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Free Agent Focus 2019

Free Agent Focus: Washington Capitals

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Free agency is now just a couple of weeks 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.  The Capitals already put pen to paper with one of their free agents of note but they still have several players in need of new deals.  Here’s a closer look at their free agent situation.

Notable Restricted Free Agents: F Jakub Vrana – After a relatively quiet sophomore season, Vrana was much-improved in 2018-19 and took several strides towards locking down a spot in Washington’s top six on a more permanent basis.  GM Brian MacLellan has indicated that he’s open to signing the 23-year-old to a long-term contract but that may be a tricky one to navigate between their salary cap situation and a lack of track record as a scorer in the NHL.  A bridge deal of two or three years would ease their cap burden a little bit and give them more time to evaluate Vrana’s long-term fit with the franchise.

F Andre Burakovsky – A few years ago, he looked like a future top-six piece (not unlike Vrana’s situation now).  However, his development and production have plateaued and he actually took a step back this past season and found himself on the fourth line quite frequently in the second half.  At 24, there’s still some cause for optimism that Burakovsky could turn things around but his qualifying offer of $3.25MM makes that a risky proposition due to their limited cap space.  All options are on the table at this point but it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Capitals try to convince him to sign below his qualifier or try to find a team that’s willing to pay him that and deal his rights around the draft.

Other RFAs: F Mathias Bau-Hansen, F Dmitrij Jaskin, D Christian Djoos, F Hampus Gustavsson, F Mason Mitchell, F Chandler Stephenson, G Vitek Vanecek, D Colby Williams

Notable Unrestricted Free Agents: F Brett Connolly – After showing flashes of his potential over the first several years of his career, the 27-year-old started to put everything together with more consistency this past season.  He blew past his previous career high in points (27) by picking up 22 goals and 24 assists on the year and most importantly, he did so almost exclusively at even strength; just two of his 46 points were on special teams.  It’s also worth noting that he averaged just 13:20 of ice time per night which is low for someone with that type of production.  Secondary scoring is always something teams try to find in free agency and the fact that Connolly just showed that he can produce at five-on-five with limited minutes is going to make him a popular target next month.

D Brooks Orpik – His second go-around with the team came just after his first one ended after Washington dealt him to Colorado.  The Avalanche bought him out and Orpik returned to the Caps.  His role was a lot different in 2018-19, however.  Instead of being a fixture in their top four most nights, Orpik was relegated to more of a depth role.  He’ll turn 39 next month so, at this stage of his career, he’s going to be going year to year on his contracts.  It doesn’t seem likely that he’ll be back in Washington but a team looking for veteran depth could come calling as the summer goes along.

Other UFAs: F Riley Barber, F Jayson Megna, D Aaron Ness, F Michael Sgarbossa, F Devante Smith-Pelly, F Nathan Walker

Projected Cap Space: Right now, Washington has a little over $72.2MM tied up in 17 players for next season, per CapFriendly.  With the Upper Limit now being projected to be a little lower than anticipated, that’s going to leave MacLellan with less than $10MM to round out the roster.  Vrana’s going to take up a fair-sized chunk of that even on a short-term deal while if Burakovsky sticks around, their cap room will drop quite a bit again.  Accordingly, expect them to be shopping for bargains in free agency, players that are willing to take a bit less to play on what they believe can still be a Cup-contending team.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Free Agent Focus: Pittsburgh Penguins

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Free agency is now 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.  The Penguins have their core already under contract but will have some work to do to fill out the end of their roster.  Here’s a closer look at their free agent situation.

Key Restricted Free Agents: D Marcus Pettersson – After being a depth piece with Anaheim, Pettersson stepped into a larger role upon his early-season acquisition and really established himself as a capable blueliner.  He also showed a bit of offensive upside, something that hadn’t been all that prevalent dating back to his time in Sweden.  Pettersson’s emergence helped pave the way for the Penguins to deal Jamie Oleksiak back to Dallas later on in the season as well as move Olli Maatta to Chicago this past weekend.  He doesn’t have arbitration rights and thus doesn’t have a lot of leverage so between that and their salary cap situation, expect a short-term bridge deal with the hopes that he’ll outperform it.

