August isn't known for major free-agent signings in the NHL. But Jacob Stoller lists 10 UFA signings since 2013 that were home runs for their value and payoff.
August is as quiet of a month in the NHL as you can find.
Hockey operations staffers are usually on a collective pause to regroup after a marathon stretch of work. But there’s the odd depth signing in the dog days of August that actually ends up becoming quite relevant.
With Patrick Kane unsigned and no formal announcement on retirement circulating, we could see that being the case for this season. It’s rare to see big-name signings this time of year, but it does happen. And sometimes, the transaction ends up being a home run, even if it's not a blockbuster signing, given the dollar figure.
So without further adieu, let's look at the 10 best NHL UFA signings in August since 2013.
1. Nazem Kadri, C, Calgary Flames
Signed a seven-year, $49-million contract on Aug. 18, 2022
Free agency did start a couple of weeks later than usual in 2022, but you still rarely see a player of Nazem Kadri’s caliber sign in August. After posting a career-high 87 points and playing a pivotal role for the Colorado Avalanche during their 2021-22 Stanley Cup championship run, Kadri held off signing his next deal in the hopes Colorado would clear up cap space to sign him. Once it became clear he wouldn’t get the dollars he felt he deserved from the Avs, Kadri pivoted and signed with Calgary. In his first season with the Flames, the 32-year-old Kadri recorded 24 goals and 56 points in 82 games.
2. Valeri Nichushkin, LW, Colorado Avalanche
Signed a one-year $850,000 contract on Aug. 19, 2019
Nichushkin, taken 10th overall in the 2013 draft by the Dallas Stars, made an immediate jump to the NHL at 18 and had a promising rookie season, putting up 34 points in 79 games in 2013-14. However, he struggled to forge an identity at the NHL level thereafter. Nichushkin eventually bolted to the KHL for the 2016-17 and ’17-18 seasons, skating with CSKA Moscow. He returned to the NHL in 2018-19 but had just 10 points – all assists – in 57 games for Dallas, who subsequently bought him out in June 2019. Upon arriving in Colorado, Nichushkin carved out an identity in the bottom six as a responsible two-way player. That 2019-20 campaign would ultimately serve as a massive stepping stone, as Nichushkin has since evolved into a high-end offensive player (with 99 points in 115 regular-season games the past two seasons) while remaining defensively responsible at the same time.
3. Sam Gagner, RW, Columbus Blue Jackets
Signed a one-year $650,000 contract on Aug. 1, 2016
When the Columbus Blue Jackets signed Sam Gagner to a low-dollar one-year deal in August 2016, there’s no way they envisioned he’d be as good as he was in the 2016-17 season. Coming off a then-career-low 16-point campaign with the Philadelphia Flyers – which saw him get assigned to the AHL for the first time in his career – Gagner was brought in as a depth signing. It wouldn’t have been shocking if he ended up in the AHL again. But as it would turn out, Gagner recorded 50 points in 81 games – finishing fifth in team scoring – and revived his career, earning a three-year, $9.45-million pact from the Vancouver Canucks after his comeback season.
4. Kevin Shattenkirk, D, Tampa Bay Lightning
Signed a one-year, $1,750,000 contract on Aug. 5, 2019
After looking nowhere near the player he was with the St. Louis Blues during his two seasons with the New York Rangers (and subsequently being bought out), Shattenkirk found a perfect bounce-back fit with the Tampa Bay Lightning. He recorded 34 points in 70 games — tied for 31st among NHL defensemen — and played the bulk of his minutes alongside Mikhail Sergachev and Victor Hedman. The now 34-year-old played a key secondary role for Tampa Bay’s Stanley Cup-winning squad that year, finishing seventh among NHL defensemen in playoff scoring with 13 points in 25 games.
5. Pat Maroon, LW, Tampa Bay Lightning
Signed a one-year, $950,000 contract on Aug. 24, 2019
Fresh off hoisting the Stanley Cup for his hometown team, Maroon brought some much-desired piss and vinegar to the Tampa Bay Lightning. After recording 23 points in 64 regular season games, Maroon thrived in a support role during Tampa’s 2019-20 Cup run. He recorded the 21st-most hits of any forward in those playoffs while also posting a 53.79 expected goals-for percentage during 5-on-5 play, according to naturalstattrick.com.
6. Mikhail Grabovski, C, Washington Capitals
Signed a one-year, $3,000,000 contract on Aug. 22, 2013
Washington got the most out of Grabovski during his lone season with the organization. He was one of the best third-line centers in the NHL that year, registering 35 points in 58 games and posting a 57.38 percent goals-for percentage at 5-on-5, per naturalstattrick.com.
7. Derick Brassard, C, Philadelphia Flyers
Signed a one-year, $825,000 contract on Aug. 25, 2021
The Flyers bottomed out and sold off several roster players during the 2021-22 season. One such player was Derick Brassard, who the club signed in late August for just more than the league-minimum salary. Brassard fared well enough in a bottom-six role – with 16 points in 31 games – that the Flyers were able to recoup a 2023 fourth-round pick from the Edmonton Oilers for him at the 2022 trade deadline. Not too shabby.
8. Phil Kessel, RW, Vegas Golden Knights
Signed a one-year, $1,500,000 contract on Aug. 24, 2022
Phil Kessel may not have been a big part of the Golden Knights’ 2023 Stanley Cup championship — he was scratched for 18 of the teams’ 22 playoff games — but the NHL’s all-time ironman played in all 82 regular-season games for Vegas and chipped in 14 goals and 36 points.
9. Sam Steel, Minnesota Wild, LW
Signed a one-year, $825,000 contract on Aug. 30, 2022
Anaheim’s decision not to qualify Sam Steel in the summer of 2022 raised a lot of eyebrows. Steel never lived up to his first-round (30th in 2016) pedigree, but he’s established himself as an above-average bottom-six forward who can provide some secondary scoring. Steel recorded 28 points in 65 games – plus another two points in five playoff games – for Minnesota, though the Wild also opted not to qualify him. Steel then earned another one-year deal, which came with a $25,000 pay raise, with the Dallas Stars.
10. Stefan Noesen, Carolina Hurricanes, RW
Signed a one-year, two-way, $750,000 contract on Aug. 1, 2021
The origin of Carolina’s secret power-play weapon stems from a two-way signing ahead of the 2021-22 season. Noesen went on to record 85 points in 70 AHL games with the Chicago Wolves before posting another 25 points in 18 playoff games during the Wolves’ championship season. This past season, Noesen re-signed in Carolina, recorded 36 points in 78 NHL regular-season games and chipped in another eight points in 15 playoff contests. Now 30 years old, who says you can’t develop a player in their late 20s?