With the Washington Capitals making an early exit out of this year’s playoffs it’s already past time to start looking at how they could improve their roster via free agency this summer. The Caps could be very active especially if they know the potential rehab processes of Nicklas Backstrom, Tom Wilson, and Carl Hagelin will keep those three out long term which in turn also keeps their contracts “off the books”.
So, let’s take a look at each NHL team and pick out one upcoming unrestricted free agent that we think general manager Brian MacLellan should be considering for 2022-23.
The Process
Before we begin, let’s set some general ground rules. Firstly, none of this is too serious and is more just a fun exercise. We really have no indication of what sort of cap space the Caps think they will have nor do we know how active they plan on being in terms of signing free agents.
Secondly, I’m going to try and be as realistic as possible with my choices so for example, that will mean someone like Johnny Gaudreau is not going to be my selection from the Calgary Flames. That will also mean some teams will have no choice at all because they are for a lack of a better term…very bad and have very bad players.
Let us remember the Caps are going into the offseason needing at least a goaltending fix, one or two defensemen, and likely some forward help given the aforementioned injury situations. That makes really the whole position gauntlet a possibility.
Anaheim Ducks – Zach Aston-Reese (LW, RW)
You may remember Aston-Reese from his days with the Pittsburgh Penguins as he is the player Tom Wilson hit during the 2018 playoffs that resulted in a three-game suspension. Since then, ZAR has developed into one of the best defensive wingers in the entire league. He’s going to give you next to nothing in terms of offense but when he’s on the ice literally nothing happens and that’s why he’d be a nice fit on that Caps fourth line that Peter Laviolette loves to deploy ultra defensively.
There’s a bit of bite to his game that I like and he’s a big fan of a good dump and chase forechecking shift. The Caps also love them a Pittsburgh reclamation project and ZAR very well could be the next one given the likely openings in the bottom-six to start next season.
Other UFAs: Ryan Getzlaf (retiring), Gerry Mayhew, Dominik Simon, Vinni Lettieri, Andrej Sustr
Calgary Flames – Nikita Zadorov (LD, RD)
Zadorov is a gigantic (6’6, 235lbs), hard-hitting Russian defenseman and all he really does is suppress scoring chances and shots. You’re not going to get a whole lot more out of him but that’s all you can really ask for from a third-pairing defender. With Trevor van Riemsdyk’s supreme ability to play both sides of the ice with aplomb, it gives the Caps flexibility in the market as they don’t specifically need to target players that just play one side. Zadorov has played some on his offhand but it’s really best to keep him comfortable with the puck because he can’t do much with it from the get-go.
I like the idea of adding to the Russian core of the team as you’ll see a couple more times in this post. One big negative though on Zadorov is that he takes a whole ton of penalties which is something the Caps already see from Dmitry Orlov.
Other UFAs: Brett Ritchie, Johnny Gaudreau, Trevor Lewis, Ryan Carpenter, Calle Jarnkrok, Michael Stone, Erik Gudbranson, Adam Werner
Edmonton Oilers – Brett Kulak (LD, RD)
You may or may not be surprised to know that Kulak has probably been Edmonton’s best defender since they acquired him from the Montreal Canadiens at this past trade deadline. He had been sneaky excellent before that on some incredibly strange Habs teams the past four years so he has flown a bit under the radar but is a stats nerd darling. He’s an aggressive defender, with a good first pass, and is capable of joining the rush offensively. Checking a whole lot of boxes right there when it comes to the modern NHL.
Kulak is for my money one of the more underrated defensemen in the entire league. I would absolutely love to see him don a Caps sweater next season.
Other UFAs: Kyle Turris, Colton Sceviour, Josh Archibald, Derick Brassard, Evander Kane, Brad Malone, Kris Russell, Mikko Koskinen
Los Angeles Kings – Alex Edler (LD)
While the defensive side of his game has declined with age, Edler is still an incredibly steady transition specialist from the blueline. His ability to spur on zone exits with possession is still elite and on a one-year deal, he would still be an incredibly valuable veteran piece that can still play second-pairing minutes.
He does probably need to be a bit sheltered in terms of matchups and his legs aren’t the same as they used to be which causes him to take a few too many penalties but I don’t want to make it seem like he’d be a bargain bin signing. There’s still an absolutely worthwhile player in there and he’ll likely get paid like one.
Other UFAs: Andreas Athanasiou, Olli Maatta, Troy Stecher
San Jose Sharks – N/A
The Sharks literally do not have an NHL unrestricted free agent this summer.
