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The beginning of the signing period of the NHL free agents is less than a week away and two of the biggest names have been removed from the list, thanks to Ilya Kovalchuk's signing with the Los Angeles Kings and defender John Carlson re-sign with the Washington Capitals.
This is not to say that there are still no quality players ready to open the market on July 1st.
In this week's edition of PHT Power Rankings -20 free agents available, starting with what could be – potentially – one of the largest UFAs to have market in the open market in the world. Recent history.
John Tavares, C – This is a no-brainer for the top of the list. Tavares is not only the best free agent available this summer, he is one of the best players in the NHL. It remains to be seen whether or not it really happens on the free market. Usually, players like him end up signing where they are, and the New York Islanders always seem to be the favorites to get it back. But he has a long list of teams with whom he talks during the open interview period and he would help one of them become an immediate competitor.
[Related: Pros and cons for each team on John Tavares’ list]
2. James van Riemsdyk, LW – van Riemsdyk does a very important thing and he does it really, really well – he scores goals. Many goals He had 36 career goals for the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2017-18, and in the past two years he has been one of the top 15 scorers in the league. Meanwhile, he has also scored at least 27 goals in four of the last five seasons (he scored 11 goals in 40 games the year before). Not a superstar, not a player who will change the fortune of your franchise, but there are not many players in the league who can put the puck in the net as he did during the last five years. It is a precious asset.
3. Paul Stastny, C – Stastny ended up being one of the most influential players to change team at the trade deadline and will be a popular player on the free market. The Winnipeg Jets would like to keep it, but they have a lot of work to do under the salary cap for that to happen. He will be 33 years old this season, but he has always been a remarkably stable center of 20 goals and 50 points that has a high number of possession in recent years. It's not a No. 1 center, but if it centers your second or third line, your team is in pretty good shape. Given the lack of depth in the free-agent market after Tavares and van Riemsdyk, he is in a great position to get another big payday in his NHL career.
[Related: The Jets’ Paul Stastny problem]
4. Joe Thornton, C – It's a challenge. Great picture, Thornton is one of the best players of all time and a truly dominant bi-directional center. A slam dunk Hall of Famer. I would say that he probably should have won the Hart Trophy two years ago when the Sharks went to the Stanley Cup final. Now that he is just 39 years old, his game has obviously declined from this level and he is coming out of a shortened season in 2017-18. The injury is going to be a concern. Age will be a concern. But here's the thing about Thornton: When he was healthy last season, he was still very good. He was on a 62-point pace in 82 games, still in possession of an elite ball and he continued doing damage all over the ice. At that time, it would take almost a one year contract because anything that is more than that would probably be too risky, but it can still help someone right now. Permitted health.
5. James Neal, LW – Very similar to van Riemsdyk, only perhaps quite as productive. In the end, you will have 25 goals and an attacker who "will play with a benefit". Edge means that he's probably at a wrong turn of the penalty or something that flirts with the passage of the line into dirty territory. Good productive player who has a lethal shot and will add the attack.
6. Rick Nash, LW – He had another tough season in 2018, this time as a member of the Boston Bruins, but he is still a very good two-way player who can help in all phases of the game. He's probably only a 20-goal winger at this stage, but he can kill penalties, drive possession and just be a solid all-rounder. You can hit his series production in recent years if you want – and you would not go wrong, that's what – it's going to help a lot a lot this year. (Nash is not certain of the return of the NHL next season)
7. Mike Green, D – He is no longer a defender of high level, but he can still help your power play and add attack from the blue line. The disadvantage: you have to assume that he will miss at least 10-15 games and although he has never been as defensive as his opponents have always wanted he probably give up a little more in the defensive part done. Now that Carlson has re-signed with the Capitals, it's probably the most appealing option for a team looking to add some punch to its defense.
8. David Perron, LW – – According to the way he played in 2017-18 as a member of the Vegas Golden Knights, he would be one of the best players available this summer (and to be honest – it is still somehow). But when you sign a free agent, you do not sign them for what they did a year ago, you sign them for what they will do for you this season. There is very little to suggest that Perron will repeat his 66 points in 70 games. In other words, it's probably not as good as his last season's regular season point production would have been, and not as bad as his playoff contests (which is what he's doing). 39 would lead to a healthy scratch on occasion.)
