NHL Free Agent Rumors: Top 25 Players Likely Changing Teams & Where They'll Go

One team's trash is another team's treasure; the story of NHL Free Agency.

There are some big time names on the market this offseason that have either worn out their welcome with their current team, are asking for too much money or are ready to hit the open market for various other reasons.

Not every player set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1st will switch teams, but that's not to say there will be a shortage of players moving around this offseason.

There is always a team in the NHL willing to pay a free agent an extra million dollars per season, or to add a few extra years to a contract. As long as there's a salary cap, there will be tons of player movement.

Here are the 25 nameplates that will likely be on different colored uniforms come October.

All of these predicted landing spots for these free agents are speculative at this point. Teams are not allowed to talk to these free agents, yet.

Therefore, I am not reporting that these teams have interest, just speculating landing spots that make sense for both sides.

Brad Richards

Since the beginning of the season, rumors and speculation have been rampant concerning Brad Richards and his departure from Dallas. This weekend, the saga will come to an end, as Richards will become an unrestricted free agent and choose a new team.

Richards is the unquestioned top free agent in a relatively weak class of unsigned players. He has a Conn Smythe Trophy and Stanley Cup on his resume and will undoubtedly be in for a huge pay day.

Where He'll Sign: New York Rangers

The New York Rangers are widely reported to be the front-runners to sign Brad Richards. He would fit in nicely along side Marian Gaborik, creating a lethal combination on New York's top line.

Christian Ehrhoff

The Vancouver Canucks extended the contract of Kevin Bieksa this week, making it that much more difficult to bring back their best defenseman, Christian Ehrhoff.

Considering Ehrhoff will likely command a deal north of $5 million a year on the open market, the Canucks simply don't have the money to bring him back.

Ehrhoff was not as lethal in the postseason as he was during the eighty-two game campaign, but he is still an excellent offensive defenseman who would boost any powerplay in the NHL.

Where He'll Sign: Buffalo Sabres

The Buffalo Sabres have acquired the negotiating rights to Christian Ehrhoff from the New York Islanders, who acquired the rights from the Canucks earlier this week.

Buffalo should be able to sign Ehrhoff with their ownership situation now settled.

Tomas Vokoun

One person that is ecstatic over the lengthy contract Ilya Bryzgalov signed with the Philadelphia Flyers last is Tomas Vokoun. Now the top goalie on the market, Vokoun is set for a nice pay check.

It makes most sense for a Stanley Cup contender to go after the aging Vokoun, as he probably only has three or four productive seasons left in him and should be looking to win now.

Where He'll Go: Colorado Avalanche 

The Colorado Avalanche do not currently have a goaltender on the roster, and with the Tampa Bay Lightning re-signing Dwayne Rolson, it appears that the Avs could be in the driver's seat when it comes to signing Tomas Vokoun.

James Wisniewski

James Wisniewski is just one of many rearguards with an expiring contract for the Montreal Canadiens.

Wisniewski is due for a considerable raise, and Montreal does not have the cap space to make that happen at the moment. Thus the Habs traded his rights to the Columbus Blue Jackets for a late draft pick.

Where He'll Go: Columbus Blue Jackets

Though the Jackets don't have much time to sign Wisniewski before free agency kicks off on Friday, one has to believe they are the favorites to get him under contract.

Simon Gagne

After a stellar postseason with the Flyers in 2010, Simon Gagne was traded away, only to disappoint his new team, the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Now, Gagne is now a free agent and definitely still has some value for the right price.

Where He'll Go: Anaheim Ducks

This one is tough to call with Steven Stamkos still seeking a contract extension. Depending on what happens with Stammer, Simon Gagne may nor may not hit the open market.

If he is left unsigned, Gagne would slide in nicely with the Anaheim Ducks. He would not make nearly as much money, but he would have a shot at competing for a Stanley Cup.

Erik Cole

Erik Cole is one of the most underrated players on the market. The longtime Hurricane has been playing terrific two way hockey since he entered the league in 2001.

Cole is going to highly sought after in free agency and definitely has a shot at returning to Carolina.

Where He'll Go: Philadelphia Flyers

Peter Laviolette clearly has a stranglehold on the Philadelphia locker room given the recent departues of Mike Richards and Jeff Carter. Anyone who did not think Lavy was important to the Flyers' brass certainly believes so now.

