NHL Free Agents 2015: Rumors and Predictions for Top Remaining Commodities
Many of the top players available via free agency signed when the frenzy began on Wednesday, but there are still several talented guys on the market, and there has been no shortage of interest in them across the NHL.
Although this year's class of free agents wasn't overly strong to begin with, most teams tend to get their superstar players through the draft and trades anyway. Free agency is about plugging holes and bringing in serviceable veterans, and there are plenty of those players who are still waiting for the right offer.
As NHL free agency continues to roll on, here is a rundown of the latest rumblings regarding some of the best available players.
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Johnny Oduya
For all its faults, the 2015 NHL free-agent class started off with plenty of depth in terms of defensemen. That evaporated quickly, though, as Paul Martin, Mike Green, Francois Beauchemin and Andrej Sekera were among the blueliners who signed right away.
Johnny Oduya was not among those who reached an agreement, though, and he is now arguably the best overall player remaining on the market.
As pointed out by Craig Custance of ESPN The Magazine, he has decided to take a wait-and-see approach:
The 33-year-old rearguard enjoyed his fourth consecutive solid season for the Chicago Blackhawks, as he posted a plus-five rating to go along with 10 points in 76 regular-season games. He truly shined in the playoffs, though, by playing 23 minutes per contest and helping lead Chicago to its third Stanley Cup victory in six years.
Oduya's contributions were massive as Chicago's defense was depleted and had to rely on four players. Oduya was one of them, and the Swede undoubtedly impressed many talent evaluators across the league.
Chicago understands his value better than any other organization and would certainly love to have him back, but Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times is hearing it is unlikely due to the Blackhawks' tight salary-cap situation.
Their loss could lead to a massive gain for another team, although it is unclear which franchises are in pursuit of the steady veteran.
Every team in the league would benefit from Oduya's presence, but in terms of who would make the most sense, the Buffalo Sabres have to rank near the top of the list. They have improved significantly this offseason by adding Jack Eichel through the draft and Ryan O'Reilly via trade, but they could use help on the back end.
They have plenty of money to spend, and a left-handed defenseman would be ideal, which is another point in Oduya's favor.
The fact that Buffalo can overpay for his services gives it a great chance and will ultimately prove to be the deciding factor.
Joel Ward
Having averaged more than 20 goals per season over the past two years and coming off a postseason that saw him put up nine points in 14 games, winger Joel Ward is among the most intriguing free agents without a contract to this point.
The 34-year-old veteran spent each of the past four seasons with the Washington Capitals and was among the team's top secondary scorers behind Alexander Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom.
He chipped in 19 goals in 2014-15 after netting 23 in the previous season, and that type of production is very valuable on the open market.
According to TSN's Darren Dreger, at least eight teams—including the Caps—expressed interest in Ward on the opening day of free agency.
Ward did not sign, and in deciding to wait, he may have closed the door on his tenure in Washington.
The Capitals signed former Los Angeles Kings winger Justin Williams instead, and general manager Brian MacLellan admitted that hurt the team's chances of bringing back Ward, per Alex Prewitt of the Washington Post:
While Washington was a good fit for Ward and his skill set, he will likely have to move on. His suitors have been kept under wraps, but there is reason to believe a team such as the New Jersey Devils might have some interest.
New Jersey has over $20 million in cap space and wasn't overly active on the first day of free agency, as inking defenseman John Moore to a three-year deal worth $5 million was its biggest move.
The Devils need to add more scoring punch up front, and with Ward arguably being the best player remaining in that regard, they'll find a way to secure him.
Chris Stewart
While the production isn't always there, it can certainly be argued that winger Chris Stewart is the most talented player on the free-agent market.
The 27-year-old forward has it all, as he boasts scoring touch, decent speed and great size at 6'2" and 231 pounds. That all manifested itself in 2009-10, when he put up 28 goals and 64 points for the Colorado Avalanche, but he has struggled to find that form since.
Stewart split the 2014-15 season between the Buffalo Sabres and Minnesota Wild, and he ended up with 14 goals and 36 points. He looked especially good in Minnesota (11 points in 20 games), but a return may not be in the cards.
According to Michael Russo of the Star Tribune, the Wild have been unable to figure out a way to fit Stewart into their current salary-cap situation:
That is likely due to the report that Stewart is asking for a two-year contract worth $8 million, per Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun.
While that certainly isn't an unrealistic expectation from Stewart's perspective, since that is the going rate for players of his caliber, the Wild simply have too many other highly-paid players on the roster to make that type of commitment.
Even though Stewart hasn't fully lived up to his potential in recent years, some team will pay his asking price since he is a big, physical forward who doesn't shy away from the dirty areas.
The Ottawa Senators were linked to Stewart last season, and there is reason to believe they could still want him—especially since forward Erik Condra left town for the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The Sens have over $10 million to spend under the salary cap, and that will be more than enough for them to add the talented winger to the fold.
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