Rumor: NHL free-agents may be looking to form a super team.

The National Basketball Association has seen in interesting trend in the past several years, a trend in which several high-level free agent players have consolidated their power in order to form what are, for lack of a better phrase, super teams.

Not only have the players formed these times but those that have done so have reached the pinnacle of their sport, winning NBA Championships, and that success may be impacting other sports in North America, including hockey.

There has recently been speculation that the current crop of soon-to-be National Hockey League free agents may have a similar plan in mind. From VGK Top Shelf:

A lot of noticeable hockey players have yet to sign extensions to their existing contracts that expire at the end of the 2018 or the 2019 campaign. Because of this a lot of speculation and rumors have been floated as to where these players may end up. The thought of players attempting to create a super team like in the NBA has even been speculated on.

While no names have been mentioned, one only needs to look at the players that will be free-agents at the end of the season to realize that it's not outside of the realm of possibility. Here are just a few of the names that will be on the market, assuming they aren't re-signed before July 1st:

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John Tavares New York Islanders

Josh Bailey New York Islanders

Evander Kane Buffalo Sabres

Henrik & Daniel Sedin Vancouver Canucks

James van Riemsdyk Toronto Maple Leafs

Joe Thornton San Jose Sharks

Rick Nash New York Rangers

That's just a few of the names that will be available, in theory, this summer. It's not hard to see how even just a few of these players coming together to make a run at a Stanley Cup Championship could result in a powerhouse of a team. 

Things get even more interesting when you consider that the free agency in 2019 will add a host of other huge names like Erik Karlsson of the Ottawa Senators and Drew Doughty of the Los Angeles Kings who have both hinted at the fact that they will test the market. 

With all that being said, super teams in the NBA have seemingly diminished the value of the regular season with fans expecting the super steams to make the finals each and every time. I'm not sure it's a trend I would be happy to see in the National Hockey League, even if it would be amazing to see in the moment.