Top Remaining Free Agents
The National Hockey League free agent season has been under way since July 1, but unlike the National Basketball Association, the top superstar free agents in the NHL have remained unsigned. The following are the top prospects still available, and unrestricted, on the market:
Ilya Kovalchuk: Kovalchuk is considered to be the prize catch of this off season. The Russian national has been extremely prolific in point production, but spent the majority of his career on the floundering Atlanta Thrashers. He may put up 40+ goals per season on average, but he has only played in five play-off games.
His signing is going to be a catalyst that sets off the signings of the other players. Kovalchuk wants a long-term, high-paying deal on a contender. He has recently been meeting with the Los Angeles Kings, though the negotiations have not reached any conclusion. The New Jersey Devils are also expected to make a serious play for Kovalchuk’s services.
Alexander Frolov: Frolov’s value has slightly decreased in correlation to his point production, but he is still an elite player capable of returning to the 70-point form exhibited in 2006-07. Had his point production not dropped, the Kings would not be in the market for Kovalchuk.
If Kovalchuk and Los Angeles do not reach a conclusion, it will be interesting to see if Los Angeles makes an offer to Frolov as he is the other best wing available.
Teemu Selanne: Selanne is 40 years old, but can still produce. Last season the Finnish ring wing had 27 goals in 52 games. He is also a power play savant with selfless distribution. He is well aware of his role given his age, but his free agency might be in name only. Selanne has played for Anaheim most of his career and is the franchise leader in points, goals, and assists. If he does not re-sign with Anaheim, he will most likely retire.
Lee Stempniak: Stempniak’s stock rose tremendously after his post-trade performance last season. After being sent to the Phoenix Coyotes from the Toronto Maple Leafs, Stempniak had 18 points in 18 games, with 14 goals. He clearly has talent, but his radical differences in performance show that Stempniak needs a system to flourish in rather than being able to develop his own chances.
Maxim Afinogenov: After a few injury-plagued seasons for Buffalo resulted in Afinogenov being unsigned and having to try out for the Atlanta Thrashers, the Russian winger has slowly returned to form on the ice. Last season, Afinogenov played in all 82 games. He put up 61 points, his highest total since 2005-06, and scored 24 goals.
Afinogenov is 30 and has not shown long-term stability but would still be an interesting short-term signing for a team in need of precision on offence.
Alexei Ponikarovsky: Ponikarovsky was a steady producer while on the Maple Leafs, but could not find his own on the star-studded Pittsburgh Penguins. He would undoubtedly like to return to the Maple Leafs as he lives in Toronto and was hopeful about contract talks even after being traded.
However, Ponikarovsky should be sought after by numerous teams due to his strong presence on both offence and defence. He has shown the ability to put up 60+ points before and at 6’4” and 220 lbs, he can be an extremely disrupting force on defence.
Eric Belanger: Belanger may not be capable of the No. 1 centre role, but can still produce and would really thrive as a No. 3 centre on a contending team, which is exactly the position he played in Washington. He is durable, and last season put up 50 points in 77 games.
As soon as Kovalchuk goes off the board and teams know they can spend freely, these players should be some of the first signed or involved in major trades.
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