New top 25 UFA list.
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Hello everyone and we are back with a brand new Free Agent list here today, as after basically all of the players I had on my original top 50 UFA list a day before free agency started have signed, we look at the remaining players left on the free agent board 3 weeks into free agency, as all of the big names have been taken but if teams were looking for bottom six or 4th line help, looking for a depth D or someone to play on pair 3, or looking for a backup or 3rd string goalie, there are still some solid names available and below I give my top 25 currently as it sits right now, so here is my new UFA board with the top 25 players on it.
1.) Daniel Sprong (VAN 1x$.975)
Stats: 18-25-43 in 76 games played
Position: WIN
Age: 27
Previous Team: Detroit
Quick Analysis: Sprong is a solid bottom six forward, he has shown the past few seasons that he doesn’t need much minutes to be productive and any team still looking for scoring help in their bottom six may target Sprong.
2.) Filip Zadina
Previous Ranking: 43
Stats: 13-10-23 in 72 games played
Position: WIN
Age: 24
Previous Team: San Jose
Quick Analysis: Zadina is a solid middle six forward who had a decent year last season but still hasn’t played like a top 10 pick yet, but he is young and has great upside and teams who want some more scoring help could try and get Zadina.
3.) Alex Nylander (AHL: Toronto)
Stats: 11-4-15 in 28 games played
Position: C, RW
Age: 26
Previous Team: Columbus
Quick Analysis: as for Nylander’s brother Alex, he has been a AHL player for most of his career, but actually had a great showing late last season in Columbus and could be a great addition for any team looking for bottom six help.
4.) Oliver Kylington
Stats: 3-5-8 in 33 games played
Position: LD/RD
Age: 27
Previous Team: Calgary
Quick Analysis: Kylington is a solid 3rd pair defensemen coming off of a long stint being injured and while he hasn’t been playing a whole bunch over the last few seasons, he has indeed shown that he can still be a serviceable 3rd pair D.
5.) Max Pacioretty
Stats: 4-19-23 in 47 games played
Position: LW
Age: 35
Previous Team: Washington
Quick Analysis: next up is Pacioretty who last year was coming off of serious surgery and signed a 1 year deal in Washington, and after having a pretty good second half to the year I think he showed he has recovered from the injury and should still be a solid 3rd line player.
6.) Tyson Barrie
Previous Ranking: 36
Stats: 1-14-15 in 41 games played
Position: RD
Age: 32
Previous Team: Nashville
Quick Analysis: here we have Barrie who last seasons wasn’t overly great in Nashville as he was healthy scratched on multiple occasions and was under half a point per game, but is still someone who is a offensive powerhouse and can work a power play and could be of use on a teams 3rd pair.
7.) Calen Addison
Stats: 1-16-17 in 72 games played
Position: RD
Age: 24
Previous Team: San Jose
Quick Analysis: here we have Addison, now he didn’t have a bad year by any means as got a good look on the Sharks, but they didn’t see a future with him, but for a team looking for a young 3rd pair D who could come in on the cheaper side of things, I think Addison may be the play.
8.) Alex Barabanov
Stats: 4-9-13 in 46 games played
Position: WIN
Age: 30
Previous Team: San Jose
Quick Analysis: next we have yet another Shark and it is Barabanov, now I think If he was a UFA last offseason he would’ve already been signed, but due to rather poor play and injuries he had quite a down year, but I think still has the tools to be a solid 3rd line forward for a team who needs scoring help.
9.) Steven Lorentz
Stats: 1-2-3 in 38 games played
Position: C, LW
Age: 28
Previous Team: Florida
Quick Analysis: next up is Cup champion Steven Lorentz, now he isn’t a big flashy name or someone who is going to put up a lot of points, but showed this year with Florida he can be a serviceable 12/13 forward for a team and help out a teams 4th line so he could be a solid signing for a team.
10.) James Van Riemsdyk
Stats: 11-27-38 in 71 games played
Position: LW
Age: 35
Previous Team: Boston
Quick Analysis: over here we have JVR, now he isn’t the player he once was in Toronto or Philly, but is still a serviceable middle six forward coming off a year where he had double digit goals and nearly 40 points, and I think could still help out a teams 3rd line.
11.) Cal Clutterbuck
Stats: 7-12-19 in 82 games played
Position: RW
Age: 36
Previous Team: NY Islanders
Quick Analysis: next up here is Clutterbuck who is a solid 4th line winger and a solid bottom six forward who has been great with the Islanders over the past few years but with them going in a different direction the Isles walked away from him, but even though he is up there in age I think a lot of teams could definitely benefit from adding a guy like Clutterbuck.
12.) Tyler Johnson
Stats: 17-14-31 in 67 games played
Position: FOR
Age: 33
Previous Team: Chicago
Quick Analysis: next up is Johnson who has been a solid veteran for the Blackhawks the past few years, and is still a solid veteran who could put up between 25-35 points a season, and while I am not overly surprised he hasn’t signed yet, I think he could still help out a lot of teams bottom six so I wouldn’t be surprised if a team signed him soon.
13.) Kailer Yamamoto
Stats: 8-8-16 in 59 games played
Position: WIN
Age: 25
Previous Team: Seattle
Quick Analysis: next up is Yamamoto who was a solid add last year for the Kraken to round out their bottom six and actually had a pretty decent season but is a UFA again and I feel that he is still young and talented enough that he could help out a lot of teams in their bottom six.
