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Free Agent Focus 2018

Free Agent Focus: Edmonton Oilers

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Free agency is now a little less than a month away from opening up and there are quite a few prominent players set to hit the open market while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign.  Here is a breakdown of Edmonton’s free agent situation.

Key Restricted Free Agents: F Ryan Strome – When GM Peter Chiarelli and the Oilers decided last summer that Jordan Eberle had to be moved out because of his high-priced contract, the eventual return was the underperforming but talented Strome. The team enjoyed a $3.5MM cap cut, while hoping that the 24-year old forward could find his footing in Edmonton. After all, Strome was a fifth-overall pick who had scored 17 goals and 50 points in 2014-15, and could perhaps be relied upon as a long-term option down the middle.

Now, after another disappointing season where Strome’s below average skating was exposed on a team that lacked speed, and he struggled to maintain any kind of offensive consistency at center or the wing, there’s some uncertainty about where his future lies. As a restricted free agent, he doesn’t have a great case for a substantial raise over the $2.5MM cap hit he carried each of the last two seasons. After scoring just 34 points in 82 games—an even worse pace than his final year in New York—it’s not clear if he’s part of the problem or can still be part of the solution in Edmonton. He certainly won’t cost as much as Eberle’s $6MM cap hit in 2018-19, but neither side may look for a contract that stretches far beyond next season.

D Darnell Nurse – Perhaps the biggest problem in Edmonton this year was that several of their defensemen took substantial steps backwards, but one can’t really say that about Nurse. The 23-year old set career highs in games played, minutes played, goals, assists, points, +/-, penalty minutes, shots, hits and blocks, essentially leading the entire Oilers defense corps in nearly every category. He followed that with a big role on Canada’s IIHF World Championship team, and looks ready to blossom into the player Edmonton was hoping for when they selected him seventh-overall in 2013.

Still, it’s not clear exactly how long a contract the Oilers can afford to give their young defenseman. With so much money tied up in Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, the team has to be careful how they spend the rest of their cap. Nearly $20MM of the remaining funds are already committed to Andrej Sekera, Oscar Klefbom, Kris Russell and Adam Larsson for the next three seasons, meaning any deal buying out unrestricted free agent years for Nurse is likely too expensive to take on right now. That still leaves plenty of room for a short-term deal, but he’s the one heading into negotiations in a position of leverage after a career year.

Other RFAs: F Anton Slepyshev, F Iiro Pakarinen, F Drake Caggiula, D Matt Benning, F Braden Christoffer, D Ben Betker, F Patrick Russell, F Kyle Platzer

Key Unrestricted Free Agent: F Mike Cammalleri – A few seasons ago, the idea of Cammalleri walking in free agency might be a big story. Now, the veteran forward is just hoping for another contract. Cammalleri came to the Oilers in a midseason swap with the Los Angeles Kings, and found some of his old offensive juice for the team. With 22 points in 51 games he was relatively effective, and cost them very little in terms of salary. That could be a reason to bring him back on another incentive-laden contract, but there are likely bigger fish to fry in the coming weeks, as the team prepares for the draft and negotiates with the above listed RFAs.

Cammalleri will turn 36 in just a few days, and isn’t by any means a necessary piece for the Oilers to bring back. After agreeing to a $1MM contract with $200K in performance bonuses last season, he may be even less expensive if they decide his experience is worth the money and roster spot in 2018-19.

Other UFAs: D Yohann Auvitu, G Laurent Brossoit, F Brian Ferlin, D Mark Fayne, D Dillon Simpson, D Joey LaLeggia, F Grayson Downing

Projected Cap Space: It’s never a good thing when a team that missed the playoffs doesn’t have a lot of cap space, but that’s the situation the Oilers find themselves in. With just around $15MM in projected cap space for next season depending on where the upper limit lands, they won’t have a ton of space to find upgrades after re-signing their restricted free agents. That, and the lack of success despite another fantastic season from McDavid, is a reason why Edmonton is linked to nearly every rumored player on the market at one point or another.

