Erik Haula Drawing Free Agent Interest

The NHL is coming back, which means there are just a few weeks for the remaining unrestricted free agents to find work if they intend on playing the entire season. One of those unsigned players, Erik Haula, is generating plenty of interest according to David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, who reports that more than five teams have circled back on the free agent center.

Haula, 29, came into the offseason as one of the best centers available on the open market. He was listed 16th on our Top 50 UFA ranking, with a prediction of three years and $11.25MM coming his way. It will be interesting to see if he lands anywhere close to that number when he eventually does sign, or settle for a one-year deal to hit the market again when revenues have (hopefully) rebounded.

Unfortunately for Haula, not only is the market depressed, but his value likely is as well after two disappointing seasons. He played just 15 games for the Vegas Golden Knights in 2018-19 before a gruesome leg injury ended his season and returned in 2019-20 with the Carolina Hurricanes. He never quite found the same level in Carolina, scoring just 12 goals and 22 points in 41 games before a late-season trade to the Florida Panthers, where he had just two points in seven games before the year was canceled.

Buyers will likely be looking at Haula’s 29-goal, 55-point 2017-18 season as what they could potentially acquire on the open market, but given that was an outlier in itself—Haula had previous career-highs of 15 goals and 34 points—confidence that he will ever get back to that level is low. Still, it’s not often that you can find a middle-six center at the end of free agency on a bargain contract, which is why so many teams have shown interest. Any number of clubs around the league could be after him, though Pagnotta does not indicate which are the five that have circled back.