NHL Free Agency 2019: Rumors, Predicitons on Wayne Simmonds, Jake Gardiner, More

The St. Louis Blues won the Stanley Cup as recently as June 12, but that victory has already been consigned to history.

The NHL is now on with the business of 2019-20. This year's draft was the first step toward getting the new season going, and the start of free agency will fire it ahead at full speed.

While the biggest names are unrestricted free agents Artemi Panarin, Sergei Bobrovsky and Matt Duchene, less heralded skaters could turn out to be influential when it comes to winning and losing in the regular season and playoffs next year.

Wayne Simmonds, who was moved at the trade deadline from the Philadelphia Flyers to the Nashville Predators, is likely to be in high demand.

Twelve teams have reached out to the 30-year-old, including the Montreal Canadiens and Minnesota Wild, per Sarah Goldstein of The Athletic. 

Simmonds has scored at least 20 goals six times, has 243 goals in 11 seasons and has been one of the elite power forwards in the league throughout the majority of his career.

While he was limited to 17 goals last season, he still has the strength and power to be a force in the offensive zone.

Simmonds won the Mark Messier Leadership Award at the NHL Awards ceremony on June 19.

Jake Gardiner is the best free-agent defenseman available this year, and while the Toronto Maple Leafs would love to have him back, salary-cap issues may keep them from making an offer that would keep him.

The 28-year-old figures to get a contract that will be in the $6 million-$8 million-per-year range, and he should have a number of suitors.

One of them is likely to be the Vancouver Canucks, per Craig Custance of The Athletic. They are rebuilding, and Gardiner could help expedite that process.

The Minneapolis native had 43 points in 2016-17 and followed that up with 52 in 2017-18. He had 30 points in 2018-19 in 62 games and was plus-19 during the season.

While tying down restricted free agent Mitch Marner is the Maple Leafs' top priority, they have other restricted free agents they want to keep.

One of those is Kasperi Kapanen, who scored an impressive 20 goals and 24 assists last season. The 22-year-old Finn has carved out a spot for himself with the Maple Leafs, and they want to keep him.

Kapanen and the team have come to an agreement on a three-year deal that will have an average annual value of between $3.2 million and $3.4 million, per Bob McKenzie of NBC Sports and TSN. The deal is not expected to be formalized until the Marner situation clears up, though.