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Archives for January 2017

Flyers Waive Boyd Gordon

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The Philadelphia Flyers have placed center Boyd Gordon on waivers, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link).

Gordon is in his first season in Philadelphia after signing a one year, $950K contract on the first day of free agency.  However, he has struggled with the Flyers and has played in just 13 games this year due to an upper body injury that cost him 18 games while he also spent considerable time as a healthy scratch.  This season, he has just a single goal while averaging only 8:11 of ice time per night.

The 33 year old is in his 13th NHL campaign, having spent time previously with the Capitals, Coyotes (twice), and Oilers.  He has 161 career points under his belt (56-105-161).

While those offensive numbers don’t stand out, Gordon has carved out a niche for himself as a faceoff specialist.  He has a career 56.9% success rate at the dot and there are typically teams who are comfortable with carrying a high end faceoff player on their fourth line.

The Flyers needed to clear up some cap space in order to activate defenseman Mark Streit off LTIR.  GM Ron Hextall confirmed to CSN Philly’s Tim Panaccio (Twitter link) that Streit has been activated and that removing Gordon off the roster (either by a waiver claim tomorrow or being sent to the minors) is the only roster move required to get back into compliance on the salary cap.

Predators Acquire Cody McLeod From Avalanche

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The Nashville Predators have added some grit up front, announcing the acquisition of winger Cody McLeod from Colorado in exchange for prospect center Felix Girard.

McLeod had seen his role with the Avalanche diminish considerably under new head coach Jared Bednar this season.  He has played in just 28 games this year, scoring once while adding 52 penalty minutes.  His average ice time had also been cut nearly in half from 2015-16, dropping to just 5:53 per game.

Mar 12, 2016; Winnipeg, Manitoba, CAN; Colorado Avalanche left wing Cody McLeod (55) takes a shot on net prior to the game against the Winnipeg Jets at MTS Centre. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Fedyck-USA TODAY SportsIn his career, McLeod has played in 659 NHL games, all with Colorado after signing with the team as an undrafted free agent back in 2006.  He has 66 goals, 51 assists, and 1,359 penalty minutes in that span.  He has one season remaining after this one on his contract with a cap hit of $1.33MM.  The Avalanche will retain 40% of that, per ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun (Twitter link).

With the Preds, McLeod will likely contend for a spot on the fourth line.  With the team battling injuries up front, long-time AHL player Harry Zolnierczyk is currently in the lineup so McLeod should be able to step in and play right away.  As for the Avs, they had been carrying 14 forwards lately so it’s unlikely they’ll bring someone up from the AHL to take their place.  Instead, one of John Mitchell or Joe Colborne should get back into the lineup on a more regular basis.

As for Girard, he was Nashville’s fourth round pick (95th overall) back in 2013 and he has yet to play at the NHL level.  He has played in 35 games this season with AHL Milwaukee, scoring eight points (3-5-8).  The Avalanche have already assigned him to their minor league affiliate in San Antonio.  Girard is in the final year of his entry-level contract and carries an NHL cap hit of $631,667.

Interestingly enough, McLeod may not have to wait too long to face his former team as the Predators will be in Colorado tomorrow afternoon.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Blackhawks Notes: Anisimov, One-Goal Games, Toews, Trade Talk

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For the last several years, the Blackhawks have been searching for a high quality second line center to play behind Jonathan Toews.  After trying a few different players in that role, Artem Anisimov has settled in quite nicely to that position.

Last season, his first with Chicago after being acquired from Columbus as part of the Brandon Saad deal, Anisimov put up 42 points in 77 games, the second highest point total of his career.  Now that he’s more familiar with his linemates, he has taken his game to another level, leading the team in goals with 18.  Speaking with CSN Chicago’s Tracey Myers, head coach Joel Quenneville has plenty of praise for his Russian center:

“I don’t even think about his production. It’s how effective he is to our team game, 5-on-5, faceoffs. When he gets to the net it enhances all of our opportunities and he finishes around there because he’s hanging around the dirty part. Kills penalties, power play, can’t say enough about how timely his goals have been and how useful he’s been in all areas for us.”

Shortly after Chicago acquired Anisimov back in the 2015 offseason, they inked him to a five year, $22.75MM contract.  Although it’s expected that the Blackhawks will once again have to cut payroll this coming offseason to account for the raise to Artemi Panarin plus any potential bonus overage, Anisimov’s play has made it so that GM Stan Bowman will have to look elsewhere when it comes time to shedding salary.

