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5 Key Stories: 1/23/17 – 1/29/17

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Congratulations to the members of the Metro Division All-Star team, who capped off an entertaining three-on-three tournament by defeating the Pacific Division 4 – 3. It’s time for PHR’s weekly roundup of the five key stories from the week of 1/23/17 through 1/29/17.

Colorado center Matt Duchene, the subject of trade rumors for much of the season, expressed a willingness to being dealt to another club in comments made to The Denver Post this week. The talented pivot has two years remaining on a contract that comes with an AAV of $6MM and is sure to attract plenty of trade interest. The team is reportedly hoping to land at least a young, top-four defenseman and a high draft pick in return.

The Ottawa Senators added some bottom-six depth by acquiring veteran winger Tommy Wingels from the San Jose Sharks for minor leaguers Zack Stortini and Buddy Robinson along with a seventh-round draft pick. Still just 28, Wingels could prove to be a solid pickup for the Senators. During the 2012-13 and 2013-14 campaigns, the seven-year veteran combined for 31 goals and that’s the kind of production the Senators are hoping for. From the Sharks perspective, the trade cleared needed cap space with Tomas Hertl poised to come off of IR.

Looking for additional defensive depth, the Montreal Canadiens picked up Nikita Nesterov from Tampa Bay in exchange for minor league prospect Jonathan Racine and a sixth-round draft choice. Nesterov has tallied 12 points in 35 games this season and could provide solid value for the Habs as a long-term fit on their blue line. He carries a cap hit of $725K and will be a RFA this summer.

As he draws nearer unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2018, New York Islanders franchise center John Tavares indicated he is open to inking a long-term extension to remain on Long Island despite the team’s struggles this season. It’s not a surprising position for the #1 overall selection in the 2009 draft to take. There’s no point in limiting any option this far from free agency and a lot can change between now and July 1, 2018. Any way you look at it, Tavares is going to land a lucrative long-term deal, whether it’s with the Islanders or another franchise.

Semyon Varlamov, Colorado’s starting goaltender, will miss the rest of the season following surgery to repair a groin injury. Like many of his teammates, the 2016-17 campaign has not been a good one for the Russian netminder and now his season is going to be cut short. Varlamov will have two years remaining on a deal that comes with a $5.9MM cap hit and it will be interesting to see what the Avalanche, already rumored to be considering significant roster changes, do with their goaltending situation.

 

 

Eastern Conference Snapshots: Hurricanes, Trocheck, Mantha

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From the outside looking in, the stars seem to be aligned for the relocation of an NHL franchise. The Carolina Hurricanes are up for sale and their attendance figures once again rank near the bottom of the league. And up north, Quebec City, the former home of the Quebec Nordiques/Colorado Avalanche franchise, has a shiny new arena lacking an NHL tenant. It almost makes too much sense but as Chip Alexander of The News & Observer writes, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman says the league remains committed to the “Triangle.”

“Peter may sell, he may not sell,” Bettman said Saturday. “He may sell all of it. He may sell some of it. He may sell none of it. There’s no formal sale process going on. There’s no imperative for the franchise to be sold on any immediate basis, and the franchise is not moving. I hope that was definitive enough.”

While there is a strong possibility the team will be sold, the NHL sees far too much promise in the Carolina market to abandon it now. As Alexander notes, the Triangle is one of the fastest growing markets in the country and given that the Hurricanes appear to have a bright future with loads of young talent int he pipeline, it may only be a matter of time before the organization turns it around, both on and off the ice.

Elsewhere in the Eastern Conference:

  • First time All-Star Vincent Trocheck is on pace to register a 30-goal season, one year after netting 25 goals and 53 points as a 22-year-old in his sophomore NHL campaign. The former third-round pick has turned heads with his strong offensive production the last two seasons but Trocheck believes he is just scratching the surface of his potential, according to Harvey Fialkov of the Sun Sentinel. Trocheck is contributing more than just offense, as Fialkov points out, taking the fourth highest number of draws in the entire NHL. He also ranks second on the team among forwards in hits and shot blocks. Florida felt strongly enough in Trocheck’s future to ink the youngster to a six-year, $28.5MM contract extension this past July and the early returns have proven positive for the Panthers.
  • The Detroit Red Wings are in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time in more than a quarter-century and while that won’t make the fans in Motown happy, the development of the club’s young talent this season could represent a bright spot in an otherwise disappointing season. Among the young Wings who are coming into their own is Anthony Mantha, the team’s first-round pick in 2013, as Brendan Savage of MLive.com reports. Mantha enjoyed tremendous success with Val d’Or of the QMJHL, capping off his junior career with a 57-goal season and being named CHL Player of the Year in 2013-14. His pro career got off to an auspicious beginning, due in part to a broken leg his first season with Grand Rapids but the 22-year-old winger is finally showing his promise this year in Detroit. Mantha has recorded 11 goals and 22 points in 34 games this season and is tied for third on the club in goals. Even if the Wings fall short of extending their playoff run, the continued development of players like Mantha will go a long way as the team looks to begin its next streak.

