NHL Free Agency Losers

With NHL free agency underway, there are already some losers emerging. When the window opens, the frenzy begins. Some teams made some incredible moves and landed players that can shift their organization. Others took some massive swings and watched the pitch go by. Here are my three biggest losers after the first day of free agency.

1. Boston Bruins

The Bruins earned the award for the worst signing to open the 2025 free agency window. They inked winger Tanner Jeannot to a five-year, $17 million deal. The contract pays him an annual salary of $3.5 million.

The 28-year-old winger is coming off a year with the Los Angeles Kings where he scored just seven goals and 13 points. He hasn't eclipsed 14 points in a season since a 24-goal campaign in 2021-2022. With 45 points over the last four seasons combined, this salary and long-term commitment from the Bruins is a huge misstep.

2. Los Angeles Kings

The Kings brought in a new general manager this summer, and he's done very little to impress. They were aggressive on day one and signed five veterans: Joel Armia, Cody Ceci, Brian Dumoulin, Anton Forsberg and Corey Perry.

Improving the depth is an excellent intention from GM Ken Holland, but his execution of it leaves lots to be desired. Do any of these additions make the Kings more likely to beat the Edmonton Oilers in the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs? I'd argue absolutely not.

3. Florida Panthers

Keeping the core together has been applauded, but I'm skeptical of the Florida Panthers' offseason moves so far. Sure, back-to-back championships speak the loudest, but giving Aaron Ekblad, Sam Bennett and Brad Marchand long-term extensions is only going to hamstring the organization down the road. Everything is up in Florida right now, but what goes up must come down.