[Related: Blackhawks Depth Chart]

More from Chicago:

  • The Blackhawks have been involved in a lot of close games this season, notes Mark Lazarus of the Chicago Sun-Times. Through 44 games, Chicago has been involved in 28 one-goal games, which leads the NHL.  Fortunately for them, they also lead the league in one-goal wins with 17.  Anisimov, for one, is pleased that they’re in a lot of tight games: “It’s easy to win the games when you’re up three goals early. But tight games keep you in shape. This team knows how to respond in tight games — if we have to come back, or play with a one-goal lead, or a tie game. It’s all different situations, and we’ve been through everything. You learn to relax and play hard every shift, and I think it’s a good thing to play so many.”
  • There are a lot of different emotions that players experience when it comes to being named to an All-Star Team. Confusion isn’t generally one of them but when it comes to Jonathan Toews, that is the case, Lazarus writes in a separate column.  In fact, Toews, one of four Blackhawks named to the game, advocated that Anisimov, along with wingers Panarin and Marian Hossa, may have been more deserving choices.  When asked about why he ultimately got the nod, Toews surmised that his selection was based more on his accomplishments over past seasons compared to this one, where he has just seven goals and 14 assists in 35 games this year.
  • Bowman is on the lookout for an impact forward and have checked in with Toronto regarding left winger James van Riemsdyk and Colorado about captain Gabriel Landeskog, NHL.com’s Brian Hedger reports (Twitter link).  Both players carry fairly significant cap hits ($4.25MM and $5.57MM respectively) and Chicago doesn’t have that much cap space to absorb either deal without at least sending a somewhat sizable contract back the other way.

Poll: 2005 NHL Draft Take Two: Twenty-Eighth Overall Pick

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Hindsight is an amazing thing, and allows us to look back and wonder “what could have been.” Though perfection is attempted, scouting and draft selection is far from an exact science and sometimes, it doesn’t work out the way teams – or players – intended. For every Patrick Kane, there is a Patrik Stefan.

We’re looking back at the 2005 NHL Draft, which kicked off the salary cap era and ushered in many of the current NHL superstars. The question we’re looking to answer is knowing now what we didn’t know then, how different would this draft look now with the benefit of hindsight?

Here are the results of our redraft so far:

1st Overall: Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins)
2nd Overall: Carey Price (Mighty Ducks of Anaheim)
3rd Overall: Anze Kopitar (Carolina Hurricanes)
4th Overall: Jonathan Quick (Minnesota Wild)
5th Overall: Kris Letang (Montreal Canadiens)
6th Overall: Tuukka Rask (Columbus Blue Jackets)
7th Overall: Bobby Ryan (Chicago Blackhawks)
8th Overall: Marc-Edouard Vlasic (San Jose Sharks)
9th Overall: Ben Bishop (Ottawa Senators)
10th Overall: James Neal (Vancouver Canucks)
11th Overall: T.J. Oshie (Los Angeles Kings)
12th Overall: Keith Yandle (New York Rangers)
13th Overall: Paul Stastny (Buffalo Sabres)
14th Overall: Marc Staal (Washington Capitals)
15th Overall: Patric Hornqvist (New York Islanders)
16th Overall: Niklas Hjalmarsson (Atlanta Thrashers)
17th Overall: Anton Stralman (Phoenix Coyotes)
18th Overall: Jack Johnson (Nashville Predators)
19th Overall: Matt Niskanen (Detroit Red Wings)
20th Overall: Justin Abdelkader (Florida Panthers)
21st Overall: Martin Hanzal (Toronto Maple Leafs)
22nd Overall: Andrew Cogliano (Boston Bruins)
23rd Overall: Kris Russell (New Jersey Devils)
24th Overall: Darren Helm (St. Louis Blues)
25th Overall: Cody Franson (Edmonton Oilers)
26th Overall: Benoit Pouliot (Calgary Flames)
27th Overall: Vladimir Sobotka (Washington Capitals)

Now we move forward to the 28th pick, which was held by the Dallas Stars.

To recap how this works:

  • We will go through the 2005 NHL Draft and have our readers select, through a voting process, who they think should have been taken with the selection.
  • The entire first round will be redrafted, spanning picks one through thirty. The new selection is chosen by the majority of votes.

