Jonathan Toews and 2 other NHL free agents still available

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Last week, we saw Patrick Kane get signed up with the Detroit Red Wings. That is his third team in less than a year as the Chicago Blackhawks traded him to the New York Rangers last spring.

There were a lot of teams in on Patrick Kane as he is a proven offensive star looking for a new team. He struggled to put up superstar numbers last season as he only had 21 goals and 36 assists for 57 points.

A lot of that has to do with the hip issues that he had. At the end of the season last year, he had surgery to help fix the problem. That is also a big reason that he waited until late November to pick a team.

Now that the Kane sweepstakes are over, however, teams will be looking elsewhere if they want to go for any of the other free agents available. There are a few good veterans to still consider:

Jonathan Toews would be able to help out a lot of good NHL teams right now

For a long time, Jonathan Toews was one of the best centers in the game. He was very good in all three zones, won tons of faceoffs, and became one of the greatest leaders that sports have ever seen. He was teammates with Kane for a long time and the two of them have done a lot of winning.

Three Stanley Cups, a Conn Smythe, and a Selke Trophy are on his resume along with 372 goals and 511 assists for 883 points in 1067 games played. He, like Kane, will be in the Hall of Fame.

Toews is taking some time away from hockey but has not ruled out coming back to the NHL at some point. We are getting close to the time when guys like him usually sign if they are going to.

He would help a team score some goals, win faceoffs, and be a leader in the clubhouse with tons of experience. Almost every team in the league should be looking to welcome a player like Jonathan Toews right now.

Zach Parise can still score a lot of goals for a very cheap salary cap hit

Signing a player like Zach Parise would be a big boost for a lot of teams in the NHL. He plays the game incredibly hard and brings some offensive flare with him.

Last season with the New York Islanders, he scored 21 goals and didn’t even make $1 million against the salary cap. That type of production could be had again if a team were to bring him in.

Parise has scored 429 goals and 450 assists for 879 points. He has also been a pretty good defensive winger in his day but he isn’t someone that is going to save the day on that front in what would be his age-39 season.

Signing him would give anyone a good player to add to either their third or fourth line. He would bring a ton of energy to the bottom six and score some big goals. Plenty of teams would love to add a guy like that to the mix as the hard days of the season are fast approaching.

The NHL is a better place when Phil Kessel is on a team playing well

Phil Kessel will always be known as the nice guy who tries hard and loves the game. He has been a big-time NHL player in his career and a fan favorite for a long time.

In his 1286 career games, he has 413 goals and 59 assists for 992 points. He is also a three-time Stanley Cup champion (two with Pittsburgh and one with Vegas).

Phil also won the Masterton Trophy in his rookie season as he came back from having cancer. He was the first rookie to ever win the award for perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey.

During his career, Phil Kessel also became the NHL’s all-time Iron Man as he played in 1064 straight games. His streak is technically still intact as he has not missed a game he is eligible for. The last time that happened was when he was recovering from shoulder surgery in 2009.

There are plenty of teams that could use the character boost that he would bring to the table just by showing up. He is 36 years old and has plenty left in the tank.

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