The best value deals in NHL free agency so far

As is par for the course when it comes to free agency each summer, many of the newly signed deals landed right where we expected — while others are causing some head-scratching while leaving fans seriously wondering whether the dude who sells used Volkswagens down the street is better suited to run an NHL club than some of the GM’s currently in office.

That’s just the nature of the beast, though, as each free-agent season brings overpayments and questionable decisions during the often-insane hours and days following July 1. But there’s value to be found in a lot of these contracts too, as some of the more astute GM’s across the league are able to make low-risk, high-reward offers to players that will all-but-certainly over-perform.

Let’s take a look at the best value contracts signed so far this offseason:

Carter Hutton, Buffalo Sabres

Three-year deal worth $2.75 million per season.

2017-18: Posted a 17-7-3 record, .931 save percentage with St. Louis.

Hutton has played himself into the upper tier of ‘backup’ goaltenders over the past couple seasons and has earned his opportunity to start, especially after a 2017-18 campaign which he ranked first among qualified ‘tenders with a .931 save percentage and .731 quality-start percentage. He also posted a GSAA (goaltender equivalent of WAR), of 15.09 — good for 10th in the league, just 0.03 less than Vezina Trophy candidate Andrei Vasilevskiy, who ranked ninth.

Of course, he’s yet to prove his worth with a consistent full-time NHL workload (his career-high in games played is 40), but with just an $2.75 AAV and a three-year term, Hutton is a risk worth taking — especially when you look at some of the names making more than him and Buffalo’s desperate need for an upgrade at the position.

Anthony Duclair, Columbus Blue Jackets

One-year deal worth $650,000.

2017-18: 23 points in 56 games with Arizona and Chicago.

Duclair definitely wasn’t expected to break the bank after an underwhelming start to his NHL career, but a one-year deal at the league minimum is quite a bargain for the Blue Jackets. His production has been just below average over his first three-plus seasons, posting 37 goals and 89 points (0.42 PPG) in 213 games, with much of that coming during his rookie campaign in 2015-16. He’s also posted a Corsi of just 49.6 percent despite a starting in the offensive zone over 58 percent of the time.

The numbers have been anything but spectacular, but there is some serious potential there for a guy who hasn’t even turned 23 yet and came out of junior with a pedigree like Duclair’s — he’s already posted a 20-goal campaign with limited NHL minutes after putting home an egregious 133 points in just a season and a half in the QMJHL. If he can find any of that magic at all, this gamble is a worthwhile one for Columbus.

Juuse Saros, Nashville Predators

Three-year deal worth $1.5 million per season.

2017-18: Posted a 11-5-7 record, .925 save percentage with Nashville.

When Saros inked his $4.5-million extension this week, it took a few eye rubs before realizing that the number in question is a total, not an AAV. As arguably the most talented and highly-touted young netminder in the game (he’s only 23) and with many of the impression that Saros is bound to be a top-flight No. 1 goalie in the near future, this is absolute robbery for Predators GM David Poile — who does nothing but lock up star players to very team-friendly deals.

The $1.5 million price tag is a pretty standard for veteran backups who play 15-20 games a year, which makes the value of this contract even greater as it’s likely Saros will take the reigns for at least 30-plus contests this season as the team will try to preserve an aging Pekka Rinne who has struggled the last couple postseasons. It’s also very feasible that the Predators part ways with their 35-year-old starter when or before his contract expires at the end of the upcoming season, which means Nashville could have their starting goalie (and a good one at that) for the the following couple seasons for very, very cheap.

Patrick Maroon, St. Louis Blues

One-year deal worth $1.75 million.

2017-18: 43 points in 74 games with Edmonton and New Jersey.

When you hear or read about “hometown discount,” this is the exact situation it’s referring to. Many were expecting Maroon to sign a deal with a lot more dollars and term attached to it (guys like Jay Beagle, Antoine Roussel and Leo Komarov inked four-year contracts), and that was a fair expectation considering he’s coming off the most productive season of his career where he tallied 43 points with the Oilers and Devils.

He’s a good-skating power forward with a scoring touch who should’ve commanded, probably, $3-plus-million per season, but the Blues won the bid for the 30-year-old based largely on the fact that Maroon is from the area and has made it publicly known how much it means to play in front of his son, who lives in St. Louis.

Tyler Ennis, Toronto Maple Leafs

One-year deal worth $650,000.

2017-18: 22 points in 73 games with Minnesota.

Ennis is no game-breaker, but as far as value risks go this is a great depth move for Toronto — the Maple Leafs have everything to gain and not much to lose by giving the recently bought out 28-year-old, who has posted over 100 goals and nearly 300 NHL points, a good look in their bottom six. Ennis has proven that when he stays healthy and plays close to a full season, he can be a fairly productive player in the offensive zone and brings speed and penalty killing prowess to the lineup, too.

In the three seasons (2010-11, 2013-14, 2014-15) where he suited up for 78 or more games, Ennis scored 20 or more goals and averaged 46 points per campaign. At the league minimum and with something to prove for Ennis, there’s nothing but upside here.