NHL Free Agency: The three best fits for defenseman Keith Yandle
These are the three best landing spots for defenseman Keith Yandle.
NHL Free Agency opens on Wednesday, July 28 and there will be a plethora of players to keep an eye on as all 32 teams get ready to bolster their rosters, and it will be interesting to see where Keith Yandle ends up.
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The veteran blueliner was bought out of his contract by the Florida Panthers earlier this offseason, which had two years remaining with an Average Annual Value of $6,350,000, and he will now be free to sign with any team.
Yandle hitting the open market comes in the wake of a rocky 2020-21 season with the Florida Panthers, which began with the 34-year-old facing the very real threat of seeing his incredible ironman streak come to an end as new Panthers General Manager Bill Zito flirted with the possibility of making Yandle a healthy scratch to start the season.
However, the backlash by that decision prompted Zito and Florida Head Coach Joel Quinneville to revert course and Yandle went on to record 27 points (3 G, 24 A) in 56 games, while extending his ironman streak to 922 consecutive regular season games – which is the longest active streak in the NHL and just 42 games shy of Doug Jarvis‘ all-time record.
Yandle was a healthy scratch for half of Florida’s First Round matchup in the postseason – although that doesn’t affect his streak – and it wasn’t much of a surprise when he was bought out by the Panthers.
Despite his advancing years, Yandle still has plenty of good hockey to offer, he’s a superb puck-carrier and he’s a potent threat on the power play, so we took a look at the teams who could be the best fit for the defenseman…
The Three Best Landing Spots for Keith Yandle in NHL Free Agency
3. New York Islanders
If General Manager Lou Lamoriello doesn’t convince former Minnesota Wild defenseman Ryan Suter to sign on Long Island, then he could turn his attention to Keith Yandle who might be a nice fit on this team.
Now, Yandle may not seem like the type of player Lamoriello and the Islanders would go after given that he’s more of an offensive defenseman, but New York needs a left-shot who can play on the left-side and the 34-year-old ticks both of those boxes.
He could slot in on the second-line, thus allowing Head Coach Barry Trotz to bump Andy Greene down to the third-pairing where he’s likely to be more effective, and that would immediately give this blueline unit more balance.
Yandle would also add an offensive punch from the blueline for the Isles given that he recorded 27 points (3 G, 24 A) in 56 games for the Florida Panthers in 2020-21, with 18 of those points coming on the man advantage.
Therefore, Yandle could quarterback either the first or second power play unit for the Islanders, while he can carry the puck out of the zone with ease, he would boost the transition game and he would just add a different dimension to that backend.
Plus, he’s capable of logging around 20 minutes of ice time a night if needed, he can lay the body on and he’s also pretty responsible and reliable in his own zone, qualities which would all benefit the Islanders.
2. Montreal Canadiens
With Shea Weber out for the 2021-22 season, and potentially beyond with his NHL career in doubt, the Montreal Canadiens need a point man on the power play and Keith Yandle could be the perfect candidate.
Granted, the Habs do have Jeff Petry who recorded 15 points (4 G, 11 A) on the man advantage in 55 regular season games last year, but the absence of Weber will hit Montreal’s power play hard and his production will need to be replaced.
While he doesn’t boast a lethal shot like Weber does, Yandle can make things happen on the man advantage and 18 of his 27 points in 2020-21 came on the power play for the Florida Panthers, including 17 assists.
He can create opportunities by firing the puck towards the net and he’s also got elite vision which opens up the ice, so a one-two punch of Yandle and Petry quarterbacking the power play for the Habs in 2021-22 could be a deadly combination.
Yandle will greatly help Montreal’s transition game, he’s good for at least 20 assists a season and, as backed up by his hugely-impressive ironman streak, he’s incredibly durable and can be relied upon on a nightly basis.
The Habs have around $14 million in cap space, per CapFriendly, but that will only increase once Weber is placed on LTIR, so they will have the means needed to get a deal done with Yandle if that’s the direction they head in.
1. Boston Bruins
This is an obvious choice, right? It seems like ever since Keith Yandle entered the NHL in 2005 that he was destined to play for the Boston Bruins, his hometown team, and that date with destiny could be rapidly approaching.
Now free to sign with any team in the NHL, Yandle will have his choice of where to go next and it could be very tempting to choose to finish his career with the Bruins and be close to his family.
Bruins fans would love to see Yandle in the Black and Gold and Yandle would no doubt relish the opportunity to chase a Stanley Cup with his hometown team.
After all, Yandle hasn’t really played for a legit contender since his days with the New York Rangers in 2014-15 and 2015-16, and while Boston’s window is closing, they still have at least a couple of years with this current core.
And there would be a big role for Yandle at TD Garden. Due to his prowess on the power play, he could quarterback the second power play unit for the B’s, or even share quarterbacking duties on the top unit with Charlie McAvoy.
He could slot in on the second-pairing or even the third, he would boost the transition game and there is no doubt that Yandle would bring a different dynamic to the Bruins’ current blueline unit.
After all, since joining the Florida Panthers in 2016-17, Yandle’s 30 goals and 231 points rank eighth in the NHL amongst defensemen, while his 114 power play points in that span rank fourth.
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Plus, the Bruins have around $20 million in cap space per CapFriendly, and while they have other business to conduct, Yandle would probably be willing to take a discount in order to play for his hometown team and chase a ring.