F Zach Aston-Reese – One of the top college free agents in the 2017 class, Aston-Reese began to establish himself as a regular in the second half of the season while also suiting up in all four games in the postseason.  At this point, the 24-year-old is likely to see a lot of time on the fourth line though he is capable enough offensively to move up if injuries arise.  Even though he is arbitration-eligible, players like this without much of a track record at the NHL level don’t tend to get big raises so a one-year contract near his qualifying offer (just over $874K) is likely what he’ll wind up with.

Other RFAs: F Joseph Blandisi, F Teddy Blueger, F Adam Johnson, D Jeff Taylor

Key Unrestricted Free Agents: F Matt Cullen – His second go-round with Pittsburgh wasn’t as successful as his first but Cullen still provided some contributions to the fourth line.  He was their second-best option at the faceoff dot while he chipped in on the penalty kill and added a respectable 20 points.  For the league minimum salary, that was pretty good bang for their buck.  However, Cullen turns 43 in November and at some point, they’ll need to try a younger player in that role.  The time for that change is probably this summer.

F Garrett Wilson – The 28-year-old got his first taste of extended NHL action, getting into 50 games with the Penguins after playing just 34 in the seasons leading up to that.  He was limited to a spot on the fourth line despite some impressive numbers in the early going with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (18 points in 18 games).  He could get a look from more than just Pittsburgh this summer but every offer is likely to be around the league minimum.

Other UFAs: D Kevin Czuczman, F Jimmy Hayes, G John Muse, D Ethan Prow, F Ben Sexton, D Chris Summers, D Zach Trotman, D Chris Wideman

Projected Cap Space: As is almost always the case, cap space is at a premium for the Penguins.  They have over $76.6MM committed for next season already, per CapFriendly and several spots still to fill on the roster.  They can do that with contracts that are close to the league minimum but if they want to add another impact player, they’ll need to free up some cap room first.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Free Agent Focus: Philadelphia Flyers

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Free agency is now 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.  The Flyers have a number of both restricted and unrestricted and will likely have to use quite a bit of their cap space to lock up all of them in the coming weeks.

Key Restricted Free Agents: D Ivan Provorov — Only a year ago, Provorov’s name was being bandied about as one of the top young defensemen in the league and while that hasn’t necessarily changed, Provorov struggled in his third season. After tallying 17 goals in 2017-18, the 22-year-old saw those numbers drop to just seven goals this season and pick up a career-low 26 points and saw his defense take a step back. The team expects Provorov to have a bounce-back season, but have already gone out and added Matt Niskanen, who is expected to be paired with Provorov next season to give him a veteran partner in hopes of developing him into the franchise defenseman they believe he is. The one thing that has been consistent is how much the Flyers have been using him as he played a career-high 25:07 in ATOI. Provorov should get a significant raise from the $1.74MM he made last year.

F Travis Konecny — After scoring 48 goals over the past two seasons, Konecny is expected to score a big raise. The 22-year-old put up almost the exact same number two years ago and has proven to be a valuable piece in the team’s top-six. On top of that, Konecny has shown himself to be an agitator on the ice (despite his smaller frame) which became even more apparent after the team traded away Wayne Simmonds at the trade deadline. Considering how young he is, the team may want to sign him to a long-term deal now in hopes that he continues to improve and get better as all signs suggest he could become a top-line scorer for the franchise. He made $1.1MM last season, but should get quite a bit more.

D Travis Sanheim — After a solid rookie season, Sanheim took his game up a notch in his first full year as he played all 82 games, averaging 19:34 minutes on the ice and nine goals and 35 points, suggesting that the first-round pick from 2014 is finally developing into the top-four blueliner that the team had hoped. You could make the case that he was the most improved player on the team last year. After making $1.26MM last season, however, the 23-year-old should get a significant raise as well.

Other RFAs: F Nicolas Aube-Kubel, F Justin Bailey, D Jacob Graves, F Ryan Hartman, F Scott Laughton

Key Unrestricted Free Agents: F Kevin Hayes — Hayes hasn’t played a game for Philadelphia ever, but he might be the most significant of their free agents. The team sent Winnipeg a fifth-round pick to acquire Hayes’ rights, a rare move by teams, with the hope that they could begin negotiating with Hayes now and convince him to sign a deal before other teams can begin communicating with him. The 27-year-old has been a solid centerman for two seasons now with the New York Rangers. However, when the Rangers decided he wasn’t a part of the team’s long-term plans, they traded him to Winnipeg. Hayes didn’t have the effect on the Jets’ second line that they had hoped and were happy to get something for Hayes’ rights. Regardless, the Flyers need a second-line center to take over for the next couple of years until Nolan Patrick is ready to move into that role. However, with rumors that Hayes could be asking for $7MM or more, that’s a steep price and so far the Flyers haven’t had much luck in getting Hayes to sign early.

