This year’s free-agent class was one of the worst in NHL history. There were hardly any true difference-makers available, which explains why the trade market has been so wild in recent weeks. It also wasn’t easy to find exciting discounts or under-the-radar depth players, especially at premium positions like center and right defense.With that in mind, we have to grade the contracts signed this offseason on a curve. You’d use words such as “reasonable” and “fair value” to describe the best contracts on this list rather than “steal” or “bargain.”After scouring the league’s signings, here are nine of the best contracts that teams have inked in free agency so far. We will only look at unrestricted and restricted free agents who switched teams, so any UFAs and RFAs who re-signed with their team (e.g. Brandt Clarke) will not be included.NHL offer sheets are just businessSean Gentille and Sean McIndoeMavrik Bourque, Nashville PredatorsContract: $5.5 million x 6 yearsThe Bourque acquisition was terrific value for the Predators in both acquisition cost and the subsequent contract they signed him to.Nashville only surrendered a 2027 second-round pick and a 2028 third-round pick to the Dallas Stars in exchange for Bourque, a bargain price made possible by the Predators’ willingness to take on Ilya Lyubushkin’s contract (one year remaining at $3.25 million) as a cap dump. That cost is peanuts to a Nashville team that has owned a massive war chest of draft picks since 2025.Bourque is coming off a productive breakout campaign where he potted 20 goals and 41 points. The 24-year-old is an energizer bunny with above-average speed, disruptive forechecking and decent two-way play-driving metrics.$5.5 million profiles as third-line money with the skyrocketing cap. Bourque, who’s already a terrific middle-six contributor, will already be worth his contract in its first year, and there’s upside beyond that. If Bourque gets a full-time top-six opportunity in Nashville, you’d expect his offensive production to tick up modestly.Position will be a fascinating X-factor to monitor as well. Bourque played on the wing for Dallas last season, but he’s been a natural center his whole life, and following the trade he expressed clear interest in returning to the middle. If Bourque can excel as a middle-six center, his value will increase significantly given how expensive centers are.I’m not fully convinced Bourque will thrive as a center in the NHL — he’s a tad undersized at 5-foot-11 and really struggles in the faceoff dot — but Logan Stankoven faced similar question marks and made it work, so you can’t rule it out.In any case, Bourque’s floor already makes this contract fair value, and Nashville has a chance to extract significant surplus value if he either breaks out as a top-six winger or can perform at center.John Carlson, Tampa Bay LightningContract: $8.5 million x 2 yearsCarlson is an excellent replacement for Darren Raddysh’s offense on a much lower-risk contract.The 36-year-old right-shot defenseman scored 14 goals from the back end and was tied for 11th among all NHL defensemen with 60 points. He’s a legitimate dual threat offensively with excellent playmaking vision and a heavy shot from the point that opponents have to respect.Carlson is a skilled, experienced power-play quarterback, plus he still wins his even-strength matchups. He posted a plus-16 goal differential during his five-on-five shifts with the Capitals this season and, after being traded to the Ducks, earned a 58 percent expected goal share. In other words, he isn’t just an empty-calorie point producer — he drives offense to such a strong degree that he genuinely tilts play in the right direction.Carlson isn’t as mobile as he once was, which makes it tougher for him to escape pressure with his skating, but he’s still a capable puck-mover thanks to his poise, composure and passing ability. He’s far from perfect defensively at this stage in his career — his zone entry defense microstats aren’t the prettiest — but he’s still competent enough in his own zone. The enormous workload he still handles is also highly impressive, as he averaged over 24 minutes per night for the Ducks down the stretch and in the playoffs.Michael Kesselring, San Jose SharksContract: $4.5 million x 3 yearsThis is similar to the Bourque situation, where both the acquisition cost (trading pick No. 20 in exchange for pick No. 27 and Kesselring) and the contract were very team-friendly.Kesselring’s 2025-26 season was crushed by injuries, which limited him to just 34 games. He never really gained the defensive trust of Lindy Ruff, was stuck behind a stacked top-four defense in Buffalo and appeared in just one playoff game.