Not every free-agent signing is a home run. In fact, some can turn into significant mistakes. Five weeks into the 2026-27 NHL season, this past summer’s free-agent signings are already sorting into winners and disappointments. 

Here's a mix of some of the early wins by teams, as well as a couple of early disappointments. Here is how the group looks.

The Toronto Maple Leafs needed more high-end offense so they looked to Jack Roslovic. Some might say he has been the best bargain of the summer.

He signed a two-year, $8-million deal with Toronto. He has eight goals and 18 points in his first 17 games as a Maple Leaf. That is a pace of roughly 40 goals, which would be a career high by a wide margin. 

Ryan Shea’s run with the Edmonton Oilers so far has made the trade that sent Darnell Nurse to the San Jose Sharks look like a win.

The Oilers moved out a lot of salary and signed Shea for essentially half the price. He’s playing big minutes, is a staple in the top four of Edmonton's defense, and early reviews are strong.

Edmonton signed the defenseman to a five-year, $4 million-per-year deal.

With 10 goals in 14 games, Alex Tuch has proven that he wasn’t an overpay by the Washington Capitals. Signed to a $10.5 million-per-season deal through 2033-34, the Buffalo Sabres weren’t willing to give him what the market was offering.

Meanwhile, he has come as advertised to the Capitals. He’s big and fast, and despite not being physical for his size, he takes away pucks at an incredible rate and blocks shots. Given the way the prices on 30-40 goal scorers have shot up, the Tuch deal looks like an early bargain. 

Anders Lee has settled in with the Utah Mammoth on a three-year, $16.2-million deal. He has three goals and three assists through 12 games, and one analyst noted that he is second on the team in expected-goals percentage. The Mammoth have been among the early-season surprises, so the move looks like a good fit even without big offensive numbers.

Patrick Kane’s homecoming has had a rougher script. The 37-year-old signed a two-year, $16-million deal to return to the Chicago Blackhawks. He has nine points in 15 games, second on the team, and leads the Blackhawks with eight assists.

But Chicago is 4-12-1 and last in the Central Division, and Kane left a Nov. 2 loss to the  Colorado Avalanche with an upper-body injury that will cost him at least a couple of games. His production has been fine. The team around him has not.

Sergei Bobrovsky is the clearest free-agent miss on the list. Toronto gave the veteran goaltender a three-year, $21-million contract, and the results have been poor.

He has a 3-6-2 record, a 3.27 goals-against average and an .889 save percentage in 11 games. He has allowed at least three goals in eight of his first nine starts.

Meanwhile, backup Anthony Stolarz has the better numbers, at 5-1-0 with a .910 save percentage. A goaltending controversy in Toronto is no longer far-fetched.

Stuart Skinner is another interesting story between the pipes. He signed a two-year, $7.5-million contract with the Winnipeg Jets and took over as the Jets’ starter once Connor Hellebuyck’s trade demand became public.

He started out strong, making it feel as though the Jets could afford to lose Hellebuyck. Skinner has since come back down to earth, as have the Jets. His record is only 5-4-3, but his 3.28 GAA and .885 SP no longer put him in a tier of goaltenders we can be talking about as a big success story.

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