We're already 10+ days into unrestricted free agency and we've seen quite a few key signings, as you may or may not have seen on the blog here this Summer. A good number of the initial top 20 are still around, but there should be plenty of new faces here on this revised list. I don't think there is any great hurry for any of these players to find new homes, nor is there a great rush by the 30 NHL clubs to sign (or re-sign) any of these players, so desperation does seem to be rather limited.
Ilya Kovalchuk, forward2010 Points: 85, 18th overall, 11th among forwards
2010 Salary Cap Hit: $6.389 million
Yeah, Kovalchuk is still on the list and he's looking to really cash in. The weekend's rumour of him sitting on a 17-year deal from the New Jersey Devils does seem to be a little far-fetched, but that could be the length of a deal that makes both the player and team happy, cash versus cap.
Jose Theodore, goalie2010 Points: 64, 63rd overall, 17th among goalies
2010 Salary Cap Hit: $4.5 million
I'm beginning to wonder if the reputation of Theodore's inconsistency is getting the better of him in this off-season. Theodore is a well-ranked goaltender from the 2010 season, but no one seems to want to bite right away, possibly waiting to see what training camp will bring, possibly becoming a last minute injury replacement before October?
Maxim Afinogenov, forward2010 Points: 61, 72nd overall, 51st among forwards
2010 Salary Cap Hit: $800,000
Afinogenov strikes me as the kind of free agent that doesn't carry a lot of water in his bucket. He may have produced under some interesting circumstances in Atlanta, playing with fellow Russians, but since the Thrashers are not getting Kovalchuk back, it doesn't really seem like they are in a hurry to bring back Afinogenov. That may ring true for more teams that just Atlanta.
Marty Turco, goalie2010 Points: 56, 91st overall, 23rd among goalies
2010 Salary Cap Hit: $5.7 million
Personally, I would have assumed that Turco would have signed somewhere by this time, I think he still has enough luster on his name to warrant at least a 1-year deal somewhere in the NHL. The word is both Philadelphia and San Jose had made contact, not sure if that's true, nor am I sure if any such offers were for the short-term. A long-term deal would be a huge gamble for any team.
Alexander Frolov, forward2010 Points: 51, 119th overall, 90th among forwards
2010 Salary Cap Hit: $2.9 million
With the Kings in on the Kovalchuk sweepstakes, seeing Frolov not re-sign in Los Angeles (yet?) doesn't really shock me. A Frolov deal could easily be tied together with the other Russian, possibly in a deal that pays Frolov less to stay and play with Kovalchuk, otherwise, why agree to less money when he doesn't have to?
Alexei Ponikarovsky, forward2010 Points: 50, 122nd overall, 93rd among forwards
2010 Salary Cap Hit: $2.1 million
Another case of a reputation keeping any new contract away from the table? That would be my guess, as Ponikarovsky was traded to the Penguins as a rental player, but really didn't live up to the hype of the eventual deal. It isn't to say that he doesn't produce, but what will his numbers be like on a team that isn't Pittsburgh, that potenially has him on the 3rd line?
Lee Stempniak, forward2010 Points: 48, 135th overall, 100th among forwards
2010 Salary Cap Hit: $2.5 million
Really hard to say what's keeping Stempniak on the board, he looked pretty good with that fun and fast team in the desert, but still he sits on the free agent market. Maybe thought of more as a checking winger for over $2 million (maybe more) is enough to keep teams away from a new deal.
Teemu Selanne, forward2010 Points: 48, 136th overall, 101st among forwards
2010 Salary Cap Hit: $2.625 million
There's no doubt that we are all just waiting on Selanne's decision as to whether or not he would like to make his return to the NHL for another season. 27 goals in 2010 is enough for anyone to take a good look at him and I would think the Ducks are holding a spot open for him, for a while longer anyways.
Bill Guerin, forward2010 Points: 45, 155th overall, 116th among forwards
2010 Salary Cap Hit: $2 million
The reports suggest that Guerin is ready and willing to go for another season in the league, but it doesn't look like the Penguins are going to take him for another spin around the block. At age 39, the Penguins probably want to fill his spot with some fresh legs, giving the spot alongside Crosby to someone who can last a little longer.
Paul Kariya, forward2010 Points: 43, 172nd overall, 128th among forwards
2010 Salary Cap Hit: $6 million
There is no way that Kariya is going to be earning anywhere near the $6 million he was getting in his previous deal, but that isn't to say that he shouldn't earn a fair deal. Kariya is the first of the fresh faces on this list, ranking 10th among the free agents in points. Kariya will be 36 just inside the start of the season and some of his numbers haven't been excellent. Teams will likely wait him out, see how desperate he becomes for a lower deal.
