Welcome to July 7, 2017.
Phase Two of NHL unrestricted free agency is in full effect
Phase One of the UFA silly season ended last Sunday.
The 2017 UFA market was sparse compared to past free agent smorgasbords.
When the market opened on July 1, several NHL improved their respective lots in life by signing experienced UFAs to augment their existing core groups.
For example, the Toronto Maple Leafs added veteran leaders Patrick Marleau, Dominic Moore and Ron Hainsey to help guide their youngsters during their maturation process. The Tampa Lightning added veterans Chris Kunitz and Dan Girardi to add some needed grizzle to their high skill group. The Carolina Hurricanes added "Mr. Game 7" Justin Williams to add experience and scoring pop. The Buffalo Sabres signed 30 year old winger Benoit Pouliot to add leadership to their bottom six forward cluster. The Sabres also brought back a familiar goalie face in Chad Johnson. The Edmonton Oilers have signed well traveled forward Jussi Jokinen. The Vancouver Canucks added forward Sam Gagner and defensemen Patrick Wiercoch and Michael Del Zotto.
There are still many intriguing players still on the market. Many players of whom can add value to an NHL roster at a considerably lower rate of pay that what they have grown accustomed to earning during their NHL careers.
We saw earlier this week that the NHL is in fact a young man's league with Connor McDavid signing his ginormous 8-year, $100 million contract.
McDavid's $12.5M AAV is the thing that keeps thirty and forty-something NHLers awake at night in a cold sweat.
McDavid's deal will be the comparable by which the game's best young stars will be paid moving forward. Jack Eichel, Erik Karlsson, John Tavares, Ryan Johansen, Auston Matthews, Patrick Laine, Mark Scheifele, Leon Draisaitl, Samson Reinhart, Mitch Marner and other young stars will be signing fat contract extensions in the next 12 months.
The anticipated gargantuan contracts to the NHL's young stars will no doubt eat up gobs of valuable salary cap space on most NHL rosters. Which means that many older NHL players will have to learn to swallow their pride and sing for their supper. Or, leave the game once and for all.
We will begin to see a few more UFA signings in the days to come. NHL GMs are in development camp mode as we speak and their attention is on recent draftees.
I'm a big believer in several veteran UFAs. I've listed my best of the rest list below. Most of these players will continue to attract attention from NHL GMs as this summer solstice saunters on. However, it won't surprise me in the least if half of the veteran UFAs on my 24-pack earn themselves PTO contracts in late August or just before NHL training camp doors open in mid-September.
Enjoy this hand crafted, ice cold 24-bottle pleasure pack of tasty UFA this weekend with friends while at the cottage or when I chilling on the deck this weekend.
You make the call on the NHL UFA best of the rest.
Who are the best unemployed unrestricted free agents?
Jaromir Jagr
Thomas Vanek
Matt Cullen
Drew Stafford
Brian Gionta
Jarome Iginla
Shane Doan
Johnny Oduya
Jhonas Enroth
Alex Chiasson
Andrei Markov
Mike Fisher
Brian Campbell
Brandon Pirri
Francois Beauchemin
Cody Franson
Jared Cowen
Chris Neil
Jiri Hudler
Dennis Wideman
Matt Green
Mark Stuart
Jimmy Hayes
Daniel Winnick
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