When you keep on signing one year deals, you continue to be an unrestricted free agent.
Dominik Hasek has another deal coming to it's conclusion this summer and it will be curious to see what the 43 year old keeper decides to do. As the back-up to
Chris Osgood going into the Stanley Cup Finals, it gives some idea that maybe this will be the last kick at the can for Hasek, especially if they can come away with the Cup. Even if he decides to strap the pads on one more time, it will likely be with the Red Wings again.
Prize or bust... that will be the lingering doubt on
Jose Theodore's shoulders this summer. The last time he signed a big deal, after his Hart & Vezina Trophy season, he tanked. Surprise, surprise... here we just finished another contract season and he's picked his game up once again. In all honesty, if a GM was wise, he'd only sign Theodore to a 1-year deal and keep him working with his 'career-preferred-for-results' seasons.
Surprisingly, not one of the most coveted defenders in the league,
Mark Streit, looks to become an unrestricted free agent in July. Streit finished the season with 62 points in 81 games for the Canadiens and everyone should think that the Habs will be keen to keep him on board, but what will his cost be as he's now 30. Streit is looking at a pretty good payday, upwards of about $5 million per season. There should be a few suitors for his services, if he makes the open market, so stay tuned with him.
The Sharks picked up
Brian Campbell for the stretch run and it made them into immediate contenders, if they weren't the favourites, for the Cup. Campbell was moved out of Buffalo so they could capitalize on his stature at the trade deadline instead of losing at the free agent frenzy. The Sharks are in danger of losing him now to a $5-6 million contract. If Campbell was to re-sign with the Sharks, they'll be in tough to sign the rest of their desired players, so he'll likely move on.
For $2.4 million last season,
Brian Rolston scored 31 goals and had a very good season for the Northwest Division winning Minnesota Wild. It would be hard to believe for the first couple times, seeing Rolston in another jersey, but like all the other potential free agents, it's certainly possible. He's been a good Wild player for the franchise, so it doesn't seem terribly likely that he'll move, especially for how well built the team is. Minnesota has plenty of room to get him back in the fold, so that's more expected than not.
A name that never really jumps at you on draft day, but always seems to be a good pick when you scroll down to his name on the sheet:
Andrew Brunette. Brunette becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer and could be a good commodity among teams, as he is a dependable winger, who moves the puck pretty well. At 34, he'll likely be looking at a small raise from his $1.6 million cap hit, but he'll only really qualify for a 1-year deal.
Credit to the Nashville organization for showing the hockey public
Dan Ellis. Ellis came into the spotlight effectively when
Tomas Vokoun was dealt to the Panthers and
Chris Mason wasn't putting up number one type performances. Ellis was chosen over Mason to start for the Preds against the Red Wings in the first round of the playoffs and performed masterfully. Now, he finds himself as a free agent and able to negotiate what he's worth to the club... or possibly another club. Ellis may not have enough experience to garner a big deal, but he could do just fine when it comes to his final numbers.
There is a lot of buzz surrounding
Radim Vrbata before the better part of the off-season takes off. Vrbata had a strong season for the Coyotes, 56 points (27G, 29A) in 76 games. Vrbata was hovering around the top 200 in pool scoring for the past few seasons, but ended up finishing 99th this year, quite a big jump for him and it happened on a good, young team. If Vrbata earns himself a big deal this summer, there will be a lot of expectation on him going forward, which may draw him back to some usual career numbers. He'll be a buyer beware kind of player until he can string together some consecutive seasons of top 100 numbers.
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