Brendan Morrison, forward2010 Points: 42, 180th overall, 133rd overall
2010 Salary Cap Hit: $1.5 million
Morrison turned out to be a pretty good bargain for the Capitals in 2010, picking up 42 points on $1.5 million, but that wasn't enough to bring him back for another season. The Capitals have a streak of good young talent down the middle that they want to see in the big dance and they will have their chance. Turning 35 in August may be the biggest thing working against Morrison today, he'll have to be patient, despite being affordable.
Eric Belanger, forward2010 Points: 41, 186th overall, 136th among forwards
2010 Salary Cap Hit: $1.75 million
A little more defensive upside is what makes Belanger a little more value-added than Morrison above him and only being 32 should mean there is more of a market for a guy like him in the league, but depth will likely be an issue that's addressed a little bit further on into the Summer, possibly into training camp. Belanger should be a good pick-up somewhere, for a good price.
Ray Emery, goalie2010 Points: 39, 202nd overall, 31st among goalies
2010 Salary Cap Hit: $1.5 million
There is word that Emery's health is the biggest factor as to whether or not he makes a return to the NHL, because he has some serious hip problems, that he has likely already had some procedures done on this Summer. Emery was a good signing for the Flyers in the early part of the season, but his hip injury really took away from his game and took him away from the game, in the literal sense. If he can return to 100%, he might get a deal, but many reports are suggesting that retirement is not far away.
Raffi Torres, forward2010 Points: 36, 227th overall, 161st among forwards
2010 Salary Cap Hit: $2.25 million
Veteran presence, decent hands, good checker... these are all the attributes that made Torres into a highly-sought after rental player at the trade deadline, to which the Sabres tried to use to their advantage. There wasn't too much success there and potentially looking for the same cap hit might be an issue for some teams, as they are already nearing the cap ceiling. He might be a late Summer add somewhere.
Marc-Andre Bergeron, defense2010 Points: 34, 249th overall, 37th among defense
2010 Salary Cap Hit: $700,000
After Andrei Markov went down to injury for the Canadiens, Bergeron got the call as an unrestricted free agent then to fill his shoes and did an admirable job in the big defenseman's spot. Historically, Bergeron has not reflected well upon some teams, getting moved or being sent down to the minors and now that he's probably looking for a raise, doesn't exactly help his cause.
Patrick O'Sullivan, forward2010 Points: 34, 250th overall, 179th among forwards
2010 Salary Cap Hit: $2.925 million
At almost $3 million per season, with another season left, the Oilers had to make a decision on whether to keep O'Sullivan around or buy him out and send him to unrestricted free agency. Well, since he's on this list, I believe that you can figure out what happened. O'Sullivan turned into a little bit of a bust out of Los Angeles in the 3-team deal not long ago and really hasn't recovered. Not sure how good his argument would be to get back up to $3 million for another deal, not sure how much of a hurry a team will be to sign him to one either.
Owen Nolan, forward2010 Points: 33, 255th overall, 181st among forwards
2010 Salary Cap Hit: $2.75 million
Haven't heard a great deal about Nolan in this off-season, but he's probably weighing his options as a 38-year old, deciding on whether or not to make one more go of it. He actually had a fair-sized cap hit in 2010 with the Wild, which may have to take a cut if he wants to go in 2011. With only 33 points last season and the Wild not making the playoffs, I would have think that jobs might be a tad scarce for him.
Ryan Potulny, forward2010 Points: 32, 265th overall, 189th among forwards
2010 Salary Cap Hit: $595,000
Potulny was given a good shot by the Oilers to make some noise and he didn't do too badly, with a scoring rate of half a point-per-game, but he is likely really weighed down by his -21 plus/minus rating in the year, which you could argue that the team wasn't exactly good around him either. Now that we're getting into more of the third line players, it should come as no surprise that they are still on the list, likely to be visited closer to training camp than anything.
Nigel Dawes, forward2010 Points: 32, 268th overall, 192nd among forwards
2010 Salary Cap Hit: $850,000
Dawes is another one of those buyout casualties on the list this year and it wasn't for a lack of trying to keep him on. Dawes provided the Flames with some good third line minutes in 2010, a decent scoring clip and a lot of hard work, but at the end of the day, the Flames needed to make some space for a couple extra players and his minimal penalty against the cap after being bought out was likely the most appealing to management. He should find a job, but not until later.
Richard Park, forward2010 Points: 31, 277th overall, 197th among forwards
2010 Salary Cap Hit: $750,000
A fast, little utility forward is the best way to describe Park. He does a lot of the little things well, but doesn't really have a lot of flash to go with that dash. Used in the right situation, he is fairly helpful, but in today's game, there does seem to be a lot more players with some more size to compliment their speed than what Park brings to the table. He has been a good Islanders player over the past few seasons, there's a part of me thinking he'd probably go back eventually.
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