Seattle Kraken – Victor Rask (C, LW)
Rask is another ultra-defensive option for the bottom-six that played primarily on the left wing for the Kraken but has seen most of his run in recent years as a center with the Minnesota Wild. Gone are the days of the 40-plus point seasons early in his career but he can still show somewhat of an offensive touch when paired with more gifted linemates.
Another great forward at slowing down play and making it tough for opposing lines to find their rhythm when attempting zone entries. Not sure if he’d be physical enough to fill a role on the Caps’ fourth line though.
Other UFAs: Riley Sheahan, Derrick Pouliot
Vancouver Canucks – Alex Chiasson (RW)
Have to admit that there are pretty slim pickings from the Canucks as Chiasson is really the only worthwhile free agent they’re potentially losing. Most Caps fans will be familiar with the 2018 Pittsburgh playoff series hero who has his name on the Cup for his efforts from that season. He’s still a decent defensive winger that can chip in some goals if he’s riding shotgun with better players.
Might be a cheap fill-in on the right wing until Tom Wilson gets back on the ice come wintertime. Obviously, familiar with the organization, and the organization is familiar with him.
Other UFAs: Brad Richardson, Brad Hunt, Jaroslav Halak, Brandon Sutter (Long COVID)
Vegas Golden Knights – Reilly Smith (RW, LW)
Smith is just an all-around great top-six winger that Vegas really missed down the stretch due to a knee injury. He also has proven to be a steady playoff performer with 65 points from 84 games played. He has a certain Justin Williams-y knack for always being in the right place at the right time so I think his game will age well barring any more injury trouble.
He’s also a guy that you can trust to play on both special teams units which as we know quite well with players like Tom Wilson and TJ Oshie can be very, very valuable. Not going to be cheap to get him to leave Vegas though I think.
Other UFAs: Mattias Janmark, Jake Bischoff
Arizona Coyotes – No one
Unlike the Sharks, the Coyotes have plenty of NHL unrestricted free agents this summer…it’s just that they’re the Coyotes. Maybe you could convince me that Phil Kessel would be okay on a cheap, one-year deal but probably not.
UFAs: Phil Kessel, Antoine Roussel, Jay Beagle, Loui Eriksson, Alex Galchenyuk, Bokondji Imama, Anton Stralman, Harri Sateri, Dmitrij Jaskin
Chicago Blackhawks – Calvin de Haan (LD, RD)
If the Caps didn’t already fill their quota of former Blackhawks defensemen with lowercase parts of their last name already, they could add another with de Haan. I’ve been a big fan of his for a good while now as I think he could make the vast majority of third pairings around the league better. He’s just an absolute Steady Eddie on the backend that has experience playing really tough minutes and keeping really good players away from his net in those minutes.
He’s another guy that you’re going to get next to nothing from offensively but that’s not why you’d be acquiring him anyway. I’d be happy to see him in a Caps uniform.
Other UFAs: Erik Gustafsson, Collin Delia, Kevin Lankinen
Colorado Avalanche – Valeri Nichushkin (LW, RW)
This was the toughest team for me to pick from basically for the exact opposite reason I chose no one from the Coyotes. The Avalanche just have multiple players that would be fantastic fits for the Caps. Josh Manson is an absolutely phenomenal modern NHL defenseman and one of my favorite players in the league, Darcy Kuemper is easily the best goaltending option, Nazem Kadri would be a tremendous option at center if Nicklas Backstrom cannot play next season, and a reunion with Andre Burakovsky would be great content for the site.
I went with big Val Nichushkin in the end though because he’s just a unicorn. A legitimate top-of-the-line, two-way, physical winger that drives play on his own and has 30-goals in him. He’s had multiple seasons now where he should have been in contention for the Selke Trophy if that award was anything other than just a Patrice Bergeron acknowledgment presentation. This is a player that you make room for on your roster. When paired with a worthy center, he not only shuts down top offensive talent on other teams but he pins them in their own zone…and he kills penalties better than almost any other winger in the league.
Add to that Russian core here, please.
Other UFAs: Andrew Cogliano, Nazem Kadri, Andre Burakovsky, Darren Helm, Nico Sturm, Josh Manson, Jack Johnson, Ryan Murray, Darcy Kuemper
Dallas Stars – John Klingberg (RD)
Amid the trade rumors and the frankly terrible play in his own zone is still an absolutely elite offensive defenseman that is probably somehow underrated at this point. There are not many that can touch Klingberg’s combination of puck-carrying ability both out of the defensive zone and into the offensive zone, supreme passing, and just general playmaking. Put him atop the Capitals’ number one power-play unit and without a shadow of a doubt in my mind, Alex Ovechkin scores at least another five goals on top of his 50.
