Free agent season is less than a month away. Ducks General Manager Bob Murray has a number of decisions he must make on his current roster before he entertains any notions of adding anyone to the team. As per usual, there is very little chatter about what his plans are. Lets have a look at who the Ducks own free agents are and whether or not they will be back.

There are a few things to consider as Murray weighs his options. First, the Ducks have an internal cap that is below the league cap. Second, the window for some of the key veterans may be starting to close a bit. Third, the GM is very comfortable with making off-season trades.

Unrestricted Free Agents (UFA)
David Perron, Jamie McGinn, Shawn Horcoff, Chris Stewart, Korbinian Holzer, Anton Khudobin, Harry Zolnierczyk

Restricted Free Agents (RFA)
Brandon Pirri, Rickard Rakell, Sami Vatanen, Hampus Lindholm, Frederik Andersen, Stefan Noesen, Dustin Tokarski

Definitely Back
There is only one free agent that is all but certain to be a Duck next season. That is Hampus Lindholm. At only 22 years old, he is Anaheim's most steady defenseman. His defensive ability and all around game make him a cornerstone of the franchise for years to come.

Very Likely Back
Rickard Rakell's game is on the upswing. He has been used at both center and wing with positive results. It is very hard to fathom that Rakell isn't part of the long term plan.

Brandon Pirri joined Anaheim at this year's trade deadline. He got a late start to his Ducks career due to an injury, but showed promise once he healed up. The facts here are that he has some offensive ability and he will be relatively inexpensive to re-sign.

It sounds odd that Dustin Tokarski is on this list, but there are good reasons. Murray likes to have goalie depth in the system and he provides it. Additionally, Tokarski has shown in the past that he can be an effective substitute in the NHL on a limited basis.

Harry Zolnierczyk and Stefan Noesen will be inexpensive depth players.

Gone
The Chris Stewart reclamation project will come to an end. Although he showed some chemistry with Ryan Getzlaf, he was never really a great fit.

David Perron will more than likely depart as well. He played well, very well, for the Ducks after his acquisition from Pittsburgh. The money he would want above the $4.5M he made on his last contract likely prices out Anaheim. Questions about his consistency (he has been a very streaky player) and durability are also good reasons why Murray would let him walk.

Anaheim will not pay anything near the $2.25M Anton Khudobin made last year. For his part, Khudobin can't be happy with the way his season as part of the Ducks organization and will be anxious to get out of Dodge. His experience will lead an NHL team to bring him in as an insurance policy. It also wouldn't be a surprise to see him head to the KHL where he can be a starter and make good money.

Traded
As much as Ducks fans would like both Frederick Andersen and Sami Vatanen to return, the economics are against it. They both will want more than the Ducks would be willing to pay for long term deals.

John Gibson staked his claim to the number one goalie spot last season. He has three more years at a bargain $2.3M per, which makes him the man. It will be much more reasonable for Murray to find a good veteran backup for Gibson. Still there will be teams willing to give up something in order to have an exclusive window to negotiate a long term deal with Andersen.

Sami Vatanen is unfortunately the odd man out when Murray hands out contract extensions. He has shown outright brilliance at times and its a shame there isn't money for him. He, like Andersen will fetch a decent return for his rights. The only way Vatanen stays is if Murray decides to trade Cam Fowler and uses that money on the creative Finn.

Toss Ups
If the price is right, Jamie McGinn will return. He proved to be a real spark plug for Anaheim down the stretch. From the Ducks side, McGinn is a hard working, “gritty” player that successful teams need to win. On the other side, this could be his best shot to play a significant role on a Stanley Cup contender.

Korbinian Holzer is a competent seventh or eight defenseman on a good team. A big contract isn't in his future which will appeal to Murray. If the Ducks are going to pay close to the minimum for a depth defenseman, why not keep a player the organization is familiar with?

There is no chance Shawn Horcoff gets a $1.75M deal again from any team. He will be back if he is willing to take a decent pay cut. Otherwise its just not worth it to the Ducks to re-sign him.

Plenty of decisions to be made on contracts. For Murray, when the playoffs end, he'll be getting warmed up.

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