yave1964 Posted September 19, 2021 Share Posted September 19, 2021 The NHL is back in business in a big way, this has been a fun offseason with the Kraken joining and big names on the move in free agency and trades and all the RFA's such as the thrill, Pettersson and Hughes still lingering and Eichel and his daily trainwreck keeping the sport in the news. Looking ahead at next year, wow, it is as of now the deepest free agent class that I have ever seen, period bar none. Keep in mind some of these guys will resign with their current teams, others will be traded at or near the deadline and then sign with the new club but even with that, this upcoming class is simply amazing. A few of the highlights THE YOUNG ONES GETTING PAID Gaudreau will likely not make it to the deadline with a Calgary team that is likely an also ran. Where he ends up will dictate a lot of the other wingers. Morgan Reilly, the Leafs cannot afford to pay him the 9 million give or take that top d-men are commanding without moving Nylander so it si either move Nylander or hope that Reilly takes less which is doubtful. Pulock. In case you arent paying attenting, this is the most underrated player in the game today, the heart of the Isles defense who moves the puck as well. Forsberg the Preds are likely skid marks this year so he will be dealt. Probably not for Martin Erat. Consistent 30 goal man in his 20's. ZIBANEJAD Put this in all caps, he scores with the best of them, is a top line top tier center and will likely test the market. Hertl Already rumors the Sharks are looking to see what the market is for the damn fine 28 year old center. BARKOV Also in caps, I doubt he sees free agency or the Panthers fans will revolt. Both of them. Then others among the under 30 crowd include Klingberg, Niederreitter, Rackell, Trocheck, Manson, Lindholm, Burakovsky. Lots of others a hair below these guys for talent. OVER THE HILL BUT STILL BRINGING IT This is where you see a ton of over 30s players who can still play demanding one more paycheck. Guys like Malkin Fleury Giordano Giroux Kessel Letang Bergeron Pavelski Dustin Brown Ekholm Reilly Smith Palat Keumper Kadri Perron And so many more. The long and short of it the combination of Covid and the flat cap has a ton of players facing an uncertain future, while guys like bozak this year who woulda normally been paid a couple of million to keep playing are settling for league minimum, the stars are still the stars and the big boys still want paid. This coming free agency class will push salaries higher for the star players and in the cap era push salaries for non stars even lower. Dont get me wrong, 900k to play 11 minutes a night when you are 33 years old beats the Hell out of working for a living. Anyway, great upcoming free agent class. One of the best I have seen. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Icechipper Posted November 5, 2021 Share Posted November 5, 2021 Hasn't Phil Kessel essentially been a free agent (and spirit) since he came into the league? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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