G Cam Talbot — There are a number of goaltenders on the team hitting unrestricted free agency, but what the team is looking for is a veteran goaltender that can help mentor young star Carter Hart. Talbot could be that top candidate as the 31-year-old was acquired at the trade deadline in hopes he could be that guy. Unfortunately he struggled in four appearances, but he remains a candidate to be brought back, especially at a heavily discounted price, although the team could just as easily find another player to fill those shoes.

Other UFAs: F Cole Bardreau, F Greg Carey, G Brian Elliott, F Byron Froese, F Tyrell Goulbourne, G Mike McKenna, G Michal Neuvirth, F Phil Varone, F Mike Vecchione

Projected Cap Space: With a little more than $49MM in commitments for next season (per CapFriendly), the team has plenty of money to make changes and moves. With a cupboard of top prospects fast approaching and a number of tradeable players, the Flyers are likely to look quite differently. However, much of the team’s success this summer will be in trying to find a second-line center. The team still hopes it can be Hayes, but if not, the Flyers will have to find another candidate either through free agency or trade. Regardless, some of that $33.8MM in projected cap space will have to go to their young restricted free agents and hopefully, they can lock all of them up to long-term deals now, but there are lots of possibilities in Philadelphia this season.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Free Agent Focus: New York Rangers

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Free agency is now 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.  The Rangers have a lot of options when it comes to the upcoming free agency period, but don’t have as much to concern themselves with when it comes to their own free agents. New York does have a few restricted free agents they must worry about, but few players to concern themselves among unrestricted free agents.

Key Restricted Free Agents: F Pavel Buchnevich — The Rangers must be thrilled with the continued improvements of their 24-year-old forward, who has continually taken his game up a notch in all three years, scoring eight goals as a rookie, 14 goals last season and moving into a permanent top-six role in 2018-19 with a 21-goal campaign. That number was more impressive considering he only played 64 games due to a broken thumb and some issues with head coach David Quinn, although he eventually developed a solid relationship with the coach. His 15:10 ATOI was lower than a number of lesser forwards as he ranked ninth in that area among forwards, but should increase significantly next season. Now that his entry-level deal is up, New York must pay him significantly more than the $925K he was previously making. However, with his development, it’s more likely the team will seek a bridge deal in hopes that his progress continues to improve.

F Brendan Lemieux — The Rangers didn’t get a lot of time to evaluate Lemieux, who the team acquired at the trade deadline as part of the Kevin Hayes trade. While not a key piece to the deal, New York hoped that the 23-year-old would give them a key bottom-six winger for a number of years as he had proved to be an agitator in his 53 games played in Winnipeg. Lemieux started his tenure in New York off well as he provided that grit the team needed, but after averaging 7:25 of ATOI with the Jets, his minutes jumped to 12:50 with the Rangers, and he quickly wore down, suggesting he lacked conditioning. In 19 games, he accumulated six points, 64 penalty minutes and two misconducts, which is a lot of penalties. Regardless, it’s likely the Rangers will seek a short-term deal so that Lemieux can prove himself.

D Neal Pionk — After showing off impressive skills in a trial during the 2017-18 season, the 23-year-old blueliner didn’t fare as well in his first full season with the Rangers. Pionk finished the season with six goals and 26 points but also saw his plus/minus drop to minus-16, but found himself in Quinn’s doghouse quite often in the second half of the season and was often a healthy scratch as he tallied just one point and seven points in his final 37 games. With a number of young defenseman close to ready for a regular NHL role, general manager Jeff Gorton will have to decide whether Pionk should stay with the defense or whether the team should move on from him. Expect him to get a short-term or even more likely a one-year deal on a “prove it” contract.

