Fansided

Biggest winners and losers of NHL free agency 2018

By Mackenzie Ingram

TORONTO, ON - JULY 1: John Tavares #91 of the Toronto Maple Leafs, poses with his jersey in the dressing room, after he signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs, at the Scotiabank Arena on July 1, 2018 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Mark Blinch/NHLI via Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - JULY 1: John Tavares #91 of the Toronto Maple Leafs, poses with his jersey in the dressing room, after he signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs, at the Scotiabank Arena on July 1, 2018 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Mark Blinch/NHLI via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 10
Next
ATLANTA – NOVEMBER 22: Ilya Kovalchuck of the Atlanta Thrashers fires a shot against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Philips Arena on November 22, 2009 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Scott Cunningham/NHLI via Getty Images)
ATLANTA – NOVEMBER 22: Ilya Kovalchuck of the Atlanta Thrashers fires a shot against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Philips Arena on November 22, 2009 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Scott Cunningham/NHLI via Getty Images) /

Winner: Los Angeles Kings

When the Ilya Kovalchuck sweepstakes finally made its way back to North America, the Kings were immediately one of the main teams rumored to be interested in the KHL’s leading scorer.

Well, in true 2018 fashion, a sports franchise in Los Angeles got the man it so desperately needed.

For those unfamiliar with Kovalchuk, he is a former NHL veteran of 11 seasons, playing for both the Atlanta Thrashers and New Jersey Devils.

On the ice, Kovalchuk is one of the most deadly snipers in league history. So far, he has two 50-goal seasons, three 40-goal ones and an additional four 30-goal campaigns. Building off this, Kovalchuk will be one of only six active players who have averaged at least one point per game over the length of their careers (816 points in 816 games).

As for why Kovalchuck was playing outside the NHL to begin with, the Russian winger opted out of a record 15-year contract with the New Jersey Devils following the 2012-13 season, citing taxes and travel distance as the main reasons behind his departure.

Whether or not Kovalchuk can still produce at an NHL-caliber level is yet to be seen; however, he has been one of the best players internationally over the past few years. Not only has he dominated in KHL play, but “Kovy” also won a gold medal and MVP at the Winter Olympics earlier this year.

Even if Kovalchuk cannot reproduce some of his better years, his annual price tag of $6.25 million for three years is fair for a proven top-six forward; especially one picked up through free agency.

On a pricier note, the Kings were also able to re-sign their superstar defenseman, Drew Doughty, until 2027.

With all the Erik Karlsson madness currently going on, many wondered whether or not Doughty would wait to see how much he may be worth on the market next year when he was set to become a free agent.

Fortunately for Kings fans, general manager Rob Blake understood the value of a rare player like Doughty and rewarded him with $88 million over the next 8 years.

Last season, Doughty put up a career-high 60 points and was one of three nominees for the Norris Trophy given to the league’s best defenseman.

Entering the 2018 NHL free agency period, the LA Kings had two main focuses: adding goal scoring and re-signing Drew Doughty.  This week, they completed both of these. Furthermore, audiences should also be reminded that Los Angeles did not lose any integral parts of its roster, so it’s safe to say the Kings were one of this offseason’s biggest winners.

Home/NHL Free Agency