It’s just he’s truly a liability defensively and with the uncertainty that the Martin Fehervary-John Carlson pairing provided down the stretch and in the playoffs, can the Caps risk having another pair like that? But also could Trevor van Riemsdyk be the soothing balm to that problem? A lot of points from a defenseman can hide a lot of bad.
Other UFAs: Vladislav Namestnikov, Michael Raffl, Alexander Radulov, Andrej Sekera, Scott Wedgewood, Braden Holtby
Minnesota Wild – Marc-Andre Fleury (G)
Look, this guy really doesn’t want to play in DC and I think he’s fully cooked in terms of being a number one in the NHL but the Caps brass clearly like Fleury. If the plan is to go with one of the young guys currently on the squad and a veteran to handhold them through next season, there probably isn’t a better option than MAF.
He was not good for either the Blackhawks or the Wild but I don’t think he’d be asked to shoulder the sort of load he did again. I don’t know, the Wild didn’t have much.
Other UFAs: Nick Bjugstad, Nicolas Deslauriers, Jordie Benn
Nashville Predators – Filip Forsberg (LW)
Ah, it is time for the prodigal son to return. Forsberg has turned into one of the fiercest offensive forces in the entire league since being traded to Nashville for Martin Erat because George McPhee and co. thought he was slow or something dumb. It is time to right the wrong of the trade literally everyone apparently other than the people making hockey decisions knew was terrible the second it was made. Just think of the content that would come from him returning to the team that drafted him. We could photoshop his face onto The Rock doing the whole “Finally, The Rock has come back” thing.
In all honesty, I’m pretty sure he’s going to be far too pricey for the Capitals to consider unless some sort of magic goes on with the roster this summer. But, I wouldn’t have been able to write that cool paragraph if I were following my initial ground rules. They’re meant to be broken, right?
Other UFAs: Nick Cousins, Ben Harpur, Matthew Benning, David Rittich
St. Louis Blues – Ville Husso (G)
After Kuemper, I think Husso is really the only other goaltending option via free agency that the Caps should be thinking of in terms of a true number one netminder. He was awesome for St. Louis during the regular season, saving 13.5 goals above expected in his first real, full NHL campaign and his .919 save percentage was good for sixth-best among all starters. He trailed off in the playoffs for them and lost the starting role to Jordan Binnington but I don’t think that’s the end of the world.
It’d be a risk to commit to him long-term after only one big year at the age of 27 but it’s clear the team is going to do something in net this offseason. Keep in mind that he is Finnish which means the Caps probably do not know that he exists.
Other UFAs: Tyler Bozak, David Perron, Nick Leddy, Calle Rosen
Winnipeg Jets – Paul Stastny (LW, C)
Stastny is still a more than capable, middle-six point producer and the Caps may need just that with what we’ve already talked about regarding Nicklas Backstrom. At the age of 36, a one-year stopgap would be all I’d commit to with him. He played a little wing for Winnipeg last season as well and is good enough defensively to make that back-and-forth switch work if it’s needed.
With all that being said, I would worry about how soft the Caps are through the middle if he was deployed mainly in the center of the ice as Evgeny Kuznetsov isn’t exactly a two-way maestro and Lars Eller has seen a significant drop off in his ability to limit opposing offense.
Other UFAs: Zach Sanford, Adam Brooks, Eric Comrie
Carolina Hurricanes – Nino Niederreiter (LW, RW)
This was another tough one for me. I think Vincent Trocheck is the more versatile of the two forward options here but I also think he’s likely to get overpaid this summer in a shallow center market. Ian Cole had a fantastic season on the backend for Carolina but he’s quite literally the worst defenseman in the league when it comes to taking constant penalties.
I went with Niederreiter because I think he’s still somehow underrated in the league and his salary coming out of free agency might reflect that more than it will with Trocheck. He’s another play-driving winger that I think could pair very well with Connor McMichael as he’s excellent on both sides of the puck. There’s probably even still some locked up offensive potential in him points tallying-wise as he still really hasn’t broken out of getting “just” middle-six minutes in his career. This guy is your backup plan to Nichushkin if that is the profile of player your team is targeting this offseason.
Other UFAs: Derek Stepan, Max Domi, Vincent Trocheck, Ian Cole, Brendan Smith
Columbus Blue Jackets – No one
The options here aren’t worth talking about. Dean Kukan might be okay in a pinch but I’d rather just see someone like Alex Alexeyev take those minutes.
