WHICH PLAYERS TO WATCH LEADING UP TO THE NHL’S FREE AGENT FRENZY.
WHO TO WATCH HEADING INTO NHL FREE AGENCY
Young superstar Connor McDavid has his Hart Trophy, Vegas GM George McPhee has a full roster of players and more than 200 young men had their childhood dreams fulfilled by being drafted into the NHL.
Now, in the coming week, the real fun begins.
Free agent frenzy kicks off on Saturday when the market officially opens, but expect there to be plenty of movement before then as teams attempt to wheel and deal to bolster their rosters while trying to wriggle their way under the salary cap.
With that in mind, here are seven names you can expect to hear plenty about in the coming week. ❚ Forward Matt Duchene, Colorado Avalanche
It would not have been a surprise if Joe Sakic had left this city with Duchene no longer on his roster. But the Avs GM said that draft weekend did not bring him the type of lucrative offers he’s seeking in order to move the 26- year- old forward, who has two years remaining on his contract at $ 6 million per. Having lost James Neal to Vegas in the expansion draft, the Nashville Predators would be a good fit and have inquired. The Preds have the type of young defencemen Sakic is looking for. The New York Islanders and, perhaps, the Montreal Canadiens could also be in the mix. ❚ GM Marc Bergevin, Montreal Canadiens
With US$21 million of cap space at his disposal, Bergevin is facing key decisions relating to pending unrestricted free agents Alex Radulov, Andrei Markov and soon- to- be RFA Alexander Galchenyuk.
With the Washington Capitals locking up winger T. J. Oshie to an eight-year, US$46 million extension on Friday, the enigmatic Radulov, who is 31, becomes the most attractive pending UFA forward. But his asking price — a longterm deal reportedly for seven years at $6 million per — simply could be too rich for Bergevin’s blood.
Meanwhile Markov’s loyalty to the Habs is undeniable: he’s played each season of the past decade for US$5.75 million. Does Bergervin have any choice but to ink Markov to a two-year deal, even at age 38?
Galchenyuk’s name continues to be circulated in trade rumours, with the Islanders one of the teams that often is mentioned. A more realistic solution is that the two sides go to arbitration if no deal is reached. ❚ Defenceman Kevin Shattenkirk, Pending UFA
The fact that the Calgary Flames coughed up a firstround and two second-round picks for the Islanders’ Travis Hamonic shows the high price teams are willing to cough up for quality defencemen. Since the Washington Capitals aren’t going to retain him, how much will he fetch on the open market? Keep in mind that he’s often is as shaky in his own zone as he is lethal in the opposition end. But stats often blind teams to a player’s warts, and Shattenkirk had 56 points last season. Rangers? ❚ General Manager George McPhee, Vegas Golden Knights
As mentioned earlier, blueliners are at a premium right now and McPhee has a surplus of them. Emelin, Marc Methot and Colin Miller could all be used as trade fodder to either accrue future draft picks or augment the team’s thin forward ranks. Of note: the only Canadian team Methot would go to as per his no trade clause would be a return to Ottawa.
In any event, McPhee has let anyone who’ll listen know that he’s still open for business, saying that “we have a few more contracts than we need.” ❚ Defenceman Dion Phaneuf, Ottawa Senators
Because Phaneuf didn’t waive his no- movement clause prior to the expansion draft, Senator GM Pierre Dorion was forced to leave Methot exposed, an opportunity McPhee jumped on.
There’s no animosity here. It’s Phaneuf ’s right to make that choice. But now his name is being kicked around as part of trade talks, which is, if nothing else, intriguing. ❚ General Manager Jeff Gorton, New York Rangers
In the past week he bought out defenceman Dan Girardi and traded away centre Derek Stepan and goalie Antti Raanta, leaving holes on the blueline and up the middle.
At the same time, with more than $20 million of cap room at his disposal, Gorton left no doubt at the draft that he plans on being active in his pursuit of players, whether it be Shattenkirk or other free agent or trade candidates.
“I think there’s a big market out there right now,” Gorton said. “I think ( in) free agency there’s a lot of names too that we like.” ❚ General Manager Garth Snow, New York Islanders
In order to persuade 2018 pending UFA John Tavares to re- sign, Snow already made a bold move by bringing in Jordan Eberle from the Edmonton Oilers. Can he land the likes of a Duchene or a Radulov too? Stay tuned. This should be chaotic.