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NHL Top Free Agents Hitting the Market

By Diana Driscoll |

While most of us haven’t had enough time to properly process what happened during the 2015 NHL  Entry Draft (Boston Bruins fans), we will be hit with another round of trades, deals and steals tomorrow when players hit the market as free agents.

This year, there aren’t any players that would be considered “NHL stars” and who will have many teams courting them. But there are a few that will garner a lot of attention.

Defensemen and goaltenders—arguably the more important positions to fill with top talent—are probably going to be the first to find new homes. The top two defensemen who will be on the market starting tomorrow are Washington Capitals Mike Green and Nashville Predators Cody Franson.

Green is 29 years old and was the most productive free agent defensemen. While he saw his role reduced this season in Washington, Green was a major part of the Caps’ special teams units over the years.  He’s a great offensive defenseman who is good at keeping opponents on their toes.

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Franson played on the top pairing for the Toronto Maple Leafs before being traded to Nashville. He excelled in Toronto, tallying six goals and 26 assists in 55 games, but started to fade after the trade. In 23 games with the Predators, Franson only recorded four points. This slip may hurt his value a bit, but Franson has proven, earlier in the season, that he can play against top players in the League and produce points.

Aside from these two, Los Angeles Andrej Sekera, Chicago Blackhawks Johnny Oduya and Pittsburgh Penguins Paul Martin are said to be ready to test the market. These three may not catch a contract like Green or Franson, but they will be courted by teams (especially Sekera).

One of the hottest forwards to hit the market is Matt Beleskey who rejected a deal offered by his team the Anaheim Ducks.

Beleskey is coming off of a career year in which he posted highs of 22 goals and 32 points. He scored eight goals with one assist in the postseason. At 27, the homegrown product is still in his prime.- Fox Sports

According to ESPN, there is a lot of interest in the left winger. He wants a team that will be a good fit and is said to be meeting with some Eastern Conference teams this week.

Last year’s Conn Smythe Trophy winner Justin Williams will also be someone multiple teams come after. Williams has been a part of three Stanley Cup-winning teams, and has proven his worth in the postseason out in Los Angeles. Although he is 33, he could maybe find a long-term deal. If he wants to put himself in a position to win another Cup, he may agree to a shorter deal with a known contender.

Other forwards to watch out for are Marty St. Louis, even though he is 40 and had a rough postseason, the guy still has some moves. He wants to stay in the New York area in order to raise his children in Connecticut, so that cuts down on the teams he can sign with, especially since the New York Rangers aren’t likely to offer him anything. Aside from St. Louis, you will probably see Mike Ribeiro, Antoine Vermette, Joel Ward, and Michael Frolik end up donning a new jersey.

As for goaltenders…well now that Annti Niemi signed a deal with the Dallas Stars and Devan Dubnyk signed a six-year extension with the Minnesota Wild, there aren’t many goaltenders teams are going to give an arm and a leg to get. The goaltenders looking for new homes come tomorrow are Jhonas Enroth (Stars), Karri Ramo (Flames), Michal Neuvirth (Islanders), Viktor Fasth (Oilers), and Josh Harding (Wild). They don’t really offer anything to get excited about, but teams in dire need of a backup may look to lock one of these guys up.

What I am really looking forward to is the appearance of the rare offer sheets. I am hoping at least one team, which has money to spend, puts pressure on those teams that are cap-strapped. PLEASE, I want some drama, something exciting to happen tomorrow. Since talent isn’t that prevalent with these free agents, I need an offer sheet to give me something to write about.

There are some top-tier restricted free agents (Brandon Saad for one) that could be worthy of an offer sheet by others, especially since the Chicago Blackhawks salary cap issues are public knowledge. Who wouldn’t want to wreak havoc on the 2015 Stanley Cup Champions? Other restricted free agents teams might make an offer to are St. Louis Blues’ Vladimir Tarasenko, Capitals, Braden Holtby, Ducks’ Jakob Silfverberg, and Blackhawks’ Marcus Kruger.

There are undoubtedly more talented RFAs than UFAs, so I will be on the lookout for one or more offer sheets. Let’s hope something juicy happens. Tomorrow all bets are off!

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