The offseason has officially begun, and the free-agent frenzy is right around the corner. With the salary cap remaining flat at $81.5 million for next season, general managers will be more desperate than ever to find low-cost impact players on the market while pinching their pennies.
We all saw what talents like Corey Perry and Pat Maroon were able to contribute to their clubs after inking team-friendly deals last offseason. The following players will likely be available at an appealing cost, and they could outplay their contracts in 2020-21.
Jason Spezza - C/RW
Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / Getty
GP
G
A
P
ATOI
Cap hit
58
9
16
25
10:50
$700K
Spezza has made it clear he'd love to stay with his hometown Toronto Maple Leafs if he plays in 2020-21, but it's uncertain the cap-strapped team can keep the veteran in its plans going forward. If the Leafs move on, lots of clubs could benefit from using Spezza in a depth role.
The 37-year-old put together a solid 2019-20 campaign while proving he can still contribute in several areas. Spezza produced more points per game last season (0.43) than he did in 2018-19 (0.35) despite logging considerably less ice time. He also showed off his versatility, playing center and wing throughout the season and winning 54.4% of his faceoffs.
Spezza's off-ice value also can't be overlooked. The 17-year pro adds plenty of experience, his teammates love him, and he's on a mission to end his career with a Stanley Cup win.
Mikael Granlund - LW/RW
Dave Sandford / National Hockey League / Getty
GP
G
A
P
ATOI
Cap hit
63
17
13
30
17:48
$5.75M
How quickly things can change. Nashville Predators general manager David Poile appeared to have fleeced the Minnesota Wild when he acquired Granlund for Kevin Fiala just over 18 months ago, but the latter has become the far more productive player ever since.
The aftermath of that trade could impact how much a team is willing to invest in Granlund. We're not suggesting the 28-year-old pivot will end up signing for low-end money, but his recent decline will likely prove costly. However, his offensive potential could lead to Granlund outperforming his next contract, making him a bargain candidate.
The 5-foot-10 Finn has registered a pair of 60-plus point seasons, and he's capable of playing throughout the lineup. Granlund has also been a strong possession player for most of his career, and the Predators boasted an impressive 62.42% of expected goals when he was on the ice at five-on-five in 2019-20.
Henrik Lundqvist - G
Jared Silber / National Hockey League / Getty
GP
GAA
SV%
GSAA
Cap hit
30
3.16
.905
-4.16
$8.5M
Despite Lundqvist's bona fides, it's unlikely a team will overpay for a No. 2 goalie, so he should be available for a reasonable price if the veteran continues his career. It's tough to picture King Henrik in another jersey, but taking a chance on him wouldn't be the worst idea for a contender looking to shore up its crease.
The 2012 Vezina Trophy winner has declined statistically in recent years, but he didn't receive much help from a Rangers team that's been one of the worst defensively over the past several seasons. Fulfilling a lighter role for a stronger club could help give Lundqvist a second wind. At the very least, his presence and experience would be invaluable to a Stanley Cup contender.
Tyler Ennis - LW/RW
Andy Devlin / National Hockey League / Getty
GP
G
A
P
ATOI
Cap hit
70
16
21
37
14:43
$800K
Ennis was on our 2019 edition of potential free-agent steals, and for good reason. The veteran winger's production in 2019-20 far outweighed his six-figure contract. Although he's due for a slight raise, Ennis should still be a low-cost option who can provide plenty of value.
The 30-year-old paced all players making under $1 million who were not on entry-level deals last season in both goals and points. He outscored multi-million dollar pending free-agent forwards such as Granlund, Vladislav Namestnikov, and Craig Smith despite logging less ice time per game than the former two.
Ennis also plays a lot larger than his 5-foot-9 frame suggests, as evidenced by his career-high 96 hits last season. His mix of grit and skill makes him a versatile talent who can play up and down a club's lineup.
