Pool Worthy UFAs: Forwards

In the forwards department, it's a little bit more of a bigger job to comb through the scoring centres and wingers and add them to a list of free agents. Okay, the only real work is giving them their piece in the blog post.  Maybe doing up their picture for the blog.

The highlights will be the top 10 forwards, but from the top 184 forwards from last year's standings, 19 of them are going to the open market, potentially, and I don't really have the patience to do them all.  I'll go through the lot that are very interesting and this is the sort of thing that can persuade you, when you do your homework or at least where they sign will persuade you.

I don't think there is any secret, the free agent market, especially at the forward positions, have any real marquee players, but in a lot of years for us poolies, it isn't necessarily the superstars that make or break our pool teams, it's how we do with our depth players that really make the difference.

The headliner of the UFA class of forwards is Mike Ribeiro, who ended up being one of the biggest free agent signings last Summer, as the Predators took a chance on him and he paid off big time, picking up 15 goals and 62 points, playing in all 82 games.  Ribeiro's fortunes, playing with Filip Forsberg, were drastically improved and he was a key player in Nashville's run through the regular season and into their short playoff run.

I would imagine that the Predators would really like to re-sign Ribeiro, he was worth a bundle for them in the regular season, but coming off a cap hit of just over $1 million, his pay raise might be worth some debate, errrr... I mean, negotiation.  If Ribeiro doesn't like their offer, I could see him hitting the market, just to put some pressure on.

What does Martin St. Louis do in this off-season?  The Rangers are heading to a Game 7 against the Lightning and he could be on the verge of making a pretty big decision or maybe it will come as a very easy decision, depending on whether or not they make it past.  St. Louis is now 39 years old and had scored 21 goals and 52 points in 71 games, but how much more does he have left in the tank?  A Stanley Cup win could potentially mean a storybook ending to a career or if he falls short, does he stick around to try one more time?

If he does stick around, I can't see him playing with anyone but the Rangers, but New York is going to be in the middle of their own little cap crunch, heading into the Summer.  There are plenty of variables in his equation, some of which have yet to happen, but he will be a top end free agent, if he decides to go to market.

If you were reading my outlook for the Winnipeg Jets, I had made mention to Drew Stafford and his likelihood of re-signing with the team, especially since he had such a good back end of the year, after the deal that brought him to town with Tyler Myers and sent Evander Kane and Zach Bogosian the other way.  Stafford scored 18 goals and 43 points in 76 games between the two sides, finishing 109th among all forwards in scoring.  I think with a bit more familiarity with his new club, he could exceed those numbers next season.

Stafford, a $4 million man last season, should be in the same neighbourhood for his cap hit in any new deal this Summer and I could see the Jets give him somewhere in the area of three or four years, but I would wager they lock him up.

The Winnipeg Jets, with back-to-back UFA's on this list, come back with forward Michal Frolik, who actually had a pretty decent season, scoring 19 goals and 42 points in all 82 games and did it quietly.  In retrospect, I may have added that Frolik could be an after thought for the Jets in the free agent market, but looking a little closer, that may have been a bit hasty.  42 points may not make you look twice at him in your pool list, but when you're digging deep in the draft, you likely shouldn't be afraid to pick him up as a depth player.

$3.3 million is possibly a bit steep for his production, but then again, he is an established player in the league and he does provide good value at both ends of the ice.  I could see him re-signing in Winnipeg and I think it would be beneficial for everyone if he does.

Justin Williams is definitely known more for his prowess in the playoffs, as a clutch performer, but he does put up some respectable regular season numbers, which puts him in the thick of the UFA list at this point in time.  Williams scored 18 goals and 41 points in 81 games, ranking 119th among all forwards.  Without a playoff run in the Spring, Williams' stock may take a tumble in the 'what have you done for me lately?' mindset of the market, but someone is going to go out there and drop some money in his lap.

The Los Angeles Kings are in some more cap trouble, especially if the gains in the salary cap ceiling is only 5%, so there will be a lot of discussion, I'm sure, about who stays and who goes for the Kings and Williams is likely to draw a short straw.  His cap hit of $3.675 million last season will be hard to match for the Kings, let along allow for a raise.

The Detroit Red Wings didn't get a lot of value out of Erik Cole after acquiring him for their run to the playoffs, as he finished the year before the playoffs even started, dealing with a spinal contusion.  Nevertheless, his season between Dallas and Detroit was rather fruitful, picking up 21 goals and 39 points in 68 games.  Cole ranked 6th among UFA forwards in points per game in 2015 and there is a full expectation that he will be ready to go for training camp, wherever he lands.

