NHL Free Agency 2015: Rumors and Predictions for Intriguing Players on Market

Coming off of a fun NHL draft full of trades, rumors and surprises, the NHL offseason is about to head into free agency. While the free-agent class is a bit weak this year, there are still plenty of intriguing players that will likely switch teams this offseason.

Let's break them down.

Paul Martin

Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

It still seems possible that Paul Martin will return to the Pittsburgh Penguins, though talks are ongoing, per Craig Custance of ESPN The Magazine:

Josh Yohe of DKonPittsburghsports.com offered a bit more optimism in those talks:

Joe Yerdon of NHL.com, meanwhile, thinks another team could enter the fray if Pittsburgh are unable to retain Martin:

Martin scored three goals and added 17 assists in 74 games this past season, earning a plus-minus of 17. If he doesn't return to Pittsburgh, the 34-year-old will certainly garner plenty of interest in free agency, likely for playoff contenders looking to add a steady, veteran presence on the blue line. 

But don't count out a return to Pittsburgh just yet.

Matt Beleskey

Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press

Coming off of a career year, Matt Beleskey is sure to be a popular target—if not the most popular target—in a pretty weak crop of free agents for NHL teams looking to upgrade. 

But for now, he has to play the waiting game, per Darren Dreger of TSN:

Don't expect him back in Anaheim, however.

"When we kept him at the trade deadline, I doubted it was going to work, and they obviously feel they're going to do a lot better [in free agency]," Ducks general manager Bob Murray told the Associated Press, via ESPN. "I'm very comfortable with the offer we made. We made a really good offer."

Per Murray, Beleskey's camp rejected that offer "immediately." 

The question for interested teams will be whether Beleskey is the player who scored 22 goals during the regular season and really sparkled in the postseason for Anaheim, notching eight goals and an assist in 16 games, or if he is the player who had 35 total regular-season goals in the previous five seasons.

It's possible he's a bit of a late bloomer at 27 and has plenty of good hockey left in the tank. And in this free-agent class, it's also possible a desperate team will overpay for his services. But don't be surprised if quite a few teams are a bit more cautious about throwing cash in Beleskey's direction.

Joel Ward

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Even at 34, Joel Ward seems likely to garner a ton of interest during free agency. In fact, he already is, according to Alex Prewitt of the Washington Post:

Katie Strang of ESPN is hearing something similar:

Indeed, Ward was solid in the postseason, scoring three goals and adding six assists in 14 games for the Washington Capitals. That, along with a 19-goal, 15-assist season and his veteran presence have to make him appealing to playoff contenders looking to improve the attack.

Like the Penguins, for instance, per Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:

Ward has certainly aged well, scoring 43 goals in the past two seasons after scoring a total of 54 goals in his previous five campaigns. Perhaps the Penguins feel they can get another year or two of solid play from Ward at a cost much cheaper than it would take, for instance, to trade for a player like Phil Kessel. 

Regardless of Pittsburgh's potential interest, don't expect Ward to be available on the market for long.