NHL Free Agent Rumors: Predicting Where the Top 20 Remaining Players Will Land

The frenzy that is the NHL free agency has slowed down quite a lot now that we've entered August, but several teams still need pieces to the puzzle.

While several teams look around to see where they can get a player to help their team, there are still several players out and about that are hoping a team will approach them with an offer.

Every year there are players that are quality players that struggle to find a home for whatever reason, and there are a lot of really good ones this year.

Here are the top 20 players remaining, in no particular order, and where I think they could end up.

Ray Emery

Ray Emery might be the best of the remaining goalies and, if nothing else, might be the most intriguing name out there in free agency.

He's a risky signing because of the injury that kept him out of the NHL for a year or so, but he did a great job with Anaheim last season showing that he's still capable of playing very well in the NHL.

Not long ago it was reported by various sources that Ray Emery was trying out for the Chicago Blackhawks for a back-up position.

I can't imagine that Emery wouldn't be able to win this particular position away from Alexander Salak, especially based off of the play that he showed last season for the Ducks.

To me, it seems very likely that Emery will be the back-up for the Chicago Blackhawks next season.

Kevin Goff is a Featured Columnist for the Colorado Avalanche and is a member of Bleacher Report's 2011 NHL Draft Team.  For more NHL news and discussion,

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Chris Drury

Chris Drury has had a great career in the NHL, and the fact that he has jumped around to several teams is one of the strangest things in the world to me.

Drury was great in his first years with the Colorado Avalanche, played in Calgary, was a captain in Buffalo on some of the better teams there, and then captained the New York Rangers for the past few seasons.

He was always very consistent, too. This season was the only season that in his career that Drury played fewer than 71 games.

Drury missed most of the season with a serious knee injury and now seems to be a risky player.

One injury in his whole career and now nobody wants to sign this guy?

Early in the summer there were some rumors that Detroit was interested in Chris Drury.

There have also been rumors that the Philadelphia Flyers could be interested in Drury's services.

There are even more rumors that Drury could be considering retirement.

If Drury decides not to retire, then Philadelphia might be the best place for him to end up because Drury likes the east coast and probably wants to stick around.

Kevin Goff is a Featured Columnist for the Colorado Avalanche and is a member of Bleacher Report's 2011 NHL Draft Team.  For more NHL news and discussion,

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Scott Hannan

I am honestly stunned that Scott Hannan doesn't have a home yet at this point of the offseason.

Hannan may not be a flashy defender that puts many points on the board, but he is a very good shut down defender whose name you rarely hear called during a game. For a player like Hannan, not having your name called very often is a good thing.

He has a lot to offer a team and is only 32 years old. That's a little bit old, but it isn't as if the guy is pushing 40.

His previous contract, which carried a $4.5 million cap hit, may be something that is scaring teams off as they could be thinking that is the same price he will be expecting.

If Hannan is expecting something like that, he's only assuring himself that he won't have a home in the NHL next season.

Last time I tackled this subject, I predicted that Hannan could end up in Montreal. 

This time around I think I'm going to take a different route and say that Hannan could find himself being the old man on a team with a very young blue line, the New York Rangers.

The Rangers don't have a player over the age of 27 on defense, and Hannan's experience and veteran presence could go a long ways towards helping the Rangers make a deep playoff run next season.

Kevin Goff is a Featured Columnist for the Colorado Avalanche and is a member of Bleacher Report's 2011 NHL Draft Team.  For more NHL news and discussion,

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Marty Turco

Marty Turco has had a pretty good career by the numbers, at least in the regular season.

Turco has never been able to prove that he is a money goaltender when it matters the most, in the playoffs. That was a big reason why Dallas let him go.

Turco thought he was going to be the starter for the Blackhawks this season, but ended up playing backup to young Corey Crawford last year.

At this point in his career, Turco is most likely going to find himself in the backup role wherever he does land. It would make sense if he were to be the backup to a team with a young goalie that could use some mentoring from a former all-star goalie.

A team that definitely doesn't want it's younger goalie learning from the veteran on their team is the Edmonton Oilers, where Nikolai Khabibulin is currently serving jail time for drunk driving.

Turco could be a great mentor for young Devan Dubnyk and could take some pressure off the young kid by fielding 20 games or so each season.

Kevin Goff is a Featured Columnist for the Colorado Avalanche and is a member of Bleacher Report's 2011 NHL Draft Team.  For more NHL news and discussion,

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Drew Doughty

I cannot, for the life of me, figure out what the deal is with the Kings and Drew Doughty.

