Potential Unrestricted Free Agents

The times... they are a changin'. The Maple Leafs would sure like to keep a guy like Mats Sundin around, but his unrestricted status could offer up some dilemmas when it comes to their salary situation. This leads the general public to believe that he could be available to a contending team at a good price. The likelihood of Sundin returning would have to be at a discount price, but if the Leafs organization really wants change, then Sundin, as an example set for the other players clinging to life in Toronto, would have to be let go.

The potential of Cristobel Huet becoming a free agent come July 1st is very unlikely, as the Washington Capitals seemingly have every intention on bringing him back for a long-term stint with the team after acquiring him from Montreal at the trade deadline. The Capitals have plenty of space to sign on their number one keeper as the future remains bright in the US capital.

Maybe one of the more prized free agents to hit the market this summer will be Vaclav Prospal. He finished third highest among potential unrestricted free agents in points. Prospal finished the season with the Flyers after being dealt from the Lightning at the trade deadline. The Flyers' cap situation doesn't lend itself to being a helpful one to Prospal, so he'll likely have to find a new home this summer. There would be plenty of teams that would love to have his generalized offensive talent. Prospal is a perennial top 100 pool scorer in the league, which should help any team.

Not hitting his performance targets puts Jaromir Jagr on the market, potentially, on July 1st. Jagr has been rumoured to be negotiating a new deal with the Rangers or possibly heading to Europe for the twilight of his career. But rumours abound, if Jagr hits the open market in July, there should be a few teams interested in hiring his services for a season or two, since he just finished a regular season with 71 points. It isn't too likely he'll only be making 71-point money... there's a good chance he'll be looking for prime-Jagr money. That sort of reasoning may have him land in Europe, as they'll pay that sort of money in Russia.

Questions abound... where is Marian Hossa going to land this summer? Is there a chance he could be back with the Penguins next season? The quick answer is yes. If yes, then how long? Probably only for one season, as the contract of Evgeni Malkin will become more important. The magic that Hossa has had with the Wonder Boys since the trading deadline has been undeniable. He provides a potent element to the offense that had already assembled some great talent. Come July 1st, however, Hossa could be looking for a long-term deal and that may be the one thing that doesn't keep him in Pittsburgh. Other teams will be willing to give this sharpshooter a few more years than the Penguins can and he might fly away from the flightless ones.

The big money handed out to key players in Calgary will see the shuffle of Kristian Huselius out of the market. Huselius seemingly disappeared on the ice for the Flames in the second half of the season and their only playoff round and he came out of the gates like a bat out of hell. Huselius only collected $1.4 million last season, but still might go for a bit of a raise, thanks to his roaring start. It does seem more likely that he'll end up with a team that is in a rebuilding phase for the short-term. He doesn't look to be a good long-term investment.

Rumours are circulating that the Flames are going to try their best to keep Daymond Langkow in the fold, but with the cap situation in Calgary being rather dire, it will be interesting to see if they can keep him or not. Langkown took over $2.4 million against the cap last season and it's likely that he'll be around the same sort of hit price this coming summer. He should attract a lot of attention as a potential second line centre for most teams, especially at the reasonable price tag.

The Senators thought they could end their slide into the playoffs with the acquisition of Cory Stillman and Mike Commodore from Carolina. Obviously, that fell short by a country mile. Both Stillman and Commodore become unrestricted free agents come July and they'll be available to the highest bidder. The Senators have plenty of holes to fill and they still have a reasonable amount of space under the cap to work with, so there is a chance that one or both could come back. It would certainly be a move in the positive direction for the Sens. If not, their services could be rendered just about anywhere as good fits.