There have been rumors in the past about Ryan Nugent-Hopkins potentially being available as the team looks to clear money, but after finding a home alongside McDavid on the top line he likely is now off limits. If the team could find a taker for Milan Lucic or one of their aging defensemen they likely would jump on the opportunity, but it won’t be easy. Chiarelli and his staff also need to prepare for their upcoming goaltending conundrum, as Cam Talbot and the newly signed Mikko Koskinen are unrestricted free agents in the summer of 2019.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Free Agent Focus: New York Rangers

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Free agency is now a little less than a month away from opening up and there are quite a few prominent players set to hit the open market while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign.  Here is a breakdown of New York’s free agent situation.

Key Restricted Free Agents: F Vladislav Namestnikov – The Rangers have plenty of restricted free agents to sign this summer, and while Kevin Hayes and other forwards may have had a bigger impact on the team, it’s Namestnikov that remains the biggest enigma. After coming over from the Tampa Bay Lightning at the deadline as part of the Ryan McDonagh trade, Namestnikov failed to find much chemistry with his new team. The 25-year old registered just four points in 19 games down the stretch, after notching 44 in Tampa Bay (mostly alongside Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov). Those 44 had already guaranteed he would reach a career-high in points, and he had already cracked 20 goals by the end of February.

There is still some question as to where he fits into the Rangers plans though. As the team continues to try and get younger, they essentially swapped two players the same age when they sent J.T. Miller along with McDonagh to Tampa Bay. Now Namestnikov, the 27th-overall pick from 2011, will have to show that the team actually upgraded with that trade and show he can be a top-six contributor in 2018-19 and beyond. Since he’ll be turning 26 in November any long-term deal will be buying out several unrestricted free agent seasons, substantially increasing the cap hit of the overall deal. After being paid an average of just $1.94MM the last two years, Namestnikov will be looking for a substantial raise. It’s not clear if New York wants to commit long-term to a player that has had trouble producing when not playing alongside elite linemates.

D Brady Skjei – If Namestnikov is the most unclear decision on the team’s RFA list, Skjei might be the most important. The 24-year old turned into one of the team’s most reliable defensemen in the second half of 2016-17, and showed again that he could be a big time contributor this season. Though his point production dropped significantly, Skjei was asked to log more than 21 minutes a night for a team whose defensive unit was constantly in flux. McDonagh was traded midseason, Kevin Shattenkirk dealt with injury and Brendan Smith was banished to the minor leagues, leaving Skjei the lone defender who could be counted on all season.

Skjei is coming off his entry-level contract later than many other impact players, meaning that he’s closer to unrestricted free agency than many would be heading into their second deal. It’s clear that he is a player to build around for the Rangers, and signing him long-term right now is the only way to really keep his cap hit to a reasonable amount. If the team (or player, for that matter) decides to mitigate risk and sign a short-term bridge deal, it could end up costing them in the long run if Skjei continues to improve and looks for a big-money extension when he’s 26 or 27.

Other RFAs: F Ryan Spooner, F Kevin Hayes, F Jimmy Vesey, D Rob O’Gara, D John Gilmour, G Marek Mazanec, F Steven Fogarty, F Boo Nieves, F Chris Bigras, F Adam Tambellini

Key Unrestricted Free Agent: G Ondrej Pavelec – The Rangers sold hard at the deadline to rid themselves of nearly all valuable unrestricted free agents, leaving Pavelec as the last remaining big ticket. The team does have other potential internal options as a backup for Henrik Lundqvist, but there’s not much to complain about with their situation this year. Pavelec recorded a .910 save percentage in 19 games, and though his record was poor that’s more a reflection on the team in front of him than his performance. The former Winnipeg Jets goaltender signed for just $1.3MM this season, and could likely be brought back for a similar amount in 2018-19.

Otherwise, Pavelec would likely have several suitors around the league as a reasonably priced backup with plenty of experience. The 30-year old goaltender has played 398 games in the NHL, and could come in as a 20-game backup for one of the more established goaltenders in the league. There is also always a chance he could return to the Czech Republic as a starter, though it’s been more than a decade since he played there full-time.

Other UFAs: F Paul Carey, F Cody McLeod, D Ryan Sproul, F Daniel Catenacci, F John Albert

Projected Cap Space: The Rangers currently project to have somewhere around $30MM in cap space to spend this summer, but a lot of that will be eaten up by the group of RFAs requiring new contracts. If every one of Skjei, Spooner, Hayes, Vesey and Namestnikov are signed, the team could be looking at a lot less room to operate with for the rest of the summer. The idea that they’ll just re-sign what they have and go into next season with the same group seems foolish, especially with young players like Filip Chytil and Lias Andersson knocking down the door.