So much time has gone by while the Kings and Doughty have tried to figure out a new contract that will make both sides happy.

With Shea Weber's big $7.5 million takeaway after his arbitration hearing, perhaps the number that Weber got threw a wrench into things.

The thing is, even if Doughty did want $7.5 million a year for a contract, the Kings have almost $10 million left in cap space for the following season.

Doughty is a fantastic defender, but he isn't quite in Shea Weber's league just yet. 

After all gets said and done, I think that the Kings and Doughty will end up on something like $6 - $6.5 million for his cap hit.

Even if a deal can't be reached, there is no way that the Kings trade this guy. Since Doughty is restricted, they have matching rights to any deal offered to him which they would undoubtedly match. 

Plus, if Doughty doesn't sign with them by December 1st, then he isn't eligible to play that season. Neither side wants that.

Doughty will end up with the Kings, eventually.

Kevin Goff is a Featured Columnist for the Colorado Avalanche and is a member of Bleacher Report's 2011 NHL Draft Team.  For more NHL news and discussion,

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Jarkko Ruutu

Jarkko Ruutu is a skilled and feisty forward that has a lot of value to the team that eventually decides to bring him in.

He's an agitator that is incredibly good at his job, but he also has been able to show some pretty decent offensive skill from time to time.

Ruutu is another guy that I'm rather surprised hasn't found a home in the NHL yet because of all of the things that he can bring to the table for his team.

He did only play in 23 games last season, so his physical well being could be one reason that teams are avoiding him, but it seems like he would be worth a shot.

According to Dmitri Chesnokov, Ruutu is in negotiations with the Finnish Elite League in his native Finland.

Ruutu could really be signed at a bargain deal, even for under $1 million, which makes worrying about his cap hit pretty much irrelevant.

I still think that Vancouver would be a great place for him to fill in the void that was left by Raffi Torres. Perhaps the Blackhawks might even be tempted to bring him back.

Kevin Goff is a Featured Columnist for the Colorado Avalanche and is a member of Bleacher Report's 2011 NHL Draft Team.  For more NHL news and discussion,

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Mike Grier

At the end of last season, it seemed as if Mike Grier was only open to returning to the NHL for his 15th season if he was going to be playing for the Buffalo Sabres.

Well, according to his agent that isn't the case. Grier is open to playing another season in the NHL, he just wants to make sure that it is a fit for him.

Grier has never been a flashy player, but he has always been an effective player.

He's big, strong, he can skate pretty well, he plays very physically, and can still score some goals.

There are a lot of teams that could use a veteran guy like Grier to get in and do the dirty work in the corners.

I still think that Grier and the Nashville Predators are a match made in heaven.

He could bring a bit more smash to the place they call Smashville.

Kevin Goff is a Featured Columnist for the Colorado Avalanche and is a member of Bleacher Report's 2011 NHL Draft Team.  For more NHL news and discussion,

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Bryan McCabe

Even though he's getting up there in age, Bryan McCabe can still help an NHL team out because he has a great big shot from the point and can quarterback a power play.

He's a veteran guy that has played pretty well in one of the most difficult places to play hockey in the United States, New York City.

A team that I think would benefit greatly from his veteran presence and ability on the power play is the Minnesota Wild.

The power play has never really been a strong suit of the Wild, but with Heatley and Setoguchi being down by the net and McCabe firing bombs from the point, the Minnesota power play could suddenly become a serious force.

Kevin Goff is a Featured Columnist for the Colorado Avalanche and is a member of Bleacher Report's 2011 NHL Draft Team.  For more NHL news and discussion,

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John Madden

John Madden has been one of the greatest defensive forwards of his generation and has been very underrated for it.

Madden could easily come in and improve any team's penalty kill and match up against opposing scorers and shut them down.

I still can't believe that he hasn't found a home yet. Yes, he's 37 and his age probably scares away some potential buyers but he can still play good hockey.

I think that the Edmonton Oilers might benefit greatly from a guy like this because he can still skate with the best of them and won't get left behind all the young kids that skate really fast.

Plus, Edmonton could use the penalty killing assistance and the leadership that he could provide would be for more valuable than anybody can imagine.

I like the idea of Madden to the Oilers.

Kevin Goff is a Featured Columnist for the Colorado Avalanche and is a member of Bleacher Report's 2011 NHL Draft Team.  For more NHL news and discussion,

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Pascal Leclaire

Pascal Leclaire has been plagued by injuries his entire career.

