2012 NHL Free Agents: 10 Players Who Will Find Themselves Without a Team in 2013

Some players just have to learn the hard way.

There comes a time when all athletes can no longer play the game they once starred in and got paid boatloads of money. Some athletes understand this and know exactly when that time has come or will come, but many more have to be told that they are no longer good enough to play.

Usually, those words are spoken in silences, as in the phone not ringing and a contract not being present at their agent's office.

Here's a look at 10 players who will find themselves without a team in 2013.

Scott Gomez

This should be a no-brainer, but there's a little thing called a cap hit that comes into play with Scott Gomez. Let's not ignore the facts: Gomez has scored 10 goals in the past two seasons, including just two in 2011-12.

There is no hockey justification for keeping Gomez on the Canadiens' roster, and he would be just as ineffective anywhere else.

According to CapGeek.com, Gomez is scheduled to be paid $10 million over the next two seasons, with a cap hit of $7.357 million in each of those years. That would complete his disastrous seven-year, $51.5 million deal.

The Canadiens won't wait that long to get rid of him. New general manager Marc Bergevin may allow him to keep a spot on the roster at the start of the season, but Gomez will be gone by the end of the season. If he has to eat one year of his contract hit, he will do it.

It's a painful (cap) hit to take, but Gomez hurts the Canadiens every time he is on the ice.

Tomas Kaberle

When you look at this list, it's fairly easy to see why the Montreal Canadiens finished 15th and dead last in the Eastern Conference. If Gomez's primary issue is his inability to cash in his scoring opportunities, Kaberle's inability to contend with physical play may be his problem.

Kaberle has clearly regressed. During his 12-plus seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Kaberle was a solid offensive defenseman who did not hurt his team very often on the defensive end. When the Boston Bruins acquired him for their Stanley Cup run in 2011, they discovered that he was not the player they thought he was going to be. He did not help their power play and his defensive contributions were nil. He had an ability to pass the puck accurately and that was it. He seemed allergic to contact.

The Bruins were more than happy when Carolina signed him as a free agent. The Hurricanes quickly realized he had little to offer and they shipped him off to the Canadiens.

According to CapGeek.com, Kaberle will have a salary and a cap hit of $4.25 million each of the next two seasons. He'll most likely make the team out of training camp, but it's going to be hard to justify keeping him on the roster. Coaches and general managers want players who compete hard, but that is not how Kaberle plays the game.

Joe Corvo

After the Bruins missed on Tomas Kaberle, they traded a fourth-round draft pick to the Carolina Hurricanes for offensive defenseman Joe Corvo.

The Bruins were well aware that he tended to make mistakes on defense—hence the nickname "Uh-Oh Corvo"—but they liked his shot from the point.

Corvo contributed four goals to the Bruins' offense this year and general manager Peter Chiarelli told NESN.com that the Bruins would not bring Corvo back for the 2012-13 season. He appears to have lost his offensive capabilities and it's unlikely he will win a roster spot anywhere in the NHL this year.

Ruslan Fedotenko

Fedotenko has been an underachiever with the Rangers for each of the last three seasons. He scored nine goals in 2011-12 and he has averaged 10 goals per season over the last three years.

Fedotenko is a 33-year-old free agent and the Rangers are almost certainly going to let him pass. He seems to play at his own pace and that's not good enough for John Tortorella. It's probably not good enough for most other coaches.

Fedotenko has only had one 20-goal season in his career and it's unlikely he will have a turnaround. He made $1.4 million last year and most teams may want to promote a prospect instead of pay Fedotenko for his poor results.

John Scott

Scott is a massive man who split time with the Chicago Blackhawks and New York Rangers last year. He is 6'8", 258 pounds, and he had one assist in 35 games. He did not score a goal and he registered a total of nine shots on net all season.

Scott has played in the NHL for one reason. He is big and he can fight. However, as fighting becomes less important to the game plan, it doesn't seem likely that the heavy-footed Scott will remain on the roster. Scott also seems to be a fighter with a conscience. At times it seems that he doesn't want to hurt his opponent. While that may win him points for humanity, it won't help him get a roster spot.

Mike Knuble

It will take a real leap of faith for Knuble to earn a spot on an NHL roster this season. Knuble, 39, is a hard-working team player who has enjoyed considerable success during his career with the Boston Bruins, Philadelphia Flyers and Washington Capitals.

However, Knuble scored just six times last season and appears to have little left in the tank. He made some contributions during Washington's postseason, including setting up Joel Ward for the series-winning goal in overtime in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals, but that may not be enough to keep him employed.

Knuble has excellent hands and plenty of toughness, but his lack of productivity makes it hard to justify him on anyone's roster. His skating was never fast and he appears to have slowed down quite a bit.

Chris Campoli

Campoli has played with the Ottawa Senators, Chicago Blackhawks and the Montreal Canadiens, and he has performed without distinction.

He is a free agent who does not appear to have many options for the upcoming season. Campoli's problem is that he does not have any area of the game where he truly excels. That makes it tough for him to sell himself to any employer.

Campoli has not scored more than four goals in any season since 2008-09. He is minus-42 for his career and that's not going to entice many general managers to offer him a contract.

Byron Bitz

The Boston Bruins gave Byron Bitz a good chance to establish himself after taking him in the fourth round of the 2003 draft, but he never could establish himself and nothing has changed after he moved on to the Florida Panthers and Vancouver Canucks.

Bitz scored one goal for the Canucks last year and only made it into the lineup 10 times. He's big enough at 6'5" and 215 pounds to make an impact, but he struggles to keep his feet and that's not going to help him win a job. He may continue to play professional hockey, but it will almost certainly be in the minor leagues.

Sean O'Donnell

The 40-year-old O'Donnell has had a long and productive NHL career, and he has enjoyed some fine seasons in the league. His best seasons were as a much younger defenseman with the Los Angeles Kings and the Boston Bruins.

Even though he has started to slow down, he is still a savvy veteran. O'Donnell's ability to block shots and position himself correctly has allowed him to remain in the league. However, last year, O'Donnell had almost nothing left in the tank for the Blackhawks and he doesn't really belong in the NHL any longer.

Mike Komisarek

At one point, Komisarek was an aggressive, young defensive prospect for the Montreal Canadiens. He was more than happy to engage in fistic activity if that's what it took for his team to win.

Komisarek was progressing smoothly until he ran into Boston power forward Milan Lucic. He took several more beatings from Lucic and he seemed to lose his edge.

Komisarek signed as a free-agent prior to the 2009-10 season and he has struggled with the Leafs. He has had a negative plus-minus each of the last three years and appears to have lost his energy. He took yet another beating from Lucic last year and he may no longer be an effective player at the NHL level.