Unfortunate Extensions: Jake Allen & Petr Mrazek

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When the St. Louis Blues went into this offseason, they had a problem. Some may call it a good problem, but it was an issue all the same; what to do with the tandem of Brian Elliott and Jake Allen? The team had gone to the Conference Finals for the first time in 15 years, and did it on the back of two outstanding seasons from their pair of netminders. Allen had a .920 save percentage in 44 starts, while Elliott carried a .930 mark through his 38 starts and continued his dominance into the playoffs, essentially moving Allen to the bench.

But when the summer came, the team decided it was time to move on from one of them and traded Elliott to the Calgary Flames. With just a year left on each goalie’s deal, the Blues wanted to get ahead of the controversy and establish Allen as their true franchise netminder. They signed him to a four-year, $17.4MM extension on the first day of free agency, locking him in long-term as their starter. After all, he was coming off the best season of his career and was still just 25-years old.

That decision hasn’t turned out too well for the Blues, who last week sent Allen away from the team, not even bringing him on a road trip to Winnipeg. Allen is sporting a .897 save percentage through the first half of the season, easily a career low for him. While some of that is a much weaker team in front of him defensively, not all of the blame can removed from his shoulders. He simply hasn’t been good enough for the Blues, and now it comes time to wonder about the decision to extend him in the summer.

With a $4.35MM cap-hit going forward, it’s not like the Blues will be completely hamstrung by his deal. There is room to get a quality veteran to split the season with him like Florida is doing with Roberto Luongo and James Reimer, but it is far from ideal. A team that has pending unrestricted free agents in Kevin Shattenkirk and Patrik Berglund, along with big RFA deals with Robby Fabbri and Colton Parayko looming in the next couple of seasons, needs their cap space used in effective manners. A long-term extension for a struggling goalie is not that.

In Detroit, a similar goaltender situation played out last year when Petr Mrazek and Jimmy Howard split the duties and pushed a underwhelming team into the playoffs. While Howard struggled during parts of the season and in the playoffs, Mrazek looked like a lock as a starting goaltender and perhaps even all-star going forward. The Wings were locked into Howard for another three seasons, but looked like they wanted to give the number one job to Mrazek after his great stretch run.

The team likely shopped the veteran Howard around but found no takers, and eventually decided on just a two-year deal with Mrazek when it came to free agency. Had they been able to find a taker for Howard and his $5.3MM cap hit, they probably would have tried to work out a longer-term deal with the younger netminder. Perhaps their inability to move Howard was a blessing in disguise however, as Mrazek has imploded in the Wings’ net, posting an .894 save percentage behind a reeling team. Howard was actually off to a great start before suffering an injury, making the decision even harder this summer.

Howard is still likely on the move out of town as the Red Wings start a rebuild, but luckily they haven’t committed to Mrazek long-term. If they decide he’s not the goaltender they thought he was, and in a year choose to go in a different direction he’ll be a hefty trade chip on the market. If he rebounds and shows them that this was just a blip on what will be an otherwise excellent career, they can then lock him into a longer deal.

For St. Louis though, they have to hitch their horse to Allen and hope he can pull them out of it. With another four-years after this dedicated to the former second-round pick, they basically don’t have any other choice.

Blues Notes: Allen, Bishop, Shattenkirk, Hunt

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Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch conducted his weekly chat and understandably touched on several trade-related topics. It’s well worth a full read but here are the highlights.

