NHL Free Agency 2011: One Player from Each Team Who'll Be on the Move
NHL free agency creeps slowly closer, and as the regular season enters the home stretch, many fans are looking ahead to try and figure out which of the crop of free agents could be landing on their favorite teams or, more importantly, which of their players will be moving somewhere new.
While this year's crop of free agents isn't as bountiful as last season's, there's still an abundance of talent to be found in the free-agency pool.
But who among the likely candidates will be changing teams? We're bringing you the best player from each team who is most likely to be heading out the door and trading in his jersey for a new one.
They might not be the best free agents from each team, but, as the headline indicates, these guys are the most talented and most likely to head elsewhere.
So, grab your stick and Barry Melrose replica mullet wig and let's get started, shall we?
Anaheim Ducks: Ray Emery, G
1 of 30
Emery has yet to see the ice for Anaheim this year, but the fact that he's medically cleared to play again means someone will take a shot on him. The Ducks are set at goalie with Jonas Hiller and backup Dan Ellis, so they're more than willing to let him walk.
It won't be a big contract, but rest assured, we will see Emery somewhere new next season.
Atlanta Thrashers: Radek Dvorak, D
2 of 30
Dvorak was grabbed by the Thrashers near the trade deadline in the hopes he could help jump-start their lagging offense.
While that still might happen, the fact is that Atlanta has a glut of young talent up to be re-signed this offseason, and the 34-year-old Dvorak isn't anywhere near the top of its priority list.
He's still got some punch in his stick, so expect the sniper to find a new landing place soon enough.
Boston Bruins: Tomas Kaberle, D
3 of 30
This talented offensive blueliner landed in Boston at the trade deadline, but the fact is that he's the most likely free agent to move on after the year ends.
It's not that Boston doesn't want to sign Kaberle—they'd love to keep his skills for a while. But the 32-year-old has given no hints as to what he wants to do when his contract is up at the end of the season.
Because he's such a strong player, Kaberle's going to get a deal somewhere; we just don't know if he's staying or going yet.
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Buffalo Sabres: Tim Connolly, C
4 of 30
The fact of the matter is the Sabres would have dealt the perennially underachieving Connolly at the deadline, had they had a healthy Derek Roy.
Instead, they'll wait until the offseason to unload him. Connolly is only 29 and still has a little bit of upside, so he'll land safely, but after all these years of disappointment, suffice it to say he's worn out his welcome in Buffalo ever so slightly.
Calgary Flames: Alex Tanguay, LW
5 of 30
It's hard to believe Tanguay is only 31—it feels like he's been in the NHL forever—and while his star has faded a bit in Calgary, there's still plenty of talent here.
Tanguay's probably done in Calgary. The team could really use some sort of injection of youth at some point or another, and he's not getting any younger.
Look for Alex to drift off the Flames' roster and ply his craft elsewhere next season.
Carolina Hurricanes: Joni Pitkanen, D
6 of 30
This one was a toss-up between Pitkanen and Erik Cole, who's also set to be a free agent next year, although it could also have been Cory Stillman or Jussi Jokinen.
But Pitkanen's offensive skills should see him stand to gain the most by testing the free-agency waters. He's one of the game's premier offensive defensemen, as few defensemen are as skilled at racking up assists as he is.
In other words, expect the Canes blueliner to get a good chunk of change, especially from a team starved for defensive help.
Chicago Blackhawks: Marty Turco, G
7 of 30
Few free-agent signings in recent memory in the NHL have turned out as poorly as Turco did in Chicago. The veteran netminder signed a one-year deal with the Blackhawks before this season, and promptly bombed.
He lost his starting gig to youngster Corey Crawford and, unlike last time, the Blackhawks are likely to keep the promising Crawford, rather than letting him walk.
Expect Turco to get a few suitors, although his stock took a major hit this season and the pool of veteran keepers is pretty deep.
Colorado Avalanche: Tomas Fleischmann, C
8 of 30
When the Avs acquired Fleischmann from the Washington Capitals earlier this season, it was with the intention of giving him a chance to live up to his promise on a top line, since he was blocked in Washington.
Instead, it was more of the same for the talented center, who wound up out for the season following blood clots in his lungs.
If he gets healthy, expect somebody to take a chance on the talented 26-year-old, just to see if he'll ever live up to his hype.
Columbus Blue Jackets: Scottie Upshall, RW
9 of 30
It's not that Upshall doesn't want to stay in Columbus; he might. It's not that the Blue Jackets don't want to keep him; after all, he's an excellent forward who's delivered a strong season for them.
But as the best player coming out of Columbus and a proven scorer in a thin market, he's going to get a lot of offers.
We know defenseman Jan Hejda is probably on his way out of Columbus, too. But Upshall's the better player, and the more likely to get signed away.
