With July 1 less than two months away, theScore takes a look at the top 50 pending unrestricted free agents heading into the start of free agency.

10-1 | 20-11 | 30-21 | 40-31 | 50-41

Stats Legend:
GV = Giveaways
TK = Takeaways
ATOI = Average time on ice per game
CF% = Percentage of shot attempts team took while player was on ice at even strength
(Rel) = CF% of player compared to when he's not on the ice

40. Mark Letestu

Position: Center
Age on July 1: 33
2017-18 cap hit: $1.8M
2017-18 teams: Oilers/Blue Jackets

Had Letestu hit the open market a year ago, he would've been in for a decent payday coming off a career-high 16-goal (11 of which came on the power play) season. However, he was unable to replicate that success, and will likely have to take a one-year deal.

39. Leo Komarov

Position: Left wing
Age on July 1: 31
2017-18 cap hit: $2.95M
2017-18 team: Maple Leafs

After scoring 33 goals the previous two seasons, Komarov's offense tailed off in 2017-18. He was even gifted a chance on Toronto's second line for the bulk of the season, but failed to capitalize. If the scoring touch returns, he can be an effective top-nine forward. Otherwise, the physical agitator is just a fourth-liner.

38. Toby Enstrom

Position: Defense
Age on July 1: 33
2017-18 cap hit: $5.75M
2017-18 team: Jets

Since his days as a 50-point D-man anchoring the Atlanta Thrashers' blue line, Enstrom has dealt with a lot of injuries, and he's failed to recapture his offensive magic. However, a team in need of a puck-moving rearguard will take a chance on him in hopes he can find his old form.

37. Thomas Hickey

Position: Defense
Age on July 1: 29
2017-18 cap hit: $2.2M
2017-18 team: Islanders

Hickey's 0.36 points per game was a career high, but the fact he played the sixth-most minutes on average among the Islanders' defense and still led the team's blue line in giveaways indicates he was part of the problem on a historically bad defensive team.

36. Nick Holden

Position: Defense
Age on July 1: 31
2017-18 cap hit: $1.65M
2017-18 teams: Rangers/Bruins

The well-traveled, physical blue-liner can play big minutes if paired alongside a stud (like Marc Methot to Erik Karlsson), but he's probably better-suited to more of a sheltered role similar to the one he had with the Bruins. The versatile D-man could receive a multi-year deal.

35. Tomas Plekanec

Position: Center
Age on July 1: 35
2017-18 cap hit: $6M
2017-18 teams: Canadiens/Maple Leafs

Plekanec struggled in the regular season with the Leafs after being acquired from the Canadiens at the deadline, but he stepped up his game in the playoffs, recording two goals and two helpers in seven games, and showing he can still be a matchup center with the right linemates. Returning to Montreal seems like his most likely outcome.

34. Tim Schaller

Position: Left wing
Age on July 1: 27
2017-18 cap hit: $775K
2017-18 team: Bruins

Schaller was a part of one of the league's better fourth lines in Boston, and given his age, there's reason to believe he could excel if given an expanded role elsewhere.

33. Michal Kempny

Position: Defense
Age on July 1: 27
2017-18 cap hit: $900K
2017-18 teams: Blackhawks/Capitals

Kempny's stats don't jump off the page, but he's boosted his free-agent value with a nice playoff run thus far with the Capitals. He's played top-four minutes alongside John Carlson, helping neutralize the likes of Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel (the Dmitry Orlov-Matt Niskanen pairing drew the Sidney Crosby matchup more often than not).

32. Brandon Manning

Position: Defense
Age on July 1: 28
2017-18 cap hit: $975K
2017-18 team: Flyers

With younger, highly-touted defensemen coming through the Flyers' system, a return to Philadelphia seems unlikely for Manning. He's best-suited as a bottom-pairing blue-liner, but it's possible the best year of his career lies ahead considering he's only played three full NHL seasons.

31. Matt Calvert

Position: Left wing
Age on July 1: 28
2017-18 cap hit: $2.2M
2017-18 team: Blue Jackets

Calvert has averaged 14 goals per season in his career over an 82-game average. His biggest problem has been staying healthy, as he has only played 70 games in a season once. Nonetheless, he's a player a coach can trust defensively and he'll chip in offensively, making him a fit on any team looking for forward depth.

