Pool Worthy UFAs: Defensemen

To continue on with the theme of future unrestricted free agents, the small-ish preview of those who were deemed pool worthy in 2015 are being highlighted in these posts, as you're probably going to look at a few of these names and say 'hey, depending on where this guy is going, he might be someone I will look into for next season's poo l draft.'

There are 62 defensemen, who played in the NHL last season, who are also heading to the open market on July 1st.  Only eight of these guys were deemed pool worthy, but that isn't to say some won't be mentioned after the highlights, because there are some players that could have been worthy, they just may not have had the games played or maybe they were not on the best of teams.

We'll start with the highlights first.

Remember when Mike Green was a top end hockey pool defenseman?  Yeah, me too.  The 2015 season wasn't a bad year for him, but it was nowhere near some of his better days, when he was the top offensive defenseman in the league.  Last season, Green finished 18th among blueliners, scoring 10 goals and 45 points in 72 games with Washington and he heads the list of potential free agent defensemen on this post.

He will certainly be a popular name on the market and from the things I've seen and heard, I think he makes it to market, trying to make it worth his while.  The Capitals are fairly deep on the blueline and likely want more flexibility on their roster, so I think he makes it.  His cap hit last season was just about $6.1 million, but I don't seem to think he'll get there again and where he signs?  Boy, there are lots of options.  My first guess may be Detroit, as they will be hunting for that top end defender.

The Nashville Predators re-acquired defenseman Cody Franson from the Toronto Maple Leafs at the trade deadline, but their depth on the blueline may mean that he will try and look for more playing time and responsibility elsewhere.  Between Toronto and Nashville, he was able to play in 78 games, scoring 7 goals and 36 points, good enough for 36th among all defensemen.  With more ice-time and responsibility, he has a real chance to put up some really good numbers somewhere, it will just be a matter of where.

Franson goes into his first year of UFA eligibility with decent numbers, but not great numbers, which would mean a good payday.  He'll certainly try and there are definitely going to be teams that pay him for his potential.  $4.5 to $5 million may not be out of the question and he should be a 2nd place prize to Green.

At 38 years old, it's hard to say whether or not Marek Zidlicky will have much left in the tank to jump into another season, but after finishing the year in Detroit, he may have a new appreciation for playing again.  Between New Jersey and Detroit, he was able to play in 84 games, scoring 7 goals and 34 points.  Being one of two defensemen in the league to play in 84 games, you probably have an argument that he does have some left in the tank for another go, but we'll have to wait and see.

A responsible veteran defenseman in the $3 million range... that does seem right up the alley of the Red Wings, but that will definitely depend on what they do beforehand.  I would think that Zidlicky would like to go to an immediate contender and maybe he has no reservations to taking a little bit less to make sure he gets on to a good team?

Anaheim defenseman Francois Beauchemin isn't far away from unrestricted free agency, but being as though he's still in the playoffs at the time of this post, his value may still climb, depending on where they finish.  Beauchemin had a very good regular season, picking up 11 goals and 23 points in 64 games, not to mention being solid in his own end.  It will be interesting to see where he fits into the Ducks' long-term plan after this season.

In order for Beauchemin to stay in Anaheim, which, if I had to guess, would be the best bet, he'll have to stay in the same range of $3.5 million for his cap hit to do so.  The Ducks are not in terrible shape, when it comes to their cap management, but if they want to get back to where they are in the playoffs, I would think that he'll need to be aware of his cap hit negotiation too.

The fifth of nine defensemen on the list, trade deadline mover, Andrej Sekera, who went from Carolina to Los Angeles in March and really didn't provide the offense, which made him into a breakout star in the 2014 season.  Sekera hasn't necessarily been a slouch, scoring 3 goals and 23 points in 73 games between the two teams, but it was nowhere near his 44 points the year before.  He'll be a good second pairing defenseman, assuming the minutes are there.

Sekera is on the younger side of the UFA class at only 28 years old, so his upside is still there, which probably means that his cap hit will go up, but since he couldn't repeat the feat of 2014, his raise won't be nearly as substantial.  Teams are out there looking for guys and Sekera, since he was likely a rental player, has some real potential on the free agent market.

Another trade deadline pick-up on the list, which shouldn't come as a surprise, since those are the important players in a lot of deals in March, but there has been some word that Jeff Petry may not just be a rental in Montreal, if the Canadiens can swing it, they'll try and sign him to a new deal for next season.  Petry was a steady hand for the Habs in the back end of the regular season and was good in the playoffs, before they were eliminated by the Lightning.  Between Edmonton and Montreal, Petry picked up 7 goals and 22 points in 78 games, ranking 74th among blueliners.

The Habs have already said that they would like Petry back and his usefulness may extend past his 2015 cap hit of $3.1 million, which could make Montreal shy away very quickly.  No matter where he ends up or how useful he is to an NHL team, he's still a bottom-range pool defenseman, so don't get too excited where he ends up.

He may not have been a mainstay when the Islanders made it to the playoffs, which could be because of his age, 38 years old at the time of the post, but Lubomir Visnovsky did enough to make it to the notable defensemen heading to the free market. Of course, given his age, retirement has to be thought of as an option, especially since he and Zidlicky are not exactly getting any younger these days.  With 5 goals and 20 points in 53 games, he was good when called upon, but how much does he have left in the tank?

Can't see the price tag being anywhere near the same, since his limited amount of games played was not helping his cause there.  If I was a guy like Visnovsky, playing on an Islanders team that is bringing along some real talent, he could do really well to take a pay cut to stick around, play when needed and act as a mentor... unless, some team wants to offer him more money.

The nightmare that was the Pittsburgh defense did touch Paul Martin, even if just by eight games out of the lineup, but for the most part, all the injury problems had a greater effect on him when he was in the lineup, as he was one of the few healthy regulars that were a mainstay in the lineup.  Martin didn't have a great year offensively, maybe due to the inconsistency of the lineup, but he did post 3 goals and 20 points, good enough to still be 91st among defensemen in scoring.

Martin is 34 years old as well, so his deal could be in the longer-term variety, especially if he makes it to market.  The Penguins are not necessarily the healthiest, when it comes to cap management, so his previous cap hit of $5 million may need some massaging to stay, so a look at what the market says does seem awfully likely.

Since Martin was the 91st rank defenseman on the list, the top 92 sort of ends there, as Zach Bogosian, #92, is safely signed on in Buffalo for next season and beyond.  What's next, you ask?

Matt Irwin of the San Jose Sharks, he was ranked 96th; Barret Jackman of the St. Louis Blues, available at 112th; Andrej Meszaros missed 22 games, ranked 115th; Christian Ehrhoff had concussion issues, ranked 123rd.  These guys are going to likely get mentions during the Summer, if and when the sign/move, so keep an eye out for those posts coming up.