The first wave of the NHL’s free-agency period crested on July 2nd and came crashing down on July 3rd. Since then, hockey fans have been waiting patiently for the annual second wave to materialize, but so far things have been pretty quiet through the month of August. There are still some quality names out there that would no doubt be productive given the right circumstances, yet they remain unsigned. Go figure.
With the obvious targets aside, (Jaromir Jagr, Jarome Iginla, Thomas Vanek, Shane Doan) let’s take a look at 10 players still currently without a deal who should find themselves in training camp on a professional try-out (PTO) deal later in the Fall:
- Cody Franson
- Daniel Winnik
- Mike Ribeiro
- Dennis Wideman
- Jiri Hudler
- Roman Polak
- Drew Stafford
- P.A. Parenteau
- Teddy Purcell
- Milan Michalek
Again, there are some real name players on that list. Both Franson and Wideman can provide some offense to a team like the Chicago Blackhawks or Washington Capitals, both of whom have had to overhaul their defense corps. Or how about a sneaky playmaker like Hudler or Ribeiro for a goal starved team like the Los Angeles Kings? Both Parenteau and Stafford have been under the radar players for their entire careers, can they dig up another contract with a good training camp?
Who would you like to see your team take a flyer on?