He's only ever been able to manage more than 40 games once in his entire NHL career, it happened to be his best statistical year of his career as well.

It just seems that no matter what happens, he finds himself on the IR before too long into the season.

If a team does decide to roll the dice on Leclaire, don't count on it being for a starting role. He'd most likely be a contingency plan in the event of a worst case scenario.

I still think that Toronto might be a good landing place for Leclaire, who would more than likely spend a good amount of time in the AHL before being given an NHL backup roll.

Gustavsson hasn't been what the Leafs hoped for and things are now falling to young James Reimer in probably the most difficult place to be a starting goalie in the NHL.

Leclaire could be a very solid contingency plan for the Leafs.

Kevin Goff is a Featured Columnist for the Colorado Avalanche and is a member of Bleacher Report's 2011 NHL Draft Team.  For more NHL news and discussion,

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Nick Boynton

Nick Boynton was as part of both the Chicago Blackhawks and the Philadelphia Flyers during the 2010 - 2011 NHL season, and it seems that Philly doesn't want him back.

Boynton is only 32 years old and could still have some pretty decent hockey left in him.

Boynton is a stay at home type of defender that has never had more than 30 points during a season, and in today's NHL teams are trying to find more defenders that can get involved offensively just as much as they can play defensively.

Boynton could still add some good depth to a team's blue line, and a team that could use more veteran leadership on the back end is the Phoenix Coyotes.

Boynton has played in Phoenix before and I think would be able to make a pretty smooth transition back into Phoenix.

With the loss of Ed Jovanovski, Boynton might be more valuable than people might think.

Kevin Goff is a Featured Columnist for the Colorado Avalanche and is a member of Bleacher Report's 2011 NHL Draft Team.  For more NHL news and discussion,

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J.P. Dumont

J.P. Dumont is a six time 20 goal scorer in the NHL coming off of one of his worst statistical seasons in his career.

Dumont is a guy that isn't very big but has always managed to be an effective player nonetheless.

At this point, the big question surrounding Dumont is whether he'll be able to find his form or he's just washed up and at the end of his career.

He's 33 years old, which is getting a bit on the senior side of players but he still has some good years left in him and Dumont could end up being a good depth guy for the right team.

A team that recently acquired some good top end talent and could use the depth on the wings is Columbus.

Not only can he provide depth, but he can provide some good veteran leadership as he has found some decent success in Nashville.

Kevin Goff is a Featured Columnist for the Colorado Avalanche and is a member of Bleacher Report's 2011 NHL Draft Team.  For more NHL news and discussion,

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Brent Sopel

Brent Sopel is a solid defender that is good at blocking shots.

While that might not make you a ton of money in the NHL, that is definitely a combination that should provide a player with solid employment.

He's a crafty veteran who could definitely help out a young team that is in need of solidifying their defense with some quality depth.

That description pretty much describes the Winnipeg Jets, formerly that Atlanta Thrashers, who were near the bottom of the league defensively last season.

Sopel's ability to block shots should get him a lot of quality time in Winnipeg, and help a team that desperately needs to solidify its blue line.

Kevin Goff is a Featured Columnist for the Colorado Avalanche and is a member of Bleacher Report's 2011 NHL Draft Team.  For more NHL news and discussion,

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Sergei Samsonov

Sergei Samsonov seemed primed to be a star player after scoring 75 and 70 points in back to back seasons during his time with the Boston Bruins.

Since those two seasons, Samsonov's production has dropped off greatly and he has never been able to find his way back to those type of high quality seasons.

After splitting time in Carolina and Florida last season, Samsonov currently finds himself without a home.

Samsonov might be able to find a home in a place where there are already a lot of bigger players and make a decent living as a change of pace kind of guy on the second or third line.

A place that is letting a smaller player go and could use the skill that Samsonov brings to the game is Nashville.

Samsonov might actually be able to get close to the 20 goal mark in that environment, or at least better his output from last season of 40 points.

Kevin Goff is a Featured Columnist for the Colorado Avalanche and is a member of Bleacher Report's 2011 NHL Draft Team.  For more NHL news and discussion,

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Cory Stillman

Cory Stillman is another guy that split time between Florida and Carolina last season.

Unlike Samsonov, however, Stillman is getting way up there in the age category. He's 37 right now.

Considering the production that he gave to Carolina after being traded last season (16 points in 21 games), I'm kind of surprised a team hasn't taken a chance on him just yet.