Wayne Simmonds - RW
Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / Getty
GP
G
A
P
ATOI
Cap hit
68
8
17
25
14:55
$5M
Despite his body of work, it became clear that Simmonds' value had dropped after he managed just a one-year contract last offseason. The 6-foot-5 winger failed to meet expectations in 2019-20, so he'll likely be securing a far less lucrative salary now.
However, Simmonds spent 2019-20 playing for a pair of struggling teams in the New Jersey Devils and Buffalo Sabres. His ice time dropped noticeably with Buffalo, and he wasn't able to find his game before the season was cut short in March.
Simmonds' days as a top-six option are clearly behind him, but the 32-year-old power forward can still bolster a club's depth. He recorded 145 hits last season while also showing he can still contribute on the power play, recording five of his eight tallies with the man advantage.
Nikolai Khabibulin answered the phone in Yekaterinburg, Russia, late on a recent Friday and expressed his pleasure with the trajectory of the NHL postseason. The Lightning, one of the retired goalie's past clubs, had advanced to the Stanley Cup Final the previous day, emerging victorious from an all-Russian netminding matchup - Andrei Vasilevskiy against Semyon Varlamov - to set up another with Anton Khudobin. It was all a bit surprising, Khabibulin said, but nice for his country all the same.
Khabibulin was also keeping an eye on the KHL, including 18-year-old Yaroslav Askarov's first start of the new season for SKA Saint Petersburg. Teen goalies don't typically dominate in the world's second-best league, yet Askarov stopped 33 shots in a 2-0 shutout of HC Spartak Moscow. He challenged shooters assertively. He sprawled to his left to commit theft, then did that twice more in a performance that solidified goalie and rookie of the week honors.
"He read the plays well. He stopped a penalty shot. Some other guy had a breakaway," Khabibulin said. "Everything he did (worked)."
Khabibulin was Russia's goaltending coach at the 2020 world juniors, about the only event at which Askarov has stumbled. His track record is close to immaculate. Last season, he became the second-youngest goalie to start a KHL game, which he won. He shone for SKA's farm team in the second-tier VHL, compiling a .920 save percentage across 18 contests. The number was stellar for a draft-eligible player, a status Askarov will shed soon after the NHL draft begins Tuesday night.
Setting aside the world juniors in the Czech Republic, where he was yanked in Russia's tournament opener and again in the semifinal, Askarov's success versus men and against prospects internationally has ratcheted his draft stock to rare heights. The comparisons to Vasilevskiy, the perennial Vezina Trophy nominee who was selected No. 19 overall in 2012, are inevitable thanks to his passport and promise.
Askarov tracks the puck for SKA St. Petersburg in September. Stanislav Krasilnikov / TASS / Getty Images
Few goalies get picked that high anymore. To make the case that Askarov is worth it - "I think he can be as good as he wants to be," Khabibulin said - evaluators sometimes invoke a weightier parallel: the guy whom the Canadiens trusted 15 years ago to live up to the No. 5 slot.
"Best goalie I've seen entering the draft since Carey Price," said TSN's chief scout, Craig Button.
"He's a lot of things you look for in a franchise goaltender," said Mark Seidel, director of the independent North American Central Scouting agency. "There's going to be risks with teams taking him, maybe, in the top 10. But I'd rather take a risk and get a franchise goaltender than take a risk and you miss on a second-pairing defenseman."
In interviews, Khabibulin and four prospect analysts characterized the 6-foot-3, right-catching Askarov as a spirited competitor who reads the game well and moves explosively out of the butterfly, which helps him maintain aggressive yet sensible positioning and splay when needed to foil chances at the far post. Askarov's hands are good, as is his rebound management. In his KHL cameos and several pressurized medal games, he's projected the confidence and composure of a goalie entirely in control.
Askarov's netminding profile is devoid of serious flaws, leaving viewers to scrutinize what Button calls his developmental, rather than inherent, weaknesses. To goalie analyst Catherine Silverman, Askarov could probably stand to narrow his stance slightly and move a little less in the net. His hands could and should still get sharper. But even if those elements of his game remain unfinished, she said, his best attributes wouldn't look out of place in the NHL right now.