9. Thomas Vanek, LW – Vanek entered the stadium of his career where he became a short-term gunslinger, having played for five different teams in the last three seasons. a pace of 28 goals, 54 points by 82 games.
10. Tyler Bozak, C – Bozak's career is interesting to watch: at first he was considered a center that was Most of the time he was only riding the shotgun on Phil Kessel and racking up points because he was playing alongside an elite scorer, which was a bit true because his production away from Kessel was hardly that of a fourth. A few years ago, he became a much better player and even had a part of his being in the NHL in the past two seasons.
11. Calvin de Haan, D – He was limited to just 33 games this season for the Islanders. Do not expect a lot of attack from him, but he is a reliable defensive player who can take the puck out of his zone and be a stable player in defense.
12. Carter Hutton, G – The market for free goalkeepers is incredibly thin but Hutton is probably the one that will attract the most attention. He has been great for the Blues in a limited job this season, finishing with a save percentage of 931. That's the good news. Doubtful news is that he only played in 32 games. The other questioning point: He is 33 years old this season and we still do not know how good he is, since he has played only 138 games in the NHL.
13. Robin Lehner, G – Lehner was added to the unrestricted free agent market when the Buffalo Sabers decided not to offer him a contract as a restricted free agent. Could be a good bounce candidate for a team needing goalkeeper help. He is coming out of a brutal season for the Sabers in 2017-2018, but during his first two years with the team, he was pretty good at playing behind a terrible team.
14. Patrick Maroon, LW – Maroon is the type of player that can appeal to old school hockey types and the crowd of analysts. He is a great physical player who also displays strong possession numbers and a decent second line production. He was probably never going to repeat his 27-goal effort from Edmonton two years ago (and he did not do it last season), but he still managed to finish with more points in fewer games in 2017-18.
15. Ian Cole, D – Cole played a fairly important role in two winning Stanley Cup teams in Pittsburgh, but it may have been more difficult to outperform him than he was. something else. He is really a good third pair defender, a fearless shooting blocker and a solid player, even though he is not spectacular. If you go with these expectations, you will not be disappointed with what you get. If you expect that it will significantly alter your defense or be something more, you will surely wonder what has happened.
16. Michael Grabner, RW – When the New York Rangers went into rebuild mode last season and started selling their veterans, Grabner became one of the most sought on the market. There is a lot to love about what he brings to the table. He is one of the fastest hockey players, has scored 27 goals in each of the last two seasons and can inflict penalties. It will also likely be frustrating because, given the number of strange breakouts and rushes that it creates with its speed, you will probably distance yourself from it by asking yourself how it did not mark. 35 or 40 goals.
17. Riley Nash, C – An in-depth player throughout his career, Nash was fortunate to have a career year (15 goals, 41 points) in a contract year to him. He has consistently posted solid underlying figures throughout his career, although his peak of goals this year is mainly due to a spike in shot percentage, there is always reason to believe that he can to be a useful depth player. . Jonathan Bernier, G – While Nathan MacKinnon was getting a lot of attention for Colorado's turnaround, one of the most underrated aspects was the mere fact that their goaltending situation n & # 39; Was not a bomb all year. Bernier helped consolidate the position by appearing in half of the team's games and giving them the league's average goalkeeper, which he has done throughout his career. At this point, it's pretty much what it is; a strong veteran who can be a good substitute or a platoon partner with another goalie who can help you get through a season and fill as a starter for long periods.
19. John Moore, D – A thin crop of blue liners on the open market will probably be beneficial for players like Moore. The Devils relied on him as a top four defenseman in the past three years, including for more than 20 minutes per night in 2017-18. He was solid in this role, but is probably best served as a third-pair defender.
20. Derek Ryan, C – Ryan did not make his NHL debut before the age of 29, but he managed to get a great career. His underlying numbers are huge (he's been a 57% Corsi player this season for the Carolina Hurricanes) and he has scored 26 goals in the last two seasons, including 15 last season.
More NHL Free Agency :
• Ilya Kovalchuk, kings accept conditions on a three-year contract
• John Carlson receives $ 64 million from pays as a defender of the majors
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Adam Gretz is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports . Give him a call at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter @AGretz .
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