Sportsnet Article: Top 14 Free Agents

[BigBadBertz]

Here is the link:

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/top-14-unrestricted-nhl-free-agents-2014-july-1-ryan-miller-thomas-vanek-marian-gaborik-matt-moulson-paul-stastny/

14. Jussi Jokinen
Age on July 1: 31
Team: Pittsburgh Penguins
Position: Left wing
2013-14 cap hit: $3 million
Stay or go? Stay
Why he’ll get paid: Scooped from the Hurricanes at the 2013 trade deadline for the low price of a conditional sixth- or seventh-rounder, the Finn returned to his 20-goal, 50-point form in Pittsburgh’s high-octane offence. Though Pittsburgh’s second-round exit from the playoffs was disappointing, Jokinen cannot be blamed. He scored seven goals and added three assists in 13 playoff games this spring and has been a great fit on the Pens’ second line. And don’t overlook his shootout skills, which can help a team pick up valuable standings points in this era of parity.
Latest dirt: During locker cleanout, Jokinen expressed his wish to return to the Penguins, and they’d be foolish not to give him a modest raise and bring him back.

13. Radim Vrbata
Age on July 1: 33
Team: Arizona Coyotes
Position: Right wing
2013-14 cap hit: $3 million
Stay or go? Go
Why he’ll get paid: Ably filling a top-six role on a team desperate for scoring, the veteran Vrbata posted his fourth 20-goal season with the team and surpassed 30 assists for the first time in his 12-year NHL career. Expect a mid-term deal with a slight raise to be his reward.
Latest dirt: Of the six UFAs on the Coyotes’ roster, only one — backup goalie Thomas Greiss — had received a call by May 22 from management expressing an interest in keeping him on board for 2014-15. Coyotes GM Don Maloney told Sportsnet 590 The Fan he wants his team to get younger and faster. Does Vrbata fit that bill?

12. Mike Cammalleri
Age on July 1: 32
Team: Calgary Flames
Position: Left wing
2013-14 cap hit: $6 million
Stay or go? Go
Why he’ll get paid: A fantastic team guy and hard worker whose production increased after he (surprisingly) wasn’t dealt at the trade deadline, Cammalleri was the Flames’ most prolific scorer in the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season and led the rebuilding club in goals (26) this year.
Latest dirt: Brian Burke offered Cammalleri an extension mid-season, but the forward turned down the offer. While rumours persist that teams such as the Kings could be interested, Cammalleri said, “I am far from having ruled Calgary out as my future.” According to Elliotte Friedman, new Flames GM Brad Treliving met with Cammalleri and the two sides will give contract negotiations a shot.

11. Dan Boyle
Age on July 1: 37
Team: San Jose Sharks
Position: Defence
2013-14 cap hit: $6.67 million
Stay or go? Go
Why he’ll get paid: A smart Stanley Cup champion who is a rock on the point and can still quarterback a power play. Boyle is getting older, but he’s still one of the NHL’s more dependable defencemen and free-agent blueliners who can score 35-plus points a season and log 21 minutes per night are hard to find.
Latest dirt: Sharks GM Doug Wilson announced on May 15 that Boyle and Marty Havlat would not be re-signed by San Jose.

10. Jonas Hiller
Age on July 1: 32
Team: Anaheim Ducks
Position: Goaltender
2013-14 cap hit: $4.5 million
Stay or go? Go
Why he’ll get paid: Of the goaltenders on this summer’s open market, Hiller easily led all in wins (29) and shutouts (five) in 2013-14. He has a career .916 save percentage in the regular season and .932 in the post-season. He can still be a No. 1 in this league.
Latest dirt: Having been dealt a vote of anti-confidence in Anaheim, watching the younger Frederik Andersen and John Gibson get valuable playoff starts, Hiller could be the consolation prize for teams that can’t land Ryan Miller this summer. “There’s probably a real good chance that I’ve played my last game with the Ducks,” Hiller told reporters upon his season’s end.

9. Matt Niskanen
Age on July 1: 27
Team: Pittsburgh Penguins
Position: Defence
2013-14 cap hit: $2.3 million
Stay or go? Go
Why he’ll get paid: Of all the league’s UFA defencemen, Niskanen racked up the most points (46) in 2013-14. He added another nine in the post-season. He logged more than 20 minutes of ice time and his plus-33 rating is 19 better than Willie Mitchell’s, the runner-up in that category among D-men on the market. Top-four free-agent defencemen under 30 are scarce this summer, which equals a payday for Niskanen, who couldn’t have picked a better season to break out in a big way.
Latest dirt: The belief is Niskanen just priced himself out of Pittsburgh. Expect D-hunting teams such as Edmonton, Colorado and cap-happy Detroit to take a hard look. We could be in for a bidding war.