Other RFAs: D Julius Bergman, D Chris Bigras, D Fredrik Claesson, D Anthony DeAngelo, G Brandon Halverson, F Vinni Lettieri, G Chris Nell

Key Unrestricted Free Agents: D John Gilmour — Yes, Gilmour, who played a total of five games for the Rangers this past year, is the team’s top unrestricted free agent. The Group 6 free agent played 28 games during the 2017-18 season, but found himself playing a full season for the Hartford Wolf Pack in the AHL where he dominated, scoring 20 goals and 54 points and was named to the AHL All-Star team. However, he has been passed over on the prospect chart by Ryan Lindgren and Libor Hajek and doesn’t seem to be a major part of the team’s long-range plans although he could be a cheap 6/7th defensive option for the Rangers if they want a low-cost option.

Other UFAs: F Connor Brickley, D Rob O’Gara, G Dustin Tokarski

Projected Cap Space: With a little less than $64MM in commitments for next season (per CapFriendly), the team has room to make changes, but it’s unlikely the team will make any long-term commitments in house this offseason. The team is far more likely to go with multiple short-term deals and focus on fast-tracking their rebuilding efforts as they will likely attempt to bring in a top free agent to supplement its young players.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Free Agent Focus: New York Islanders

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Free agency is now 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.  The Islanders have been active with some of their key UFAs but GM Lou Lamoriello still has some work to do.  Here’s a closer look at their free agent situation.

Key Restricted Free Agents: F Anthony Beauvillier – While he hasn’t become a full-time fixture in the top six just yet, Beauvillier has been a capable secondary scorer for the Islanders, tallying 39 goals over the last two seasons.  That type of production is certainly valuable to have so he will be a top priority for Lamoriello once he deals with his UFA class.  Because of his role, the 22-year-old is a likely candidate for a bridge deal at this point with an eye on having a big year over the next season or two to land a richer contract with arbitration eligibility down the road.

F Josh Ho-Sang – While fellow RFA Michael Dal Colle has had more of an NHL impact so far, Ho-Sang’s case is the more intriguing of the two.  He has made it known that he feels he should have been given more time with the Islanders and even spoke openly about how he could have been dealt in advance of the trade deadline to a place where he could have had more of an opportunity.  The team has confirmed he’ll be qualified but beyond that, his future is uncertain.  It’s certainly possible that he’s a trade candidate once again over the coming weeks.

Other RFAs: F Michael Dal Colle, F John Stevens

Key Unrestricted Free Agents: F Anders Lee – For the second straight season, their captain is slated to hit unrestricted free agency but the odds of him sticking around are certainly relatively strong.  Both sides have expressed an interest in getting something done and there have been discussions going back several months now.  However, the length of the contract seems to be holding things up with Lee’s side seeking a long-term pact while Lamoriello wants a shorter deal.  The soon-to-be 29-year old has scored at least 25 goals in four of the last five seasons including a 40-goal campaign in 2017-18.  That has him poised to be one of the top wingers available on the open market and he will wind up with a significant raise on the $3.75MM he had on his previous contract.

G Robin Lehner – What a turnaround season he had.  After being non-tendered by the goaltending-starved Sabres, Lehner completely turned things around both on and off the ice, putting together a career season in the process.  Now, instead of being viewed as a short-term stopgap, the 27-year-old could be looked as a multi-year fit, both with New York and around the league.  He’s also in line for a significant raise on the $1.5MM he made in 2018-19 and after playing on one-year deals the last two seasons, he’ll get some much-coveted security as well.

Other UFAs: F Steve Bernier, F Valtteri Filppula, F Stephen Gionta, F Tom Kuhnhackl, D Luca Sbisa, D Dennis Seidenberg, F Mike Sislo

Projected Cap Space: With a little over $60MM in commitments for next season (per CapFriendly) following the recent re-signings of Brock Nelson and Jordan Eberle, Lamoriello has plenty of cap space at his disposal for this summer.  A decent chunk of that will go to Lee and Lehner if they re-sign but even if they do, the Islanders have the cap space to make a big splash on the open market this offseason.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Free Agent Focus: New Jersey Devils

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Free agency is now 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.  For the most part, New Jersey only has depth players to deal with this summer with the exception of one core defender.  Here’s a closer look at their free agent situation.

