NHL Free Agents 2020: Top Players Who Will Hit Market After Season Restart

For NHL players who are set to become free agents this offseason, their future is uncertain. Will they return to their current teams, or could they be on their way to new cities? They are not going to get any answers for a while.

With the 2019-20 season slated to resume later this summer, it's possible that the Stanley Cup won't be awarded until October. If that's the case, teams will have plenty of time to prepare for the offseason, especially the seven that aren't included in the NHL's expanded 24-team postseason.

Looking ahead to the offseason, here's a breakdown of several top players set to be on the free-agent market when that time arrives.

Alex Pietrangelo, Defenseman

Since getting drafted by the St. Louis Blues with the No. 4 overall pick in 2008, Alex Pietrangelo has been an integral part of the team's success thereafter. A two-time All-Star and the Blues' captain since 2016, Pietrangelo has spent his entire 12-year NHL career in St. Louis.

However, it's possible that the 30-year-old could be changing teams for the first time this offseason. He is poised to become an unrestricted free agent and should have numerous teams interested in signing him.

The Blues already have decent money committed to three other defenseman for next season in Justin Faulk ($6.5 million), Colton Parayko ($5.5 million) and Marco Scandella ($3.275 million). And during a radio appearance in April, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman said St. Louis likely would likely give Pietrangelo a little more than $8 million per season but not as high $9 million.

Would another team be willing to give Pietrangelo that big of a deal? It could depend on the salary cap, which could be negatively affected by the coronavirus pandemic. But Pietrangelo, who has tallied more than 40 points eight times in the past nine full seasons, would be one of the best free agents available and should thus receive a better offer elsewhere.

Taylor Hall, Left Wing

Alex Gallardo/Associated Press

Taylor Hall is only 28, but he's played for three teams in a 10-year NHL career. His most recent move came in December, when he was dealt from the New Jersey Devils to the Arizona Coyotes, who were hoping the left winger would help them end a seven-year playoff drought.

Arizona is set to be one of the 24 teams featuring in the expanded playoffs, so Hall will have the opportunity to help the Coyotes make a run at the Stanley Cup if the season resumes as planned. But after that, it's unclear where the 2017-18 Hart Trophy winner is headed.

In May, Arizona head coach Rick Tocchet expressed optimism that Hall would consider returning to the team for 2020-21 when appearing on ESPN on Ice with Wyshynski and Kaplan: "I'm not saying he is going to sign here, but I definitely think we're a team he's very interested in staying with."

There will be other suitors for Hall, who is likely be the top offensive player available on the free-agent market. He's tallied at least 50 points in seven of the past nine seasons (including a career-high 93 in 2017-18), with one of the exceptions being 2018-19, when injury limited him to 33 games.

Torey Krug, Defenseman

Winslow Townson/Associated Press

Pietrangelo won't be the only top defenseman on the free-agent market this offseason. After spending the first nine years of his NHL career with the Boston Bruins, Torey Krug is set to be an unrestricted free agent.

The 29-year-old is a two-time All-Star who was on his way to tallying at least 50 points for the fourth straight year before the season was suspended in March. He's been a key member of some successful Bruins teams, including last year's squad that reached the Stanley Cup Final. In May, Krug expressed interest in returning to the team.

"As I've said all along, I want to be part of this group, part of this locker room and part of this city," Krug said in a virtual town hall with season-ticket holders, according to Joe Haggerty of NBC Sports Boston. "It's become home for us, and we love it."

However, it could come down to the type of deal that the Bruins are willing to present to Krug. If their offer is around what the blueliner is looking for—possible given they could have around $20 million in cap space, per Spotrac—it sounds like he could be heading back to Boston in 2020-21 and beyond.