With the 2017-18 season underway and several franchises off to inauspicious starts, fans are already looking ahead (somewhat prematurely) to next summer’s free agent class. While free agents can rarely be the fix-it-all answer for a struggling team, they are often pursued as such. That won’t change in 2018, when there projects to be a deep—but risky—free agent crop.
This year, Kevin Shattenkirk and Karl Alzner paced the defensive group and secured long-term deals. Both players have significant flaws in their games, which is something teams will have to live with next summer as well. Still, there are several players worthy of consideration for the top dog and many more that could help teams right the ship in their own end.
While many of these players will likely re-sign with their respective clubs before even getting close to free agency, we’ll take an early look at who should be crowned the jewel come July 1st. It will be interesting to compare to our rankings at the end of the season, to see who improved their rankings and who fell off the map. Make sure to leave your reasoning behind in the comments.
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