Key Restricted Free Agents: D Will Butcher – His sophomore NHL season saw him take a bit of a step back offensively but he is still one of their most dangerous threats from the back end.  His minutes weren’t as sheltered in 2018-19 as he jumped up to over 19 minutes a night which will certainly look favorable to an arbitrator.  His defensive struggles will limit his overall upside in terms of a new contract but he’ll nonetheless be in line for a significant raise over his $925K base salary on his rookie deal.  With two of their top four defensemen now a year away from UFA eligibility, it’s likely that New Jersey will try to get Butcher locked up to a long-term contract.

F Pavel Zacha – The struggles continued for the 2015 sixth-overall pick who wound up with his first career stint in the minors when things really started to go off the rails.  To his credit, Zacha did play better upon his return and while he equalled his output from the year before, he managed to do so in eight fewer games.  At this point, him living up to his draft billing doesn’t appear to be likely but he could still be part of New Jersey’s plans in a lesser role.  A short-term bridge contract is a near-certainty and is one that could also be a make-or-break pact for his time with the Devils.

D Connor Carrick – After being a depth defender with Toronto that was headed for the waiver wire, the Stars picked him up in a trade where he proceeded to play a similar role with them.  He was included in the trade that saw the Stars pick up pending UFA Ben Lovejoy and Carrick was given the opportunity to play more minutes than he had at any other time, logging over 19 minutes a night with his new team.  His showing there could be enough to give him a qualifying offer which checks in at $1.3MM.  He’s also eligible for salary arbitration.

Other RFAs: F Brandon Baddock, D Josh Jacobs, G Cam Johnson, D Mirco Mueller, D Ryan Murphy, F Stefan Noesen, F John Quenneville

Key Unrestricted Free Agent: F Kenny Agostino – The 27-year-old had a career year in 2018-19, establishing himself as a capable NHL winger in the process.  He made a strong impression early on when he was with Montreal and after the Devils picked him up on waivers midseason, he was handed a fair bit of time in the top six and responded well with 13 points in 27 games.  That should be enough to land him a one-way contract at the very least and teams that are looking for some cheap winger depth with a bit of offensive upside may have some interest in Agostino, who also happens to be New Jersey’s top UFA this summer.

Other UFAs: F Kurtis Gabriel, G Eddie Lack, F Nick Lappin, F Blake Pietila, F Drew Stafford, F Eric Tangradi

Projected Cap Space: With just over $47.3MM committed for next season per CapFriendly, the Devils are going to have some spending to do to make it to the cap floor, let alone the Upper Limit.  They’ve tried to go after notable free agents in the past so it’s likely they’ll try to do so again, not only to try to help entice Taylor Hall to sign an extension but to also give them some security if he does leave a year from now.  If that doesn’t come to fruition, there’s a good chance they could opt to use some of that space to take on a bad contract in exchange for some other assets in the weeks to come.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Free Agent Focus: Columbus Blue Jackets

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Free agency is now 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. Columbus does have a few important restricted free agents, but it’s the unrestricted free agents that have dominated the press over the last year.

Key Restricted Free Agents: D Zach Werenski – The defenseman wraps up his entry-level deal and now is expected to get quite a pay raise after making $1.775MM last season. The top pairing defenseman may not have the accolades and numbers that partner Seth Jones carries, but with the way the market has been rising, the 21-year-old blueliner could seriously cash in this summer and could conceivably make even more than Jones’ current $5.4MM per year deal. Regardless, Werenski had a solid season for the Blue Jackets, posting 11 goals and 44 points and has scored 38 goals over three seasons, an impressive feat for a young defenseman. Werenski also added a goal and six points in 10 games during Columbus’ playoff run this season.

D – Ryan Murray – Other than playing 82 games back in 2015-16, Murray’s biggest problem has been staying healthy. Other than that one season, the most games the 25-year-old has played was 66 and that was back in his rookie campaign. The talented blueliner played in 56 games this past season, but was hampered with a back injury for quite some time as well. This is Murray’s last year as a restricted free agency as he could become an unrestricted free agent in 2020-21 and could opt to depart. Although Murray has shown talent, Columbus might have a problem handing the former second-overall pick in 2012 a long-term deal if he can’t stay healthy. That’s why Murray could be a solid trade candidate, most recently to Chicago.

