Let's not kid ourselves – no one thinks the majority of UFAs will be worth what they're going to be paid. Whether it's teams having to overspend due to shallow availability at a position or the UFAs becoming complacent once they have a big fat new deal in their pocket, or a combination of both, many do disappoint. Which five among this offseason's crop of UFAs will be the biggest fantasy disappointments in 2023-24? Let's see what your votes have to say!

First and foremost, when I say disappointment, I mean strictly in terms of fantasy performance. If a player gets a huge UFA deal but he wasn't expected to be a fantasy force, then he's not a disappointment if he indeed isn't. But by the same token, if he was expected to be a fantasy stud and ends up having significant "real world" value but not so much fantasy value, then he's rightfully deemed a fantasy disappointment. If two players disappoint equally, the one who is getting paid more is the bigger disappointment.

Also, since many of these deals are signed knowing full well that the player will be a shell of his former self by the last couple of seasons, I'm talking about the biggest disappointments for just 2023-24. Also, it's quite likely that at least some of the players on the list will re-up with their current team before becoming UFAs. Even if you think that will happen, you can still vote for them if you feel they will disappoint in fantasy relative to what they'll be getting paid. Lastly, it's also possible one or more of the listed players could retire; but you should act as if they're not going to do so for voting purposes.

Wow – that was a lot of ground rules! Hopefully I covered everything. What follows is a list of 20 UFAs to be in alphabetical order, along with Alex MacLean's projection numbers (from February) as to what they're likely to get on their new deal. Stick tap to Alex! If you don't see a player, it's because I felt he wasn't among the 20 most likely to disappoint given all these factors.

Remember, you should vote for the five who you believe will end up the biggest fantasy disappointments in 2023-24 given what you think they'll actually be paid, whether it's in line with Alex's numbers or if you happen to think they'll get more or less. A link to cast your votes will be at the end of the column.

Frederick Andersen ($5.15M)

One of the two prize netminders in this year's UFA class, Andersen's playoff performance has been likely enough to restore faith in him as a #1 despite three of his worst seasons coming in his last four and two of those seeing him endure a major injury. He seems like a good bet to disappoint, although it might depend on where he goes and the team in front of him.

Ivan Barbashev ($4.08M)

First, he shined in St. Louis, then looked great in Vegas. Barbashev is going to get a deal that should finally make him a top-six fixture. With the weight of a bigger contract on his back and lack of a long, proven track record, might he fail to succeed?

Tyler Bertuzzi ($6.55M)

After a poor regular season Bertuzzi managed to look dynamite on the Bs, especially when put into the top six at the end of the season. He's still young enough to have good seasons ahead; but he's also likely going to get paid a nice chunk of change, making it so he'll have to fare quite well not to be labeled a disappointment.

Patrice Bergeron ($5.86)

He still was firing tons of pucks at the net; but injuries and father time seem to have caught up to him. With the Bs having been unceremoniously bounced in Round 1, my guess is he'll be back; and on the Bs, expectations will still be high, even when factoring in his likely salary.

Michael Bunting ($5.77M)

Before you go and say his success is a by product of time in the Toronto top-six, keep in mind he did do well in an abbreviated first season with the Coyotes. Despite the fact he's turning 28 in September, he's also not yet hit his breakout threshold as yet. Maybe he will be able to pay decent dividends?

Max Domi ($5.96M)

After being left for dead fantasy-wise, Domi managed to show signs of life this season. Still, this is a player who skated for four different teams in the past three campaigns and at no point came even close to his 72-point scoring pace he achieved at age 23. I get the sense expectations will be high enough for Domi to majorly disappoint if he reverts to anything close to what we saw from him the prior two seasons.

Shayne Gostisbehere ($4.15M)

Many felt his ticket to the desert would spell the end of his fantasy career; however, Ghost was able to shine there, enough so that he should get a nice new deal enough though once he went to the Canes he tallied only ten points in 23 games. Will poolies have high expectations, or at least high enough for him to be a threat to disappoint?

Tristan Jarry ($6.44M)

Things were humming along quite nicely for Jarry, that is until this season, which is curious in that it's normal for UFAs to sometimes play abnormally well right as they're about to become unrestricted, whereas for him that most definitely was not the case. As the other prize UFA netminder of 2023, he'll get a big deal and, with that, a lot of weight on his padded shoulders. Will he step up, or was this season just the first glimpse of him fading?

