We're well over a month into free agency and some very good hockey players remain unsigned.
In this edition of the hotstove we look at which player we're most surprised is still available.
Todd Cordell: Jiri Tlusty The two obvious answers are Christian Ehrhoff and Cody Franson but there's a cap crunch going on right now, and their price tags don't appear to be very low, which surely factors into why they haven't signed yet.
I'm going to go off the board a little bit and say Jiri Tlusty.
In today's NHL goal scoring is at a premium and Tlusty is a guy who can fill the net. Over his last three seasons Tlusty has scored 23 goals per 82 games and at 27 he still has some good years ahead of him.
Given his asking price is likely relatively low I'm very surprised he's still available. There should be quite a few teams interested in his services.
Ryan Wilson: Brad Boyes The obvious answers are Cody Franson and Christian Ehrhoff but there are other players that could help a team.
There are a handful of depth forwards that include Tomas Fleischmann, Mike Santorelli, Jiri Tlusty etc...
I went with Brad Boyes because he has very good even strength production and his price tag will be relatively cheap. A cap strapped team looking for a player that contribute acceptable offense at even-strength would benefit from taking a chance on Brad Boyes. Second line even-strength production for 4th line salary seems like a good idea.
That said part of me isn't surprised at all by any of these names being available (sans Franson). The initial rush of signings is over and now the players left on the market are being selective on what situations they want to sign on to. Also players (Ehrhoff/CBJ) may be waiting for certain teams to make moves and clear cap space before they sign IE: Eric Fehr waiting on the Brandon Sutter trade.
Tim Chiasson: Brad Boyes Boyes is a great depth pickup for any team in the NHL and it's a crime he hasn't been scooped up yet. He doesn't hinder his teams play at all, he's been solid in possession - almost always positive relative to the team.
He's got good 5v5 points-per-60 numbers and has contributed between 35-40 points in each of the last three seasons.
Boyes is a player that teams should be lining up to get a hold of. He'll come at a very cheap rate and give teams the depth they want. It's almost like making that trade at the deadline to get deeper, only you don't have to give up any assets for him.
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