2015 NHL Free Agents: Predictions for Top Players Set to Hit Market

The NHL's 2015 free-agency period this summer got a little less exciting when top free-agents-to-be like Johnny Boychuk and Marc Staal signed contract extensions during the season. Still, there are a number of very intriguing options for teams looking to improve their squads through free agency.

Let's break them down.

Christian Ehrhoff, D, Pittsburgh Penguins

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Some very nice defensemen will be available this summer, and Christian Ehrhoff tops the list. Even at 32, he's a reliable two-way player who moves the puck well and generally makes smart decisions for his team. His absence was felt in a big way for Pittsburgh late in the season, as the team really struggled without him.

After seeing the effect his absence has had on the team, the Penguins may be wishing they had signed him to an extension.

"We've both agreed to set any further talks aside until the end of the season," Ehrhoff's agent, Rick Curran, told The Fourth Period via email in February. "It's important to keep the season's on-ice success in focus and not let the business end become a distraction."

There will be plenty of time for such distractions in the summer, when Ehrhoff is likely to be a popular man on the market. The Penguins will find the market for him crowded: With Boychuk and Staal off the market, Ehrhoff should be the premier blueliner available. 

A team like the Philadelphia Flyers that needs to upgrade on defense and would love to hurt Pittsburgh in the process makes a lot of sense.

Prediction: signs with Flyers

Carl Soderberg, C, Boston Bruins

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Carl Soderberg is a very good player who had a very good season for the Boston Bruins, but it wouldn't be surprising to see him depart this offseason. As CSNNE’s Joe Haggerty told the Toucher & Rich radio show in March, via CBS Boston, both he and Loui Eriksson don't necessarily fit the Bruins mold:

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"Every time the physicality goes up, and every time you have to fight to get the space on the ice, I just don’t feel like they are as effective,” Haggerty said of Soderberg and Eriksson.

“I feel like at times they get invisible and you don’t notice them as much. That’s what happens to them as players. That may be why both of those players aren’t with this team next year, because they’ve seen enough evidence that that happens and they’re going to try and find a different solution for the third line.”

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Soderberg will fit somebody's mold, however. A big center who notches over 30 assists per season and hovers right near the 50-point mark is going to get plenty of attention on the free-agent market. Those sorts of players don't grow on trees, even if Soderberg's streaky and erratic scoring will keep him from ever being a first-line center or a great option on the second line.

Don't be surprised if the rival Montreal Canadiens, who really need to improve at center, swoop in and sign him up.

Prediction: signs with Canadiens 

Mike Green, D, Washington Capitals

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Like Ehrhoff, Mike Green's market should be more crowded with the top two guys spoken for this summer. He's a few years younger than Ehrhoff as well and more of a dangerous offensive weapon, possessing a huge slap shot and the ability to really move the play forward with his excellent puck movement and vision. 

That he reached double-digit goals for the fifth time in his career this season should tell you what type of impact he can have for a team. The Detroit Red Wings would love to have his style of play on their blue line, as he'll make the impact at the position they've been lacking for years.

Prediction: signs with Red Wings