Toughen Up! Plenty of Grit Left on NHL Free Agent Market

Even after the recent mid-July arms race that saw most of the NHL's premier heavyweight fighters scooped up off the free agent market, teams who are lacking in grit still have options as July nears its end. 

With heavyweights such as Steve MacIntyre, Eric Godard, Eric Boulton and Cam Janssen finding new homes, teams would be wise to fight fire with fire, and we'll look at the 12 best tough guys on the market**, with predictions* to where they'll land.

*Predictions are based on current organizational toughness, and occasionally other factors, such as player hometown, coaches, teammates, past history with said team and roster openings at the AHL level.

These are strictly speculations, and should not be taken as rumor or fact.

**Only players with at least one career NHL game, who were signed to an NHL contract last season (regardless of if they saw any NHL ice in 2010-11) were considered for this list.

Other notable fighters with NHL experience who were on minor league or European contracts last season include Jesse Boulerice, Kip Brennan and Wade Brookbank.

12. Triston Grant

Starting the list is a guy who has been looking to crack the fourth line of an NHL roster full time for a few years—6'1" left winger Triston Grant.

The 27-year-old Manitoba native has paid his dues in the AHL, racking up 88 regular season fighting majors and 1,103 penalty minutes since breaking into the league in 2005-06, no small accomplishment in the post-lockout AHL. 

He's had a couple cups of coffee in the big show, appearing in 11 games with Philadelphia and Nashville, registering one assist and 19 PIM. He can play the game a bit, twice eclipsing the 10 goal/20-point plateau and likely would have done so again this past season if not for a lacerated kidney that limited him to 55 games and 13 points.

In all likelihood Grant will land somewhere on a two-way deal similar to that which Florida gave him last season (around league minimum at the NHL level, and roughly just below 100K in the AHL).

Five most likely destinations: Winnipeg, Calgary, Buffalo, Montreal, Chicago

11. Ryan Hollweg

Ryan Hollweg made a name for himself hitting everything —numbers facing him or otherwise—while with the New York Rangers from 2005-2008. Since then, it's been a roller coaster ride for the 5'10" winger, appearing in just 28 NHL games with Phoenix and Toronto since leaving New York.

His reputation as a reckless player caught up with him as several major-misconducts for boarding and subsequent suspensions nearly earned him permanent exile to the minors.

However, Hollweg had a very nice year for a player of his mold while with San Antonio in 2010-11, scoring nine goals and adding eight assists, while still accumulating 11 fights and 125 PIM. All around probably his best year as a pro, Phoenix called Hollweg up for three games, where he went scoreless with no PIM.

It's hard to gauge if there will be any interest in Hollweg, but his season last year should get him a look in someone's camp. The only problem is that he will require a veteran spot if in the AHL, and teams may not be looking to use one on a 15 point/100-plus PIM player.

Five most likely destinations: Anaheim, St. Louis, Phoenix, Nashville, Los Angeles

10. Adam Mair

After seven seasons in Buffalo, Mair took his services to Newark, attending Devils' camp on a try-out and eventually bumping up-and-coming enforcer Pierre-Luc Leblond-Letorneau back to Albany while earning a one year, one-way deal with New Jersey.

Mair registered just four points and 45 PIM in 65 games with the Devils, benefiting from a slew of injuries and the salary cap constraints the team was under. He did have five fights, although none of them too memorable, and hockeyfights.com has him winless - losing two and drawing three.

Mair presents a cheap option for a 13th forward with a ton of NHL experience. The Bergen Record has reported the Devils may have some interest in bringing Mair back, but his name hasn't come up again since July 1st.

5 Most Likely Destinations: New Jersey, Minnesota, Phoenix, Europe, retirement

9. Aaron Voros

The picture says it all about Aaron Voros—he's a gamer and God bless him for it.

That being said, he's been on the receiving end of some major beatdowns in his career when he tries to open up and throw. Voros certainly isn't the worst hockey player on the market, and he does have 37 career NHL points in 162 games to complement his 395 PIM.

After being used sparingly and going scoreless in 12 games last season with Anaheim, Voros cleared waivers and was assigned to Syracuse. After just two games and no points with the Crunch, he was on the move again to Toronto, dealt for a conditional seventh round pick. 

There he immediately reported to the Marlies and finished the 2010-11 campaign strong, putting up seven points and 61 PIM, including three fights for the baby Leafs.  