  • The Blues dealt goaltender Brian Elliott this past summer under the belief that Jake Allen was ready to be a full-time starter. It made sense in theory as the former second-round draft pick won 26 of his 44 starts and posted a GAA of 2.35 with a S% of 0.920. Unfortunately, Allen has struggled as the #1, allowing nearly 0.50 goals-per-60 more than he did in 2015-16 and stopping fewer than nine of every 10 shots on net. Rutherford feels that while Allen is certainly to blame for the soft goals he has allowed at times this season, the team in front of him simply isn’t good enough this year.
  • Because of Allen’s struggles, some have suggested the team should look to acquire a proven starter with Ben Bishop’s name surfacing as one possibility. In fact, one reader speculated on a possible Kevin Shattenkirk-for-Bishop swap since on the surface it addresses issues each team has. Rutherford pours cold water on that hypothetical scenario, however, citing uncertainty regarding whether Tampa Bay will be a buyer, seller or choose to stand pat at the deadline. Additionally, he questions whether the Lightning would be willing to pay a hefty price for a rental, assuming they remain either on the outside looking in or on the fringes of a playoff berth. It should also be noted that with several key RFA’s to re-sign next summer, it’s not likely that the Lightning would target a pending UFA with any notion of extending him beyond his current term, further diminishing the possibility GM Steve Yzerman engages the Blues in discussions for Shattenkirk.
  • Speaking of Shattenkirk, Rutherford calculates the potential returns the Blues can expect if moving the skilled blue liner both as a rental and a sign-and-trade scenario where the acquiring team is allowed to negotiate an extension with the player. As a rental the scribe feels he can net the Blues a “pretty good prospect.” Even as part of a sign-and-trade, Rutherford is unsure whether the Blues would be able to attract offers including more than a “good player.” He reasons that teams would simply prefer to wait until Shattenkirk hits free agency as opposed to sacrificing valuable assets now. Either way, Shattenkirk is going to get paid and it might behoove teams to wait until the summer to make their move. Based on what significant rental players have cost acquiring teams in the past, Rutherford might be undervaluing Shattenkirk. Last year Carolina received a prospect and two draft choices for a couple months of Eric Staal. Winnipeg dealt Andrew Ladd and received a prospect (Marko Dano) and a first-round pick in return. Teams will pay steep prices for premium rentals. The real question, in my estimation at least, is whether St. Louis would be willing to move Shattenkirk for futures or if they will insist on receiving an NHL or NHL-ready contributor. If they have designs on competing for a Stanley Cup in the near future it’s more likely they’d prefer someone who can step in and play right away.
  • Lastly, readers wanted to know why the Blues couldn’t find a trade partner for defenseman Brad Hunt rather than losing him for nothing on waivers. The undersized Hunt has been excellent in the AHL, netting 29 points in 23 games for the Chicago Wolves but as Rutherford points out, he has yet to see any game action since joining Nashville. Hunt also spent three years in the Edmonton organization, a team lacking NHL-quality defenders, yet saw nothing more than a cup of coffee with the Oilers. Could Hunt be an example of a player overlooked? Perhaps, but more likely he is what they refer to in baseball circles as a “4A” player; too good for the minors but not quite good enough to secure a permanent role in the big leagues.

Montreal Canadiens Acquire Nikita Nesterov From Tampa Bay Lightning

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The Montreal Canadiens and Tampa Bay Lightning have completed a trade Thursday evening, which will see defenseman Nikita Nesterov head to Montreal in return for Jonathan Racine and a 6th round pick.

The 23-year old Nesterov signed a one-year deal with the Lightning this summer as a restricted free agent after playing in 57 games with the team last season. In 35 games this year he’s put up 12 points in 35 games playing on the team’s bottom pairing. After playing for Russia at the World Cup, he hasn’t quite been able to show that he’s deserved of big minutes at this point in his career.

Montreal has been looking for someone to add some depth to the back end of their defense corps for a while, which Nesterov will now do admirably. Racine had been one of the players they hoped could make the leap this year after acquiring him for Tim Bozon from the Florida Panthers this summer. He hasn’t made much of an impact at the AHL level and is slowly falling away from prospect status. The former third-round pick will turn 24 in May and has played in just one NHL game, back in 2013-14.

For Tampa, they had a tough summer ahead of them with no less than 20 RFAs to sign (though the minor league veterans aren’t really a problem). Nesterov likely would have needed a slight upgrade from the $725,000 he is earning this season, money which the Lightning simply won’t have.

As we wrote the other day, the team has some issues in front of them going into the expansion draft, so consider this the first move of a possible series before next month’s trade deadline. With some forwards at risk of selection, the team might still be open to moving a player off their top few lines.

