Top 5 unrestricted free agent defenseman.

The 5 best options on the free agent market.

HockeyFeed
HockeyFeed
Published 3 years ago
Top 5 unrestricted free agent defenseman.
Kostas Lymperopoulos/CSM/Zuma

The National Hockey League is about to enter one of the most bizarre periods in its history with an offseason that is likely to produce a ton of changes for various teams around the league. The newly imposed cap constraints facing big spending teams will force them to make tough choices and teams with salary cap space will reap the rewards of careful planning and will likely have their pick of the litter when it comes to this offseason's top free agents. 

Today we will take a look at the top defensemen that are expected to become unrestricted free agents and to be honest this is looking like a pretty impressive group. Outside of one of these players you won't be getting yourself an elite top pairing type of blue liner by signing one of these guys, but they all have a quality skill set that could serve to improve many teams around the league. 

Here is my top 5:

#1 Alex Pietrangelo.

The St. Louis Blues defenseman has been one of the biggest topics in hockey this season with his status as a pending unrestricted free agent at the end of the season looming heavy over the Blues. In spite of this however general manager Doug Armstrong has not blinked and has even made key signings on his blue line that have suggested to many that he is prepared to move forward in a world without Pietrangelo. The fact that the Blues captain has not yet committed to going to the open market however tells me that he wants to remain in St. Louis, whether or not that is still possible however remains to be seen. If I was putting money on it though I would expect that Pietrangelo's financial demands will be too rich for the blues.

#2 Torey Krug.

Krug has often been the subject of trade rumors and in fact the last 2 seasons of his career as a Boston Bruin have been plagued by those rumors. Krug has been one of the league's premier offensive defensemen during his time in Boston and like Pietrangelo I suspect that if he had his way he would remain a Boston Bruin for the remainder of his career. Time after time however the Bruins have convinced their players to buy in and take less money and for that reason their roster boasts some of the best contracts in the entire league. Krug will get more money if he goes to the open market and right now it looks like he is headed that way. 

Any team looking to improve on the power play will have to take a long hard look at the possibility of acquiring a player with Krug's skillset.

#3 Tyson Barrie.

Much like Torey Krug, Barrie has long been viewed as a talented offensive minded defenseman. His most recent season with the Toronto Maple Leafs however proved to be a significant step back from his previous two seasons with the Colorado Avalanche, at least in terms of point production. Fans in Toronto were pretty down on Barrie but there is something to be said about the fact that the Leafs and Barrie simply did not seem to be a good fit. His slump with the Leafs may have hurt his value a little but the 29 year old is just one season removed from a 14 goal and 45 assists performance with the Avalanche and could provide an offensive boost to many blue lines around the league.

#4 Sami Vatanen.

Vatanen might be one that will fly under the radar due to the fact that after being traded to the Hurricanes he didn't play until the Stanley Cup playoffs due to an injury he suffered. That being said Vatanen was the subject of trade chatter during his time with the New Jersey Devils and although the Hurricanes were the ones to claim him at that time he will hit the open market as a UFA. Other teams that had an eye on Vatanen prior to that trade are very likely to take another look at the speedy and smooth skating Hurricanes defenseman.

#5 Zdeno Chara.

Last week Zdeno Chara appeared to put the ball firmly in the Bruins court when he made it clear that he intended to continue playing hockey at the NHL level, this despite the fact that he is now well into his 40s. The Bruins big man has remained a capable defender despite his advanced age relative to his peers in the game and his long reach and big stick as well as his excellent offseason conditioning have played no small role in that. I do believe Chara can be an effective defenseman at the NHL level but I do have questions about whether or not the Bruins will be bringing him back for one more season. 

Chara has bounced around quite a bit in his NHL career, although his greatest success has come with the Bruins, and therefore I wouldn't rule out the possibility of him coming back with another team.

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