Meanwhile, Erik Cole, a favorite of Laviolette, is on the market. It seems too good to be true.

Ian White

Considering the fact that Ian White played for three teams this season alone, it would come as no surprise to see White playing for a new team yet again next year.

White is a serviceable defenseman capable of playing on the second pairing for a manageable cap hit.

Where He'll Go: Vancouver Canucks

Ian White will have plenty of options should he decide to hit the open market. One team that could use his services is the Vancouver Canucks, who were unable to reach a contract with Christian Ehrhoff.

Tim Connolly

Tim Connolly appears to be an afterthought for the Buffalo Sabres at the moment. His hefty salary and disappointing play are reasons for Connolly's likely departure from Buffalo.

Connolly will have to take a pay cut but should be able to find a home as a top six forward.

Where He'll Go: Minnesota Wild

The Wild have made a commit to adding more offensive, getting rid of Brent Burns in favor of Devin Setoguchi and Charlie Coyle. Now, they need to bring in a solid playmaking center behind Mikko Koivu.

Tim Connolly would have to sign for less than he made this season, but that appears to be his market price at this point, so the Wild will have no issues there.

Tomas Kaberle

After being traded from Toronto to Boston at the deadline, Tomas Kaberle was downright awful at times and just average at others.

Brought in to solve the issues on the powerplay, Kaberle was able to do no such thing.

Where He'll Go: Detroit Red Wings

With some of the top offensive defensemen coming off the market before July 1st, the Detroit Red Wings will have to look at a second tier option and hope a change of scenery helps Tomas Kaberle.

Ville Leino

After a breakout campaign that included 19 goals and 34 assists, Ville Leino becomes an unrestricted free agent and should receive a healthy bump in pay.

It's unclear whether the Flyers will be able to bring him back or not, but Leino would have no issue hitting the open market with his current value right now.

Where He'll Go: Toronto Maple Leafs

Brian Burke would love to add a piece like Leino to the playoff caliber roster he is building in Toronto. Leino is still young, and his production on the wing would be a welcome addition for the Leafs.

Michael Ryder

Despite coming up big at times in the postseason, Michael Ryder has failed to earn his hefty salary and will likely be let go this offseason or forced to take a decent pay cut.

Ryder has tons of offensive ability with solid hands and an outstanding shot, but he has failed to put it all together in his NHL career.

Perhaps a change of scenery will do him some good.

Where He'll Go: Nashville Predators

The Predators lack scoring options, and with a lot of players hitting the open market in Nashville, the Preds are going to have some skates to fill.

Ed Jovanaski

Ed Jovanovski still has a few solid seasons left in him on the blue line, but the days of the veteran rearguard making $6.5 million would appear to be over.

Still a decent threat from the point when healthy, Jovanovski should be a serviceable patch for a team looking to fill a short term need.

Where He'll Go: Detroit Red Wings

Since Detroit will not be able to sign a big time defenseman this offseason, why not go after a pair of solid blue liners?

Bryan McCabe

Another trade deadline addition that turned out horribly was the acquisition of Bryan McCabe by the New York Rangers.

It appears McCabe could be done at this point, but another season is definitely a possibility.

Where He'll Go: New York Islanders

After losing out on the rights to Christian Ehrhoff, a patch guy like Bryan McCabe could be just what the Islanders need to ease the development of some of their talented offensive defensemen.

Roman Hamrlik

At this point in his career, Roman Hamrlik was grossly overpaid. This summer he will likely see his $5.5 million cap hit cut in half on the open market.

Hamrlik is 37 years old and may not have much left in the tank, but someone will be willing to take a shot on the guy for one or two seasons.

Where He'll Go: Columbus Blue Jackets

Sure, the Jackets traded for James Wisniewski's rights, but the need for defense in Columbus cannot be filled by one player. Plus, Hamrlik could come cheap and on a short contract.

J.S. Giguere

Battling injuries the past few seasons, J.S. Giguere has been not played at the elite level most are accustomed to seeing from the former Conn Smythe winner.

Now, Giguere is likely on the outs in Toronto as the club just signed James Reimer to a three-year extension.

Where He'll Go: Anaheim Ducks

Jonas Hiller's future is somewhat in limbo, so why not add a security blanket in J.S. Giguere?

Maxime Talbot

Max talbot has made a living as a tenacious forechecker with the innate ability to agitate his opponents, and there will be plenty of teams looking to add that type of player this summer.