Voros can definitely produce in the American Hockey League, where he figures to be a 25 point/150-plus PIM player, but it appears he'll have to start this year riding the buses and prove himself again to be a NHL caliber player. For an organization lacking toughness, he would be a nice addition but will likely wait a bit as teams seek to use their AHL veteran spots on top line players.

Five most likely destinations: Minnesota, Vancouver, Winnipeg, Philadelphia, Montreal

8. Rob Davison

With puck moving and two-way defensemen the hot commodity in the "New NHL," teams have seemed to forget about the solid, stay at home defender who can clear the crease and protect the goalie. This is exactly the player Rob Davison is, and he's been buried in the Devils' system the last two seasons.

The gritty defender from St. Catharine's, Ontario, has been a mainstay on Lowell/Albany's blue line the past two years, picking up 19 fighting majors and 35 points with a plus-12 rating. Although New Jersey only found room in their lineup for one game, Davison has 219 games of NHL experience, mostly with San Jose, and has 18 career points.

Davison might be best known for one of his three career goals, which came from a 195 foot shot on Vesa Toskala of the Maple Leafs, while playing for the Islanders. Davison should be able to find work without much of a problem, though he is likely holding out for a one-way deal, like he enjoyed last year with the Devils, earning 500K to play for their top affiliate.

Five most likely destinations: NY Islanders, Nashville, Winnipeg, Anaheim, Toronto

7. Nick Boynton

Since the lockout, Nick Boynton has been the quintessential journeyman, bouncing from Boston to Phoenix, to Florida, to Anaheim to Chicago and finally landing in Philadelphia, with stops in Manitoba and Rockford, IL, in between. He does have his name engraved on Lord Stanley's Cup, as a member of the Blackhawks' 2009-10 championship team, and he was named to the All-Rookie team in 2001-02.

Boynton's offensive numbers are certainly not what they were when he entered the league, going from his peak of 30 points in 2003-04 to just eight last year in 51 games split between Chicago and Philly. He can still provide some physical stability on the back end, and although he dropped the mitts just twice last year, had five scraps each of the prior three seasons.  

Boynton can still bring that element of grit to the blue line for any team, as well as the veteran presence that comes with 10 years of NHL experience.

Five most likely destinations: Phoenix, St. Louis, Nashville, Colorado, retirement

6. Jason Strudwick

"Struds" is the kind of guy every team in the league used to have, and should have. The veteran rearguard, who goes about his business quietly, is invaluable in the locker room and shows leadership on and off the ice, regardless if there's a letter on his sweater or not. He'll be the first to jump to a teammates aid and is always answering questions and providing guidance to the kids.

Although not the active scrapper he once was, Strudwick added three more fights to his resume in 2010-11, picking up wins against Derek Dorsett and Cam Janssen, while losing a close decision to Tim Jackman according to hockeyfights.com.

Strudwick is a favorite of Tom Renney's and was brought into New York twice during his tenure, and he has stayed with the Oilers for two seasons following Renney's hiring. Being that Edmonton is also his hometown, I don't see Strudwick taking his services anywhere else.

Five most likely destinations: Edmonton, retirement

5. Brad Winchester

A four-year starter at the University of Wisconsin, Winchester learned to use his imposing size—6'5", 228-pounds—to his advantage to help him make it in the NHL. Capable of good numbers for a third/fourth line winger, Winchester recorded 16 points last season between the Blues and Ducks to go along with his 114 PIM and 10 fighting majors.

Hockeyfights.com has him with a respectable 3-3-4 record in those fights, with the only losses coming to veteran scrapper Jamal Mayers, the gargantuan John Scott and another sizable opponent in Douglas Murray.

With the way the NHL is trending, a player like Winchester shouldn't have any trouble finding work, he's a big body who plays rough and can fight with some scoring touch.

With the Ducks re-signing Brian McGrattan as well as adding J-F Jaques, it doesn't appear likely they'll bring Winchester back. Perhaps he's weighing offers from several teams, or his agent is pricing him out.

Five most likely destinations: Phoenix, St. Louis, Tampa Bay, Minnesota, Montreal 

4. Jarkko Ruutu

Another former Duck, Ruutu ranks right at the top of the most hated players in the game, probably right below Matt Cooke and above Sean Avery. The 35-year-old Finn has two Olympic medals on his resume and was on the Pittsburgh squad that lost to Detroit in the 2007-08 Stanley Cup Finals.

Though not much of a fighter, Ruutu does have 37 fighting majors in his NHL career, three from last season. His penalty minutes are more impressive, 1,078 in 652 career games, and he does have 142 career points, not bad for a guy who spends so much time in the box.