With three first-round picks and plenty of young prospects starting to fill the cupboards, it wouldn’t be surprising if New York was one of the most active teams this offseason. Either continuing to trade experience for youth and building towards a window of contention in a few years, or reloading to get back to the playoffs in the short-term, the Rangers are a team to watch closely as the draft approaches in a few weeks.

Free Agent Focus: Chicago Blackhawks

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Free agency is now a little more than a month away from opening up and there are quite a few prominent players set to hit the open market while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign.  Here is a breakdown of Chicago’s free agent situation.

Top Restricted Free Agent: F Vinnie Hinostroza — For the second year in a row, Hinostroza got some quality time with the Blackhawks, totallying 99 games in those two seasons. However this year, the 24-year-old forward really showed that he can contribute at a high level. In 50 games this year, Hinostroza found himself working between the second and third lines, totaling seven goals and 25 points, while logging more than 13 minutes of ice time per game. As Chicago becomes more and more reliant on youth to fill in the gap for some of their aging veterans, the team needs Hinostroza to take that next step as a bonafide top-six center.

Having made just $925K this past year, he still is likely to have quite a low salary for a few more years, which is exactly the kind of value the ’Hawks need to rebound and compete for a playoff spot next year.

Other RFA’s: D Adam Clendening, F Anthony Duclair, F John Hayden, F Tomas Jurco.

Top Unrestricted Free Agent: D Cody Franson — Perhaps a better word is ’none.’ There are no key unrestricted free agents unless you look real deep on their roster. You would have to look at players who the team moved to Rockford near the trade deadline when the team decided to give their young players as much playing time as possible. Franson was one of those players, who possesses the offensive talents, but lacks the defense to compete at an NHL level and has bounced around the league looking for a permanent home. Don’t count on Chicago being that place as a recent report suggests he’s not expecting to return next season. He tallied just a goal and six assists in 23 games, but was put on waivers in January.

Other UFA’s: F Lance Bouma, F Christopher Didomenico, G Jeff Glass, F Andreas Martinsen, D Michal Rozsival, D Viktor Svedberg, F Jordin Tootoo.

Projected Cap Space: The salary cap has not been Chicago’s friend over the past few years with big contracts the team handed out to Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook, among others. However, the team has done a good job of moving some contracts and have $6.1MM of cap space available to them, and that’s not including the assumption the cap could go up $5MM next season. The team might have the ability to bring in a free agent or two to help aid the veterans in making a playoff comeback this year. While it’s not likely to include a high-priced free agent, their available cap space should be an asset for the coming season.

Free Agent Focus: Vancouver Canucks

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Free agency is now a little more than a month away from opening up and there are quite a few prominent players set to hit the open market while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign.  Here is a breakdown of Vancouver’s free agent situation.

Key Restricted Free Agent: F Sven Baertschi — Considered to be a player who could break out at any time, the 25-year-old restricted free agent never has had the opportunity as injuries have derailed any true success so far. Having already played in parts of seven seasons and three complete seasons, Baertschi has never played a full season or even close to that much (his season high is 69 games back in 2015-16). This past year, the winger only got into 53 games as he dealt with a jaw injury in December after being hit in the face with a puck and then separated his shoulder in March that ended his season. With 14 goals and 29 points, Baertschi has the potential to contribute to a young team if he can stay healthy.

While the team will likely find a way to ink him to a one-year extension (he made $1.85MM each of the last two years), the team must also determine if he’s a core player who will be a major contributor on his team in the future. Another injury prone year could force the team to move on from him if he can’t prove that he can stay on the ice.

Other RFA’s: F Reid Boucher, F Cole Cassels, D Anton Cederholm, F Michael Chaput, F Markus Granlund, F Griffen Molino, D Derrick Pouliot, D Troy Stecher, D Mackenze Stewart, F Jake Virtanen.

