5 Storylines to Watch Ahead of NHL Free Agency
The NHL free-agent signing period begins on Saturday and it should come with a warning for all 32 general managers.
The warning: Be careful what you do.
There is always a risk when it comes to free agency in the NHL because teams do not typically let players they want to keep hitting the open market. You are usually dealing with players that have already played their best hockey for somebody else, have some sort of major red flag or risk, or are simply not really the type of player that will make an impact.
While there are some exceptions, it typically results in teams getting into bidding wars that they usually regret within a couple of years.
This year seems like an even bigger risk given the lack of top-line talent available.
That does not mean there are not going to be some intriguing storylines to watch.
Let's take a look at a few of them here.
Who Is the Top Player Available?
1 of 5
It's a great question and a difficult one to answer.
While the true superstars of the league rarely hit the open market, there is usually at least one top-line player that finds their way to the open market.
An Alex Pietrangelo. A Taylor Hall. A Johnny Gaudreau. An Artemi Panarin. Heck, this offseason we probably would have settled for a Tyler Toffoli.
But there is none of that out there this offseason with what might be one of the weakest free-agency groups in years.
So who stands out?
Alex Killorn from the Tampa Bay Lightning will be certain to get a lot of interest, while Jason Zucker could be eyeing up a significant contract after having a tremendous bounce-back year for the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Tyler Bertuzzi and Tomas Tatar are also solid top-six forwards that could be looking at big deals. But all of those players come with their own sets of issues, mainly revolving around age, injury and whether or not they will be worth the price or term they are able to command on the open market.
There is also that one player every offseason that played in the exact right situation to boost their value in a contract year, resulting in a free-agent contract that makes everybody fall out of their chairs. This year's candidate for that contract has to be former Maple Leafs forward Michael Bunting. His number has been fine in Toronto, but is he going to be able to duplicate that on another team, without that sort of talent around him, and be a good value for the contract he will almost certainly be able to command in a weak market?
Things do not get any more encouraging on defense. Dmitry Orlov and Matt Dumba probably lead the class, while John Klingberg will be trying to hope that he can have a better free agency experience than he did a year ago when he had to settle for a one-year deal with the Anaheim Ducks.
The most intriguing players on the market might be the former big-name stars that are at the tail end of their careers that might have a little something to give in a specific role.
Speaking of which.....
What Will the Market Be for Vladimir Tarasenko, Patrick Kane and Max Pacioretty?
2 of 5
Seeing Patrick Kane, Vladimir Tarasenko and Max Pacioretty on the unrestricted free-agent market would have made for an eye-opening signing period .... six years ago.
But today?
It doesn't really do much to move the needle.
At least not at first glance.
Tarasenko and Kane were trade0-deadline additions for the New York Rangers and neither player looked to have the same spark that they did when they were in the prime of their careers. Kane is also going to be recovering from a major hip procedure that will keep him off the ice for the first couple of months of the season.
Will a contender be willing to roll the dice on that and hope for a healthy and strong second half?
Pacioretty is also a fascinating option. When healthy, he has still scored at close to a 40-goal pace over 82 games in recent years. But injuries have limited him to just 44 games over the past two years, including just five this past season. That injury history, combined with his age (35 in November) are going to severely knock down his value. But there is still a chance for a decently high reward that if you can keep him on the ice.
These might be some of the more interesting gambles on the market. Signing one of them to a short-term deal might prove to be the best dollar-for-dollar in free agency if things work out.
The Yearly Disappointment with Offer Sheets
3 of 5
Every year we try to hype ourselves up into believing that a restricted free-agency offer sheet might be on the way.
It almost never happens. And when it does, it almost always gets matched.
But maybe -- just maybe -- with the unrestricted free agent class being so weak and so many teams having salary-cap issues, it might inspire somebody to be bold.
Could the New York Rangers be vulnerable to such a thing? They only have $11 million in salary-cap space entering the offseason, only have 14 players under contract and have two very significant RFA's in Alexis Lafreniere and K'Andre Miller.
Edmonton could also be vulnerable with $8 million in salary-cap space and Evan Bouchard sitting out there as an RFA.
If nothing else, there is an opportunity for rivals to put some pressure on teams and cause some headaches.
The problem with offer sheets are plentiful. You have to have the appropriate draft-pick compensation to be able to sign the offer, you need to make an offer that a team is unable or unwilling to match. And the biggest thing: you have to have a restricted free agent that actually wants to sign with you. All of those variables clicking together at the same time is asking a lot, which is why it almost never happens. But it is still fun to think about every offseason and there are some very intriguing options sitting out there.
.png?w=256 "NHL Mock Draft")
.jpg?w=256 "Kucherov Landing Spots")
.png?w=256)
The Goalie Market
4 of 5
There is no position in hockey that is more impactful than goalie and no position that is more difficult to project.
That makes the goalie market complete madness every offseason.
There are a lot of teams in the market for goaltending upgrades this offseason, and not many great options potentially available.
The trade market might be the best approach, as Connor Hellebuyck, Juuse Saros and perhaps even one of Boston's two goalies could be available.
The free-agent market is a little thinner.
Tristan Jarry might be the best potential option to hit the open market, but he is far from a sure thing. He has dealt with a series of injuries over the past two years, and even though he has two All-Star game appearances on his resume there is still some serious question as to whether or not he is a Stanley Cup-caliber goalie, or if he can get it done in the playoffs.
Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Los Angeles and New Jersey are all potential playoff teams that should be in the goalie market when it comes to a starter, while teams like the Rangers and Maple Leafs will need to add more depth at the position.
For teams that are potentially trading a goalie, they should probably set their sights low for a potential return. Goalies do not typically bring big trades because of how difficult the position is to project and how many variables there are when it comes to the system they play in and the team they play behind.
Given how thin the free-agent market is this might be an area where a trade could be the ticket for a goalie-needy team.
What Are the Boston Bruins Going to Do?
5 of 5
The Bruins might be facing one of the toughest offseasons in the NFL.
After winning an NHL record 65 regular season games they are clearly still prepared to contend for a Stanley Cup. As they should be. They still have a very talented roster with star players coming back, and they are not really positioned for a rebuild after just signing David Pastrnak to a long-term contract extension.
But they also have some significant question marks on the roster.
It seems like Patrice Bergeron and David Krejčí might be leaning toward not returning.
Tyler Bertuzzi and Dmitry Orlov are unrestricted free agents.
Jeremy Swayman is a restricted free agent and will need a new contract extension.
They also have very little salary-cap space to work with, already traded Taylor Hall, and do not have a very deep farm system at their disposal.
That is potentially a LOT of talent to lose in one offseason without very many avenues to replace it. They already lost a top-six winger and could lose their top-two centers. They are rumored to be in line for a Milan Lucic reunion, and while that will have a lot of sentimental value for the organization and for Bruins fans it is not probably not going to do much for the roster on the ice.
Especially if Bergeron, Krejčí Hall, and Bertuzzi all end up leaving.
.png?w=480 "NHL Mock Draft")
.jpg?w=480 "Kucherov Landing Spots")
.png?w=480)
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