Other RFAs: D Adam Clendening, F Markus Hannikainen, D Scott Harrington, G Joonas Korpisalo, F Ryan MacInnis, F Sonny Milano, F Eric Robinson, F Justin Scott, F Lukas Sedlak, D Doyle Somerby, F Sam Vigneault

Key Unrestricted Free Agents: F Artemi Panarin – The 27-year-old has been everything that Columbus had hoped for when the Blue Jackets traded for him two years ago. Panarin scored 55 goals and 114 points over those two seasons, but it became apparently clear that he had little interest in signing any sort of extension and wished to move on when he hit unrestricted free agency. Rather than trade him away, the team chose instead to hold onto him and bulk up for the playoffs, which did allow Columbus to advance to the second round of the playoffs for the first time ever. Unfortunately, the team has no chance to sign him as he has quickly become the most sought-after free agent, most likely to sign a deal with either Florida or the New York Rangers.

G Sergei Bobrovsky – Unfortunately for Bobrovsky, the team is in the exact same pickle that they are with Panarin. The long-time goaltender has been one of the faces of the franchise for years in Columbus and while many initially thought he just was holding out for a Carey Price-like contract, it has been quite clear that he too intends to leave the Blue Jackets and sign elsewhere with many people believing that he might choose to sign with Florida as well. Regardless, Bobrovsky becomes the most highly-touted goalie on the free-agent market. While his regular season numbers took a minor dip with a 2.58 GAA and a .913 save percentage, the 30-year-old netminder finally showed some skill in the playoffs with a 2.41 GAA and a .925 save percentage in 10 appearances.

F – Matt Duchene – If there is one big-name free agent that Columbus might be able to retain, it will be Duchene, who is at least considering staying with the Blue Jackets. Unfortunately, there are also a large number of teams that are interested in signing him as well, which could make a signing tough. Acquired at the trade deadline from Ottawa for several prospects and their 2019 first-round pick, Duchene added a second-line center presence that helped solidify the team’s top six and between the two teams combined for 31 goals and 70 points. The down side of signing him is the team would lose their 2020 first-rounder as well, making it even more of a challenging decisions for the franchise.

Other UFAs: G Jean-Francois Berube, D Tommy Cross, F Ryan Dzingel, G Keith Kinkaid, F Mark Letestu, D Adam McQuaid

Projected Cap Space: Cap space is definitely not an issue in Columbus as the team is projected to have more than $32MM in cap room. The problem is the team is likely to lose all four of their top unrestricted free agents and must find a way to attract other free agents without having to overpay them. However, that will be a challenge for general manager Jarmo Kekalainen, who has done an excellent job in recent years to compete in a small market. Regardless, the team must find a way to add a top talent and hope that its prospect depth can keep the team above water for the next couple of years.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Free Agent Focus: Carolina Hurricanes

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Free agency is now 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.  Carolina doesn’t have a large number of players to re-sign but of the ones in need of new deals, there are quite a few notable ones.  Here’s a closer look at their free agent situation.

Key Restricted Free Agents: F Sebastian Aho – He’s one of the players that are part of the high-end class of RFAs that are coming off their entry-level deals this summer.  Not only did Aho take a big step forward offensively as he hit the point-per-game mark for the first time, he did so while transitioning to playing center, a more difficult position compared to the wing.  While his numbers dipped a bit in the postseason, he wound up leading the Hurricanes in scoring there as well.  While Aho isn’t eligible for salary arbitration, he has certainly positioned himself extremely well to get a significant raise this summer.  It won’t be a question of if he’ll be their highest-paid player but rather by how much.

F Brock McGinn – The 25-year-old saw his numbers dip slightly but still played an important role in Carolina’s bottom six in terms of playing with physicality and chipping in with some secondary scoring; he actually saw his point-per-game average go up slightly in the postseason.  After being on a cheap two-year bridge deal, McGinn should at least double his previous AAV of just under $890K.  Unlike Aho, he is eligible for salary arbitration.

Other RFAs: F Clark Bishop, D Trevor Carrick, D Haydn Fleury, F Saku Maenalanen, D Roland McKeown, G Alex Nedeljkovic, D Josh Wesley

Key Unrestricted Free Agents: F Micheal Ferland – After a surprisingly strong season in Calgary the year before, Ferland was able to match those numbers in his first season with the Hurricanes despite a drop in ice time.  His grit and physicality (along with his age – 27) make him arguably the best pure power forward that’s going to be available on the open market so he is going to be highly sought after next month.  After making $1.8MM in 2018-19, he could be looking to triple that on his next contract.