Dallas Stars: Brad Richards, C
10 of 30
Here's the thing with Brad Richards: He wants to stay in Dallas and the Stars want to re-sign him. Unfortunately for the Stars, they're not the only team in on the race for the only true top-tier playmaker on the market this season.
The New York Rangers could sure use a guy with Richards' skills, and they happen to be the only other team the 29-year-old center has said he'd leave Dallas for.
No one's quite sure how this is going to end, but it could make for a very interesting offseason, given the lack of true replacements out there.
Detroit Red Wings: Chris Osgood, G
11 of 30
Osgood has been rendered irrelevant by Jimmy Howard in Detroit—the Red Wings have their elite goaltender, and it's not the talented but fragile 38-year-old.
However, when he's healthy, he's still one of the better veteran options out there, and has shown throughout his career that he can flourish in a time-share role.
Somebody will give him a shot, even in a rich goalie market.
Edmonton Oilers: Ladislav Smid, D
12 of 30
It's not that the Oilers should let Smid, a 25-year-old defenseman laden with potential, walk. But if the fact that they were dangling him as trade bait this winter was any indication, they might just do it.
That would be a tremendous mistake. Smid has loads of promise, even if he has yet to live up to it. There's plenty of upside, and if Edmonton's not careful, he's going to get away.
Florida Panthers: Tomas Vokoun, G
13 of 30
Vokoun might be on the upper end of the age spectrum amongst NHL goalies, but he's still got elite-level skills, something other netminders who appear on this list lack.
He's been in trade talks for years now and given the fact that Florida seems to want to go young, it's unlikely he'll stay, nor would he want to.
Look for someone like Tampa Bay or even Toronto to take a shot at the veteran netminder, giving him the chance to get out of a tough situation in Florida.
Los Angeles Kings: Alexei Ponikarovsky, LW
14 of 30
Ponky has flopped in a big way in Los Angeles this season, posting just 13 points in 49 games, which is well off his pace in Toronto last season.
At this point, it's clear that the 30-year-old center will never become the force many hoped he would as a prospect, but that doesn't mean there's not value to be had in him.
The Kings will let him walk, but with the market so thin on talent, look for someone to give him more money than he probably deserves.
Minnesota Wild: Jose Theodore, G
15 of 30
What in the name of Ken Dryden do we make out of Theodore, a former Hab who has driven several teams to the brink of madness with his inconsistent play?
When he's on, the 34-year-old can look like a Vezina candidate. But when he's off, he makes you wonder why he's in the NHL at all.
The talent is there, but with Josh Harding backing up Niklas Backstrom, Theodore is definitely the odd man out in Minnesota.
Rest assured someone else, lured in by his promise, will give him a try and beginning the cycle anew.
Montreal Canadiens: Andrei Markov, D
16 of 30
In terms of talent, there is no reason the Habs should even think of giving up Markov, who is one of the NHL's most gifted defensemen when he's healthy. At 32, he's got plenty of gas in the tank and is a force to be reckoned with on the power play.
But those three words, when he's healthy, are such a rarity that it's hard to see him plying his craft in Montreal next season. In 10 NHL seasons, Markov has played at least 70 games in just five of them, and has played all of 52 games in his last two years with the Canadiens.
Something tells me they're sick of waiting on their talented blueliner to get healthy. But someone else out there won't mind putting up with it, at least at first.
Nashville Predators: Steve Sullivan, RW
17 of 30
You thought it would be Shea Weber here, right? It's true—there's a good chance that Nashville's prized defenseman will walk after this year.
But my gut tells me the Predators will get their man, and let Sullivan walk. The 36-year-old winger can still get the job done fairly well, and he's a good, low-cost option for a team in need of a little pick-me-up on offense.
He's not a star anymore, but on the right team, Steve can be an extremely valuable asset.
New Jersey Devils: Johan Hedberg, G
18 of 30
There are bigger names coming out of New Jersey in the restricted free-agency pool than Hedberg (Zach Parise and Alexander Vasyunov, for two), but the veteran goalie is the only one who's likely to walk.
After all, Hedberg showed why he might be the most reliable backup goaltender in hockey right now, helping the Devils right the ship after an atrocious start.
He might not be able to shoulder a 60-game load anymore, but in a time share? You'd be hard-pressed to find a more dependable option than Moose.
New York Islanders: Evgeni Nabokov, G
19 of 30
The Islanders might have blocked Nabokov from heading to Detroit when he failed to clear waivers, but once he becomes an unrestricted free agent, there's nothing they can do to stop him.
He may not have played an NHL game in over a year by then, but the last time we saw him on the ice, he was still one of the better goalies in hockey. Could his skills have really regressed that much between now and then?
Expect someone to find out.