With Brad Marchand, Alex Burrows and Max Lapierre's agitating skills on display in this year's Stanley Cup, it's hard to believe Ruutu hasn't found a home yet for 2011-12. His asking price may be high, as his last contract earned $1.3 M per year.

Five most likely destinations: Carolina, Detroit, Tampa Bay, NY Islanders, Europe

3. Jeremy Yablonski

"Yablo" has been one of the most prolific AHL fighters in recent years and may rank all time amongst the minor league greats such as Dennis Bonvie and Mel Angelstad. He appeared in his first and only NHL game in 2003-04, recording five PIM for fighting Todd Fedoruk and challenged Donald Brashear later in the game, only to be declined.

Since then he has been in a number of highlight reel fights, most notably with fellow Meadow Lake, SK native Jon Mirasty, as the two have fought eight times according to hockeyfights.com, nearly each one making the highlight reels.

The past two seasons have mostly been lost for Yablonski due to injury, although he racked up 12 fights in just 27 games in 2009-10 and four more in just 17 games in 2010-11. His last contract, a two-way deal with the NY Islanders, netted him 75K at the AHL level and was worth 500K at the NHL level had he been called up.

With his past injury troubles and an incident this past season at a Costco where he was accused of shoplifting (the case was eventually thrown out by a judge), it's probably unlikely we'll see Yablonski in the NHL this year, or ever again, but he is the best pure fighter available this summer with NHL experience and it would be great to see him get a rematch with Steve MacIntyre and the other heavies who he's fought along the way.

Recent rumors have Yablonski signing in the KHL, but nothing is confirmed as of yet.

Five most likely destinations: NY Islanders, NY Rangers, Los Angeles, Nashville, KHL

2. Troy Bodie

After being claimed off waivers from Anaheim in November, Bodie helped fill the toughness void in the 'Canes lineup, racking up 10 fights through the end of the season.

Though he hasn't put up offensive numbers in the NHL yet, (just four points in 50 games last season) Bodie did score 15 goals and added 12 assists for the 2008-09 Iowa Chops in his one full AHL season, while still breaking the century mark for PIMs.

While best suited to ride shotgun to a true heavyweight, Bodie can still carry the load in a soft division like the Southeast, should he re-sign with Carolina, or bolster a lineup that already has good team toughness. The way the NHL is trending, guys like Bodie are the way of the future, as teams look for middleweights who can skate and forecheck, while fighting when necessary. 

His willingness to engage (on average) once in every five games for a team that didn't really have anybody else to drop the gloves on a regular basis, and for a coach notorious for scratching tough guys (Paul Maurice) earns him the No. 2 spot on the list.

Unfortunately, Bodie will probably need to settle for a two-way deal and have to battle it out in camp with more skilled forwards with potential offensive upside for a bottom six-spot, but hopefully the coaching staff takes notice and finds a fourth line role for him.

Five most likely destinations: Tampa Bay, Winnipeg, Minnesota, Colorado, Nashville

1. David Koci

Perhaps the best hockey fighter ever to come out of the Czech Republic, David Koci remains the most prominent tough guy on the NHL free agent market.

The 6'6" forward has fought his way through the WHL, ECHL and AHL on his way to the big leagues, where he immediately made some noise in his debut with the Blackhawks in 2007.

Koci compiled 42 PIM in his first NHL game, receiving a double game misconduct for fighting three times as well as a charging major and a roughing minor. A true throwback "goon" moment in the post-lockout NHL.

Since then, Koci has bounced around, with stops in Tampa, St. Louis and the past two seasons in Colorado, but the Avs look ready to give Patrick Bordeleau a shot at full-time NHL duty, leaving Koci expendable.

With the tragic passing of Derek Boogaard, there may be less interest in Koci, who is really just a pure fighter with four career points in 142 NHL games, but with Steve MacIntyre signing in Pittsburgh and guys like Trevor Gillies and Matt Carkner still around, there could be a suitor for Koci in the Eastern Conference.

Koci will likely be another guy who settles for a one-year, two-way deal, but could spend a good amount of time in the NHL, even if it's as a healthy scratch.

The Rangers are apparently looking for a No. 1 heavyweight for Connecticut, and having Koci there and on call for Pittsburgh and divisional games would make a lot of sense, if Koci can't get an offer from a team with more of a full time NHL spot open.

Five most likely destinations: NY Rangers, Montreal, Columbus, Buffalo, KHL