BTH Roundtable: Free Agent Market

 BTH Roundtable: Free Agent Market

With the Free Agent market set to open on October 9th, following the conclusion of the playoffs, this season’s unrestricted class is one of the most prestigious in recent memory. As big names are poised to make a splash, teams will have to be wary of the flat cap.

Alex Pietrangelo

Tkalcevic: St. Louis. Although the Blues are in a cap crunch, Pietrangelo is the captain of their team and will likely take a pay cut in order to try and win another championship. He's one of the best two-way defenders in the league and St. Louis will probably do everything they can to keep him around.

Neufeld: Winnipeg. I was originally thinking St.Louis, but he would be the perfect number one right-handed defenseman in Winnipeg. He would help round out that top four if they can get him on a 3-year $10 million contract. He'll be able to shore up some of the defensive issues, while also bringing a ton of experience.

Smith: St. Louis. The Blues’ captain does it all for the team, no reason that he would want to leave, and no reason Doug Armstrong wouldn’t want to bring him back. 

Braden Holtby

Tkalcevic: Buffalo. With the Sabres not really having a legit goalie, Holtby could come in and help fill the void. He's got experience winning a Cup, and that'll help some of the young guys learn and grow as players. Splitting time with Ullmark and trading Hutton will only help out the Sabres in the long run. 

Neufeld: Edmonton. The Oilers have been searching for a starting goalie for the longest while since guys like Scrivens, Dubnyk, Talbot, haven't proven to be elite on a consistent basis. Holtby is a proven starter in the NHL and would love to play alongside some of the best players in the NHL. 

Smith: Detroit. Since the market for Holtby might be a short list, I wouldn’t be surprised if he doesn’t get big figures on his next contract. The only team with enough cap might be Detroit, but seems unlikely he would be enticed to go to Mo-Town.

Taylor Hall

Tkalcevic: Colorado. With Taylor Hall likely not returning to the Coyotes for the start of the 2020-21 season it is likely he’ll land in Colorado. The Avs have a bunch of cap space and a team that's ready to win now and in the future. I can't see why he doesn't go to the Avalanche. 

Neufeld: Colorado. With the absurd amount of cap space they have, they could go after Hall and Pietrangelo if they really wanted too. Most likely, Hall would play on the second line with Kadri and Burakovsky. That line would shred the league and that’s why Joe Sakic should try and get Hall to Colorado.

Smith: Pittsburgh. With nearly $23 million tied up between Zucker, Hornqvist, Sheary, Tanev, Rust, Kapanen, and Bjugstad, it seems likely that Jim Rutherford would move some of those assets to try to bring in a big fish. The glory days of Crosby and Malkin are fading fast, a player like Hall could give the superstar duo could push them towards another cup run.

Torey Krug

Tkalcevic: Boston. Krug has tremendous chemistry with the players on Boston and I can't really see him leaving, even he takes a pay cut to help them contend. He also quarterbacks an amazing powerplay. Boston should do everything they can to keep Krug around.

Neufeld: Boston. The Bruins would be crazy not to try and keep Krug around. He would be ok with being on a team-friendly deal. Krug is a very good first pairing defender and the Bruins would love to keep him.

Smith: Detroit. Torey’s a Michigan kid and with Detroit’s abundance of cap space, they will throw lump sums of cash at the young defenseman in an attempt to reel him in.

Robin Lehner

Tkalcevic: Carolina. Since Fleury signed the 3 year $21,000,000 extension, it'll be very hard to keep Lehner around. Having Lehner in Carolina would immediately make him the starter and make the Canes a Stanley Cup contender. All they've needed is a goalie who can steal them games and that's what Lehner does. 

Neufeld: Carolina. With the way Fleury played against the Canucks, I think that the Golden Knights have regained some confidence in him and I don’t think they even have the cap space to keep him in Sin City. The Hurricanes would love the tandem or Lehner and Reimer/Mrazek.

Smith: San Jose. With Karlsson and Burns holding down the backline and plenty of cap space to work with, the Sharks could sign Lehner and other assets in an attempt to make a playoff push.

Tyson Barrie

Tkalcevic: Winnipeg. With the Jets losing Byfuglien, Trouba, and Myers on the right side, they’ll need to help fix their blueline before the start of 2020-21. Barrie would fit into their top four and help progress their offensive attack. 

Neufeld: Calgary. With the most likely players of Hamonic, Brodie, and Gustafsson leaving this season the Flames would love right-handed defender Barrie who could help quarterback the first or second powerplay unit. 

Smith: Winnipeg. The Jets are scrambling to repair the gap left by the departures of Trouba, Myers, and Byfuglien; Barrie could help fill the hole.

~Brandon Smith, Luka Tkalcevic, Brody Neufeld