Top 20 Pending NHL Unrestricted Free Agent Forwards and Defensemen

Alex Pietrangelo and Torey Krug are the top pending NHL free agent defensemen.

© Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

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.

  1. 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?
  2. Mike Hoffman – Florida Panthers – Teams should be leery of a long-term deal.
  3. Tyler Toffoli – Vancouver Canucks
  4. Evgenii Dadonov – Florida Panthers
  5. Mikael Granlund – Nashville Predators – Could be a top-six on most teams.
  6. Ilya Kovalchuk – Washington Capitals – Heading back to the Canadiens could be an option but will get interest from others.
  7. Vladislav Namestnikov – Colorado Avalanche
  8. Tyler Ennis – Edmonton Oilers
  9. Craig Smith – Nashville Predators – A productive bottom-six forward.
  10. Carl Soderberg – Arizona Coyotes – Can play center and brings added depth.
  11. Josh Leivo – Vancouver Canucks
  12. Alex Galchenyuk – Minnesota Wild – Showed a bit more life when traded to the Wild.
  13. Erik Haula – Florida Panthers – Has dealt with injuries the past few seasons.
  14. Jesper Fast – New York Rangers – Can fit in a middle-six. Had career highs in goals with 14 and points with 34.
  15. Derick Brassard – New York Islanders – Provides added depth down the middle.
  16. Wayne Simmonds – Buffalo Sabres – Still can bring a physical game and some skill.
  17. Derek Grant – Philadelphia Flyers
  18. Conor Sheary – Pittsburgh Penguins – Could end up being a bargain for someone.
  19. Jason Spezza – Toronto Maple Leafs – Still a valuable bottom-six forward.
  20. 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.

  1. 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.
  2. Torey Krug – Boston Bruins – Could get a long-term deal between $6 and $8 million.
  3. Dustin Byfuglien – Winnipeg Jets – A higher priced one-year deal would be smarter than a multi-year deal.
  4. T.J. Brodie – Calgary Flames – He’s still a top-four defenseman.
  5. Tyson Barrie – Toronto Maple Leafs – Can be a top-four but needs a coach that allows for his high-risk, high-reward play.
  6. Chris Tanev – Vancouver Canucks – Any three-year-plus deal could be risky.
  7. Travis Hamonic – Calgary Flames – A short-term deal would be smarter than a long-term deal.
  8. Kevin Shattenkirk – Tampa Bay Lightning – Can be on the first power-play until but may need to be sheltered a bit.
  9. Sami Vatanen – New Jersey Devils – A second-pairing defenseman
  10. Dylan DeMelo – Winnipeg Jets
  11. Brenden Dillon – Washington Capitals
  12. Justin Schultz – Pittsburgh Penguins – Has some risk for a team that signs him.
  13. Justin Braun – Philadelphia Flyers – A No. 5 defenseman. A two-year-plus deal would be risky.
  14. Radko Gudas – Washington Capitals – A tough, third-pairing defenseman.
  15. Erik Gustafsson – Calgary Flames – Has an offensive game but a defensive liability.
  16. Jon Merrill – Vegas Golden Knights – A bargain, depth signing.
  17. Joel Edmundson – Carolina Hurricanes – A capable third-pairing guy.
  18. Trevor van Riemsdyk – Carolina Hurricanes – Should be used in a top-four.
  19. Mike Green – Edmonton Oilers – Can still QB a second PP unit.
  20. Mark Borowiecki – Ottawa Senators – A capable six or seven defenseman.

 

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