Patrick Kane ($6.39M)

With news that Kane was supposedly fighting an injury all season, his subpar performance does make more sense. It's possible that his name value took a hit to an extent that he won't be viewed as a disappointment versus if last season hadn't occurred.

Alex Killorn ($5.03M)

One has to wonder if maybe Killorn is poised to be the next David Perron or Jordan Eberle, namely a player who was doing okay but upon going to a team that uses him as a top six veteran he can shine? Or just maybe he gets paid too much and proves he was a creation of the Tampa system. Tough to say which it'll end up being.

John Klingberg ($6.68M)

He bet on himself by inking a one year deal and it didn't pan out to say the least. Interestingly, the last time a high profile d-man did that was Tyson Barrie, who proceeded to sign a deal that many felt was beneath him, and led all d-men in scoring. Klingberg is at the top of a relatively weak rearguard UFA class, so he's going to get paid. Can he live up to his new deal though?

Ryan O'Reilly ($5.88M)

Just when he looked like you could put a fork in him, ROR played superbly for the Leafs, showing he can still hold his own in the top six. With his two-way talent he's going to get paid despite him being older than many other UFAs. Was what we saw from him in Toronto just a UFA push, or was he revitalized?

Dmitri Orlov ($5.07M)

Always thought to be better than he's been but stuck behind John Carlson, Orlov looked stellar at times with the Bs, and this despite them already having several top blueliners. Chances are it will make him quite a bit on the market, what with the thin crop of UFA rearguards. To me he seems like he'll either be a home run or a whiff, with little room for anything in between.

James van Riemsdyk ($3.46M)

Yes, he never fully panned out like we thought he would, due mostly to injuries. But he strikes me as someone who could fare well as a veteran presence on a new team. Still, given how far he's fallen he might not get paid enough to be a threat to disappoint. Or perhaps he doesn't have anything left in the tank and will completely bomb? We shall see.

Evan Rodrigues ($2.46M)

A UFA for the second straight offseason, Rodrigues looks great at times, but then he'll be MIA for several games. He has the talent, but can he find consistency? If he fails it could be a big enough shortfall to be labeled a disappointment despite him likely set to make among the least of any player on list.

Cam Talbot ($3.75M)

He's not getting any younger; however, he does have a decent resume, which he should be able to parlay into another gig, whether as a starter or 1A. If last season is any indication, he may be hampered by injuries, and he definitely could be a flop.

Vladimir Tarasenko ($5.93M)

If it was a season ago, Tarasenko would be poised to majorly disappoint, as suspicions would've been that his career best numbers from 2021-22 were padded by effort he wouldn't replicate after inking a new deal. But instead Tarasenko came back to earth in a big way for 2022-23. Still, someone is going to pay him a boatload, and unless he can channel 2021-22, disappointment likely looms.

Tomas Tatar ($3.70M)

I'm guessing the team that signs him will be looking for close to what Tatar did this season, which is post 40-50 points in a middle-six role. Although that seems to be what he's capable of, he faltered big time in 2021-22, and if that happens again then he's likely fall short enough of his salary as to be deemed a significant disappointment.

Jonathan Toews ($2.54M)

Could he follow the path of Eric Staal and be reinvigorated on a new team? The issue with Toews is he has so much more mileage than other players his age due to his playoffs and international experience. Overall, his body just might be failing him. If he doesn't get paid a lot though, can he even disappoint?

Jason Zucker ($4.47M)

For the first time in several seasons Zucker was healthy and productive. But the timing of these things happening when he was on the cusp of being a UFA is of concern. Probably he gets a good deal and a shot at the top-six again. Can he step up, and not get hurt? Big ifs.

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There you have it – the 20 players I believe are the biggest threats to disappoint in fantasy for the 2023-24 season given how they'll preform and what they're likely to be paid. Your task is to choose the five you feel will be comparatively the worst disappointments of them all. The link to cast your votes is here.

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Questions for Mailbag Column

My monthly mailbag column runs next week and I have room to answer more questions. To get yours to me, you can either private message “rizzeedizzee” via the DobberHockey Forums or, instead, send an email to [email protected] with “Roos Mailbag” as the subject line.