Top 5 free agent forwards who are still unsigned.

Things around the National Hockey League have quieted down considerably as we head deeper into the summer months, but you can still expect some action in the coming days with a handful of notable free agents still in search of a contract well past July 1st.

Over the weekend I looked at the thinning options on the goaltending market but today we'll be looking at a much more promising crop of unrestricted free agent forwards who could still genuinely bring a ton to the table for several teams around the NHL.

Here are the top 5 free agent forwards who still remain unsigned:

#1 Anthony Mantha
It's honestly a little crazy that Mantha has not managed to secure himself a new deal, especially after such a dominant season with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Mantha was a big part of the reason the Penguins exceeded expectations, scording 33 goals and adding 31 assists for 64 points in 81 games this past season.

The knock against Mantha has been the disappearing act he has shown in the games that matter most, the Stanley Cup playoffs and unfortunately he produced no goals and just 1 assist over 6 playoff games with the Penguins this past season, further cementing that reputation.

#2 Patrick Kane
One of the biggest hockey stars on the planet, Kane has proven that he can still deliver despite undergoing major hip surgery. Last season he appeared in 67 regular season games for the Red Wings where he had 16 goals and 41 assists for 57 points on the season. Kane is likely looking for the right situation however, which means he won't be an option for just any team.

#3 Vladimir Tarasenko
Tarasenko finds himself in a similar position to the one currently occupied by Patrick Kane, with the 34 year old showing he can still be an effective player despite his best years being behind him. Tarasenko had 23 goals and 24 assists for 47 points in 75 games with the Minnesota Wild last season and, like Kane, he is likely looking for a contending team to join.

#4 Michael Bunting
Bunting is a much different player than the others on this list but he remains effective nonetheless. A serviceable bottom six forward, Bunting has built a knack for getting under the skin of his opponents in the worst of ways. Last season he had a combined 14 goals and 19 assists for 33 points in 74 games split between the Nashville Predators and Dallas Stars.

#5 Patrik Laine
You could argue that Laine deserved to be higher on this list but you can also argue that he may not deserve to be on the list at all. There's no denying Laine's talent but he is coming off of a season in which he appeared in just 5 games for the Montreal Canadiens, 5 games in which he had no goals and just a single assist and admitted at the end of the season that he had been healthy enough to play for months.

Laine hasn't played a full 82 game season since the 2018-19 NHL season when he was still a member of the Winnipeg Jets, and in fact has only played in a little over half the games he could have appeared in since that season. Laine has appeared in 299 of a possible 557 games since that season, meaning that he has missed 46.3% of his team's games during that stretch. To say he is unreliable at this stage would be an understatement.