I do think what are considered by some to be the two top FAs in terms of salary commanded will hit the market, Stamkos and Eriksson, but I am much more interested in what the Islanders do. They have both Okposo and Nielsen up for free agency. I think either would be an excellent addition to just about any team. Okposo is a bona fide top-six winger with a 60-point floor for a full season IMO. Nielsen is the kind of two-way center any team would benefit from having, and he is also very good in shootouts.

I suspect the Avs will lose Boedker. He has a chance at a very lucrative contract. He turned down $5.5M per, a clear indicator he wants more. I always liked him but I am not sure I would break the bank for him. He hasn't evolved defensively the way I would have expected. On the right team I think he could improve his offensive output considerably, he has wheels and hands, very good at making plays at full speed. I could see a team offering him a lot of money, 5/35M. I don't see that team being the Avs.

I think the Kings will retain Lucic. He likes it in L.A., their style of play suits his game and I think they will make a competitive offer. The bigger money is always tempting but my bet is that they keep him, especially given that they invested quite a bit in him last summer.

Backes will stay in St Louis, zero doubt in my mind, really.

Eric Staal is an odd one. What is his real value? I could see him signing a heavy deal with a very short term, maybe with a competitive team that has cap space to burn. He would be an interesting fit on Florida, for example, and make them deep at center. Maybe Arizona would take a look, it depends where they are with the floor. He could be a big-ticket addition with limited commitment and a guy to tutor guys such as Domi, Dvorak and Strome. I can't see him getting big money over a long term, but I also think there will be enough demand for a shorter deal that he won't end up signing either a longer deal at moderate money or a short deal for cheap to chase a Cup.

Ladd will probably bounce, I wouldn't pay him any big pile of money and Chicago doesn't really have it to spend. Even if they end up getting it, it would be better spent elsewhere. Someone will overpay on the open market.

Brouwer I also think is gone, he probably reinvigorated his career with that playoff performance so someone will overpay him also.

I could see Dallas re-signing Kris Russell. They were high on him when they brought him in and paid a decent price. They have the money and a decent role for him. I also think they will re-sign Demers. Goligoski's return probably depends on his expectations in terms of his contract. Their problems last year were on the back end and they might have the flexibility to change a lot of it. There isn't much out there in free agency though. You have a lot of faces from the past two trade deadlines (Yandle, Pollak, Schenn, et al) that they passed on. They do have some promising prospects on defense though, not so much in goal.

Brian Campbell is an interesting one. He came off a huge contract, does he want to cash in one last time or does he want to pursue the Cup one last time? I wouldn't be overly interested in him at any sort of high price, personally.

Lee Stempniak is the consummate journeyman and a solid pro. I hope he gets a shot with a good team this time instead of being a bridge player for a bad one like usual.

I would not touch Teddy Purcell. Not all that reliable of a scorer and doesn't do much else. Panthers will let him walk, I think they may try to keep Hudler though. I would take a look at Hudler for the right terms; he won't replicate his numbers from two years ago but he brings skill to the table anyway.

Radim Vrbata could be a steal for someone. Pretty much zero chance he is back in Vancouver. When healthy, he can still put the puck in the net. Same thing with Hamhuis, seems to be snakebit but can play when he is good to go. Vrbata I think has a decent chance of going to a good team and making an impact as a relative bargain.

David Perron is another guy like that. I kind of suspect Anaheim will re-sign him. They are one of the more fascinating teams this offseason. They made a lot of minor moves last year and pretty much fucked up every single one of them.

Who cares what happens to Luke Schenn? The Kings might be desperate enough to re-sign him. He is slow and definitely in for a pay cut.

Jamie McGinn is the opposite, a guy who seems like he can play intermittently but then gets hurt and/or disappears. I could see Anaheim bringing him back, but a lot of this will now be evaluated by Carlyle. Some team might luck out with him but I doubt it.


Dale Weise is a gamer and a big body. Some team will be fortunate to add him as I don't know if Chicago can afford him, even though he won't make a ton of money (relative to his role he will be well paid).