Atlantic Division Snapshots: Marchand, Julien, Toronto

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Brad Marchand has avoided a suspension for his “dangerous trip” of Detroit Red Wings defenseman Niklas Kronwall in a recent game between the two clubs, the NHL Department of Player Safety has announced. Instead the pesky forward was assessed a $10,000 fine, the maximum allowed under terms of the CBA.

Given his history with the DoPS – he’s been suspended four times overall in his career and on three separate occasions since the start of the 2014-15 campaign – it seemed likely Marchand would be suspended. However, the fact Kronwall showed no apparent ill-effects from the incident may have saved the Bruins leading scorer from that outcome. Ultimately, not losing Marchand for any length is certainly great news for a Boston club fighting desperately for a postseason berth.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic Division:

  • In an ESPN Insider piece (subscription required), Rob Vollman makes an argument utilizing analytics for the Boston Bruins to refrain from terminating embattled head coach Claude Julien. Vollman compares the season-to-date performance of Boston to that of the New York Islanders, who dismissed head coach Jack Capuano recently. On the surface, the two are quite similar but an analysis of shot-based metrics reveal a different outcome. The Bruins have the league’s best shot attempt differential with a plus-488 while the Islanders were a minus-293 at the time of Capuano’s firing. He also compares the career accomplishments of the two coaches, and again Julien holds a decided advantage. Ultimately Vollman concludes it would be foolish to let Julien go. While the scribe makes a compelling case, it is known every coach has a shelf life and Julien is in his 10th season as the head man in Boston. If Bruins management concludes the bench boss has lost his team, or that his message simply isn’t getting through anymore, it may be best to move on.
  • Craig Custance, also of ESPN, believes the time is now for the Toronto Maple Leafs and the team’s management to add experienced talent to take advantage of the young guns currently on ELC’s. Custance compares the current Leafs roster with that of the 2007-08 Chicago Blackhawks. That happened to be the year both Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane debuted in the NHL. As Custance points out, even with the two talented young superstars leading the way, it wasn’t until Chicago added Brian Campbell (2008) and Marian Hossa (2009) did the team ultimately develop into a Stanley Cup contender. He maintains that the addition of Campbell helped turn the team’s defense corps into a quicker, more efficient puck-moving unit. Hossa, Custance adds, showed the team’s young stars how important it is to play smart, two-way hockey. The scribe suggests the Leafs should pursue a similar strategy and while there may be no player available comparable to Hossa, Kevin Shattenkirk could certainly fill the role for Toronto that Campbell did for Chicago. Shattenkirk might well be available via trade, though unless Toronto was able to ink the mobile defender to a contract extension, it would qualify as a risk to sacrifice the assets necessary to convince St. Louis to strike a deal.

Semyon Varlamov Set To Undergo Season-Ending Surgery

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A tough season is only getting worse for the Colorado Avalanche. Earlier today a report surfaced indicating that star center Matt Duchene would be open to a trade from Colorado. On the heels of that news, The Denver Post’s Terry Frei is reporting that Semyon Varlamov will undergo season-ending surgery to solve the groin issues that have plagued the team’s #1 goalie this season.

Varlamov has struggled to stay on the ice this season due to the groin issues and the team’s medical staff finally decided the best course of action would be surgery. The hope, according to Avalanche GM Joe Sakic, is to have Varlamov fully healthy and ready to go for training camp next summer.

“After further evaluation from our team doctors, it was determined that the best road to recovery was surgery. Doing this procedure at this time ensures that Semyon will be fully healthy for the start of training camp.”

The 28-year-old netminder was in the midst of the worst statistical season of his career, winning just six of his 23 starts while posting a GAA of 3.38 and a S% of 0.898. Varlamov has battled inconsistency throughout his nine-year NHL career but when he is on he has shown he can be one of the better goalies in the league. As recently as the 2013-14 campaign, the Russian backstop finished second in Vezina trophy voting after winning 41 games while registering a GAA of 2.41 and a S% of 0.927. He has two seasons remaining on a contract that calls for a $5.9MM cap charge.

In the interim, Frei suggests the team will stick with Pickard and current backup, Spencer Martin, for the balance of the current season. It wouldn’t make sense for the team to sacrifice assets for a stopgap alternative in the midst of a lost season. However, if a long-term option were to be made available, it wouldn’t be entirely surprising to see the Avalanche entertain a move in that direction; especially if they harbor doubts about both Varlamov and Pickard as reliable starting goalies moving forward.