Back in 2005, Dallas went to the US High School circuit to select blueliner Matt Niskanen.  While he hadn’t been tested at a high level (he averaged nearly 2.25 points per game his draft year), Dallas was confident that his skills would eventually translate to the NHL level.  They were right.

After a pair of seasons at Minnesota-Duluth, Niskanen turned pro and was a regular with the Stars right away.  He picked up 35 points in his sophomore NHL campaign which remains the second best output of his career.

In February of 2011, Dallas dealt Niskanen along with left winger James Neal to Pittsburgh in exchange for Alex Goligoski.  Niskanen spent parts of four seasons with the Penguins and had his best year of his career in 2013-14, collecting 46 points in 81 games.  That helped him earn a seven year, $40.25MM contract with Washington in the summer of 2014.  He has been with the Capitals ever since then and is currently in his third season with the team.

Overall, Niskanen sits seventh among games played by 2005 draft picks, third among blueliners to only Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Keith Yandle.  In 695 career games, he has 46 goals and 202 assists.

With the 28th pick of the 2005 NHL Redraft, who should the Stars select?  Cast your vote below!

Mobile users, click here to vote.

Biggest One-For-One Trades Of The Past 10 Years

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For the first time since his shocking trade last June, Taylor Hall is facing off in Edmonton on Thursday night.

The Oilers-Devils trade was one of two major one-for-one trades that took place that day, the other being P.K. Subban for Shea Weber just 17 minutes later. Despite the evidence of June 29, one-for-one trades are exceedingly rare in today’s NHL.

In honor of Hall’s return to Edmonton, let’s take a look at some of the more notable one-for-one swaps of the past decade:

February 26, 2008 – Andrew Ladd for Tuomo Ruutu —  The Chicago Blackhawks and Carolina Hurricanes swapped former top-ten picks at the 2007-08 trade deadline. Nearly nine years later, the trade can be classified as a win for the Blackhawks: Ruutu did score 216 points in 378 games with the Hurricanes but the team only made the playoffs once in his tenure there. Meanwhile, the Blackhawks were just two years away from winning the first Stanley Cup of their modern dynasty; with a Stanley Cup already under his belt, Ladd played a key role in helping the young Hawks learn how to win. Ladd scored 99 points 184 games in Chicago before being sacrificed to the Salary Cap Gods after their 2010 championship.

July 3, 2011 – Dany Heatley for Martin Havlat — Heatley and Havlat were both superstars of the early 21st-century, but neither player was at that level in 2011 when the Sharks and Wild made this trade. The Sharks were looking to improve their roster with hopes of getting to the Stanley Cup Finals after yet another playoff disappointment, but Havlat appeared in just eight playoff games over three years in San Jose. He never played more than 48 games in a season, or scored more than 27 points. Heatley had 82 and 64 points in his two years in San Jose, but was unable to consistently score in Minnesota, finishing his three-year stint with a 28-point season, his last full season in the NHL. Heatley also caused salary cap troubles, as he was unable to be bought-out after his second season due to injury, costing the Wild their last chance to use a compliance buyout on the declining Heatley.

June 23, 2012 – James Van Riemsdyk for Luke Schenn — Maple Leafs fans hoping for their team to trade Van Riemsdyk for a top defenseman may want to look at the trade that brought the power winger to Toronto. Then-GM Brian Burke traded Schenn, a right-handed third-pairing defenseman just four seasons removed from being the fifth-overall selection. Both players were coming off down seasons, as Schenn struggled in a third-pairing role while Van Riemsdyk scored 24 points in 43 games after a 40-point sophomore season. The trade was a clear win for Toronto, as Van Riemsdyk has 211 points in 289 games as a first-line winger while Schenn scored 42 points in 213 games in Philadelphia as a below-average possession player. Schenn was traded last season and signed a cheap show-me deal with Arizona as a UFA. The trade is yet another example of the trade values of average defensemen and scoring wingers.

January 6, 2016 – Seth Jones for Ryan Johansen — The major trade was the first big one-for-one trade in nearly four years, and was a sign of things yet to come in 2016. While it’s too early to declare a definitive winner, as both teams look like they got what they needed with the swap, the early results put Columbus slightly ahead. Jones has 38 points in 75 games so far with the surprising Blue Jackets, who currently sit in first place in NHL standings. The Predators haven’t been as successful as they would have hoped, though Johansen has 63 points in 83 games in Music City. He’s growing into a legitimate first-line center on a contending team, which is what the Predators hoped for when they made the swap. Nashville GM David Poile was initially criticized for trading his young defenseman as Shea Weber showed signs of regression, but that was addressed by on of the below trades.

