When a sports team (or group of fans) spouts the “Wait ‘til next year” line, they usually mean that the next season could bring better things. Yet after a few days of the free agent frenzy, that saying might also apply to July 2011.
It’s very early to look at future unrestricted free agents - especially since many of them will probably sign extensions at some point before then - but that doesn’t mean we can’t have a little fun picturing different scenarios.
In the next few posts, I’ll go over some of the most promising unrestricted free agents by position.
Let’s begin with the forwards. All of the eligible forwards (listed by CapGeek.com) are included in the spreadsheet below. (Click to enlarge)
OK, now that you have the full list, here are the 10 best potential 2011 UFA forwards. These aren’t necessarily in order from top to bottom, though the top five are better than the bottom five.
Joe Thornton
Current Age: 31
Previous Cap Hit: $7.2 million
Could Jumbo Joe become the gem of the 2011 summer? That remains to be seen, but even if you think he shrinks from the playoff spotlight, he’s still regularly among the league leaders in assists and points. If he decided to test the free agent market, he could really garner some interest.
Brad Richards
Current Age: 30
Previous Cap Hit: $7.8 million
I often call him Brad “RICHards” for a reason ... the one-time Conn Smythe winner landed a ridiculous contract after the Tampa Bay Lightning won the Stanley Cup. Despite being a great playmaker, Richards isn’t quite worth that money, but he’s still young enough that he could get another good deal or two. Will he stay with Dallas?
Alex Semin
Current Age: 26
Previous Cap Hit: $6 million
He’s injury-prone (missed nine games, 20 games and 19 games in the last three seasons), not particularly defensively sound and floundered a bit in the playoffs ... but he’s still a dynamic, young scorer. He scored 40 goals and 84 points last season and 34 and 79 in only 62 games in 08-09. He has his warts, but would still be in his prime come UFA time.
Mikko Koivu
Current Age: 27
Previous Cap Hit: $3.25 million
As a member of the offensively stunted Minnesota Wild, Saku’s younger brother flies under the radar a bit but he’s a nice two-way player whose numbers keep improving (from 42 to 67 to 71 points in the last three seasons) as he enters his prime. He could be an under-the-radar gem if the Wild don’t cough up the money to keep him.
Simon Gagne
Current Age: 30
Previous Cap Hit: $5.25 million
When he’s not dealing with concussion problems or other injuries, Gagne is one of the league’s natural goal scorers. He’s already the source of trade rumors in Philadelphia, so chances are another NHL team will be sending him paychecks starting in 2011-12.
After the jump, the next five forwards who could be desirable unrestricted free agents next summer. (Plus some honorable mentions)
Jason Arnott
Current Age: 35
Previous Cap Hit: $4.5 million He’s getting older, but Arnott is a big center with some offensive zest. He’d garner a nice amount of demand as an unrestricted free agent.
Patrice Bergeron
Current Age: 24
Previous Cap Hit: $4.75 million
It’s hard to believe Bergeron is only 24 right now; it seems like he’s been through a career’s worth of challenges with his injury history. He won’t blow you away with his skills, but he can score a bit, play sound defense and win more than half of his faceoffs.
Mike Knuble
Current Age: 37
Previous Cap Hit: $2.8 million
Knuble’s had quite the career supporting some of the league’s most talented scorers, spending time with Peter Forsberg and Alex Ovechkin among others. He might be a little too old to command big money next summer, but if he decides to keep playing, he could once again be a great depth signing.
Ville Leino
Current Age: 26
Previous Cap Hit: $800K
If Leino can play like he did for the Flyers during the playoffs, he should see an enormous pay increase from his frugal current deal. Even if this postseason was a bit of an outlier, he should see a raise of some kind.
David Backes
Current Age: 26
Previous Cap Hit: $2.5 million
OK, he hasn’t lit up the world, scoring-wise. Still, Backes is a big body who has a 31 goal season to his credit. I’m going to go out on a limb and say he might be in higher demand than some guys with heftier resumes but grayer hair.
Honorable mentions
Injury prone players: Tim Connolly (a potential point per game guy with atrocious luck on the IR), Steve Sullivan (see: Connolly), Justin Williams, Erik Cole, Marco Sturm
Getting older but still valuable: Jamie Langenbrunner, Cory Stillman, Andrew Brunette
Flighty but skilled: Alex Kovalev, Michael Ryder