"Call him precocious; call him advanced - whatever word you want to use to describe him. He's gifted. He's as gifted a goaltender as you might say about the players who get 'exceptional' status (in the Canadian Hockey League)," Button said. "You just don't see that in goaltenders at that age. It's a position that requires refinement of technique."
Well before he debuted at the world juniors at 17, Askarov stymied his peers at numerous marquee events, powering pedestrian Russian lineups, Seidel said, to podium finishes they had no business attaining. Said NHL Central Scouting director Dan Marr, "There's a history of this guy going out there in high-pressure situations as one of the younger players and delivering."
Below are four examples in the span of a year.
November 2018: Askarov recorded a .948 save percentage across five games as the Russians took gold at the World Under-17 Challenge in New Brunswick.
December 2018: Askarov upped his percentage to .954 over four games to lead Russia to silver at the Under-20 World Junior A Challenge in Alberta.
April 2019: Playing a year above his age cohort, Askarov earned top goalie honors at the Under-18 World Championship in Sweden. His 40 saves in the semifinal forced the powerhouse United States to the shootout shown above, during which five of the eventual top 15 picks in the 2019 draft - Jack Hughes, Alex Turcotte, Trevor Zegras, Matthew Boldy, and Cole Caufield - failed to beat him.
August 2019: Russia won gold at the U-18 Hlinka Gretzky Cup despite being outshot 37-13 in the final by a Canadian squad replete with top 2020 prospects, including Quinton Byfield, Cole Perfetti, and Jamie Drysdale. Askarov made 35 saves in the victory, and his save percentage for the tournament was .960.
"If he's got 21 good viewings and two or three bad games at the world juniors, (scouts) say, OK, we can live with that," Seidel said.
The pandemic scrubbed this year's U-18 worlds and Hlinka Gretzky tournament, but the draft's postponement granted Askarov's NHL suitors a few extra glimpses of him stonewalling pros. Including his shutout against Spartak, he denied 76 of 78 shots (.974) in three KHL appearances last month. One gymnastic stop against Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod on Sept. 20 seemed to pierce the opposing forward's soul.
Let's get a closer look at the Yaroslav Askarov save from today.
The list of goalies who've stood tall in the KHL at Askarov's age doesn't extend far beyond Vasilevskiy and acclaimed Islanders prospect Ilya Sorokin. Plenty of teams - Ottawa at No. 5 overall, New Jersey at No. 7, Minnesota at No. 9, Carolina at No. 13, Edmonton at No. 14 - could conceivably buck recent draft history on Tuesday and bring the shot-stopper aboard with a high pick, trusting he won't wind up as a cautionary tale.
It was commonplace a couple of decades ago to see as many as four goalies selected in Round 1, but that investment frequently preceded disaster. 1999 first-rounders Brian Finley, Maxim Ouellet, and Ari Ahonen combined to appear in just 16 NHL games. Their shared shortcoming contrasts with the long, fruitful careers of Craig Anderson and Ryan Miller, third- and fifth-round choices in 1999, respectively, who were the oldest netminders in the league this past season.
Many drafts have since upheld the maxim that teams can find good goaltending at any point in the process. Consider the distribution of the NHL's 2019-20 goals saved above average leaderboard. The top 10 performers include two first-round picks (Tuukka Rask and Vasilevskiy), a second-rounder (Robin Lehner), two third-round selections (Ben Bishop and Elvis Merzlikins), a fifth-rounder (Connor Hellebuyck), a sixth-round pick (Darcy Kuemper), a seventh-rounder (Khudobin), and two undrafted free agents (Pavel Francouz and Antti Raanta).
How does Askarov's high stock fit into this calculus? For all of the first-round flops drafted between 2000 and 2010 - Brent Krahn, Adam Munro, Marek Schwarz, Riku Helenius, Leland Irving, Tom McCollum, Mark Visentin - there remains the odd 18-year-old whose bright future between the pipes looks assured.
