News: THE TOP 30 UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS OF 2018

HamiltonNHL

Parity era hockey is just puck luck + draft luck
Jan 4, 2012
20,108
10,622
1. JOHN TAVARES, C, 27
2017-18 cap hit: $5,500,000
Just as Steven Stamkos shaped up to be the most significant UFA in NHL history two years ago, the same goes for Tavares if he makes it to July 1 unsigned. He has a strong chance to surpass Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane’s $10.5-million cap hits and become hockey’s second-richest player behind Connor McDavid. Will Tavares leave the Islanders? It’s no sure thing. He’s comfortable in that market. Really boosting the odds of him staying are Matt Barzal’s mammoth rookie year and the Isles’ winning the Belmont Park arena bid.

2. JOHN CARLSON, D, 28
2017-18 cap hit: $3,966,667
The decimation of Washington’s ‘D,’ with Kevin Shattenkirk and Karl Alzner gone as UFAs and Matt Niskanen sustaining an early-season injury, likely made Carlson a lot of money. He has logged a career-best 25:54 per a game in a bellcow role on defense. Carlson is also a right-handed shot. He’s 2018’s equivalent of Kevin Shattenkirk, poised to break the bank. Losing Carlson would be devastating for the Caps.

3. JAMES VAN RIEMSDYK, LW, 29
2017-18 cap hit: $4,250,000
‘JVR’ appears to have hit his peak, but it’s a nice peak. He offers a floor of about 25 goals and 50 points, can slide in on any scoring line and makes life difficult around the net with his hand-eye co-ordination and athleticism. He should attract a bushel of suitors. The question now is whether the Leafs, too deep at forward, might be better off dealing him before the month is up. Demoting JVR to their third line felt like a harbinger of a trade.

4. MIKE GREEN, D, 32
2017-18 cap hit: $6,000,000
The Caps must find the money to re-up Carlson, and it’s a decent bet they will, so it’s likely Green enters the summer as the top free agent blueliner. He could wind up signing an identical deal to his previous one in term and money: three years, $18 million. He’s helped his cause a lot with stellar scoring numbers this season on a middling Red Wings squad.

5. JOSH BAILEY, RW, 28
2017-18 cap hit: $3,300,000
Playmaking winger posting his best scoring numbers ever, but is he merely the product of playing with Tavares? That’s always the question with Bailey, who could wind up overpaid if he leaves the Isles. Tavares has gotten a point on 52.6 percent of Bailey’s 57 points this season.

6. JAMES NEAL, RW, 30
2017-18 cap hit: $5,000,000

7. MIKAEL BACKLUND, C, 29
2017-18 cap hit: $3,575,000

8. EVANDER KANE, LW, 26
2017-18 cap hit: $5,250,000

9. ILYA KOVALCHUK, RW, 35
2017-18 cap hit: $6,666,666

10. JOE THORNTON, C, 38
2017-18 cap hit: $8,000,000

11. PATRIC HORNQVIST, RW, 31
2017-18 cap hit: $4,250,000

12. ZDENO CHARA, D, 41
2017-18 cap hit: $4,000,000

13. DAVID PERRON, LW, 30
2017-18 cap hit: $3,750,000

14. RICK NASH, LW, 34
2017-18 cap hit: $7,800,000

15. HENRIK SEDIN, C, 37
2017-18 cap hit: $7,000.000
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16. DANIEL SEDIN, LW, 37
2017-18 cap hit: $7,000,000

17. PATRICK MAROON, LW, 30
2017-18 cap hit: $2,000,000

18. CALVIN DE HAAN, D, 27

19. PAUL STASTNY, C, 32
2017-18 cap hit: $7,000,000

20. MICHAEL GRABNER, RW, 30
2017-18 cap hit: $1,650,000

21. THOMAS VANEK, LW, 34
2017-18 cap hit: $2,000,000

22. LARS ELLER, C, 29
2017-18 cap hit: $3,500,000

23. ERIK GUDBRANSON, D, 26
2017-18 cap hit: $3,500,000

24. TYLER BOZAK, C, 32
2017-18 cap hit: $4,200,000

25. ANTTI RAANTA, G, 29
2017-18 cap hit: $1,000,000

26. AARON DELL
2017-18 cap hit: $625,000

27. IAN COLE, D, 29
2017-18 cap hit: $2,100,000

28. CARTER HUTTON, G, 32
2017-18 cap hit: 1,125,000

29. TOMAS PLEKANEC, C, 35
2017-18 cap hit: $6,000.000

30. LEO KOMAROV, LW, 31
2017-18 cap hit: $2,950,000

OTHER UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS TO WATCH: Mark Letestu, Jonathan Bernier, Lee Stempniak, Antoine Roussel, Jan Rutta, Scott Hartnell, Patrick Sharp, Jack Johnson, Jay Beagle, Valtteri Filppula, Drew Stafford, Antoine Vermette, Jannik Hansen, Mike Cammalleri, Nick Holden, Joel Ward, Chris Kunitz, Benoit Pouliot, Luca Sbisa, Jaroslav Halak, Johnny Oduya, Thomas Hickey, Ryan Reaves, Jussi Jokinen, Toby Enstrom, Derek Ryan, Luke Schenn, Andrej Sustr, Radim Vrbata, Jaromir Jagr, Brian Gibbons, Riley Nash, David Desharnais, Blake Comeau, Dan Hamhuis

source: The top 30 unrestricted free agents of 2018 | The Hockey News

Q: Who are the most likely to be moved at the deadline ? to where ?
 

SenzZen

RIP, GOAT
Jan 31, 2011
16,896
5,952
Ottawa
Half of them won't re-sign with whoever trades for them. They're rentals.

Are you reading and posting while driving?

The thread is about the top 30 UFAs. UFAs are almost always overpaid.

Nobody is talking about rentals, or signing with their new teams...
 

solidprospect

Borveetzky
Sep 30, 2017
4,422
1,274
Are you reading and posting while driving?

The thread is about the top 30 UFAs. UFAs are almost always overpaid.

Nobody is talking about rentals, or signing with their new teams...
Am assuming these are listed for the trade deadline coming up not free agency in the summer. people trading for them generally won't care about next season.

UFA's afterall are the most likely trade targets. If this thread is strictly about free agency in the summer then my bad.
 
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