The NHL unrestricted free agent market will likely have center Steven Stamkos as its top attraction on July 1, but it is generally considered thin on impact players currently in their prime.
Keith Yandle is the most attractive of the available defensemen, and forwards Milan Lucic, Kyle Okposo and Andrew Ladd likely to draw significant interest and long term deals from clubs looking for size and scoring on the wing. Veterans Eric Staal, Cam Ward and David Backes may have to take shorter term deals to get a big dollar deal, as defenseman Mike Green did when he signed with the Red Wings last summer.
The lack of options in the UFA class and the impact of the salary cap staying at $71.4 Million – which will happen if NHLPA votes to not increase escrow, $74 Million if they use the escalator – may result in more trades for some players who coming off entry level deals and looking for big money as restricted free agents. There are a couple RFAs coming off short-term deals who will be looking to cash in as well, and could be on the move.
This happened to an extent last summer on the eve of the NHL Draft in Sunrise, FL, as Chicago dealt two-time Stanley Cup winner Brandon Saad to Columbus and Boston sent defenseman Dougie Hamilton to Calgary.
The Hawks’ cap crunch prevented them from signing the 22-year-old winger to a long-term deal and GM Stan Bowman made the best of the situation by getting forwards Artem Anisimov, Marko Dano and a draft pick in the seven player trade. The Bruins were unwilling to meet Hamilton’s asking price on an extension and opted to swap the big defenseman for Calgary’s first and two second round picks.
As clubs begin to determine what course of action they will take to improve their clubs, decisions on whether to trade or sign their youngsters will be front and center. Here is a list of the top 10 NHL restricted free agents who could be traded by their clubs this summer:
Written by Michael Augello, who can be found on twitter @MikeInBuffalo