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Top six potential UFA defensemen for 2011 (plus complete list)

Boston Bruins v Philadelphia Flyers - Game Six

of the Boston Bruins of the Philadelphia Flyers in Game Six of the Eastern Conference Semifinals during the 2010 NHL Stanley Cup Finals at the Wachovia Center on May 12, 2010 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Bruce Bennett

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.

I began with the forwards, so let’s move on to the defensive guys. All of the eligible defensemen (listed by CapGeek.com) are included in the spreadsheet below. (Click to enlarge)

Image (2) 2011ufaD-thumb-250x264-15102.jpg for post 2437

James O’Brien

Note: I’m not even going to put Nicklas Lidstrom on this list, because barring a disaster, he’ll either play the 2011-12 season as a member of the Detroit Red Wings or retire.

Zdeno Chara
Current Age: 33
Previous Cap Hit: $7.5 million

It’s rare that a hockey player can live up to such a huge cap hit, but the Big Z often (dare I say) even exceeded that value. The question is, will the Boston Bruins want to give him another Chara-sized deal once he gets older? If not, he’ll get big money somewhere else.

Andrei Markov
Current Age: 31
Previous Cap Hit: $5.75 million

Markov is one of the league’s most underrated defenseman. He’s one of the best point producers, a guy who makes a big difference for Montreal’s powerplay unit. He’s at the right age to receive one more nice deal.

Tomas Kaberle
Current Age: 32
Previous Cap Hit: $4.25 million

Aside from being an annual (heck, semi-annual) source of trade rumors, Kaberle’s also been one of the league’s best passing defenseman. He can really help a team’s powerplay, much like Markov.

Kevin Bieksa

Jonathan Toews, Kevin Bieksa

Chicago Blackhawks’ Jonathan Toews, right, checks Vancouver Canucks’ Kevin Bieksa during the second period of Game 6 in an NHL hockey Western Conference playoff series in Vancouver, British Columbia, Tuesday, May 11, 2010. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Darryl Dyck)

AP

Current Age: 29
Previous Cap Hit: $3.75 million

He hasn’t really “put it all together” but Bieksa brings a nice set of skills and nastiness to the table. Plus he’s still young enough to earn a few years.

Christian Ehrhoff
Current Age: 27
Previous Cap Hit: $3.1 million

I’m going out on a limb a bit with this one because Ehrhoff had a great season with the Vancouver Canucks. If he can put two good years together, he could be a very well-sought after player at his age.

Chris Phillips
Current Age: 32
Previous Cap Hit: $3.5 million

He’s not flashy - and certainly not worthy of being a No. 1 draft pick - but Phillips is a solid shutdown defenseman still more or less in his prime.

Honorable Mentions

Intriguing: Hal Gill, Andy Greene, Roman Hamrlik

Washed up or not?: Ed Jovanovski

Injury prone: Sami Salo, Eric Brewer

Frustrating: Bryan McCabe, Tom Poti