(Salary information courtesy: Cap Friendly)
(Stats courtesy: Hockey Reference)
(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)

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LAS VEGAS (AP) Jonathan Marchessault scored two goals - including an empty-netter in the closing seconds - to lead the Vegas Golden Knights to a 4-2 victory over the Winnipeg Jets in Game 3 of the Western Conference final Wednesday night.

Vegas took a 2-1 series lead and is now two wins from advancing to the Stanley Cup final. The Golden Knights improved to 5-1 at home in the playoffs, and host Game 4 on Friday night.

James Neal and Alex Tuch also scored for Vegas, while Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 33 shots.

Mark Scheifele scored both of Winnipeg's goals and has a playoff-leading 14 goals in 15 postseason games. Connor Hellebuyck had 26 saves for the Jets, who arrived in Las Vegas having outscored their opposition 23-15 in road games during the playoffs.

Marchessault scored his seventh goal of the playoffs just 35 seconds into the game as he took a pass from Brayden McNabb and went forehand-backhand to slip the puck past Hellebuyck, giving the Golden Knights a 1-0 lead.

Scheifele tied it with a double-deflection off his stick and calf that went past Fleury. But 12 seconds later, Neal answered when Hellebuyck misplayed the puck behind his net and Erik Haula dished a perfect pass, giving the Knights a 2-1 lead.

Tuch notched his fifth goal of the playoffs to push the lead to 3-1 after Neal fed him with a nifty pass from behind the net.

Scheifele netted his second goal of the game just 18 seconds into the third period to cut Vegas' lead to one, but Winnipeg couldn't overcome the Golden Knights' speed and execution, despite outplaying them over the final 20 minutes.

Fleury, who bounced back after a loss in Game 1 to stop 30 of 31 shots in Game 2, made several huge saves late in the game to perserve Vegas' lead. After stonewalling Tyler Myers' breakaway attempt with 11:50 left in the game, he stymied Scheifele's back-to-back shot with 9:30 remaining. Less than two minutes later, he smothered the puck with a slew of players piled near the crease.

Winnipeg pulled Hellebuyck with 1:03 left, but Marchessault's empty-netter with 3 seconds left sealed the win.

The Jets had scored a power play goal in 11 of the 13 playoff games in which they had a man advantage, but was 0 for 2 with a man advantage.

Winnipeg hadn't lost back-to-back games during the playoffs. The last time it dropped consecutive games was a three-game losing streak (0-2-1) from Mar. 10-13.

NOTES: Teams that take a 2-1 lead in the conference final (or NHL semifinals) have won the series 35 of 43 times (81.4 percent) since 1975. ... While ticket prices for Friday's Game 4 spiked as high as $5,000 on Monday, they ranged between $259 and $2,500 as the puck dropped for Game 3. ... The Golden Knights welcomed the family of Humboldt Broncos head coach and GM Darcy Haugan, wife Christina and children Carson and Jackson. ... With his two goals, Scheifele now owns the NHL record for most goals scored on the road in a single playoffs with 11, surpassing Sidney Crosby and Joe Mullen, each with 10. ... With 53 victories, Hellebuyck remains one shy of tying the most single-season wins by a goaltender, in both the regular season and playoffs, held by Washington's Braden Holtby (54 in 2015-16).

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Mark Scheifele's torrid playoff run has put him alone in the NHL record books.

By notching his 11th road goal of the playoffs (and second of Game 3) the Winnipeg Jets superstar established a new league record for away goals in a single postseason, per NHL Public Relations.

Schiefele surpassed Joe Mullen (1989 with the Flames) and Sidney Crosby (2009 with the Penguins) to claim top spot on the list and leads the playoffs with 14 goals so far.

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The Vancouver Canucks are expected to sign top prospect Elias Pettersson following the World Championship, a source told Sportsnet's John Shannon.

Pettersson was suiting up for his native Sweden at the tournament, but his showing was cut short after he fractured his thumb in a game Sunday.

The Canucks drafted Pettersson fifth overall in the 2017 draft, though he went unsigned throughout his dominant season with Vaxjo in the Swedish Hockey League.

In 44 games, Pettersson led the league with 56 points, and was named SHL Rookie of the Year, MVP, and playoff MVP as a 19-year-old.