Talbot also has a bit of skill and plays excellent defense.

Where He'll Go: Toronto Maple Leafs

The Leafs were given a window to talk with Talbot but couldn't get a deal done. When free agency opens up on Friday, the Leafs will have a leg up on everyone else trying to sign this guy.

Chris Drury

Chris Drury is in a unique situation to take a discount to play where he wants, having already been bought out by the New York Rangers.

Drury isn't the player he once was, but he can still be a solid third liner in the NHL.

Where He'll Go: Buffalo Sabres

Given all of the success Drury had in Buffalo, it makes sense that he would take a pay cut to get back in a Sabres' uniform.

Scottie Upshall

The entire league seems to be waiting on the 27-year-old Scottie Upshall to finally have that breakout season many have expected from him.

Once again a free agent, Upshall has a chance for another change of scenery that will likely do him some good. He needs to be surrounded by talented players to truly shine.

Where He'll Go: Los Angeles Kings

The Kings have been talking about finding a wing to play alongside Anze Kopitar for what seems like ages. Scottie Upshall isn't exactly the guy they have in mind, but he would slide in nicely on one of the top two lines for L.A.

Jason Arnott

On the tail end of his career, Jason Arnott is not as productive as he was in his prime, but his influence in the locker room is immeasurable and would be an ideal addition for a team competing for a Stanley Cup.

His $4.5 million salary definitely figures to drop, but Arnott is likely looking for one more shot at the Cup before calling it a career and won't be worried about money.

Where He'll Go: Boston Bruins

One of the most underrated departures from the Boston Bruins this offseason is that of veteran Mark Recchi. It's tough to replace what he brought to the locker room, but a guy like Arnott could ease the transition into life without Recchi for Boston.

Tomas Fleischmann

Tomas Fleischmann missed the second half of the season due to pulmonary embolism, so he should come as a bargain on the market due to some teams being weary about his condition which will force him to be on blood thinners next season.

Where He'll Go: Dallas Stars

Losing Brad Richards is a killer, so the Stars will be forced to play catch-up this offseason to add talent to their roster.

Tomas Fleischmann may not be the top prize on the free-agent market, but he makes sense for the financially pressed Stars.

Radim Vrbata

Radim Vrbata has piled up 40 points in four of his last five seasons in the league and now will likely receive his biggest payday to date.

The Coyote's would like to keep him under contract, but with the open market as thin as it is, Vrbata would be wise to test the waters.

Where He'll Go: Minnesota Wild

Vrbata would be an excellent player for the Wild to add this offseason for depth purposes. His previously noted production coupled with his experience in this league would make him the right fit in Minnesota, who currently lacks players with that combination.

Antti Miettinen

Another solid two-way forward likely to hit the open market is Anti Miettinen. Miettinen comes cheap and well seasoned on both the offensive and defensive aspects of the game.

The Wild have not made a significant effort to re-sign him at this point, so he will be up for grabs this weekend.

Where He'll Sign: Dallas Stars

As mentioned a few slides earlier, the Stars will have some wiggle room to sign some guys up front to cushion the blow of losing Brad Richards.

Sean Bergenheim

A cursory glance at the free-agent situation in Tampa Bay clearly makes Sean Bergenheim the odd man out for the Lightning.

Brewer and Roloson have already been re-signed, Simon Gagne and Steven Stamkos have still not received new contracts.

There is no room for Bergenheim, who will be looking for a raise after his breakout postseason.

Where He'll Go: Winnipeg Jets

The new owners of the Winnipeg Jets are more than willing to spend the money to put a competitive product on the ice. They will be active in free agency.

Josh Harding

Sitting behind Nicklas Backstrom, Josh Harding never really had the opportunity to breakout. However, Harding was solid in limited action and should have some suitors on the open market.

Where He'll Go: Florida Panthers

With Tomas Vokoun leaving town, the Florida Panthers have to bring in a goaltender in addition to spending enough money to meet the cap floor.

Anton Babchuk

Anton Babchuk is a steady point producer from the blue line and will likely test the open market this weekend, despite being offered a contract by the Calgary Flames.

In the last two seasons he has played, Babchuk has over 30 points in each.

Where He'll Go: Boston Bruins

The Bruins are going to let Tomas Kaberle walk and will be looking for a cheaper alternative via free agency. Babchuk fits the bill and would be a welcome addition to the Bruins' anemic powerplay.