Andrei Vasilevskiy holds the Stanley Cup on Sept. 28. Andy Devlin / NHL / Getty Images
Tampa Bay correctly believed Vasilevskiy would reach his ceiling. Florida has bet big that Spencer Knight, last year's No. 13 pick, will pan out as a quality starter. As Montreal executive Trevor Timmins once told Sportsnet about his club's famed gambit, "We just felt, (in 2005), that Price was the one guy who really had the chance to develop into a franchise player, even though he was a goalie."
"If you find that special rare breed who you think can be a starter and a potential star, that's where a team will step up and take him," Seidel said. "That's what I think will happen (with Askarov)."
Irrespective of its Russian headliner, this draft's crop of eligible goaltenders is strong, Silverman said. Canadians Nico Daws and Dylan Garand submitted solid CHL seasons in 2019-20. Joel Blomqvist is one of Finland's finer recent prospects. Calle Clang is no Jesper Wallstedt - the class of 2021's answer to Askarov - but he's fared well to date in the Swedish junior ranks. Wednesday's later rounds may wind up producing several future starters, Silverman said. It's just that Askarov is dusting all of them on the development curve.
Askarov is signed to SKA through 2021-22, The Athletic's Corey Pronman reported in June, and Silverman thinks he could follow an accelerated version of Igor Shesterkin's path. The Rangers backstop and former SKA star moved to the AHL last season at 23, excelled there for a few months, was promoted to New York with Henrik Lundqvist still in the fold, and now looks set to claim the No. 1 role.
"Can (Askarov) make that jump? He's not going to do it overnight. He's going to have to probably play in the (AHL) for a couple of years," Seidel said. "But he's already proven that he can play with men. It checks another box that you don't have to worry about as much."
Nikolai Khabibulin (left) and Yaroslav Askarov (second from right) are shown at the 2020 world juniors. Yelena Rusko / TASS / Getty Images
Khabibulin, for his part, won't sweat Askarov's subpar two weeks at the last world juniors. If he wasn't fully ready for the stage at 17, he impressed behind the scenes by taking responsibility for his play and committing to improve, the goalie coach said. Askarov is coachable and dissatisfied when he falters, Khabibulin added, which so far has been a nonissue in the KHL.
The results support Khabibulin's read from afar. Askarov is handling net-front traffic more capably than in the past. He's robbing Grade-A attempts with his quick footwork and long legs. He's delivering consistently, not unlike the Russian Vezina finalist who just led Tampa to a title.
"If he can do it once, he can do it twice. If he can do it twice, he can do it many times," Khabibulin said. "It seems like he's getting better and better."
Grabner's agent, Jerry Buckley, told NHL Network's Craig Morgan that his client intends to continue playing.
The Austrian-born winger was originally signed through 2020-21 at a cap hit of $3.35 million. It was to be the final season of his three-year, $10.05-million contract he inked with the Coyotes in July 2018.
Grabner, who turns 33 on Monday, spent the last two campaigns with Arizona. He collected only eight goals and 11 points over 46 games in 2019-20.
The 11-year veteran has also played for the New Jersey Devils, New York Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Islanders, and the Vancouver Canucks, the club that drafted him 14th overall in 2006.
The 29-year-old earned the Golden Knights' starting job in the postseason and excelled after Vegas landed him in a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks at the deadline.
He would have been one of the top players available had he tested the UFA market on Oct. 9.
Lehner went 9-7 with a .917 save percentage in 16 playoff games with Vegas. He played three regular-season contests with the Golden Knights down the stretch after the trade.
The Swedish netminder posted a 16-10-5 record to go along with a .918 save percentage and 10.17 goals saved above average in 33 games with the Blackhawks in 2019-20 prior to the deal.
Lehner signed a one-year, $5-million pact with Chicago in July 2019.
This year's unrestricted free-agent pool could pack some superstar punch in all three position groups.
Dustin Byfuglien isn't included because he's reportedly unlikely to continue playing. Meanwhile, Henrik Lundqvist is already a UFA after the New York Rangers bought him out, but his plans are unclear.