He showed that he can still put up points and be a productive player for his team.

A team who might be interested in his services, because the seem to like veteran players, is the Calgary Flames.

Stillman would provide good scoring depth along with more leadership for a team that seems a step away from either being very competitive, or blowing up the roster.

It's really actually very difficult to tell exactly which direction the Flames are heading.

Kevin Goff is a Featured Columnist for the Colorado Avalanche and is a member of Bleacher Report's 2011 NHL Draft Team.  For more NHL news and discussion,

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Chris Campoli

Chris Campoli is one of the youngest remaining free agents out there at only 27 years of age.

Campoli became an unrestricted free agent after the Chicago Blackhawks decided to walk away from his arbitration decision.

Campoli has been traded a couple of times in his young career and is hoping to find a more long term home for himself.

Apparently there has been no shortage of interest in the young defender.

I'm not really certain why, but I feel like the Philadelphia Flyers might come calling for this young talent.

Just a feeling in my gut.

Kevin Goff is a Featured Columnist for the Colorado Avalanche and is a member of Bleacher Report's 2011 NHL Draft Team.  For more NHL news and discussion,

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Paul Mara

Paul Mara is a big guy looking for a home.

Teams who need to add some toughness on their blue line might take a good hard look at Mara who, while he has had some injury issues recently, always reminds players that he is there when he's on the ice.

He's not going to be anybody's go-to defender that will shut down his opponents with his mere presence, but he's a guy that will make everybody think twice about going into the corners with their heads down.

Mara could add depth to a team's defense on either a second or third pairing and give quality minutes.

I think he could make a good fit with the Phoenix Coyotes, who need to replace Ed Jovanovski on the blue line.

Mara could bring the exact type of hard nosed game that Jovanovski plays and be a force around his goaltender. Phoenix will desperately need something like that.

Kevin Goff is a Featured Columnist for the Colorado Avalanche and is a member of Bleacher Report's 2011 NHL Draft Team.  For more NHL news and discussion,

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Kyle Wellwood

Kyle Wellwood has become a very good third line defensive forward, and was a valuable part of the San Jose Sharks last season.

Wellwood figures to bring a very small salary cap hit to whatever team decides to sign him, which should make him available to pretty much everybody.

Wellwood is also still in his 20s, so it's not as if he's an old man looking to find one more stop before the rest home.

One team that never manages to undervalue defense is the New Jersey Devils.

Perhaps the Devils are willing to take on this young defensive forward for a season.

Kevin Goff is a Featured Columnist for the Colorado Avalanche and is a member of Bleacher Report's 2011 NHL Draft Team.  For more NHL news and discussion,

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Steve Staios

Staios is in the unfortunate spot of having gone three straight seasons without being able to play in more than 40 games. 

This is definitely something that is not going to help his cause in trying to find a new home.

At 37 years of age, Staios is nearing the end of his career, but isn't quite ready to hang up the skates.

Staios would definitely be a depth defenseman that might not play ever game unless somebody is in the dog house with coach or injured.

Still, he's a veteran that has been around the block and knows how to play the game pretty well.

Staios could end up being a good depth defender for the Montreal Canadiens; but as I said, don't count on him playing every game.

Kevin Goff is a Featured Columnist for the Colorado Avalanche and is a member of Bleacher Report's 2011 NHL Draft Team.  For more NHL news and discussion,

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Shane Hnidy

Shane Hnidy drank from Lord Stanley's Cup with the Boston Bruins last season, but seems to be on his way out of Boston.

You had better believe that there are a ton of teams out there that would want a guy who has a Stanley Cup ring on their team because that motivates everybody else on the team.

It reminds the veterans what they play for and makes them work harder to get there. It also creates that gleam in the eyes of the younger players and gets their juices pumping because they want that elusive piece of jewelry as well.

Hnidy has jumped around to a lot of different teams over his career, so this move won't be a big change for him.

Hnidy apparently had asked the Winnipeg Jets if they needed him on their blue line, but to no avail.

With the departure of a couple of defenders, a team that could definitely use Hnidy's services would be the Calgary Flames.

I think Calgary would love to have a Stanley Cup Champion on their blue line and in their locker room to try and help this organization avoid falling into a huge rebuild.

Kevin Goff is a Featured Columnist for the Colorado Avalanche and is a member of Bleacher Report's 2011 NHL Draft Team.  For more NHL news and discussion,

Follow @TheSinBin on Twitter