Top 20 NHL free agent forwards
Josh Gold-Smith of theScore: Listing the top 20 potential NHL unrestricted free agent forwards that could hit the open market this offseason.
- Taylor Hall – Arizona Coyotes – GM John Chayka has said he wouldn’t hesitate to make Hall contract offer while the season is on hold. Will Hall want to test the market or re-sign?
- Mike Hoffman – Florida Panthers – Teams should be leery of a long-term deal.
- Tyler Toffoli – Vancouver Canucks
- Evgenii Dadonov – Florida Panthers
- Mikael Granlund – Nashville Predators – Could be a top-six on most teams.
- Ilya Kovalchuk – Washington Capitals – Heading back to the Canadiens could be an option but will get interest from others.
- Vladislav Namestnikov – Colorado Avalanche
- Tyler Ennis – Edmonton Oilers
- Craig Smith – Nashville Predators – A productive bottom-six forward.
- Carl Soderberg – Arizona Coyotes – Can play center and brings added depth.
- Josh Leivo – Vancouver Canucks
- Alex Galchenyuk – Minnesota Wild – Showed a bit more life when traded to the Wild.
- Erik Haula – Florida Panthers – Has dealt with injuries the past few seasons.
- Jesper Fast – New York Rangers – Can fit in a middle-six. Had career highs in goals with 14 and points with 34.
- Derick Brassard – New York Islanders – Provides added depth down the middle.
- Wayne Simmonds – Buffalo Sabres – Still can bring a physical game and some skill.
- Derek Grant – Philadelphia Flyers
- Conor Sheary – Pittsburgh Penguins – Could end up being a bargain for someone.
- Jason Spezza – Toronto Maple Leafs – Still a valuable bottom-six forward.
- Brian Boyle – Florida Panthers – Can bring experience and character.
Top 20 NHL free agent defensemen
Josh Wegman of theScore: Listing the top 20 potential NHL unrestricted free agent defensemen that could hit the open market this offseason.
- Alex Pietrangelo – St. Louis Blues – The Blues will do all they can to re-sign him and will need to move some money out. He could get between $8 and $11 million.
- Torey Krug – Boston Bruins – Could get a long-term deal between $6 and $8 million.
- Dustin Byfuglien – Winnipeg Jets – A higher priced one-year deal would be smarter than a multi-year deal.
- T.J. Brodie – Calgary Flames – He’s still a top-four defenseman.
- Tyson Barrie – Toronto Maple Leafs – Can be a top-four but needs a coach that allows for his high-risk, high-reward play.
- Chris Tanev – Vancouver Canucks – Any three-year-plus deal could be risky.
- Travis Hamonic – Calgary Flames – A short-term deal would be smarter than a long-term deal.
- Kevin Shattenkirk – Tampa Bay Lightning – Can be on the first power-play until but may need to be sheltered a bit.
- Sami Vatanen – New Jersey Devils – A second-pairing defenseman
- Dylan DeMelo – Winnipeg Jets
- Brenden Dillon – Washington Capitals
- Justin Schultz – Pittsburgh Penguins – Has some risk for a team that signs him.
- Justin Braun – Philadelphia Flyers – A No. 5 defenseman. A two-year-plus deal would be risky.
- Radko Gudas – Washington Capitals – A tough, third-pairing defenseman.
- Erik Gustafsson – Calgary Flames – Has an offensive game but a defensive liability.
- Jon Merrill – Vegas Golden Knights – A bargain, depth signing.
- Joel Edmundson – Carolina Hurricanes – A capable third-pairing guy.
- Trevor van Riemsdyk – Carolina Hurricanes – Should be used in a top-four.
- Mike Green – Edmonton Oilers – Can still QB a second PP unit.
- Mark Borowiecki – Ottawa Senators – A capable six or seven defenseman.