8. Jarome Iginla
Age on July 1: 37
Team: Boston Bruins
Position: Right wing
2013-14 cap hit: $6 million
Stay or go? Stay
Why he’ll get paid: Iginla tied Patrice Bergeron as the Bruins’ leading goal scorer this year and is still in the midst of a streak of 12 consecutive 30-goal seasons when the NHL gives us a schedule longer than 48 games. And as last summer’s one-year contract proved, Iginla is willing to sign cap-friendly, bonus-heavy deals.
Latest dirt: Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli wants him back. “He’s a veteran guy, he plays our brand of hockey and he fits in seamlessly with that first line. He’s been everything we thought he’d be — everything and more,” Chiarelli said during the team’s postmortem. Plus, Don Cherry says Iginla is staying put.

7. Andrei Markov
Age on July 1: 35
Team: Montreal Canadiens
Position: Defence
2013-14 cap hit: $5.75 million
Stay or go? Stay
Why he’ll get paid: After injuries robbed the Habs of some of Markov’s best years, the power-play staple has been a beast the last two seasons. In 2013-14, he led the team in plus/minus (+12) and ranked fourth in team scoring (43 points).
Latest dirt: Although re-signing restricted free agent P.K. Subban is of higher priority for GM Marc Bergevin, Markov, too, will hold the upper hand in his negotiations. “I’d like to stay here for the rest of my career,” Markov said back in January, when the two sides reportedly had some preliminary talks. “You can see some players in their 40s who still play. I don’t want to think that far. Whatever is going to happen tomorrow will happen tomorrow.” Bergevin reportedly offered Markov a one-year deal worth more than $6 million mid-season; Markov was looking for a three-year pact.

6. Ryan Callahan
Age on July 1: 29
Team: Tampa Bay Lightning
Position: Right wing
2013-14 cap hit: $4.275 million
Stay or Go? Stay
Why he’ll get paid: Thrice a 20-goal scorer, Callahan, a former captain, is lauded as a dressing-room leader and a heart-and-soul guy who will do whatever it takes to win. Though he came up empty in the post-season, Callahan was more productive in Tampa (11 points in 20 games) than he was with the Rangers in New York this season.
Latest dirt: Callahan’s value of himself — reportedly $39 million over six years — priced him out of New York, but Lightning GM Steve Yzerman didn’t trade for the forward just to see him walk. Both Yzerman and coach Jon Cooper have gone on record saying they’d like to see him return to Tampa — “I really hope Ryan considers us a place he wants to spend the rest of his career,” Cooper said after the season — and Callahan says he’s open to a return. One has to believe Callahan’s point-free post-season will make him drop his price.

5. Matt Moulson
Age on July 1: 30
Team: Minnesota Wild
Position: Left wing
2013-14 cap hit: $3.13 million
Stay or go? Go
Why he’ll get paid: Came up just shy of scoring 30 goals for the fourth time in his career, despite wearing three different sweaters in 75 games. Known primarily as a sniper — and other than Thomas Vanek, he’s the only pure goal scorer aged 30 or under here — Moulson has steadily improved his passing and his all-around game. Bonus: he stays out of the penalty box. Thirty-goal threats make more than $3 million.
Latest dirt: With buzz that the Minnesota Wild will chase Vanek, Moulson could be the odd man out of Minnesota. That he scored just one goal in 10 playoff games doesn’t help his case to remain with the Wild, but a goal-hungry club like Nashville or Arizona could snap him up for an affordable rate.

4. Ryan Miller
Age on July 1: 33
Team: St. Louis Blues
Position: Goaltender
2013-14 cap hit: $6.25 million
Stay or go? Go
Why he’ll get paid: Miller won both the NHL’s Vezina and MVP honours at the Olympic hockey tournament in 2010. He’s a bona fide No. 1 goalie with 29 shutouts and 294 wins at the NHL level.
Latest dirt: A rental that never panned out in St. Louis, Miller is looking to join a Cup contender, his agent says, preferably one in the Western Conference. Rumours and common sense have linked him to the Anaheim Ducks, with Jonas Hiller on the way out. The Vancouver Canucks could be a possibility as GM Jim Benning drafted Miller to Buffalo back in 1999.