UFAs: Brendan Gaunce, Dean Kukan
New Jersey Devils – No one
Man, tough sledding in the Metropolitan Division for me. Jimmy Vesey would probably be fine as a healthy scratch, more offensive fourth-line depth guy.
UFAs: Mason Geertsen, Jimmy Vesey, PK Subban, Colton White, Andrew Hammond, Jon Gillies
New York Islanders – No one
If you thought Jersey would be the last one, you thought wrong. The Isles have a lot of guys signed to contracts with term and unless you’re a big fan of incredibly old hockey players…they don’t have much to pick over.
UFAs: Zdeno Chara, Andy Greene, Sebastian Aho (not that one)
New York Rangers – Andrew Copp (LW, RW, C)
I have a feeling that Copp is going to sign one of those very long contracts where the term on the deal brings down the AAV and he’ll likely do it with the Rangers considering how much they dealt for him and how good he has been for them. If it’s not the Rangers though, could it be the Caps? They signed a better version of Copp in TJ Oshie to a pretty long deal worth probably just slightly more than what Copp will command and that deal has worked out incredibly so far.
Copp doesn’t have the skill level that Oshbabe has but he has that special grit factor and the ability to excel in all game situations including special teams. He has seen an uptick in his offensive production in recent seasons, capping off 2021-22 with 53 points from 72 games as well as another ten points so far through twelve playoff games. Just the type of all-around solid, versatile forward that is probably going to age gracefully.
Tyler Motte is a real energy-bug-type bottom-six forward that has also impressed me during the playoffs for New York. Ryan Strome could also be a point-scoring, top-six option down the middle.
Other UFAs: Greg McKegg, Frank Vatrano, Ryan Strome, Tyler Motte, Kevin Rooney, Justin Braun
Philadelphia Flyers – No one
In the words of the immortal DJ Khaled, “anotha one”. The Flyers are in rough shape, y’all.
UFAs: Nate Thompson, Keith Yandle, Kevin Connauton, Martin Jones
Pittsburgh Penguins – Evgeni Malkin (C)
Muahahahaha. Wouldn’t that be something? In all honesty, I fully expect him to be back in Pittsburgh next season but if he isn’t…and Nicklas Backstrom has to miss a full year…what better place to come hang out with his Russian best buddies.
This would be some intense Sol Campbell-type stuff and the headlines would be so juicy. Malkin is still absolutely elite down the middle but he is also still absolutely injury prone. In my fantasy booking world, this of course happens.
Other UFAs: Rickard Rakell, Brian Boyle, Evan Rodrigues, Kris Letang, Nathan Beaulieu, Louis Domingue, Casey DeSmith
Washington Capitals – Johan Larsson (LW, C)
For my money, he’s literally the only option the Caps should consider bringing back. He has proven to have an instant connection with Nic Dowd and Garnet Hathaway and that fourth line was absolutely rocking in the playoffs. He has the advantage of already being blended into the group in the room and is another player that can flip flop between wing and center in terms of taking faceoffs which Peter Laviolette loves.
The rest of the team has also seemingly nicknamed him “Crazy Eyes” so that’s a plus as well.
Other UFAs: Marcus Johansson, Justin Schultz, Matt Irwin, Michal Kempny, Pheonix Copley, Shane Gersich, Brian Pinho
Boston Bruins – Curtis Lazar (C, RW)
In my opinion, Patrice Bergeron is either retiring or signing on for another year in Boston. That leaves Lazar as the only other option remaining.
Another defensive, fourth-line option but the one ding on him is that I’m not sure he’s capable of filling in on the left side. He’s going to give you nothing offensively but had a breakout season defensively and has honestly turned into a pretty great “stopper” of sorts at five-on-five. There’s a physicality to his game that other fourth-line options don’t have and he kills penalties. I know Bruins fans were loving him in their short postseason run.
Other UFAs: Patrice Bergeron, Anton Blidh, Josh Brown
Buffalo Sabres – Mark Pysyk (RD, RW)
You read that position listing correctly as Pysyk has spent time in his career both on the blueline and as a bottom-six winger. He’s a bit of an analytics darling that has managed to put up really good defensive numbers on really bad Buffalo Sabres teams. You could do far worse than having Pysyk man one of the spots on your third pairing and it’s probably about time he gets a shot at a solidified role on a playoff-bound team.
I think he could be had for real cheap and could be one of the better bargain deals on the market come July. A bunch of teams coughFloridacough missed on their defense adds at the deadline when they really should have looked at someone like Pysyk who would have been better and come much cheaper.