New York Rangers: Bryan McCabe, D
20 of 30
McCabe is still one of the better blue-line options out there for teams, and the former Florida Panther could very well leave New York at the end of the season.
Someone like Brandon Dubinsky or Alexander Frolov might command a higher price, but do you really think the Rangers are going to let them walk?
McCabe has the right balance of talent and likelihood to make this list.
Ottawa Senators: Craig Anderson, G
21 of 30
Anderson looked like a Vezina candidate last season, but the wheels came off so badly in Colorado that the Avs dealt him to the Senators.
He's looked much better since arriving in Canada, but he's still not the same player he was last season.
Given that Anderson and backup Pascal Leclaire are up for free agency, there's a chance Anderson sticks in Ottawa, but he's also got the talent to be an upper-echelon starter somewhere that has a chance at the playoffs next season.
Philadelphia Flyers: Ville Leino, LW
22 of 30
Leino emerged as a stellar second scoring option for the Flyers this season, and he's on pace for both 20 goals and 50 points.
However, the 27-year-old could soon become the victim of a glut of talent in the City of Brotherly Love, and with more, younger talent coming soon, Leino could be the player being handed his walking papers.
Essentially it comes down to Leino or sniper Nikolai Zherdev, who could easily be gone after this season, but I think Leino's superior talent makes him a more tempting target.
Phoenix Coyotes: Ilya Bryzgalov, G
23 of 30
It's not that the Coyotes don't want to keep the goaltender who turned their fortunes around—I'm sure they'd love to keep him.
The problem is Bryzgalov is going to be the best netminder on the market by far, and anyone in the market for an instant goalie upgrade is going to be in on the process.
Will the team with no owner be able to afford their own goalie? My guess is no, so expect to see Breezy between the pipes somewhere new next year.
Pittsburgh Penguins: Alexei Kovalev, RW
24 of 30
Kovalev, a longtime NHL sniper, is the latest in a long line of low-cost rental players the Penguins plug in around their talented troika.
They seem to like Pascal Dupuis (and he them) and Craig Adams isn't nearly the scorer Kovalev is, despite being five years younger, so the Russian is the pick.
Where will the 38-year-old land? Who knows?
St. Louis Blues: Ty Conklin, G
25 of 30
There are going to be better players than Conklin, a career backup who has been stellar at times in his career, going on the market from St. Louis.
Guys like T.J. Oshie, Matt D'Agostini, T.J. Hensick and Patrick Berglund will all enter the market. But do you really think the rebuilding Blues are going to let any of their young pieces walk?
So Conklin's the logical choice, and the journeyman will surely find a team to plug into come next season.
San Jose Sharks: Devin Setoguchi, RW
26 of 30
Will the Sharks really let this talented young sniper walk in free agency? Hardly—they still see him as an integral part of their future.
However, I'll bet there are plenty of teams out there who would love to see him as part of their future as well, and they'll pony up plenty of cash to get their hands on the 23-year-old Setoguchi. When the bidding starts, anything is possible.
Tampa Bay Lightning: Dwayne Roloson, G
27 of 30
Roloson looks to be a rental player for the Lightning—he filled a need for them (goalkeeping stability) while the team develops a promising prospect (Dustin Tokarski).
At age 40, Roloson is what he is: a reliable presence in the net capable of carrying a team for stretches, but not the whole season anymore. He's someone you can count on for 40-50 games and, in the NHL, a proven commodity like Roloson can find work as long as he wants it.
The Lightning don't have much interest in keeping Roloson, but someone else will definitely take a chance on the veteran netminder.
Toronto Maple Leafs: Jean-Sebastien Giguere, G
28 of 30
Jiggy was a tremendous disappointment for the Maple Leafs this season. The veteran netminder struggled all year in Toronto and, with his contract up at season's end, odds are good he won't be a Leaf next season.
However, there's still talent here. He's not the star he once was, but Giguere could have value for a team in need of a veteran backup.
Vancouver Canucks: Christian Ehrhoff, D
29 of 30
Ehrhoff has gone supernova on the NHL this season, posting 46 points (10 goals, 36 assists) and a plus-13 rating on the year.
He's also an unrestricted free agent (along with half of Vancouver's roster). If the Canucks are smart, they'll re-sign him, but if somebody else shows him bigger money, the 28-year-old blue-liner will bolt.
Washington Capitals: Brooks Laich, C
30 of 30
The Capitals' 27-year-old center has emerged as a potent playmaker this season, racking up 40 points in 71 games this season.
He's not a top-tier talent, but in this thin market, he'll drive a better price than usual. He is still a value option for teams in need of a good, scoring second center.
The Capitals might try to re-sign him, but with guys like Seymon Varlamov coming up for free agency this season as well, Laich might be a victim of the salary cap.
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