3. Marian Gaborik
Age on July 1: 32
Team: Los Angeles Kings
Position: Right wing
2013-14 cap hit: $7.5 million
Stay or go? Stay
Why he’ll get paid: Capable of scoring more than 40 goals, a mark he’s reached three times but never consecutively, Gaborik’s effort and health will always be question marks. After a dismal stint in Columbus, Gaborik came alive in Los Angeles and owns one of the hottest sticks in the 2014 playoffs.
Latest dirt: He won’t command $7.5 million per year, but Gaborik has found a fit with the Kings. “Don’t think Marian Gaborik is going to hit free agency,” writes Elliotte Friedman. “During their 2012 cup run, the Kings quietly did an extension with Jarret Stoll, but waited until it was over to announce. Could see something similar here.”

2. Paul Stastny
Age on July 1: 28
Team: Colorado Avalanche
Position: Centre
2013-14 cap hit: $6.6 million
Stay or go? Go
Why he’ll get paid: He’s an under-30 centre with six 20-goal seasons to his name, and the two-time Olympian is coming off his best campaign in four years. Even better: Stastny threw up 10 points in seven playoff games for the Avs.
Latest dirt: This one is interesting. Stastny is making significantly more than younger, more exciting teammates like Matt Duchene and Gabriel Landeskog, but it’s hard to fathom him wanting to take a pay cut. The Avs have room to sign him, but Stastny will go get more money on an open market that favours a proven centreman. Nothing is “imminent” regarding Stastny re-signing with the Avs, his agent, Matt Keator, told the Denver Post on May 25.

1. Thomas Vanek
Age on July 1: 30
Team: Montreal Canadiens
Position: Left wing
2013-14 cap hit: $7.14 million
Stay or go? Go
Why he’ll get paid: After leading all Buffalo Sabres in scoring in 2012-13, Vanek wore three different sweaters in 2013-14, settling as a rental player for Montreal. He immediately walked into the Canadiens dressing room as the team’s leading scorer and has the potential to lead the highest bidder in scoring come 2014-15.
Latest dirt: If you want the full story on Vanek the master negotiator, check out Chris Johnston’s in-depth feature. All signs point to Vanek rejoining friend Jason Pominville and signing with the Minnesota Wild, perhaps to the tune of $40 million.
Best of the rest

Forwards: Milan Michalek, Benoit Pouliot, Olli Jokinen, Lee Stempniak, Mikhail Grabovski, Brian Gionta, Steve Ott, Daniel Alfredsson, Ales Hemsky, Mason Raymond

Defence: Marek Zidlicky, Kimmo Timonen, Willie Mitchell, Anton Stralman, Matt Greene, Andrej Meszaros, Stephane Robidas, Sami Salo, Tom Gilbert, Roan Hainsey

Goaltenders: Ilya Bryzgalov, Tim Thomas, Alex Stalock, Chad Johnson, Thomas Greiss, Justin Peters, Carter Hutton, Al Montoya, Ray Emery, Martin Brodeur

[BigBadBertz]

I like Matt Niskanen and Matt Moulson. I wonder how much they would command. I really rather the Canucks not persue Ryan Miller.

[DrChill]

I like Matt Niskanen and Matt Moulson. I wonder how much they would command. I really rather the Canucks not persue Ryan Miller.

Agreed

[tas]

pretty bleak crop.

[tas]

I like Matt Niskanen and Matt Moulson. I wonder how much they would command. I really rather the Canucks not persue Ryan Miller.

if the canucks were going to make a play for a veteran ufa starting goalie, i strongly believe it would be jonas hiller. the canucks have a long and successful track record with western europeans, he'd be cheaper than miller, and i feel like having a right-catching goalie on the roster is always an advantage.

[BigBadBertz]

I just checked out the full list of UFAs on capgeek and there aare a few that might be worth looking at.

The ones that stood out for me are:

Brian Gibbons

Kyle Quincey
Matt Greene
Chad Johnson
Alex Stalock
Jerome Samson

Now with Samson, I base it on the fact that i've seen him play a few times. A tad on the smalish side, but has great speed and decent skill. All heart, works hard and is really good at playing keep away with the puck. An ideal 3rd - 4th line guy!