Other UFAs: Cody Eakin, Vinnie Hinostroza, John Hayden, Colin Miller, Will Butcher, Craig Anderson, Dustin Tokarski, Malcolm Subban, Drake Caggiula
Detroit Red Wings – No one
Detroit is probably on the come up but that doesn’t show in their UFAs. Thomas Greiss is probably still a fine backup goaltender but I don’t think that’s what the Caps are looking for goaltending-wise.
UFAs: Sam Gagner, Turner Elson, Marc Staal, Danny DeKeyser, Thomas Greiss, Magnus Hellberg, Carter Rowney
Florida Panthers – Mason Marchment (LW, RW)
Supremely annoying players to play against that can contribute the sort of offense that Marchment was able to tally for the Panthers last season (47 points in 54 games) are rare. We know that all too well watching Tom Wilson for like a decade. Marchment came out of absolutely nowhere to be absolutely irreplaceable for Florida and we saw that impact when he had to miss time for them in the postseason.
His 2021-22 is a pure thing of beauty. He arguably should have been nominated for the Selke Trophy and finished behind only Mitch Marner and Johnny Gaudreau in terms of five-on-five, total points per 60 minutes. On an absurdly dominant team like Florida, Marchment ended up with the best relative five-on-five stats in practically every category.
The only thing is that the 26-year-old had only played 37 NHL games prior to this season and only tallied 11 points in those games. It’s also not like he was exactly lighting up the AHL before either so if he’s truly the real deal, he’d be the almost definition of a late bloomer. I think that might impact the dollar signs he sees this offseason but that’s probably the biggest question mark for me in writing this entire post.
Like Nichushkin, if he’s deemed “for real” this is a guy that you make moves for to fit on your roster. Just imagine how annoying it would be to have to deal with him and Wilson on the same line.
Other UFAs: Joe Thornton, Claude Giroux, Noel Acciari, Maxim Mamin, Ben Chiarot, Robert Hagg, Petteri Lindbohm, Markus Nutivaara
Montreal Canadiens – Mathieu Perreault (LW, RW, C)
I think there’s still a plenty serviceable, bottom-six forward in Matty P and his return would also make Peter very happy. He got injured a bunch last season and when he did play it was on an omega-bad Montreal Canadiens team that was doomed from October on. Gone are the days of 40-point seasons but the versatility and scoring touch are still there.
He had a real resurgence in his last year in Winnipeg and I think another change of scenery where he’d be playing a smaller role with better players could reawaken that sort of player again. He’s also just one of my favorite former Caps as well and had that really funny celebration GIF that one time.
Other UFAs: Tyler Pitlick, Laurent Dauphin, Chris Wideman, William Lagesson
Ottawa Senators – No one
Tyler Ennis is still an alright option for a bottom-six in terms of adding some scoring but why sign him when you basically already have the younger version of him in Joe Snively already on the roster.
UFAs: Chris Tierney, Tyler Ennis
Tampa Bay Lightning – Jan Rutta (LD, RD)
The annual pick off the Lightning free-agent pile because they have far too many good players to be able to keep them forever celebration is almost upon us. I don’t think Rutta fully qualifies for that like someone such as Ondrej Palat does but for a third-pairing defenseman you could do much worse.
His five-on-five analytics will pop off the page at you but when you take a deep dive into them you’ll find out a lion’s share of that work was done next to Victor Hedman and when he’s away from Hedman they nosedive a bit. Still, I like the positional flexibility and the experience he’s gotten on the NHL’s best team under the best coaches for the past four seasons. He still has a lot of miles left as well even as a 31-year-old.
Other UFAs: Ondrej Palat, Riley Nash, Nick Paul
Toronto Maple Leafs – Ilya Mikheyev (LW, RW)
We’ve reached the final team and I’m once again advocating for an addition to the Russian core. Mikheyev, Toronto’s Soupman, had a breakout season in 2021-22, scoring over 20 goals and becoming a giant contributor to their penalty kill. He can play with more talented offensive forwards but also slide in on a shutdown line and excel there as well. “A perfectly solid and consistent player”, I believe JFresh once described him as and I agree.
You’d think Toronto would want to get the band back together again after their playoff showing but we’ll see if any of their pieces like Mikheyev have other ideas.
Other UFAs: Jason Spezza, Colin Blackwell, Ilya Lyubushkin, Jack Campbell
What do you think you would do if you were in Brian MacLellan’s shoes? CapFriendly as always was an invaluable tool for me while doing this post and you can use them as well to come up with your own ideas. Let us know what you’re thinking in the comments.
Headline photo: Elizabeth Kong/RMNB
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