Key Unrestricted Free Agent: F Darren Archibald — Archibald’s name suggests that the team has little to worry about when it comes to their own free agents. With just three NHL-level unrestricted free agents, Archibald’s value stands out. The 6-foot-3, 210-pound wing provides the team with grit, solid skating and physicality and has started to step up for Vancouver this season. A long-time AHL player, Archibald got into 27 games for the Canucks this season, putting up four goals and nine points and was a favorite of coach Travis Green and might be a cheap fourth-line option for Vancouver (he made $650K last season) rather than the franchise go out and sign a veteran for that spot.

Other UFA’s: G Richard Bachman, F Nic Dowd, F Jussi Jokinen, F Joseph Labate, F Jayson Megna, D Patrick Wiercioch.

Projected Cap Space: The team should have plenty of cap space if the team is ready to spend after the retirements of Henrik Sedin and Daniel Sedin. They have a little less than $53MM committed to players for the 2018-19 season and few contracts of their own that they have to deal with. The team could attempt to add a few veterans to mesh with their young core of Bo Horvat, Brock Boeser and Elias Pettersson and must focus more of their attention on their defense, but they do have plenty of space to do that.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Free Agent Focus: Detroit Red Wings

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Free agency is now a little more than a month away from opening up and there are quite a few prominent players set to hit the open market while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign.  Here is a breakdown of Detroit’s free agent situation.

Key Restricted Free Agent: F Dylan Larkin — After a great start in his rookie year, there were a lot of questions after he struggled in his sophomore campaign when he put up just 32 points. However, the 21-year-old center brushed away any doubts this year, putting up 16 goals and a team-leading 63 points. With a team full of veterans, the Red Wings must begin to depend more and more on Larkin, who is developing into the franchise player they need to center one of their top lines. Add in a recent appearance at the IIHF World Championships where he helped Team USA win a bronze medal and he’s the key to Detroit’s rebuild.

Now coming off his entry-level deal, Larkin is in line for a significant raise from the $1.43MM deal he’s been on for the past three years. Not arbitration eligible, however, the negotiations might get ugly like the one that Andreas Athanasiou dealt with last year, especially with multiple quality players who will be restricted free agents this summer.

Other RFA’s: F Athanasiou, F Tyler Bertuzzi, F Martin Frk, F Matej Machovsky, F Anthony Mantha, F Zach Nastasiuk, F Matt Puempel, D Daniel Renouf.

Key Unrestricted Free Agent: D Mike Green — On a positive note, the team doesn’t have any pressing unrestricted free agents. While Green is quite an offensive defenseman, he’s also 32 years old and not necessarily in the team’s long-term plans. The team’s original plan was to trade the veteran blueliner to a playoff contender at the trade deadline and had hoped that he would provide the team with a big haul of picks and/or prospects. Instead, Green got hurt and missed the two weeks prior to the trade deadline and weren’t able to move Green.

While there has been some talk of bringing him back on a short-term deal, he might be able to get a bigger deal elsewhere, but considering defense is one of the team’s biggest weaknesses and not a lot of defensive prospects there to take his place, a reunion is certainly possible.

Other UFA’s: F David Booth, G Jared Coreau, F Turner Elson, F Matt Lorito, G Tom McCollum, F Ben Street, F Eric Tangradi.

Projected Cap Space: With all the bloated veteran contracts the Red Wings have on the books, cap space is something the team has had little of over the past few years. The team did get the contracts of Green, Tomas Tatar, and Petr Mrazek off the books to free up a little room, but they will likely need all of that to re-sign Larkin, Athanasiou, Mantha and Bertuzzi. While general manager Ken Holland says he doesn’t intend to sign any major free agents to long-term deals this summer, he did say he would look at players with shorter term deals, but in the end, the team hopes to bring in some of their youth to fill in the gaps this year.

Free Agent Focus: Montreal Canadiens

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Free agency is now a little more than a month away from opening up and there are quite a few prominent players set to hit the open market while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign.  Here is a breakdown of Montreal’s free agent situation.

Key Restricted Free Agent: F Phillip Danault – Montreal has been hard-pressed to find help at center in recent years with Danault being the exception.  While he was expected to serve on the third line, he has spent a big chunk of his tenure in the top six and even has spent a fair amount of time on the top unit.  He has held his own in that role as well, putting up reasonable offensive numbers (21-44-65 in 134 games the past two seasons).