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Kevin Cheveldayoff of the Winnipeg Jets, George McPhee of the Vegas Golden Knights, and Steve Yzerman of the Tampa Bay Lightning are the 2018 finalists for the NHL's General Manager of the Year Award.

Cheveldayoff made arguably the most impactful move at the trade deadline, landing Paul Stastny from the St. Louis Blues, and also inked several core players to contract extensions.

McPhee shaped the expansion Golden Knights into a surprise contender with several instrumental moves at the expansion draft, including selecting goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury and breakout star forward William Karlsson, and landing talented forwards Jonathan Marchessault and Reilly Smith from the Florida Panthers on the same night.

Yzerman continued to mold the Lightning into a juggernaut, acquiring gifted, young defenseman Mikhail Sergachev from the Montreal Canadiens in the Jonathan Drouin trade last June. He also traded for defenseman Ryan McDonagh and forward J.T. Miller in a significant deal with the New York Rangers at the deadline.

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The Winnipeg Jets won't have forward Nikolaj Ehlers in the lineup for Game 3 of the Western Conference Final versus the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday, the team announced prior to puck drop.

Here's a look at the Jets' projected lineup with Ehlers out, with Brandon Tanev sliding into his usual spot alongside Paul Stastny and Patrik Laine.

While Ehlers is listed as a scratch, the 22-year-old is dealing with an unknown injury, per TSN's Frank Seravalli.

Ehlers was scratched from Game 5 of the opening-round series versus the Minnesota Wild and has recorded seven assists in 13 contests so far in the postseason.

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The Arizona Coyotes and defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson are discussing an eight-year contract extension worth more than $8 million annually, sources told Craig Morgan of Arizona Sports.

More to come.

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The math doesn't add up for the NHL to return to Quebec City, according to Boston Bruins owner and NHL executive committee chairman Jeremy Jacobs.

Speaking at an end-of-season press conference Wednesday, Jacobs was questioned on a variety of topics, including the potential for Quebec City to resurface as an NHL market. He saw little hope in the prospect.

"Quebec is challenged, to put it nicely," Jacobs told reporters. "Look at the income base and the population base. There probably isn't a smaller market, so they're really going to have to distinguish themselves in some other way."

The NHL played out of the Quebec capital from 1979 until 1995, when financial concerns forced a relocation. The Nordiques were uprooted to Denver and rebranded as the Colorado Avalanche.

Attempts have been made to bring the NHL back to Quebec City, including the unveiling of the 18,000-seat Videotron Centre, a new arena built to league standards that opened its doors in 2015.

During the NHL's most recent expansion process, Quebec City's bid was deferred because of the declining Canadian dollar and a need to correct the league's geographic imbalance.

Now the NHL could be preparing to add a 32nd team. But it appears Quebec City is once again on the back burner, with the league primarily focused on the Pacific Northwest and the addition of a team in Seattle.

There's also been strong interest from Tilman Fertitta, who owns the NBA's Houston Rockets and would like to recruit a second franchise to share the Toyota Center.

"You look at Houston and you look at (Quebec), it's the fifth largest city in North America versus the 105th, let's say, so they have a different situation there," Jacobs added. "Economically, they're challenged and numerically there is challenge to them. They just don't have the numbers.

"But we've got enthusiastic fans there, there is no doubt about that. It's a great market and I'm not being critical of it."

If economic challenges were a hurdle for Quebec City during the NHL's last open-expansion bid, the push for a return could be even trickier this time. Potential ownership in Seattle, backed by American billionaire David Bonderman and Hollywood filmmaker Jerry Bruckheimer, would have to pay a $650-million expansion fee. That's $150 million more than the Golden Knights paid in 2017.

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The Vegas Golden Knights could have a key offensive figure back in the lineup in Game 3 against the Winnipeg Jets.

Head coach Gerard Gallant said forward David Perron missed Game 2 because he "wasn't feeling well," according to Adam Hill of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, but the winger was listed as a game-time decision ahead of Game 3 on Wednesday.

Perron finished third on the Golden Knights with 66 points this season, and he has collected seven assists in nine playoff games.

While his status is uncertain, one small lineup change has already been made. Backup netminder Malcolm Subban is day to day with an undisclosed illness/injury, so Maxime Lagace will serve as Marc-Andre Fleury's No. 2, Gallant told Steve Carp of the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

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