June 29, 2016 – Taylor Hall for Adam Larsson — The decision to trade Hall was not popular at the time, and is still the most talked-about trade in Edmonton since Chris Pronger asked for a trade in 2006. The Oilers have finally turned the corner and currently sit in third in the Pacific Division. Larsson is a big part of the much-improved defense core, but has just seven points in 43 games. Hall is leading the Devils in scoring with 25 points in 32 games, but the Devils’ offense has not been able to outscore their defensive issues. It must be frustratingly familiar for Hall, who was in a similar situation in Edmonton for six seasons. While the Oilers gave up value, it could be argued that the Devils miss Larsson’s defensive ability more than Edmonton misses Hall’s offence.

June 29, 2016 — Shea Weber for P.K. Subban — After a tough 2015-16, changes were expected in Montreal. But few expected Subban to be the one to go. Like the Hall-Larsson trade made 17 minutes earlier, the Canadian team was panned initially. However, Weber is on pace for a career-high in points while the Canadiens have rebounded to lead the Atlantic Division at the half-way point. Unfortunately for Subban, he’s been injured for much of the season and may require surgery. The Canadiens are the winners of this trade six months in, but considering the four years Weber has on Subban, the verdict will slowly change over the next few years. If either one of these teams win a Stanley Cup in the next few years, that would likely be the deciding factor in naming a winner.

Roman Josi And Tuukka Rask Leave Game

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The Nashville Predators are hosting the Boston Bruins tonight in what’s becoming quite the bloodbath.

Minutes after Tuukka Rask left the game after taking a high shot from Roman Josi, Bruins rookie Anton Blidh threw an ugly hit on Josi. Blidh was ejected from the game for his hit, while Josi left the game with what’s being called an upper-body injury. Zane McIntyre is now in the net for Boston while Rask is being evaluated. Jack Edwards tweets that the Bruins are making arrangements for an emergency backup goaltender, meaning Rask is unlikely to return this evening, even as a backup.

Both teams are hoping for good news. The Predators are already without P.K. Subban, leaving them down two top-pairing defensemen at the moment. Meanwhile, the Bruins have struggled without Rask. Rask has a 21-9-3 record, while the Bruins are 1-8-2 without their star goaltender.

Evening Snapshots: Murray, Avalanche, Callahan

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News and notes from around the NHL this evening:

  • Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Matt Murray makes his first start tonight since suffering a lower body injury on December 28th. Murray actually returned to action last night against the Washington Capitals but rode the pine as Marc-Andre Fleury’s backup. The Penguins welcome Murray back as he’s earned a .928 SV% and a 2.18 GAA in 19 games this season. That is in contrast that with Fleury’s .908 SV% and 3.12 GAA. Every point matters in the tight Metropolitan division this season, and right now Murray gives the Penguins that best chance to win in the season’s second half.
  • Colorado Avalanche GM Joe Sakic wants to reboot the team to get younger and faster, reports TSN’s Pierre LeBrun this evening (video link). The expectation is that a number of players currently in the AHL with the San Antonio Rampage are ready to step up. But Sakic also admitted that he has been in talks with other teams about undisclosed players. We mentioned here and here that both Gabriel Landeskog and Matt Duchene are also rumored to be traded.
  • Tampa Bay Lightning forward Ryan Callahan will miss his second straight game tonight as he deals with a lower body injury. While the team did not disclose the nature of the injury, many think it’s related to his hip after he underwent surgery on it this season. Callahan is struggling this season, scoring only 2G and 2A in 18 games.

Snapshots: Fisher, Myers, Milestones, Lightning

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When it comes to the pending Las Vegas expansion draft, many teams are likely to go with the 7-3-1 protection route (seven forwards, three defensemen, and one goalie) over protecting eight skaters plus a goaltender.  One of the exceptions is the Nashville Predators, who have four blueliners that are pretty much ‘must-protect’ in P.K. Subban, Roman Josi, Ryan Ellis, and Mattias Ekholm.

That means that just four forwards could be protected and as ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun writes, it could play a role when it comes to pending unrestricted free agent center Mike Fisher.  It seems likely that there is mutual interest in him sticking around beyond this season given his ties to the market but if they opt to extend him now, that will then result in one more quality forward being exposed to the Golden Knights.  As things stand, it’s likely that all but one of forwards Viktor Arvidsson, Calle Jarnkrok, Colin Smith, and Colin Wilson will have to be left unprotected as it is.