14.) Justin Schultz
Stats: 7-19-26 in 70 games played
Position: RD
Age: 34
Previous Team: Kraken
Quick Analysis: up here is Schultz who spent the past few seasons being a offensive D-Men in Seattle and had done quite alright, but he is a UFA and even though he is getting up there in age I feel a lot of teams could benefit from having a defensemen like him on their 3rd pair.
15.) Kevin Lankinen
Stats: 2.82 GAA and .908 SV% in 24 games played
Position: G
Age: 29
Previous Team: Chicago
Quick Analysis: here we have the first goalie on this list in Kevin Lankinen, now he has been backing up Saros the past few seasons and has done a pretty good job and I think for any teams who need a 1B/backup goalie still who won’t cost much and can play 20-25 games a year, Lankinen may be their guy.
16.) Dominik Kubalik
Stats: 11-4-15 in 74 games played
Position: WIN
Age: 28
Previous Team: Ottawa
Quick Analysis: next up is a player who didn’t have a awfully great year in Kubalik, now Kubalik went to Ottawa last offseason and had one of his worst seasons to date, but it may have just been the fit and he is still a solid player who in the past had a 30 goals season and I think could still help plenty of teams on a 3rd line role.
17.) Tony DeAngelo
Stats: 3-8-11 in 31 games played
Position: RD
Age: 28
Previous Team: Carolina
Quick Analysis: here we have DeAngelo who also didn’t have a great season this past year, as he went back to Carolina to try and find success and for half the year was a healthy scratch, and although he is more of a one way defensemen, I think a lot of teams could use a offensive weapon like him on their 3rd pair.
18.) Sammy Blais
Stats: 1-6-7 in 53 games played
Position: LW
Age: 28
Previous Team: St.Louis
Quick Analysis: here we have Blais who was a decent 12/13th forward this past season for the Blues and although he hasn’t really worked out well in anywhere but St.Louis, I feel he could still be a solid depth add for many teams looking for more bodies up front.
19.) Kevin Labanc
Previous Ranking: 49
Stats: 2-7-9 in 46 games played
Position: RW
Age: 28
Previous Team: San Jose
Quick Analysis: next up is Labanc who hasn’t been overly great the past few seasons in San Jose after signing his 4 year deal and barely has been able to get much playing time and had one of the worst seasons of his career, but is still on the younger side of things and I feel like could help plenty of teams on the bottom six.
20.) Martin Jones
Stats: 2.87 GAA and .902 SV% in 22 games played
Position: G
Age: 34
Previous Team: Toronto
Quick Analysis: we have another goalie in Martin Jones who last year was a solid 3rd string goalie this past year for the Leafs and I think he should still be a guy who can either be a teams 3rd stringer or maybe even a backup for a team who really needs some more goaltending so I wouldn’t be surprised if he got signed soon.
21.) Kyle Okposo
Stats: 12-10-22 in 67 games played
Position: RW
Age: 36
Previous Team: Florida
Quick Analysis: next up is Okposo who was a part of this years cup champs in Florida, now Okposo isn’t the player he once was but he is still a really good 4th liner who can put up around 20 points a year and for teams looking to at some more veteran help on the 4th line or as a spare forward who can still produce from time to time, then I feel Okposo may be a good bet for them.
22.) Blake Wheeler
Stats: 9-12-21 in 54 games played
Position: RW
Age: 37
Previous Team: NY Rangers
Quick Analysis: up here is Wheeler, now after being bought out he had a 1 year deal in NYR and started out well in the teams top 6 but suffered a injury that kept him out until late in the playoffs and really hurt his stock, but if he has recovered from his injury and can play like he did back in Winnipeg, I think a lot of teams could still benefit him on their 3rd line.
23.) Jakub Vrana
Stats: 2-4-6 in 21 games played
Position: WIN
Age: 28
Previous Team: St.Louis
Quick Analysis: next we have Vrana who has not had a great last few years as he has bounced around from team to team and this year was mostly a healthy scratch or playing at the NHL level, and only had 6 points in 21 games but I think if he got a shot with a team and found his previous 20 goal form, there would definitely be some teams interested so we will have to wait and see what happens with Vrana.
24.) Mike Hoffman
Stats: 10-13-23 in 66 games played
Position: LW
Age: 34
Previous Team: San Jose
Quick Analysis: next is Mike Hoffman, now his career has gone downhill the pas few years as he went from a consistent 25 goal scorer in teams top 6’s to being a bottom six forward who only had 10 goals last year on a bad Sharks team, but I think on a cheap contract he could still be a decent contributor and I feel some teams could benefit from signing him and he wouldn’t cost a lot to get.
25.) Mark Giordano
Stats: 3-6-9 in 46 games played
Position: RD
Age: 40
Previous Team: Toronto
Quick Analysis: and finally we have Giordano, now for Giordano he has been a solid 3rd pair D for the Leafs these past few years and has worked well, and even though he is now in his fourties’ he still wants to play at the NHL level, and I think if a team is low on D depth and could seriously use a 7/8 D on their team who could come in when injuries occur, then maybe Gio gets a opportunity.
*List was made prior to Sprong signing with Canucks.
But that is all for the top UFA’s list that I have right now, as with it being so late into the offseason there aren’t a ton of UFA’s left, but there are still some solid depth options out there and I feel any one of these options could sign a cheap deal to prove they can still be NHL players, so I would love to hear your opinion on my list and who you would put on or take off in the comments below and don’t forget to check out my other blog posts coming soon.
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