I know depth free agents are less fun to talk about, but I really don't see any of the big names considering Detroit, so which depth players do you think we may target? Obviously lots can change, teams can resign players, but I think if I was in charge I would simply go after a few depth guys to make sure the team is competitive enough. Some random names I've come across:
-Anton Stralman (D): He's a top 4 D on any NHL team, he'd be a top pairing guy on our team. Tampa will already be in a severe cap crunch, so I don't see him going back there. Still relatively young (31 years old), I'd consider signing him, assuming the asking price is not ridiculous.
-Ben Chiarot (D) : Would easily crack our top 4. He's still young (27) and I think he would fit in nicely with the Wings. The Jets are similar to Tampa in that they will be in a cap crunch, and Chiarot is due for a decent raise from his current salary of 1.4 mil.
-Carl Gunnarsson (D): His play has fallen off a bit this year, but again, he's easily a top 6 D on our team. I wouldn't want to throw too much money or term at him, but I think he could be a short term help to make us competitive.
-Jan Rutta (D): Worth a gamble, again he's probably better than what we have on D.
-Anders Lee (LW): Highly unlikely that he even reaches UFA status, I think the Isles like him and will resign him. Even if he does reach UFA status, highly unlikely we offer him the money he is looking for. He has earned a nice payday, and will get it. It is still intriguing to think about adding a goal scorer of his ability to the mix.
-Brett Connolly: (W) I also don't think the Caps let him reach UFA status, as he should be relatively chap for them to bring back. If he does, I'd negotiate with him. Still young, produces decent numbers, and is a hard worker.
-Joonas Donskoi (RW): He is somewhat buried in the Sharks system, as they have a ton of depth offensively. I think there is far more production in him, and we could be a team that he considers to get more ice time, and more production.
-Riley Sheahan (C): I know it's ridiculous that I am adding him here, and am currently laughing as I am writing this. Still though, he was always a hard worker, and if no other teams are biting on him, why not give him a second chance? I'm talking at a low salary, on a 1 or 2 year deal. There will probably be other teams interested in him as a depth forward, and I could even see him resigning in Florida, but if we can get him at a cheap rate, why not? He's more useful than plugging in some random AHL journeyman to fill out the roster.
-Tyler Ennis: (W): Leafs are in cap hell. I've always liked him, and think there is more production in him than he is showing in Toronto because of their depth. Again, this would only be at a low cap hit, for a year or 2.