With that in mind, let's take a look at the top players who could be available when the frenzy begins Oct. 9.
xGF% = Expected goals for percentage at five-on-five GSAA = Goals saved above average at five-on-five
25. Wayne Simmonds
Position: RW Age: 32 2019-20 cap hit: $5M Current team: Buffalo Sabres
GP
G
P
ATOI
xGF%
68
8
25
14:55
45.81
Simmonds' play has noticeably declined, and he certainly isn't worth his previous cap hit, which the New Jersey Devils retained half of upon shipping him to the Sabres. However, the veteran winger should garner some interest considering his track record of providing both offense and physicality.
24. Ilya Kovalchuk
Position: LW/RW Age: 37 2019-20 cap hit: $700K Current team: Washington Capitals
GP
G
P
ATOI
xGF%
46
10
26
16:58
55.14
After struggling and falling out with the Los Angeles Kings, Kovalchuk surprisingly produced 13 points in 22 games with the Montreal Canadiens. However, the former superstar wasn't as effective with the Capitals and virtually disappeared in the playoffs, but there's little risk involved in offering him another league-minimum deal.
23. Corey Perry
Position: RW Age: 35 2019-20 cap hit: $1.5M Current team: Dallas Stars
GP
G
P
ATOI
xGF%
57
5
21
13:43
53.2
What a difference a postseason makes. Perry bolstered his stock significantly in the playoffs after barely contributing on the offensive end during the regular season. The longtime agitator buried three goals over a two-game span in the Stanley Cup Final, including the double-overtime winner in Game 5.
22. Zdeno Chara
Position: LD Age: 43 2019-20 cap hit: $2M Current team: Boston Bruins
GP
G
P
ATOI
xGF%
68
5
14
21:01
48.46
Chara has spent the last 14 years with the Bruins (all as their captain), signed one-year deals with Boston in each of the last two offseasons, and said recently he wants to keep playing for the team. But general manager Don Sweeney was noncommittal when asked about the towering blue-liner's future with the club. So, though it may seem unlikely, the door appears open for an exit.
21. Vladislav Namestnikov
Bruce Bennett / Getty Images Sport / Getty
Position: LW/C Age: 27 2019-20 cap hit: $4M Current team: Colorado Avalanche
GP
G
P
ATOI
xGF%
65
17
31
15:03
46.91
Teams looking for depth scoring from a versatile forward would be wise to consider Namestnikov, who tallied four goals in 12 playoff games with the Avalanche after notching four markers and a pair of helpers in nine regular-season contests down the stretch.
20. Corey Crawford
Position: G Age: 35 2019-20 cap hit: $6M Current team: Chicago Blackhawks
GP
Record
SV%
GSAA
40
16-20-3
.917
7.52
Crawford may not be well-suited to shoulder the load at this point in his career, but the experienced goaltender proved more than capable in 2019-20 while sharing the crease. His GSAA ranked 10th in the NHL among netminders who played at least 25 games.
19. Erik Haula
Position: C/LW Age: 29 2019-20 cap hit: $2.75M Current team: Florida Panthers
GP
G
P
ATOI
xGF%
48
12
24
15:50
47
Haula didn't wow anyone with his stats this past season, but like Namestnikov, he's capable of playing multiple positions up front and may come cheaper due to his diminished production and past injury woes. Despite those concerns, the Finnish forward is only two seasons removed from a 29-goal, 55-point campaign.
18. Travis Hamonic
Position: RD Age: 30 2019-20 cap hit: $3.86M Current team: Calgary Flames
GP
G
P
ATOI
xGF%
50
3
12
21:12
48.55
Hamonic doesn't post gaudy numbers, nor is he likely to limit opposing goals or scoring chances at an elite level. But he is a proven top-four rearguard with 10 years of NHL experience. If he opts to leave the Flames, other teams in need could certainly do worse, as long as it's not for a long term.
