NHL Free Agency: 9 Teams That Still Have Holes to Fill

A quarter into the regular season, general managers now have more of a bead on their team and the holes that need to be filled. They can look for trades to see if they can acquire the parts they need, but there is still another way to fill them: free agency.

There are still some notable free agents left that went unsigned during the offseason. If the right offer is sent their way, they can fill their holes with nothing lost but money.

You could argue that all 30 teams have holes to fill somewhere, but I will focus on the nine teams that I think have the most glaring holes.

Columbus Blue Jackets

Need: Everything

Columbus is the worst team in the National Hockey League and they have so many problems that I'm not going to try to name them all.

Rick Nash, Jeff Carter and James Wisniewski are clearly not enough to improve the Blue Jackets' spot in the standings and they could use all the help that they can get. Heck, while they're at it they could probably sign a new roster.

Players they could go after: Michael Nylander, John Madden, Sergei Samsonov, Mike Grier, Bryan McCabe, Marty Turco

Carolina Hurricanes

Need: Power-play help

The Carolina Hurricanes have the 29th-worst power-play percentage in the league. Obviously the signing of Tomas Kaberle was not a good idea and now they are trying to get rid of him.

They need to go out and find a power-play quarterback that could help them improve it and there's a good chance they could find it in another former Maple Leaf.

Player they could go after: Bryan McCabe

New York Islanders

Need: Scoring

The New York Islanders have scored only 35 goals so far this season. John Tavares only has eight goals, followed by Matt Moulson, who has six. If they want any chance at contending for the playoffs, they need to improve their offense.

The problem is that there aren't any high-end offensive players available in free agency.

Players they could go after: Sergei Samsonov, Michael Nylander, Bryan McCabe

New York Rangers

Need: Defense

It is well known that the New York Rangers have been looking for a defenseman with Marc Staal still out, leading to multiple rumors on possible deals they could make.

Maybe they could call someone that they let go to free agency.

Player that they could go after: Bryan McCabe

Anaheim Ducks

Need: Scoring

The Anaheim Ducks are only three goals ahead of the Islanders with 38 goals. Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf, Bobby Ryan and Teemu Selanne account for 22 of those goals. The Ducks might have finally figured out that they need more than one line to challenge for the playoffs.

Again, the problem is that there's not much out there.

Players they could go after: Sergei Samsonov, Michael Nylander

Calgary Flames

Need: Scoring

Pretty much in the same situation as the Ducks.

Players they could go after: Sergei Samsonov, Michael Nylander

Montreal Canadiens

Need: Defense

Montreal has been ravaged by injuries to its defense corps. Chris Campoli, Jaroslav Spacek and Hal Gill have all missed time due to injuries or sickness, and Andrei Markov hasn't even played a game this season due to a knee injury suffered last season.

They desperately need help.

Players they could go after: Bryan McCabe, Craig Rivet

Edmonton Oilers

Need: Defense

The Oilers are a young team whose best players are on the front end. Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Jordan Eberle lead the charge, but the defensemen drafted by Edmonton have developed more slowly than the big three.

Until they do, they need to find a stopgap.

Player they could go after: Bryan McCabe

Toronto Maple Leafs

Need: Veteran backup goalie

With James Reimer still out with concussion-like symptoms, the Maple Leafs have been forced to play with Jonas Gustavsson and Ben Scrivens for the past few weeks.

They both have done an admirable job, but if the Leafs are forced to go much longer without Reimer, they will need to bring in some experience.

Players they could go after: Marty Turco