Monday, July 27, 2009

Unrestricted Free Agents Remaining

We're three and a half weeks into the free agency season and it's been a very productive summer for most teams, snagging a lot of the prime talent already. Still though, there is still a few names left on the free agent list. I thought I would run down the top ten players still on the market, ranking them by their scoring production last season.

Jason Williams spent time between Atlanta and Columbus in 2009, scoring 19 goals and 28 assists in 80 games. He ranks number one on the list and at 29 years old, he's still got a number of years left to play.

Estimated salary cap value: $3 million per season

In the number two spot, it's Petr Sykora. Sykora scored 25 goals and 21 assists in 76 games with the Cup-winning Penguins in 2009. At 32, Sykora is a seasoned veteran who will likely earn himself a 1-year deal, but there are a limited amount of teams who are looking to fill a void with a veteran winger.

Estimated salary cap value: $3 million per season

Domenic Moore has been jumping around from team to team of late and he's available again to the highest bidder. Moore has been a good two-way centre, scoring 13 goals and 32 assists in 81 games between Toronto and Buffalo.

Estimated salary cap value: $2.75 million per season

Todd Bertuzzi remains on the UFA this summer, after a season where there was some injury concerns and he only played in 66 games for the Flames. When he was healthy, he did manage to score 15 goals and add 29 assists.

Estimated salary cap value: $2 million per season

Another surprising name still out on the market is Alex Tanguay, who did have a bit of an injury-plagued year, playing in only 50 games for the Habs in 2009. He finished the year with 16 goals and 25 assists, easily having one of the better points-per-game ratios on the market this year.

Estimated salary cap value: $4.5 million per season

It was a season-ending injury that claimed a good season for Robert Lang and made it sub-par, but the 38-year old centre is back on the market, looking for a new team. Lang had 18 goals and 21 assists in 50 games with Montreal before suffering a torn Achilles tendon, thus ending his year early. He would be a good addition to most teams who are looking for a number two centre.

Estimated salary cap value: $3 million per season

Miroslav Satan's fantasy stock is falling and that could be, not in the fantasy sense, the reason why he hasn't been picked up right away by another team. Satan finished last season in Pittsburgh, playing 65 games, scoring 17 goals and adding 19 assists. He's quickly becoming a third-line player, as he hasn't been able to score as much as he used to. Since there are six forwards ahead of him on this list, he will likely have to take less money to sign anywhere.

Estimated salary cap value: $1.75 million per season

An ever-improving Manny Malhotra is a UFA this summer and is still on the market as well. He finished with a career-high 35 points in 2009 while playing with the Blue Jackets. Malhotra, 29, would be a good signing as a quality third-line winger.

Estimated salary cap value: $1.5 million per season

It's been a rather rough go of it all for Manny Fernandez, who finds himself back on the free agent market this summer, after a sub-par year in Boston, where he played back-up for the better part of the season. Fernandez finished the year with 16 wins and a shutout (34 pool points), which ranked him 36th among goalies last season. His asking price is likely the big factor as to why he hasn't signed just yet.

Estimated salary cap value: $1.25 million per season

Sliding in at 10th is defenseman, Marc-Andre Bergeron, who has also had some troubles sticking around with one NHL club for too long. With Minnesota, Bergeron registered 14 goals and 18 assists in 72 games, ranking him 46th among all NHL defenders, which makes him a shoe-in for a fantasy spot next season. He should be able to bring some more puck movement to another team.

Estimated salary cap value: $3.25 million per season

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