NHL Free Agency: Top 5 Free Agents still on the board after Day One
We took a look at five of the best Free Agents still on the board heading into Day 2 of NHL Free Agency.
It was a wild, wild start to NHL Free Agency on Wednesday as over $750 million was spent on around 161 signings across the league, and we saw some big names get signed to blockbuster contracts by new teams.
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Elite defenseman Dougie Hamilton – arguably the biggest prize available in Free Agency – signed a seven-year, $63 million contract with the New Jersey Devils, the Seattle Kraken made a significant and stunning splash by handing a six-year, $35,400,00 deal to goaltender Philipp Grubauer, and two-time Stanley Cup Champion Blake Coleman agreed to terms on a six-year, $29,400,000 contract.
There were a plethora of other big money, attention-grabbing deals dished out as teams showed they were not content with being conservative despite the flat cap in 2021-22 due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, and there is no doubt that the National Hockey League looks a lot different today.
However, there are still some big names left on the open market as we head into Day 2 of Free Agency and we are going to rank the best players available…
Top 5 Free Agents still available on Day 2 of NHL Free Agency
5. Zach Parise, LW
We’ve listed Zach Parise at No. 5 just because of the fact that he is expected to sign with the New York Islanders, although that hasn’t been confirmed yet so we will include him anyway. But just don’t be surprised if he comes off the board soon.
Having been bought out by the Minnesota Wild earlier this month, Parise had the opportunity to start working out the best fit for him at this stage of his career, and the Islanders seemed the perfect fit for a number of reasons.
Firstly, Isles General Manager Lou Lamoriello drafted Parise for the New Jersey Devils and it is believed that the two both share an interest in working together again, with Parise willing to waive his no-move clause in both 2019 and 2020 in order to speak to the Isles.
Secondly, Parise’s late Father, J.P. Parise, played 240 games for the Islanders in the late 70’s, so the opportunity to play for the same team as his Dad could be too tempting to turn down.
While he isn’t the player he was, the left-wing could still offer the Islanders some value in either a bottom-six role or he could see even benefit from playing on a top-line with Mathew Barzal, while Parise’s leadership and wealth of experience will be a good fit in that locker room.
4. Ryan Murray
Having been the No. 2 overall pick in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, there was understandably a lot of hype surrounding Ryan Murray and, while he’s had a nice career in the majors, it hasn’t quite lived up to expectations.
Still only 27-years-old, there is still time for Murray to finish with a flourish and he could be quite the pickup for a team looking for a second-pairing or high-end third-pairing defenseman on Day 2 of NHL Free Agency.
While he was okay with the New Jersey Devils in 2020-21, recording 14 points (0 G, 14 A) in 48 games with a plus / minus rating of +3, Murray is a reliable two-way defenseman who can contribute at both ends of the ice.
He has good size at 6-foot-1 and 206 pounds, he can lay the body on, he’s an excellent shot blocker – he blocked 73 shots last season – he can log big minutes, he can play in all situations, he’s mobile and he can also kill penalties.
While he’s probably not an elite top-four defenseman at this stage of his career, Murray could benefit from being placed in the right system and the right environment, and he could thrive playing for a real contender in a specific role.
3. Tomas Tatar
One of the most intriguing players left on the board after Day One of NHL Free Agency was forward Tomas Tatar, who has been incredibly productive for the Montreal Canadiens for the past few years.
After a short and not very sweet stint in Vegas with the Golden Knights, Tatar proved to be a potent weapon for the Habs with back-to-back seasons of 50 or more points, including a 61 point season (22 G, 39 A) in 2019-20.
Granted, the 30-year-old’s production did dip in 2020-21 with 30 points (10 G, 20 A) in 50 games, but it was a shortened season and his ice time did drop to an average of 14:59 minutes per night, so 30 points was still a nice return.
What is important to remember when it comes to Tatar is that he’s elite at 5-on-5, ranking 22nd among all NHL forwards for five-on-five points with 108 over the last three seasons, joining some pretty hallowed company like Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin and Aleksander Barkov on that list.
Granted, Tatar has developed a habit of going cold in the postseason as he had just one point in five games for the Habs during their run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2020-21, and it was a similar story for the Vegas Golden Knights in 2017-18.
However, that aside, Tatar is an elite play driver, he’s lethal at even-strength and he could be a productive top-six forward for most teams in the NHL for at least the next three or four seasons, and teams like the Seattle Kraken may benefit from signing the left-wing, especially if they can figure out a way for the veteran to get hot in the Playoffs again.
2. Brandon Saad
Given all the money and the monster deals dished out on Day One of NHL Free Agency, it was somewhat surprising that Brandon Saad was left unsigned by the end of the day and is still now on the board.
Granted, it shouldn’t be too much longer before the two-time Stanley Cup Champion finds a new home, and it could just come down to fit and the cost of the contract.
After all, the Colorado Avalanche would love to have kept Saad, who had 24 points (15 G, 9 A) in 44 games in 2020-21, but they couldn’t make it work because of the salary cap.
Therefore, the Avs’ loss could be another team’s gain and the 28-year-old projects to be a reliable and potent middle-six forward for contending teams in the NHL, and his experience of winning in the postseason should prove invaluable.
He isn’t the player he was but the left-wing could really flourish as a third-line scorer on an elite team, he can get to the net and to the dirty areas and a two or three-year contract with a respectable AAV could be the best fit for both Saad and the signing team.
1. David Krejci
Arguably the biggest name remaining in NHL Free Agency is veteran forward David Krejci, who has yet to agree to terms on a new deal with the Boston Bruins as we head into Day Two.
It is still expected that the 35-year-old will remain with the B’s given that he’s spent his entire career with the same team, although per CapFriendly, Boston has just over $1 million left in cap space and they still have to decide what to do with goaltender Tuukka Rask, who will miss the start of the 2021-22 season due to hip surgery.
So, with that in mind, there is a possibility that Krejci could finish his NHL career with another team, and he’s coming off a hugely impressive 2020-21 season where he enjoyed somewhat of a resurgence.
The center recorded 44 points (8 G, 36 A) in 51 games with a plus / minus rating of +16, while averaging 17:08 minutes of total ice time per night.
Furthermore, Krejci had 16 power play points (3 G, 13 A), 26 blocked shots, 25 hits 21 Takeaways and a win percentage of 54. 2 percent in the faceoff circle, in addition to nine points (2 G, 7 A) in 11 postseason games.
In other words, Krejci proved that he can still perform as an elite second-line center in the NHL, and his 2.1 points per game per 60 minutes at 5-on-5 stacked up closely to what Tampa Bay Lightning pivot Brayden Point produced.
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Boston outscored opponents 29-11 during Krejci’s five-on-five minutes, underlying his excellence at both ends of the ice, and he still has plenty left in the tank as a high-end second-line center so he could be a perfect fit for a contending team, or a team looking for that final piece, on a short-term deal.
His name will be one to watch over the next couple of days.