As a result, LeBrun wonders if the two sides will wait until the draft passes before getting a new contract done.  That way, the team can protect an extra forward while Fisher avoids the risk of being extended and then exposed (which would be a legitimate possibility given who they are already slated to leave unprotected).  It’s a strategy that is likely to be used by many teams as they look to limit the amount of talent they have to leave available for Vegas to pick from.

Other news and notes from around the league:

  • Jets defenseman Tyler Myers has taken a leave of absence from the team to attend to a family matter, notes Mike Sawatzky of the Winnipeg Free Press. There is no timetable for his return.  Myers has already been out of the lineup since November 11th due to a lower body injury but has started skating as he works towards a return to game action.
  • Tonight will mark a milestone for Colorado right winger Jarome Iginla. He will suit up in his 1,514th career game, tying him with Tampa GM and long-time Red Wings center Steve Yzerman for 15th overall in league history.  Meanwhile, fellow winger Blake Comeau will also reach a milestone as he’ll suit up in his 600th NHL contest.
  • Although Tampa Bay has struggled as of late, the team is not planning on making any changes to their coaching staff, reports Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times. On the trade front, Yzerman told Smith that he’d like to add to their current core but acknowledged he may have to deal from it to address certain team needs.  While he didn’t specify what needs those might be, they’ve long been searching for an upgrade at defense and the team has several forwards that could be moved in order to secure some help on the back end.

Injury Updates: Subban, Streit, Tatar, Bishop, Benn, Brouwer, Getzlaf

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Nashville blueliner P.K. Subban took a step forward in his recovery from an upper body injury (that is believed to be a herniated disc) as he took part in their optional morning skate today, reports Adam Vingan of The Tennessean.  However, GM David Poile acknowledged earlier this week that his return will be closer to three weeks instead of the two that the team was hoping for.  He was placed on IR on January 1st so Poile’s comments would suggest he’s still likely another 10 or so days away from returning.

Subban has been out of the lineup since December 15th and the Preds have won just five of their 12 games in his absence.  Through 29 games this season, the 27 year old has seven goals and 10 assists but also has a team-worst -11 plus/minus rating.  If healthy by then, Subban will be Nashville’s lone representative at the All-Star Game.

Other injury news from around the league:

  • Flyers defender Mark Streit is hopeful that he can return from a sprained left shoulder on Saturday, notes CSN Philly’s Tom Dougherty. Streit has missed the last 12 games heading into tonight and is currently on long-term injury reserve.  When he’s fully healthy and ready to play, Philadelphia will have to make a roster move to get back under the cap before they can activate him back onto their active roster.  Prior to the injury, the 39 year old was off to a strong start with 16 points in 31 games.  For comparison, he had just 23 points in 62 contests last year.
  • While he will remain in the lineup, Detroit left winger Tomas Tatar is dealing with lingering shoulder issues and told reporters, including Ted Kulfan of The Detroit News (Twitter link), that he will likely require surgery at the end of the season. Tatar has underperformed this year (this issue likely has something to do with it) with nine goals and 10 assists through 41 games but still sits tied for fourth overall in team scoring with rookie Anthony Mantha.
  • Tampa Bay will be getting their starting goaltender back earlier than expected as Ben Bishop has been activated off injured reserve and will start tonight against the Sabres, reports Bryan Burns on the Lightning’s team website. Bishop has missed the last nine games with a lower body injury and the team has struggled without him, winning just three of those contests with Andrei Vasilevskiy between the pipes while they’ve also dropped out of a playoff spot in his absence.
  • Stars captain Jamie Benn expects to return to the lineup tonight against the Red Wings, he told Mark Stepneski of Stars Inside Edge (Twitter link). He has missed the last four games with a foot injury and has 34 points (10-24-34) in 38 games this season.  Mike Heika of the Dallas News adds that Benn is expected to play on the top line alongside Tyler Seguin and Jason Spezza.
  • Calgary right winger Troy Brouwer has been given the green light from doctors to return to the lineup tomorrow against New Jersey, notes Postmedia’s Wes Gilbertson (Twitter link). Brouwer has been out since breaking his finger on December 23rd.  Through 36 games this year, the 31 year old has 17 points (8-9-17).
  • Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf is expected to return tonight against Colorado, reports Kyle Shohara on Anaheim’s team website.  He has missed the last four games after sustaining a lower body injury on January 1st.  He’s expected to reprise his role on a line alongside Corey Perry and Rickard Rakell.  The 31 year old has had no issues putting up assists this year as he leads the team with 25 but on the flip side, he has scored just five times through 38 games.

