Your inbox approves Men's coaches poll Women's coaches poll Play to win 25K!
NHL
NHL

NHL free agency 2015: Don't overpay for these five players

Jimmy Hascup
USA TODAY Sports

Buyer beware when NHL free agency opens Wednesday.

Antoine Vermette had 13 goals and 38 points during the regular season, with four goals in the playoffs.

This year's class lacks star power, partly because teams have locked up their core pieces. Still, with so many teams looking to fill holes, the market will be buzzing.

It's a good year to be a free agent, but a bad one if you're a flawed team. Overpaying for free agents is a good way to handicap payroll moving forward, and there's a strong likelihood that there will be more head-scratching deals than prudent ones.

Let's take a look at five players we'd be careful going overboard for.

Antoine Vermette, center: There is a lack of center depth around the league, and general managers tend to overvalue experience and ability to win faceoffs. Vermette salvaged a deadline deal that looked bad for the Blackhawks with four playoff goals (two in the Stanley Cup Final). His regular-season offensive production fell to a career-low 1.2 points per 60 minutes at even strength, 122nd in the NHL among players who logged at least 1,000 minutes last year. Vermette's two-way ability is also overblown, and he hasn't been a positive possession player in four years. He should be paid like a third liner.

Matt Beleskey, winger: Beleskey eclipsed the 20-goal mark for the first time in his career during his age-26 season while playing in 65 games. He hadn't scored more than 11 in a single season. Has Beleskey all of a sudden become a top-six scorer? Perhaps, if he's playing with the right center. Beleskey played mostly with Ryan Kesler, and when he didn't, he got some time with Ryan Getzlaf. He scored seven goals with each of those players on the ice. It probably would be foolish to expect him to score at a 15% clip moving forward.

Cody Franson, defenseman: Even though the reviews after his trade to the Predators weren't so glowing, Franson, 27, is a top-four defenseman in the prime of his career, and that has value. He is also a right shot, and you could find 20 teams looking to add one from the back end. Franson has size (6-5, 213 pounds) that teams covet, and he can handle more than 20 minutes per night. Franson's career high in points is 36, though he consistently has been a positive possession player. The fear, however, is that a team overpays for his potential.

Johnny Oduya, defenseman: The danger with the 33-year-old Oduya is that you are paying for a past-his-prime player with a lot of mileage on his legs who has benefited from an excellent Blackhawks team. A long-term deal is risky, especially for a defenseman who offers nothing offensively. Oduya relies on positioning, another red flag for an older player in a league that has increasingly become a speed game. Expecting anything more than a capable No. 4 blueliner is asking too much.

Mike Ribeiro, center: Ribeiro signed as a No. 2 center for no longer than two years is a good gamble. Thinking of him as anything more is probably going to be a risk not worth taking as he's 35 and needs to be protected with offensive-zone starts. His 15-goal, 62-point 2014-15 campaign is his ceiling moving forward.

PHOTOS: NHL players who have switched teams

Featured Weekly Ad