Top unsigned free agents in the month of September.

We are deep into the offseason at this point having reached the month of September and, despite National Hockey League preseason games getting underway later this month, a number of players around the league remain unsigned and in search of new contracts.

As you might expect the talent pool has whittled down considerably throughout the summer, but surprisingly there are still quality players remaining at each position that can still be acquired by teams in need.

Today I will be looking at what I believe to be the best available player at each position, forward, defenseman, and goaltender, while discussing what they can bring to the table.

Forward - Jack Roslovic.

Roslovic is arguably the best free agent still available on the open market and quite frankly it is a little surprising that he remains unsigned this late into the summer. Roslovic is coming off of an 81 game season that saw him put up 22 goals and 17 assists for a total of 39 points, and there are plenty of teams in the NHL that could use more scoring up front.

Roslovic is coming off of a 1 year deal with the Carolina Hurricanes in which carried a cap hit of $2.8 million last season. Most projections have Roslovic earning a significant raise this season which could make him more challenging to fit under the salary cap. In fact I suspect that this is why Roslovic remains unsigned, with the forward perhaps having a handshake agreement in place as he waits for his desired team to make a move to clear cap space.

Defenseman - Matt Grzelcyk.

The longtime member of the Boston Bruins blue line is coming off his first season on a different team and actually had a strong showing for himself. Grzelcyk saw an uptick in his offensive production, scoring 1 goal and adding 39 assists for a career high of 40 points last season. That eclipsed his previous record of 26 points in a single season by a considerable margin, and he is unquestionably the best defenseman still available in the month of September.

Like Roslovic, Grzelcyk was on a one year deal last season and his carried a cap hit of $2.75 million per season. Most projections have Grzelcyk earning a slight bump up on that previous number, but he would still be a relatively manageable asset for most NHL teams in terms of the salary cap.

Grzelcyk also brings with him a ton of playoff experience thanks to his time with the Bruins, 66 career playoff games in which he has 5 goals and 9 assists for 14 points, making him a valuable commodity even for contending teams.

Goaltender - James Reimer.

There are rumblings that the veteran Reimer is contemplating the possibility of a retirement prior to the start of next season, but with no official announcement it would be hard to argue that he isn't the best goaltender still on the market.

Reimer struggled after being claimed off waivers by the Anaheim Ducks, recording a 4.50 goals against average and a .864 save percentage over a very small sample size of just 2 games. However he was solid for the Buffalo Sabres with a 2.85 goals against average and a .901 save percentage over 22 games on a team that didn't even come close to playoff contention.

Combine that with Reimer wealth of experience at the NHL level, a 525 game career with a career 2.89 goals against average and a career .910 save percentage and you have the makings of a valuable backup goaltender.

It still remains to be seen if Reimer simply has not received any offers or if his decision regarding a potential retirement is the reason he remains unsigned.

Would you want to see your team add any of these players? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.