17. Brenden Dillon
Position: LD Age: 29 2019-20 cap hit: $3.27M Current team: Washington Capitals
GP
G
P
ATOI
xGF%
69
1
14
19:27
52.21
Not many defensemen are able to drive possession while providing as much of a physical presence as Dillon does. The 6-foot-4, 225-pound blue-liner ranked among the NHL leaders at his position in hits this past season and also authored expected goals for, scoring chances for, and Corsi For rates above 50%.
16. Sami Vatanen
Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / Getty
Position: RD Age: 29 2019-20 cap hit: $4.87M Current team: Carolina Hurricanes
GP
G
P
ATOI
xGF%
47
5
23
21:45
47.24
Vatanen is capable of producing at a 35-to-40-point pace, as he did with the Hurricanes and Devils in 2019-20. He's also a decent defender, though his possession figures leave something to be desired. The Finnish blue-liner has been limited by injuries over the last two seasons, but he missed only one playoff game this campaign and should be fine entering 2020-21.
15. Chris Tanev
Position: RD Age: 30 2019-20 cap hit: $4.45M Current team: Vancouver Canucks
GP
G
P
ATOI
xGF%
69
2
20
19:32
48.16
Tanev has spent his entire 10-year career with the Canucks, but the defenseman has the opportunity to hit the market if he so desires. The Pittsburgh Penguins will reportedly make a play for the rearguard if he becomes a UFA. Given his dependability, it wouldn't be shocking to see other clubs do the same.
14. TJ Brodie
Position: RD Age: 30 2019-20 cap hit: $4.65M Current team: Calgary Flames
GP
G
P
ATOI
xGF%
64
4
19
20:27
52.25
Much like Hamonic, Brodie is an adequate top-four defenseman, though he'll have a slight edge over his teammate if he pursues free agency by virtue of being a left-hander who's played much of his Flames tenure on the right side.
13. Mikael Granlund
Position: C/LW Age: 28 2019-20 cap hit: $5.75M Current team: Nashville Predators
GP
G
P
ATOI
xGF%
63
17
30
17:48
51.67
It was a tale of two seasons for Granlund, as he led the Predators with 11 goals in the 28 games after John Hynes took over as head coach in January. Granlund hasn't matched the level of production he previously established with the Minnesota Wild, but he'll still be one of the top free-agent forwards on the market.
12. Anton Khudobin
Position: G Age: 34 2019-20 cap hit: $2.5M Current team: Dallas Stars
GP
Record
SV%
GSAA
30
16-8-4
.930
18.62
Khudobin's stock soared after he helped lead Dallas to the Stanley Cup Final as the team's starter following a stellar regular season as Ben Bishop's backup. The Stars reportedly want to keep Khudobin, but he may opt to cash in elsewhere upon proving he's more than capable of holding a No. 1 job and carrying a team in the playoffs.
11. Braden Holtby
Patrick McDermott / National Hockey League / Getty
Position: G Age: 31 2019-20 cap hit: $6.1M Current team: Washington Capitals
GP
Record
SV%
GSAA
48
25-14-6
.897
-14.7
Holtby would have pushed for the top five on this list if he had a solid regular season - only Jimmy Howard had a worse GSAA - or was remotely reliable in the playoffs. Despite those struggles, the longtime Capitals starter isn't far removed from winning a championship in 2018 and the Vezina Trophy two years prior, so he may just need a change of scenery.
10. Kevin Shattenkirk
Position: RD Age: 31 2019-20 cap hit: $1.75M Current team: Tampa Bay Lightning
GP
G
P
ATOI
xGF%
70
8
34
18:54
55.63
The Lightning inking Shattenkirk to such a team-friendly contract in August 2019 wasn't shocking after the New York Rangers bought him out, but it proved to be arguably the biggest bargain of the offseason. He was an immediate fit with Tampa Bay and raised his game in the playoffs, posting 13 points in 25 games.
9. Tyson Barrie
Position: RD Age: 29 2019-20 cap hit: $5.5M Current team: Toronto Maple Leafs
GP
G
P
ATOI
xGF%
70
5
39
21:53
50.89
Barrie didn't fully mesh with the Maple Leafs, but the former Avalanche blue-liner remains a capable offensive defenseman with plenty of value. He improved after Sheldon Keefe took over as Toronto's head coach, and despite the rearguard's deficiencies in his own end, he'll undoubtedly get calls from interested clubs.