2017 Midseason UFA Power Rankings: 11-20

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With many teams having hit the halfway point of the season and the trade deadline fast approaching, it’s time to take a preliminary look at the UFA Class of 2017.  Here is the first half of our top-20 rankings, based on votes from our writers.

  1. Michael Del Zotto, D, Philadelphia – The first half of his season hasn’t gone particularly well to say the least. He missed 12 games to start the season with a lower body injury and came to a reduced role while even spending a bit of time as a healthy scratch. However, there’s no denying the offensive skill he brings to the table and he will be one of the youngest players on the open market, turning 27 just a week before free agency is slated to open.
  2. Radim Vrbata, RW, Arizona – Vrbata is rebounding nicely after a very tough final season with Vancouver. He’s not the top line threat he was for a brief time but is still a quality secondary scorer…at least with the Coyotes. He’s likely to be dealt before the trade deadline and how he performs with his new team may go a long way towards shaping his market after struggling to land a contract this past offseason.
  3. Vadim Shipachev, C, SKA, KHL – Several teams pursued him last summer but the language in his Russian contract stopped him from crossing the pond at that time. That won’t be the case this coming offseason and Shipachev is having an even better year compared to his 2015-16 campaign. He didn’t have a great World Cup of Hockey tournament but his body of work in the KHL should have several teams looking into him as a second line center this summer.
  4. Trevor Daley, D, Pittsburgh – Things didn’t work out too well for him in Chicago last year but since joining the Penguins partway through last season, Daley has played more like a top four defender. His production is down a bit so far this season which is notable for someone who has a reputation of being a quality point producer from the back end. As an undersized blueliner who isn’t the most reliable in his own end, that drop off has the potential to hurt him quite a bit if it continues the rest of the way.
  5. Michael Stone, D, Arizona – It has not been a great platform year for Stone so far. He missed the start of the year while recovering from offseason knee surgery while also missing time with an upper body injury. His role has diminished slightly this season but young (he’ll be 27 come July) blueliners capable of logging top four minutes in free agency are few and far between.  He’s a strong candidate to be dealt before the deadline which could be the opportunity he’s looking for to have a bounce back second half.
  6. Mike Fisher, C, Nashville – After a tough year in 2015-16, Fisher is putting together a much better season this time around as he already has eclipsed his previous point total in barely half the games. He’s still well above average at the faceoff dot and logs plenty of time on the penalty kill. He’ll turn 37 in June so while he’s producing as a second line center, it will be interesting to see if he’s able to get paid as one whether it’s with the Predators or elsewhere.
  7. Patrick Sharp, RW, Dallas – Concussions have been a major problem for Sharp as two separate trips to injured reserve have cost him 26 games already in the first half. When healthy, he is a consistent top six scoring threat and at the age of 35, he shouldn’t be seeking a long-term deal. Sharp is just getting back into playing shape now and should be in line for a bigger second half of the season which could go a long way towards setting his market in free agency.
  8. Dmitry Kulikov, D, Buffalo – After being dealt to the Sabres at the draft, many hoped that Kulikov would blossom in a new environment and show more of the offensive upside he showed as a junior player. That hasn’t happened yet. He missed 13 games due to back problems and finds himself on the shelf once again with a lower body ailment.  At one point he seemed like a real threat to be one of the top free agent defensemen in this class but Kulikov has only hurt his stock so far.
  9. Jaromir Jagr, RW, Florida – While Jagr is unlikely to crack 60 points like he did last year, he’s still producing as a top six forward despite the fact that he’ll turn 45 next month. His ability to mentor young players has been lauded during his time with the Panthers which could result in him not only receiving interest from contending teams looking for a veteran to help put them over the top but also rebuilding teams who would want Jagr to work with a group of younger players.
  10. Kris Russell, D, Edmonton – Russell had to wait quite a while to get a contract last summer but his play with the Oilers so far should stop that from happening again when the market opens up in July. The numbers don’t jump off the board at anyone but he has really helped to stabilize their back end (while logging over 21 minutes per night) and that should have teams around the league taking notice.

Be sure to check back on Friday for our top ten potential unrestricted free agents.

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