The Avalanche will have an interesting decision to make ahead of the June expansion draft. They will have to expose one goalie under contract for the 2017-18 season and it’s likely that netminder will be Varlamov. However, Calvin Pickard, who has taken over between the pipes in Varlamov’s absence, hasn’t exactly grabbed the starting job with his play this season. He has posted a S% of 0.906 with a GAA of more than three in 23 appearances in 2016-17. At this point it seems unlikely that the Vegas Golden Knights would gamble on Varlamov and his cap hit but it’s too early to dismiss the possibility altogether.

 

Tampa Bay Lightning Deadline, Expansion Notes

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The Tampa Bay Lightning have had a ton of success the past few seasons, winning at least 46 games three straight seasons and making a Stanley Cup final in 2015. Today, they find themselves in last place in the Atlantic division and one point out of the bottom of the conference. They’re 2-7-1 in their last 10, and haven’t been able to find any consistency at either end of the ice.

When looking at the rest of their season, it’s not all bad. Despite being close to the bottom of the conference, they’re also just four points back of the Maple Leafs for the last wildcard spot (though they’ve played 48 games, four more than the Leafs). They should get Steven Stamkos back at some point, though depending on when he returns (likely mid-March) it may be too late.

When looking at their roster, they have very few expiring deals to sell off at the deadline. Ben Bishop would be a big chip, though most Cup contenders already have a #1 installed firmly in net. He’s also struggled through inconsistency and injury this season, making him a hard player to value for the back half of the season. Brian Boyle is a UFA this summer, and while he’s have a nice season he likely isn’t the 20 goal scorer he once was for New York. He’d be attractive to some teams to plug into a bottom-six, but wouldn’t bring much back.

The biggest problem for the Lightning though may be the upcoming expansion draft, where they will have a tough time protecting their current assets up front.  Since Stamkos, Victor Hedman, Ryan Callahan and Valtteri Filppula all have no-movement clauses and come with automatic protection, the team has just four forward spots left to protect.

Nikita Kucherov and Jonathan Drouin are locks to be protected, meaning there are two slots left for the crop of forwards including Alex Killorn, Ondrej Palat, Tyler Johnson, and Vladislav Namestnikov among others (many, many others). Losing one of those players for nothing would be a questionable move, meaning GM Steve Yzerman may be busy in the next month positioning his team better for the draft.

Adding a defenseman is a big need for the Bolts, and if they could find one that is exempt from the draft (meaning a young, first or second year player) it would be advantageous. Johnson could likely have fetched a huge price two years ago coming off his 29-goal, 72 point 2014-15, but after the struggles last year and a perceived step backwards defensively it may be selling low on him. He’s an RFA again this summer meaning he’ll be looking for a big-money deal, but perhaps the team could get a better price after letting him play out the rest of the regular season and (hopefully) topping the 50 point mark once again.

Killorn just signed a new deal this summer that locked him up for seven years, which may scare some teams off after a sluggish first half. Palat, though also not having a huge year probably has a bigger upside than Killorn and is two years younger. Though he’s also up for a new deal this summer as an RFA, the Lightning would likely need a big offer to pry him away.

If the team still thinks that it can compete in the Eastern Conference playoffs once Stamkos is back, perhaps they don’t need to sell one of their forwards for help down the line but with the draft looming and this season slipping away they may end up shipping out a well-known name.

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5 Key Stories: 1/16/2017 – 1/22/2017

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As millions of American anxiously await to find out who will represent their respective conferences in Super Bowl LI, don’t forget to check in on all of the recent news and rumors involving the NFL on our sister site, Pro Football Rumors.

The action is starting to pick up in the NHL, though it’s still relatively quiet compared to what we expect next month. Here is a roundup of the five key stories from the week ending on 1/22/2017.

Islanders Dismiss Capuano – Sitting at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings, the New York Islanders relieved head coach Jack Capuano of his duties this week and inserted AGM Doug Weight into the position on an interim basis. Capuano spent parts of seven campaigns behind the Islanders bench and guided the club to the second-round of the playoffs for the first time in more than two decades just last season.

Claude Julien’s Job in Jeopardy? – With rumors circulating as to the job security of longtime bench boss Claude Julien, the Boston Bruins called a press conference to address the situation. While nothing definitive came out of it, the belief is that Julien will maintain his position at least through the season, barring a major late-season collapse.