Cole, now 36, may need to take a bit of a pay cut from his $4.5 million cap hit last season to jump onto a team, especially if he would want to stay with the Red Wings.  With the youth coming up around the league, there will still need to be some veteran help within the league, but it will have to be workable under the cap.

A preseason Achilles injury limited Mike Fisher's season to only 59 games for the Predators in 2015, but his return came with a big boom, as he scored 19 goals and 39 points in that time and is the second-best forward on this list for points-per-game, which may make him into an attractive option on the free agent market.  I would think that the Predators would want to look to keep him around and also given his personal life situation, he'd want to stay in Nashville, but it would seem silly to not see what the free agent market has out there for him, between money and championship potential, it could be a big leap for him.

Fisher was a $4.2 million player in 2015 and has a lot of value as a two-way centre, so his stock should be fairly high in this off-season.  Lots of teams could use a guy like Fisher, but I could also see the Predators looking to make a sly deal to get him to stay.

For years, Antoine Vermette's named had surfaced as trade bait at the deadline, as a solid two-way centre, who would provide some solid 3rd line minutes and faceoffs for a playoff bound team.  Finally, the Coyotes decided that a full rebuild or retooling was in order and they dropped the bomb on moving Vermette, giving him a shot in Chicago.  The Blackhawks are another team in salary cap trouble, so there is a good chance that he'll make it to the open market and he'll be a hot commodity, scoring 13 goals and 38 points between the two clubs in the regular season.

There are going to be a number of teams that are looking to capitalize on Vermette in the off-season and there is plenty of reason to believe that he'll get a reasonable raise or maybe even an unreasonable raise from his $3.75 million cap hit last season.

The cap crunch in Chicago is also likely going to cost Brad Richards his cushy spot alongside Patrick Kane, as his free agent status will likely be too expensive for the Blackhawks.  Richards was a last minute signing with the Hawks, when no one was prepared to take an expensive flyer on him and became a cheap option for the team when the deal was done.  His production, despite skating with some of the best players in the league, still took a hit, as his consistency was an issue.

If Richards is still interested in being paid in the $2 million range, there might be some fit in Chicago, but taking a lesser deal to just play is all well and good, until you want to get paid again.  It will be interesting to see what direction he goes in, especially at age 35.

In 10th place on the list, Chris Stewart, another trade deadline mover, going from Buffalo to Minnesota, scored 14 goals and 36 assists in 81 games between the two clubs and he did see some time in the playoffs, as the Wild eliminated the Blues, but fell to the Blackhawks in the second round.  Stewart brings a great deal of size to an NHL lineup, but his offense has been rather inconsistent.. good, but inconsistent.  I'm sure teams will be targeting him for his size and his desire to get to the front of opposition nets.

For his inconsistency, teams may be in line to pay a hefty amount, as his last deal was in the $4.15 million range in the cap hit department.  He certainly can be better than some of the numbers that he has posted, but I think some teams may be weary of paying him for his potential, rather for what they have seen thus far.

Outside of the top 10, there are another nine forwards that fit into the top 184 in forwards scoring, plus a good number that were on the verge of being worthy to be in the pool, missing out by 3-or-4 points.  Curtis Glencross and Joel Ward headline the best of the rest, coming out of Washington, a team with space, but maybe in need of a revised direction.  Daniel Winnik likely hits the market after a sub-par year in Pittsburgh, while Scott Gomez is a surprise addition to the list, as he had a pretty decent year, considering his career trajectory a year or two ago.  Capitals add another name to the list, as Eric Fehr hits with 33 points last season, being joined at that scoring level by Nashville forward Mike Santorelli.  Steve Bernier quietly finished 178th overall in pool scoring in New Jersey, he'll need a new deal, while Derek Roy should re-sign in Edmonton, following a mentor-ship year with some young Oilers and could be a valuable asset from 179th overall among forwards.  As the Coyotes continue to rebuild, I would imagine that Martin Erat hits the open market after a 32-point season, rounding out the remaining pool worthy forwards.

On the outside looking in, Blake Comeau and Jiri Tlusty each had 31 points, Shawn Horcoff had 29 points in Dallas, while Lee Stempniak and Steve Downie each had 28 points.

This Summer has quite a few free agents to speak of, but the silly season really lacks those players that are soaked in intrigue.