As compared to last year's scoring in the pool, here are the top 10 potential unrestricted free agents, come July 1.
Topping the list is centre, Marc Savard, who played last season with Ilya Kovalchuk in Atlanta. He reached the top 10 in points this season with a stellar 97-point season. I think every indication points to Atlanta bringing him back for another season, but if they can't make him put pen to paper before the end of the month, he could be signing with the highest-bidder. Savard has never been one of my favourite players, playing awfully sketchy more often than not. He has, however, climbed the rankings on an annual basis, possibly giving us the conclusion that he is worthy of a very high position in the draft next season.
The Detroit Red Wings have some decisions to make and have already started the process of making them. Manny Legace, Nicklas Lidstrom & Brendan Shanahan all qualify for this list, but it may only end up being Legace making it to the open market. Legace has been given his walking papers for July 1 already by GM Ken Holland, while Shanahan's name has already been mentioned to stick around for at least one more year. Lidstrom provides an interesting conundrum. He will be commanding some top-level money to come back or just sign anywhere and there could be quite a few teams willing to pay him that sort of money. There hasn't been a lot of rumours floating around Lidstrom just as of yet, nor have the Wings been out saying that they've made him their first priority... but I'm sure once the Norris Trophy has been announced, it may well affect how much the Wings will offer him, a week before the deadline.
It would be hard to believe, but Joe Sakic has the chance to test the free-agent waters this summer, should he wish to do so. Sakic, a career Nordique/Avalanche player, will more than likely choose to remain with the franchise, but the free-agent market is a good way to drive up your salary, especially if you're holding out for those few pennies more. #19 will be hung from the rafters bearing Sakic's name when he retires and I think... no, no... honestly, truly believe he'll retire an Avalanche. It seems awfully likely he'll sign a deal to finish his career there.
38 wins in the season, 1 win in the playoffs (a shutout at that) will create a buzz around Martin Gerber here in the off-season. Gerber, who has been sitting in the shadows of young, Cam Ward, will probably hit the market on the 1st of July, making way for Ward to be the number one in Carolina. There are quite a few teams who will shop for a goalie in the off-season and with the numbers Gerber put up, there is a good chance he'll be one of the first to go. Tenth on the list of potential UFA's is a guy who won't make much of a splash, despite his potential Stanley Cup ring, Mark Recchi. It is understood when he was traded to the Hurricanes on the deadline that he would return to Pittsburgh as a UFA to finish his career. Another season with an increasingly offensive potential such as Crosby or Malkin, could make Recchi a decent player, despite his declination in the rankings from a few years ago.
For what could be a runner-up for the Comeback Player of the Year, Jason Arnott could be one of two things... 1) a player who has been reborn into the dominating centre he was drafted to be in Edmonton or 2) a player who is taking advantage of his free-agent status by having a good year before, a la Alexander Mogilny. Arnott did in fact have a career year in points and games played this year and has been progressing more and more as he matures, so you could venture the guess that the first option could be potentially correct. With Dallas' depth at centre a little bit of a concern, it should be fair to say that Dallas will probably look to re-sign him before he hits the market and before he gets any more offers to know what he's worth on the market. Playing second fiddle in the middle to Mike Modano does relieve a lot of pressure he felt in New Jersey and Edmonton to be the number one guy. This role may actually be better suited again next season as it will repeat.
Martin Straka made a miraculous recovery to his career, centering or being a wingmate to Jaromir Jagr all year. Hey, you would too under those circumstances. Straka jumped back into the top 50 of scoring in the pool with his 76-point season, which may or may not have made his $3-million price tag worth while. Straka will also benefit from a raise in the salary cap number, which we are expecting to see rather soon, so he could make the same or a little bit more than his last contract. It may be a priority to sign Straka up to another year for the Rangers... as they might do with most of their Czech free agents. Straka being the first line player that he is on the team, may mean that he'll be more likely to sign on... after the market opens.
The Tampa Bay Lightning didn't even come close to defending their Cup title this season and there is a few reasons why... but the undeniable first reason would be goaltending. John Grahame had a non-Khabibulin year sharing the duties with Sean Burke, but still captured 68 points to help the Lightning reach the playoffs this year. Grahame has not been one of the better goalies in the league and has jumped from place to place in his career. With all the free-agent goaltenders possibly on the market this year, I think it's safe to say that you can add Grahame to that list as he probably won't return to the Lightning for another term.
Finally, the taste of determination may still linger on the tongue of Dominik Hasek. The 41-year-old keeper may return to get another kick at the Cup, but that's still at least one more decision away. Hasek registered 66 points last season, before getting injured and giving way to Ray Emery, and may declare himself fit during the summer to make yet another comeback.Technorati Tags
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