Clarke MacArthur Will Not Play This Season – Veteran winger Clarke MacArthur, who has yet to appear in a game this season after suffering a concussion during training camp, has not progressed enough in his recovery and a return has been ruled out by Ottawa team doctors. This will represent what is essentially a second consecutive lost season for MacArthur, who only suited up for four contests a year ago due to yet another concussion. It’s also quite possible this is the end of the line for the 10-year veteran.

Hawks Interested In Tatar, Nyquist – In search of a top-six winger to slot next to Jonathan Toews, the Chicago Blackhawks have reportedly expressed interest in Detroit forwards Gustav Nyquist and Tomas Tatar. The report contradicts the notion that the club would restrict its pursuit to rentals or players on ELC’s. The Hawks have a number of rather large commitments already on their books for 2017-18 but apparently they would still be willing to take on a player with control beyond the current campaign. Nyquist has two seasons left on his deal with an AAV of $4.75MM while Tatar will be a RFA this summer and likely in position for a raise on his $2.75MM cap charge.

Winnipeg Recalls Ondrej Pavelec – Desperate for consistently competent play between the pipes, the Winnipeg Jets recalled deposed started Ondrej Pavelec from the Manitoba Moose of the AHL. The Jets decided had waived the veteran net minder just prior to the beginning of the campaign and assigned him to the minors when he went unclaimed. Now the team is hopeful he can provide the Jets with quality play and bolster their pursuit of a playoff berth.

Restricted 2017: Checking In On The Upcoming RFA Class

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As the NHL continues to skew towards younger and younger talent with players like Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews making an immediate impact, the restricted free agent classes become more and more important.

Last year we saw an impressive group, headlined by the dynamic duo in Calgary Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau, Tampa’s new sniper Nikita Kucherov and a handful of excellent defensemen like Hampus Lindholm and Jacob Trouba.

While teams have started to lock up their young talent before they even become restricted free agents – like Aaron Ekblad in Florida who signed a $60MM deal just months after his 20th birthday – this year looks like it will be one of the biggest and most expensive RFA crops ever. Glen Miller took a look back in September at this year’s crop in an excellent series of articles that really should be consumed before reading any further (parts one, two, three, four, five and six), but let’s now check in on the group and how they’re fairing this season. Well list just a few of the highlights, as the group is almost endless.

Leon Draisaitl (EDM) – 47 GP / 17 G / 23 A / 40 P

You can’t start this list without mentioning Draisaitl, who will head to restricted free agency for the first time after what looks like a 30+ goal, 70+ point season. Skating alongside McDavid for much of the year, Draisaitl is currently tied for 18th in league scoring and leads the RFA group. He won’t turn 22 until after the 2017-18 season begins, and is an important player for the Edmonton Oilers to lock up long term. Expect the team to shell out big money to buy into a few free agent years this summer.

Mikael Granlund (MIN) – 44 GP / 10 G / 27 A / 37 P

Often forgotten about across much of the league because of the relative gag-order on any Minnesota Wild news, Granlund is having an exceptional season. Playing almost 20 minutes a night and on pace to shatter his previous career high in points, the Finnish forward will get a huge deal this summer. Unlike Draisaitl, Granlund is 24 and has already been through the RFA process before, signing a two-year $6MM deal before last season. With three solid seasons and now one spectacular one, he’ll likely earn something closer to $7MM (AAV) if signed long-term.

Justin Schultz (PIT) – 44 GP / 7 G / 23 A / 30 P

Schultz is such an interesting case, because of the breakout he’s experiencing this year. With Kris Letang on the shelf for much of the season, Schultz has blossomed in Pittsburgh to the player most teams expected when he signed out of college. He’s 26 now, and will turn 27 just days after free agency opens, but will likely fetch a hefty price as an RFA. After not even receiving a qualifying offer last year, has he done enough to prove that a big-money deal is worth it?

Robin Lehner (BUF) – 29 GP / .920 SV% / 2.54 GAA

The best RFA goaltender this year is one who just blew up at his coach after getting pulled and has generally been inconsistent for the Sabres since they traded a first-round pick for him in 2015. He has all the talent in the world to be a number one goaltender in this league, but with Buffalo floundering again near the bottom of the league will he be able to put it all together and lead them back to the playoffs? He’s 25-years old now and has 136 games under his belt with an above-average .916 save percentage. If Buffalo can ice any healthy defensemen, perhaps they’d be able to finish in the top half of the league for a change.

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