back to last season, but it\u2019s hard to understand that the Oilers saw what they saw at the end of last season and decided to sign him up for another eight years.<\/p>\n In fairness to the Oilers, Frederic was dealing with a high ankle sprain last season, which is notoriously tricky to play through and can have effects lasting a year \u2013 a silver lining if you\u2019re Edmonton. Maybe Frederic is still battling a nagging injury and isn\u2019t able to play as well as he did in some of his earlier seasons in Boston. Time will tell, but for the Oilers and their fans, Frederic\u2019s recent play is concerning.<\/p>\n Next, there\u2019s goaltender Ville Husso<\/a> of the Ducks \u2013 or more often, their AHL affiliate in San Diego. Anaheim general manager Pat Verbeek<\/a> decided to keep Husso around last summer with a two-year, $4.4MM contract extension<\/a>.<\/p>\n The deal didn\u2019t make much sense at the time, as the Ducks already had Luk\u00e1\u0161 Dost\u00e1l<\/a> in the fold, and they signed Husso the day after trading John Gibson<\/a> to the Red Wings for a package including Petr Mr\u00e1zek<\/a>. Some thought Husso might be the backup, and that Mrazek could be moved, but so far, he remains, and Husso has had limited NHL action.<\/p>\n Mr\u00e1zek effectively moved into the backup spot ahead of Husso, which somewhat undermines the reason for re-signing the 30-year-old. Husso is a well-paid third-string goaltender for the Ducks, and there\u2019s a reasonable case that he\u2019s an average third-stringer at best.<\/p>\n In six NHL games this season, Husso has a 4-2-0 record with a 2.82 GAA and a .875 SV%. His numbers are noticeably better in the AHL with a 6-4-3 record, a 2.49 GAA, and a .908 SV%. However, he\u2019s earning $2.2MM this season, a higher AAV than high-end veteran No. 2 options like Jake Allen<\/a>, Jonathan Quick<\/a>, and Scott Wedgewood<\/a>.<\/p>\n Husso\u2019s deal came shortly after a solid four-game audition in Anaheim at the end of last season, and it\u2019s hard to imagine Verbeek was envisioning Husso as a tweener. The deal was likely made to provide Anaheim with a backup so they could trade Mr\u00e1zek, but unfortunately, they couldn\u2019t move him. Even if that was the case, Husso\u2019s deal was a stretch, and while it isn\u2019t overly restrictive to the salary cap, it\u2019s a bad contract to hand out.<\/p>\n A couple of other deals that might not work out well are the Ryan Lindgren<\/a> contract with the Kraken and Brian Dumoulin<\/a>\u2019s agreement with the Kings. Lindgren signed for four years and $18MM<\/a> in the summer and has contributed nothing offensively (three assists in 25 games) for the Kraken and hasn\u2019t been physical at all, with just 14 hits.<\/p>\n Lindgren was a massive drain on whoever he played with last season, giving Rangers defenseman Adam Fox<\/a> all kinds of problems. However, it wasn\u2019t that long ago that Lindgren was a top-pairing defenseman in New York, and if he ever got back to that level, he would be worth the money. But his play has been this way for over a year now, and it might just be the player he is now.<\/p>\n