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NHL free agency 2019: Predicting where the top free agents will sign

By Alex Hoegler

COLUMBUS, OH - APRIL 14: Columbus Blue Jackets left wing Artemi Panarin (9) and Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky (72) celebrate after winning game three of a Stanley Cup first round playoff game between the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Tampa Bay Lightning on April 14, 2019 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, OH. (Photo by Adam Lacy/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OH - APRIL 14: Columbus Blue Jackets left wing Artemi Panarin (9) and Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky (72) celebrate after winning game three of a Stanley Cup first round playoff game between the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Tampa Bay Lightning on April 14, 2019 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, OH. (Photo by Adam Lacy/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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Photo by Bill Wippert/NHLI via Getty Images /

Erik Karlsson may be off the market, but this year’s NHL free agency class is still deep in star power. Here are projections for where the top five UFAs will sign next week.

In recent years, we’ve seen many of the top pending UFAs re-sign with their new teams ahead of July 1st, thus ending any potential drama and excitement for free agent frenzy. But luckily for us, many of the top UFAs of 2019 are about to hit NHL free agency.

Yes, the San Jose Sharks wound up re-signing Erik Karlsson to an eight-year deal, which took the number one free agent of 2019 off the market. And some of the other free agents re-signed as well.

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However, there are still a handful of superstars and game-changers available, and it’s been a long time since there was a free agent class this deep in terms of both star power and depth. Next week, we’ll see a couple of top-pairing defensemen and plenty of top six forwards.

Teams are looking to spend big to get some scoring help. But where will the top free agents go? Who will sign the biggest names? There are plenty of names on the market who could help teams improve and potentially become Stanley Cup contenders.

Even though free agency begins Monday, we may have to wait several days to find out where some of the top UFAs will sign. However, we’re starting to get a good idea of which teams are emerging as the favorite for a certain player.

Here, we’re taking a look at the top five free agents of the 2019 class, and we’re handing out projections on where they will sign. Some are already quite obvious, but others are complete guesses. So let’s get to it and guess where these five players will land.

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