NHL Free Agent Rumors: Where Will the Top 20 Players Still on the Market End Up?

A trio of young restricted free agents await a big payday, productive veterans look for a contender to join and a few players look to get a few good years left before hanging up their skates.

These players come from North Bay, Ont., Detroit, Mich., and Richmond, B.C.

Some are in their early 20s. Others are nearing their 40s.

However, all have the potential to be difference-makers next season.

The following are the top 20 free agents still on the market.

Tom Schreier is a Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @tschreier3.

20. Craig Rivet

Stats: 37gp, 2g, 4pt, -12, 35pim

Last contract: 4yrs, $14 mil, UFA

Rivet is aging (36), but has great leadership skills (served as Buffalo's captain last season).

He should get a one-year deal with a smaller paycheck this season.

19. Ray Emery

Stats: 10gp, 7-2-0, .926sv%, 2.28gaa

Last contract: 1yr, $.500, UFA

It's hard to tell where Emery would end up, but a team that needs a cheap goaltender and is willing to anticipate his antics will pick him up.

He'll probably get a contract mid-year from a team with a goalie crisis.

18. Mike Grier

Stats: 73gp, 5g, 16pt, even, 12pim

Last contract: 1yr, $1.4 mil, UFA

He has lost production with age, but Grier (36) is a great veteran presence and should find a job with a contender next season.

17. Steve Bernier

Stats: 68gp, 5g, 15pt, -14, 21pim

Last contract: 2yr, $2 mil, UFA

Bernier struggled in Florida, but many players do.

He could have a rebound year and would be a great pickup for a contender with cap room in need of secondary scoring like Tampa, Boston or Detroit.

16. Alexander Frolov

Stats: 43gp, 7g, 16pt, +4, 8pim

Last contract: 1yr, $3 mil, UFA

After getting a significantly smaller contract (his previous one in LA was five years long), Frolov struggled in New York, playing only 43 games and spending a lot of time in the doghouse.

The Russian dynamo can score (30-plus goals in two seasons with the Kings), but also has a tendency to be mercurial.

He is a risk a young team that needs scoring (i.e. St. Louis, Minnesota, Anaheim, Phoenix) may be willing to take.

15. Luke Schenn

Stats: 82gp, 5g, 22pt, -7, 34pim

Last contract: 3yrs, $2.625 mil, RFA

Schenn has a lot of upside, but should not get a lot of money.

However, Toronto needs to keep him around for the future of their club.

14. Kyle Turris

Stats: 65gp, 11g, 25pt, even, 16pim

Last contract: 3yrs, $2.625 mil, RFA

Turris, who was drafted behind Patrick Kane and James van Riemsdyk in 2007, is not putting up numbers like the former two, but is playing well at the NHL level.

He is a good young player and should get a modest contract from Phoenix.

13. Rob Niedermayer

Stats: 71gp, 5g, 19pt, -8, 22pim

Last contract: 1yr, $1.15 mil, UFA

Niedermayer was a bargain for the Sabres last year and, despite his age (36), should get a few suitors next year.

12. Alexei Kovalev

Stats: 74gp, 16g, 34pt, -6, 44pim

Last contract: 2yrs, $10 mil, UFA

If he does not retire, Kovalev (38) would be a solid pickup for a team needing a productive veteran.

11. Scott Hannan

Stats: 78gp, 1g, 11pt, +4, 34pim

Last contract: 4yrs, $18 mil, UFA

Although he is aging, Hannan (32) is a great defensive pickup.

A return to San Jose doesn't seem out of the question.

If not there, Tampa and Montreal look like great destinations for the former Avalanche and Capitals defensemen.

10. Nikolay Zherdev

Stats: 56gp, 16g, 22pt, +5, 22pim

Last contract: 1yr, $2 mil, UFA

Having only played 56 games, Zherdev's stock may have dropped.

However, he was productive in his year in Philly, scoring 16 goals, and should find a home with a team looking for a cheaper player with upside like Tampa, Los Angeles, St. Louis or Dallas.

9. Sergei Samsonov

Stats: 78gp, 13g, 40pt, -2, 14pim

Last contract: 3yrs, $7.6 mil, UFA

Samsonov is still productive at 32 and would be a great addition to a team looking for offensive depth.

A return to Boston is not out of the question or he could stay in the division and join the Lightning.

8. Antti Miettinen

Stats: 73gp, 16g, 35pt, -3, 38pim

Last contract: 3yrs, $7 mil

Aging, but still productive, Miettinen (31) would be a great offensive supplement for teams near the cap like the Lightning, Sharks, Canadiens, Maple Leafs or Red Wings.

7. Josh Bailey

Stats: 70gp, 11g, 28pt, -13, 37pim

Last contract: 3yrs, $2.625 mil, RFA

Coming off a productive season on his entry level contract, Bailey is bound to stay on the Island and get a good deal.

The Islanders are well under the cap floor ($42.35/48.3).

6. Brad Marchand

Stats: 77gp, 21g, 41pt, +25, 51pim

Last contract: 3yrs, $1.77 mil, RFA

Marchand came at low-cost for his production and Boston has the cap space to keep him.

He should remain with the defending champs next season.

5. Bryan McCabe

Stats: 67gp, 7g, 28pt, +2, 34pim

Last contract: 5yrs, $28.75 mil, UFA

A strong leader in Florida before joining the Rangers at the deadline, McCabe is still productive at 36.

He would be a great pickup for a contender with cap space like the Red Wings, Bruins or Kings.

4. Zach Bogosian

Stats: 71gp, 5g, 17pt, -27, 29pim

Last contract: 3yrs, $2.625 mil, RFA

One of many great young defensemen on the market, Bogosian did not put up gaudy numbers like Doughty or Weber, but was also playing on a developing Atlanta team last year.

Winnipeg has plenty of cap space and, while they are at the cap floor, they want to keep a young core together and Bogosian is a big part of that.

3. Drew Doughty

Stats: 76gp, 11g, 40pt, +13, 68pim

Last contract: 3yrs, $2.625 mil, RFA

The Kings have a great young core and need Doughty, who came at a bargain the last few years, to be a part of it.

Doughty is going to demand big money, probably in the $7 million range.

The Kings have room for him. The question is how long they sign him for.

2. Shea Weber

Stats: 82gp, 16g, 48pt, +7, 56pim

Last contract: 3 yrs, $13.5 mil, RFA

Weber is a restricted free agent and coming off a huge year, so the Preds are going to put forth a strong effort to keep him in Nashville.

He'll probably stay in Tennessee, but the Vancouver Canucks, his hometown team, would love to snatch him if he becomes available.

However, Vancouver has limited cap space and the Preds are $7 million under the cap, meaning he'll probably sign a deal for that amount... it's probably just a matter of how long.

1. Zach Parise

Stats: 13gp, 3g, 6pt, -1, 6pim

Last contract: 4 yrs, $12.5 mil, RFA

Of the RFAs on the market, Parise seems the most likely to leave.

He missed most of last season with injury, so the Devils may be hesitant to commit a lot of money to him.

From Parise's side, New Jersey is a huge question mark for next season and he may want to play in front of bigger crowds in another city.

If he doesn't re-sign, teams with cap room and a young core like Minnesota, St. Louis or Colorado may sign him to a big deal.