[Watermelon]

Bring back Salo

[RUPERTKBD]

I just checked out the full list of UFAs on capgeek and there aare a few that might be worth looking at.

The ones that stood out for me are:

Brian Gibbons

Kyle Quincey

Matt Greene

Chad Johnson

Alex Stalock

Jerome Samson

Now with Samson, I base it on the fact that i've seen him play a few times. A tad on the smalish side, but has great speed and decent skill. All heart, works hard and is really good at playing keep away with the puck. An ideal 3rd - 4th line guy!

I agree on Greene. I have mentioned him before.

He has some injury questions, but it doesn't appear to be a problem in the playoffs and he's the physical presence that the Canucks have been missing for a while. Juice does his best, but I think we need another guy with a bit of a mean streak and Greene could definitely be that guy.

[Diakonos]

I really liked what I saw of Stastny in the playoffs, but I'm not sure how useful a centre would be unless we are indeed trading Kesler away. He might replace Kesler as 2C (only 16* months younger, however), but his leadership I'm sure would be appreciated. Would be a great role model for younger players. Not sure Stastny wants to move away from Duschene and MacKinnon, though.

[TOMapleLaughs]

Considering we're rebuilding I wouldn't expect any decent UFA's to sign here.

Jussi Jokinen - Wouldn't mind, but a bit redundant here.

Radim Vrbata - Nah.

Mike Cammalleri - Nah.

Dan Boyle - Pass.

Jonas Hiller - Pass.

Matt Niskanen - Prob. won't happen. His numbers are as inflated as Letang's anyway.

Jarome Iginla - Would like him here. Just to embarrass Calgary more than anything.

Andrei Markov - Nah. Surprised he wasn't hurt again this year.

Ryan Callahan - Nah. Going to be more overpaid than Clarkson and is not a top-6 solution to get all that excited about.

Matt Moulson - Wouldn't mind him on a short deal, but would temper expectations.

Ryan Miller - No. Shifty-eyebrows needs to stay in the states.

Marian Gaborik - Nope. Don't let this playoff run fool you. This is it.

Paul Stastny - Prob. not. Demand too much, then would vanish until next contract year.

Thomas Vanek - Nah. Thinks he's Crosby and will be paid more than him.

Milan Michalek - No

Benoit Pouliot - No

Olli Jokinen - Hell No

Lee Stempniak - Nope

Mikhail Grabovski - Nah

Brian Gionta - Nah

Steve Ott - Nope

Daniel Alfredsson - Yes, if possible.

Ales Hemsky - No

Mason Raymond - Nope

Defence:

Depth-level only.

Goaltenders:

No to all.

[RustyShackleford]

Anyone know how much salary cap the canucks have for this off season including the increase?

[Mac Ball Canucks]

Would like to see us to E.Kane, R.Callaghan, S.Ott, Shawn Thorton. On the back end Matt Greene and Adam McQuaid could provide such much needed size and muscle. E.Kane-Kesler-Kassian , Sedin-Sedin-Callaghan, Horvat-Matthias- N.Jensen, Sestito-S.Ott-Thorton

[aGENT]

Niskanen's the only guy I'm really interested in.

[zombieksa]

Bring back Salo

I used to support this but he is finally starting to show his age. He's always been injury prone, but when healthy plays great. This year he has finally shown significant slide in his quality of play.

[Pears]

I think Cammalleri and Stastny are really the only two FA's we should target, Gaborik as well if LA can't re-sign him. And Niskanen if we trade a defenceman.

Would like to see us to E.Kane, R.Callaghan, S.Ott, Shawn Thorton. On the back end Matt Greene and Adam McQuaid could provide such much needed size and muscle.E.Kane-Kesler-Kassian , Sedin-Sedin-Callaghan, Horvat-Matthias- N.Jensen, Sestito-S.Ott-Thorton

1) How do we get Kane?

2) Is that a cap friendly roster

3) I don't want that gutless puke Thornton anywhere near this team.

[aGENT]

Bring back Salo

I loved Salo but that ship has sailed. He may even retire.

[canucktican]

Niskanen is probably thee only guys I want from that list. Maybe Jonas Hiller too

[BabychStache]

I can't be the only one that would like a Grey beard PMD PP QB in Boyle?

[Xbox]

Deep free agency this year, at least much deeper than the last couple we had.

[Madness]

Stastny and Vanek will command too much.