G Curtis McElhinney and Petr Mrazek – The two have basically been linked together since they became a surprisingly-strong goalie tandem at the beginning of the season.  However, both are in very different situations.  McElhinney is 36 and is probably his last shot at a multi-year deal.  Moving forward, teams interested in him will be solely viewing him as a backup even though he handled a larger workload than that.  Mrazek is only 27 and has some more options.  He’ll likely be seeking a deal where he at least has a path to the number one job and unlike last summer, a multi-year deal is now likely to happen.

F Justin Williams – He may be 37 but Williams has shown no signs of slowing down.  His 53 points this past season were actually his highest since 2011-12 although he was a little quieter than usual in the postseason.  His situation is a little different as it’s believed that if he decides that he wants to return next season, it will only be with the Hurricanes which doesn’t exactly help his market value.  The captain had an AAV of $4.5MM the last two years and if he does return, his next contract will likely check in at that amount once again.

Other UFAs: F Patrick Brown, F Greg McKegg, F Andrew Poturalski, D Dan Renouf

Projected Cap Space: As things stand, Carolina has committed a little over $54MM to 14 players for next season, per CapFriendly.  Basically, they have more than enough room under the Upper Limit to bring all their players back if they so desire.  How high of an increase to the budget that owner Tom Dundon is willing to approve will ultimately determine their offseason spending.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Free Agent Focus: Vancouver Canucks

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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.  Vancouver has one of the better forwards in the RFA class and one of the better defenders among the unrestricted free agents.  Here’s a closer look at their free agent situation.

Key Restricted Free Agents: F Brock Boeser – The 22-year-old had a nearly identical sophomore season compared to his rookie year.  While some stagnation can be cause for concern, that’s not the case with Boeser.  He has already established himself as a legitimate top line winger and will be looking to be paid accordingly this summer.  Unlike the players at the top of the RFA class though, Boeser doesn’t have quite as much of a track record.  The first year of his contract was burned with just nine games and between that and injuries, he doesn’t have two full NHL seasons of games under his belt.  While that could make a short-term deal more palatable from Boeser’s perspective, it’s still expected that a long-term contract will get done.

D Ben Hutton – A year ago, it looked rather unlikely that Hutton would still be in Vancouver and even less likely that they’d be entertaining the idea of tendering him a $2.8MM qualifying offer.  However, he had a much-improved 2018-19 season, working his way from being in and out of the lineup a fixture in Vancouver’s top four.  While the presence of Quinn Hughes could ultimately cut into Hutton’s ice time next season, he should still be an important part of their back end for next season.  The 26-year-old is a year away from UFA eligibility and is eligible for salary arbitration.

Other RFAs: F Reid Boucher, F Brendan Gaunce, F Nikolay Goldobin, F Markus Granlund, F Yan-Pavel Laplante, F Josh Leivo, F Tyler Motte, D Derrick Pouliot, D Brogan Rafferty, D Josh Teves

Key Unrestricted Free Agents: D Alex Edler – Edler is near the top of the list in terms of left-shot defensemen available.  Normally, this would bode well for his market value but by all accounts, he’d rather not make it to July 1st and would simply rather remain with the only NHL organization he’s ever known after being a third-rounder of the Canucks back in 2004.  However, at this point, it appears that the hold-up is at least in part due to his preference to receive a no-move clause in his contract.  While that may not seem like a big deal on the surface, we are just a couple of years away from the Seattle expansion draft and if he’s not interested in leaving Vancouver now, he likely wouldn’t be open to waiving no-move protection down the road.

D Luke Schenn – His acquisition in mid-January was largely for salary-matching purposes but Schenn wound up filling a useful role for Vancouver down the stretch after his recall from AHL Utica.  He logged just shy of 15 minutes per night over 18 games with the Canucks and there is already talk that the team is interested in bringing him back for next season.  Schenn made $800K in 2018-19 and it’s unlikely that it would cost much more than that to keep him in the fold considering he played in more AHL than NHL games this past season.