The 25-year-old is now arbitration-eligible and is in line for a considerable raise on the $950K salary he received this past season.  While the Canadiens may try to argue that he is more of a third line player, his usage and production suggest otherwise which could very well push his AAV over the $3MM mark on his next contract.  As the lone full-time NHL player in restricted free agency for Montreal this offseason, he’s going to be the primary focus for GM Marc Bergevin among those needing to be re-signed.

Other RFAs: F Daniel Carr, F Jacob de la Rose, F Markus Eisenschmid, G Zach Fucale, F Jeremy Gregoire, F Michael McCarron, D Tom Parisi, F Kerby Rychel, F Logan Shaw

Key Unrestricted Free Agent: F Chris Terry – The Canadiens have a very small list of unrestricted free agents and with Antti Niemi off the board having re-signed a one-year, $950K extension last month, there isn’t anyone of particular prominence left.

Terry was the only one of Montreal’s UFAs to not actually see NHL action last year but he’s listed here for another reason.  He led the AHL in scoring this past season which should garner him a lot of interest both from teams looking to add an elite minor league scorer but also internationally.  The 29-year-old played on a one-way, league minimum contract in 2017-18 and if he decides to stay in North America, he will likely get a similar deal this time around.

Other UFAs: F Adam Cracknell, F Ales Hemsky

Projected Cap Space: Montreal wound up going into this past season with plenty of cap room as they weren’t big spenders in free agency.  They never really needed to dip into that which has them set up to potentially make some noise this summer.  They have a little under $63MM in committed contracts per CapFriendly with Danault being the only restricted free agent of note so they will have some money to spend before even factoring in the projected cap increase.  The big question for them is whether they try to go after one big acquisition or spread their wealth and try to upgrade a few different spots around their lineup.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Free Agent Focus: Arizona Coyotes

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Free agency is now a little more than a month away from opening up and there are quite a few prominent players set to hit the open market while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign.  Here is a breakdown of Arizona’s free agent situation.

Key Restricted Free Agent: F Max Domi – The 12th-overall pick from 2013 is an enigma for the Coyotes, who have received flashes of dominance and bouts of inconsistency from Domi throughout his young career. Few would argue with 135 points in 232 games for any forward before his age-23 season, but there is clearly more to get out of Domi as he heads out of his entry-level contract. After spending time at center this season his point totals were boosted by a late-season run, but he failed to eclipse the 10-goal mark for the second consecutive year. Perhaps because of that relatively disappointing total, trade rumors have popped up around Domi with the Pittsburgh Penguins showing interest.

While nothing is certain for any NHL player, the future for Domi is particularly unclear. Does he sign a long-term deal with the Coyotes this season to be a core piece of their rebuild, anchoring the top-six alongside Clayton Keller and others? Is a short-term bridge deal a better option for a player who has yet to really show his full potential in the NHL? Do the Coyotes use this summer to cash in on their asset before he becomes too expensive, and try to acquire a more veteran presence to help them win in the near future? With GM John Chayka loathe to lose out on young inexpensive assets, trading Domi at this point seems like the opposite of the Coyotes model. Perhaps Arizona will show patience and accept his 6.0% shooting percentage in 2017-18 as more of a bargaining chip than reason to move him.

Other RFAs: F Freddie Hamilton, F Laurent Dauphin, G Sean Maguire, D Dakota Mermis, D Trevor Murphy, G Marek Langhamer, F Michael Bunting

Key Unrestricted Free Agents: D Kevin Connauton – The Coyotes face a much more difficult crop of unrestricted free agents in the summer of 2019, when Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Niklas Hjalmarsson and others are scheduled to hit the free agent market. They also already dealt with Antti Raanta, their biggest question mark from this offseason, when they signed him to a new three-year extension. Still, Connauton has a pretty compelling case for a raise this summer from the $1MM he’s earned the last two years.

The 28-year old defenseman finished third on the Coyotes in scoring by defensemen with 21 points, and did so in limited minutes that included almost zero powerplay time. His 11 even-strength goals actually put him fourth on the entire team—not just among defensemen—and he tied for the lead with three game-winners. All that while playing just over 15 minutes a night, and getting relatively even zone starts (if not a little negative). There’s obviously an argument to be made to let Connauton walk, as the team will likely have Jakob Chychrun back and could get contributions from younger players—including perhaps one selected with the fifth-overall pick in the upcoming draft. His agent also recently told Craig Morgan of AZ Sports that like many other players, Connauton wants a bigger role. If that’s not possible in Arizona, perhaps he’ll find himself in a new sweater come October.