8. Evgenii Dadonov
Position: RW Age: 31 2019-20 cap hit: $4M Current team: Florida Panthers
GP
G
P
ATOI
xGF%
69
25
47
17:06
50.49
Dadonov isn't the best Panthers forward on this list, but he's been one of the NHL's most underrated scorers over the last few years. The Russian winger potted 28 goals in back-to-back seasons and was on a 30-goal pace before the pause. Dadonov produced 135 combined points over the previous two campaigns, and though he benefited from playing with elite linemates, there's clearly talent there.
7. Tyler Toffoli
Position: RW Age: 28 2019-20 cap hit: $4.6M Current team: Vancouver Canucks
GP
G
P
ATOI
xGF%
68
24
44
16:51
56.47
Toffoli said in September that staying with the Canucks is his top priority, but Vancouver has its hands full this offseason. He racked up six goals and 10 points in 10 regular-season games with the club after it acquired him from the Kings before the deadline, and he kept contributing in the playoffs. If the winger hits the market, he'll be one of the top players available.
6. Mike Hoffman
Mark Blinch / National Hockey League / Getty
Position: LW Age: 30 2019-20 cap hit: $5.19M Current team: Florida Panthers
GP
G
P
ATOI
xGF%
69
29
59
16:50
46.27
Hoffman is as consistent as they come in the goal-producing department, averaging 28.7 per season over his nine-year career. He's the second-best forward who could be available in free agency, and it remains to be seen whether the Panthers will choose to keep either of their skilled scorers around.
5. Jacob Markstrom
Position: G Age: 30 2019-20 cap hit: $3.67M Current team: Vancouver Canucks
GP
Record
SV%
GSAA
43
23-16-4
.918
6.65
Vancouver general manager Jim Benning made it clear he wants to re-sign Markstrom, and the netminder has also said he wants to stay with the Canucks. However, there's no guarantee that happens, and if it doesn't, he'd likely be the second-most coveted puck-stopper on the market.
Lehner spent most of the regular season splitting time in the Blackhawks crease with Crawford, but his strong play with both Chicago and Vegas helped him secure the Golden Knights' starting role in the postseason. Lehner is the youngest among the top members of the pending UFA goalie class, and he certainly proved himself worthy of a longer contract after signing a surprising one-year deal in July 2019.
3. Torey Krug
Position: LD Age: 29 2019-20 cap hit: $5.25M Current team: Boston Bruins
GP
G
P
ATOI
xGF%
61
9
49
20:29
52.01
Krugsaid in September he's "very opposed" to settling for a one-year deal, and it's tough to dispute the notion that he deserves a longer pact considering his track record and production from the back end.
2. Taylor Hall
Position: LW Age: 28 2019-20 cap hit: $6M Current team: Arizona Coyotes
GP
G
P
ATOI
xGF%
65
16
52
19:10
50.89
Coyotes GM Bill Armstrong recently admitted the team would need to get creative to retain Hall, who helped Arizona reach the postseason in 2019-20 for the first time since 2012, albeit in an expanded format. The 2017-18 Hart Trophy winner said in August his priority is "probably all winning," adding that the Coyotes "have a bright future." Still, he may be tempted to take his talents elsewhere.
1. Alex Pietrangelo
John Russell / National Hockey League / Getty
Position: RD Age: 30 2019-20 cap hit: $6.5M Current team: St. Louis Blues
GP
G
P
ATOI
xGF%
70
16
52
24:11
52.42
There's no question who the biggest fish on the market will be with the way things are trending. The Blues reportedly advised Pietrangelo to pursue free agency, and the superstar rearguard subsequently said maybe that's "best for both sides" after admitting there's been little progress in contract talks. However, he hasn't ruled out re-signing. Regardless of where he lands, Pietrangelo is in for a hefty payday.