Other UFAs: F Derek Dorsett (already retired), F Tanner Kero, G Michael Leighton, D Evan McEneny, F Tom Pyatt

Projected Cap Space: Vancouver currently has just shy of $52.5MM committed for next season, per CapFriendly.  While re-signing Boeser and Edler won’t be cheap, they’ll have some room to shop at the top of the free agent market if they so desire.  However, knowing that Hughes and Elias Pettersson are two years away from what will likely be very pricey second contracts, expect GM Jim Benning to be somewhat tempered in his spending and will likely prefer to add some shorter-term deals this summer.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Free Agent Focus: San Jose Sharks

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Free agency is now 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.  San Jose should have one of the busiest off-seasons, as the team has multiple key free agents to sign or otherwise may have a completely new look next season.

Key Restricted Free Agents: F Timo Meier – With so many questions concerning their unrestricted free agents this off-season, it might be easy to forget that the team must also find a new contract from one of their young stars and Meier should get quite the pay raise this year after making just $894K last season. Meier repaid the Sharks with his best season yet, scoring a career-high 30 goals and 66 points. He also posted 15 points in 20 playoff games. With the money that many restricted free agents have been getting over the past couple of years, Meier could be in for a giant payday, regardless of whether he signs a bridge deal or the team locks him up long-term.

F Kevin Labanc – It took quite a while for Labanc to work his way into San Jose’s veteran-laden lineup, but he has done quite a good job on the team’s third line and could be headed for a even larger role depending on how the off-season shakes out for the Sharks. Like Meier, Labanc has had season highs in both goals (17) and points (56) and would be a likely candidate to take a bridge deal in order to prove whether he can take his game up to another level and become a top-six option for them.

Other RFAs: D Michael Brodzinski, F Rourke Chartier, D Nick DeSimone, D Cody Donaghey, D Cavan Fitzgerald, F Dylan Gambrell, F Maxim Letunov, F Jonathon Martin, F Francis Perron, D Joakim Ryan, F Alex Schoenborn, F Antti Suomela, D Kyle Wood.

Key Unrestricted Free Agents: D Erik Karlsson – Many people expected the Sharks to lock up Karlsson to a long-term deal at the trade deadline, but when that didn’t happen, there were many questions about whether he was willing to sign a deal with the Sharks at all, as well as many people who wondered whether Karlsson was worth a long-term deal considering his injury history. After all, the 29-year-old missed most of the second half of the season with a groin injury and even when he returned for the playoffs, he wasn’t fully healthy as he had trouble keeping up with the quicker opposing forwards. It looks more like Karlsson intends to test the open market and head to a team he would like to play for long-term or take the best offer that he can get. Will it be San Jose though?

F Joe Pavelski – The 34-year-old captain has been a key figure for the Sharks throughout his career, but so far there have been few talks of giving the veteran a new deal. While it’s hard to picture Pavelski heading elsewhere, the Sharks must factor in what a new contract for the soon-to-be 35-year-old would look like for the rest of their cap structure. Pavelski is coming off a unique 38-goal season, a number that he is unlikely to equal again, and with the difficulty of long-term deals for 35+ players, the team will likely want to avoid a multi-year deal that has a large AAV attached to it, meaning the club will have to hope that Pavelski isn’t going to be asking too much.

F – Joe Thornton – It’s unlikely the team is worried about money when it comes to Thornton, as the team will bring him back on a one-year deal at a reasonable cost (he signed for one year and $5MM last offseason). However, the real question is whether Thornton is ready to call it quits. Thornton will turn 40 in July and didn’t make it clear during locker clean-out day that he will definitely return next season. He wants time to think about it.

Other UFAs: F Tim Clifton, F Joonas Donskoi, F Micheal Haley, D Tim Heed, F Gustav Nyquist.

Projected Cap Space: With a little over $58MM committed to 15 players for next season per CapFriendly, the Sharks should have some cap room to work with despite a number of high profile free agents this off-season. The team must try to bring back Karlsson and Pavelski, while trying to get reasonable deals in place for Meier and Labanc. While they may have to wait for a Thornton decision, they do have other important free agents they must consider for a deal as well, such as Donskoi and Nyquist. If all of these impending free agents are interested in a return, San Jose may be forced to move someone else with cap space at a premium. Regardless, the team may have to rely even more on younger players to fill holes in the bottom of their lineup next season.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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