F Brad Richardson – Richardson’s fate may have been sealed when the Coyotes traded for Marcus Kruger in early May, as the former Carolina Hurricanes forward is expected to take over as the shutdown center for Arizona next season. The 33-year old Richardson then would be expendable, even if he has proven to be a big part of the leadership group for the club. His 15 points in 76 games this season were far from a career-high, but still represented a solid campaign for a player tasked with winning faceoffs and getting the puck out of his own end. Richardson had a whopping 66% defensive zone-start percentage, easily the highest on the Coyotes last season.

Centers are difficult to find on the open market, but there may be no room for Richardson any longer on a Coyotes team that is looking to contend for the playoffs in 2018-19. If Dylan Strome is truly ready to step into a full-time role in the NHL, it gives the team four—Derek Stepan, Christian Dvorak, Strome and Kruger—capable options down the middle with even more experience in other players on the roster. His market may lie elsewhere around the league as he’s proven himself a capable NHL option over the last decade.

Other UFAs: F Zac Rinaldo, D Luke Schenn, D Joel Hanley, F Pierre-Cedric Labrie, F Mike Sislo, F Tye McGinn

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Free Agent Focus: Ottawa Senators

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Free agency is now a little more than a month away from opening up and there are quite a few prominent players set to hit the open market while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign.  Here is a breakdown of Ottawa’s free agent situation.

Key Restricted Free Agents: D Cody Ceci – While Ceci may not be universally loved by the traditional scouting or analytics community, his role on the Senators is clear. He’s expected to anchor the shutdown second pair and allow Erik Karlsson’s unit to play more offensively against weaker competition. Ceci logged over 23 minutes a night last season, easily registering more short-handed time than any other player for the Senators. His 2:46 of penalty killing time every night was a minute more than any defenseman expected to be with the club next season, with only Dion Phaneuf (now with the Kings) and Johnny Oduya (free agent) closer than Ben Harpur’s 1:43 average.

That’s a heavy load for Ceci under noted defensive coach Guy Boucher, and one that has limited any offensive upside he showed as a young player. Ceci recorded just 19 points last season, with only 14 of those coming at even-strength. That doesn’t give him a lot of firepower when going into contract negotiations, as defensive metrics are harder to argue. Still, he should see a raise on the $2.8MM he earned in 2017-18, especially if he signs long-term. Ceci is on track to become an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2020 since he started his career so young, meaning anything longer than a two-year contract will be buying out UFA years.

F Mark Stone – Though Ceci is important, it all comes down to Stone this summer for the Senators as they look to lock up their best offensive player. Any contract Stone signs will send him to unrestricted free agency at its conclusion, meaning both sides will probably be looking for a long-term deal. The 26-year old is coming off arguably his best season even though he played in just 58 games due to injury, as he was more than a point-per-game player during those contests. With 62 points on the year he registered his fourth consecutive 20+ goal, 50+ point season and is one of the league’s top takeaway artists, able to strip the puck from unsuspecting defensemen with ease.

Nearly everyone that watches the Senators on a regular basis realizes that Stone is an elite player in the NHL, but unfortunately for the club (and their frustrated ownership) that doesn’t necessarily mean that he’s very well-known around the league to fans of other teams. That might help them in negotiations, as his lack of All-Star notoriety may keep his cap hit relatively reasonable. After earning an average of $3.5MM for the past three seasons, it’s not out of the question that he could double his salary should he sign long-term, and end up with a contract like Evander Kane’s recent seven-year, $49MM deal.

Other RFAs: D Fredrik Claesson, G Chris Driedger, F Nick Moutrey, F Nick Paul

Key Unrestricted Free Agent: D Chris Wideman – If Ceci has been overused in his time in Ottawa, the opposite could be said for Wideman who despite good possession statistics and excellent offensive pedigree has averaged just under 14 minutes a night during his Senators career. This season was even more disappointing for the 28-year old defenseman, as he tore his hamstring in November and played only 16 games all year. He had eight points in those 16 contests, showing off the ability that made him a 61-point player in the AHL in 2014-15, but never could return before the end of the year despite his hard rehab schedule.

Wideman seems like he’s destined to go unsigned by the Senators, unless of course they’ve made the decision to trade Karlsson after all. If they do end up moving their captain, bringing back a good puck-moving right-handed defenseman like Wideman makes a lot of sense. Otherwise there isn’t a lot of room for him on a club that looks like it will have at least six NHL defensemen already under contract. Perhaps since he missed most of the season Wideman wouldn’t be looking for much of a raise on his $800K salary from 2017-18, but with the free agent market thin on talent from the right side there ought to be plenty of suitors for his services come July 1.

Other UFAs: F Tyler Randell, F Mike Blunden, F Max Reinhart

Projected Cap Space: Ottawa only has around $60MM committed for next season, and with the cap ceiling expected to climb to something around $80MM there is plenty of room for Stone and Ceci to be re-signed without hamstringing the team on the free agent market. That said, the Senators have never been a team to spend heavily on big name free agents and have an owner that sets an internal budget separate from the league’s cap. After a season at the bottom of the league without playoff revenue, it’s not clear how flush with cash the Senators will be this summer.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Free Agent Focus: Buffalo Sabres

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Free agency is now a little more than a month away from opening up and there are quite a few prominent players set to hit the open market while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign.  Here is a breakdown of Buffalo’s free agent situation.

Key Restricted Free Agents: F Sam Reinhart – While Reinhart hasn’t exactly lit up the league since being the second-overall pick in 2014, he has made progress and had a career year in 2017-18 with 25 goals and 25 assists.  The first thing that Buffalo needs to decide is whether or not he’s still a part of their long-term plans.  If no, then he could be someone they look to move this summer.  Assuming they decide he is part of their future, there’s a good chance that they will look to work out a long-term contract as a bridge deal for a 50-point player would wind up still being quite pricey.

G Robin Lehner – Last summer, the Sabres were faced with a decision as to whether or not to make Lehner their goalie of the present and the future.  They wound up punting on that call and gave him a one-year, $4MM pact instead so this summer, they are faced with the same question with one extra pressure point; Lehner is one year away from being eligible for unrestricted free agency.  His numbers have actually worsened year-to-year since he came to Buffalo but Linus Ullmark isn’t ready for the number one job and there isn’t a prominent starter set to become available on the open market.  A long-term pact still seems unlikely but a medium-term one, a move that would buy them some time to find a goalie of the future, would make some sense.

Other RFAs: D Victor Antipin, F Justin Bailey, F Nicholas Baptiste, F Hudson Fasching, G Jason Kasdorf, F Sean Malone, F Daniel O’Regan, F C.J. Smith, F Scott Wilson

Key Unrestricted Free Agents: F Benoit Pouliot – While Buffalo was hoping that Pouliot would rebound in a new environment, that wasn’t the case.  Even though his goal total went up to 13, he was still a depth player and didn’t take much advantage when he was moved up in the lineup.  After taking a one-year, $1.15MM deal last summer, Pouliot will be looking for a similar pact this time around.  If nothing else, he can get some comfort knowing that Edmonton still owes him another $4MM over the next three seasons after they bought him out last June.

G Chad Johnson – After a decent season with Calgary, Johnson returned to Buffalo back in July to the scene of arguably his best year.  In 2015-16, he posted a 2.36 GAA and a .920 SV% in 45 appearances but his second stint was nowhere near as strong as he put up the worst numbers of his career.  That will prevent him from matching the $2.5MM he received this past season but there should be a few teams that will take a chance on him having a bounce-back season.

Other UFAs: D Justin Falk, D Josh Gorges, F Seth Griffith, F Jordan Nolan, D Zach Redmond, G Adam Wilcox

Projected Cap Space: Even with center Jack Eichel’s new $10MM per year deal kicking in, Buffalo still has a lot of room to work with; they have just under $56MM committed for 2018-19 per CapFriendly.  With the cap expected to jump by a few million, that should give them more than $20MM to work with.  However, they still have nearly half of their roster to fill out so while they should have enough wiggle room to make a splash, expect to see a handful of bargain signings in the coming weeks and months as well.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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