The offseason magic has finally winded down and with the exception of the Erik Karlsson action, it’s time for general managers to just relax a bit.
John Tavares was the biggest name to hit to the open market this summer and it wasn’t long before he elected to come home and play for the Leafs. Thing might be calm now, but in a bit less than a year’s time it will be full out chaos when the next set of UFAs prepare to hit the market. We’ve already listed the defenders that are scheduled to be available, so it’s time now to take a look at who could be the top UFA forwards in 2019.
TYLER SEGUIN
With a cap-hit at just $5.750 million, Seguin is unquestionably one of the NHL’s biggest bargains. The 26-year-old has recorded at least 72 points over the past five seasons and has been one of the focal points of the Dallas Stars’ offence. With Jason Spezza’s $7.5 million cap-hit set to come to and end next season, the numbers should line up for them to give the All-Star a raise. Then again, Segs could elect to leave town.
BLAKE WHEELER
Blake Wheeler has set himself up nicely for his next contract, but how much money will the Winnipeg Jets be willing to throw his way? With multiple players already under contracts of $6 million +, and Patrik Laine potentially in line to become the team’s next highest paid player, Wheeler might need to take a tiny bit of a hometown discount in order to keep Winnipeg’s core together. He was arguably the team’s best player last year after leading the team with 91 points.
JOE PAVELSKI
With Logan Courture locked up for the forseable future, The Sharks captain should be next in line for an extension. At 34, you’ve got to wonder what the term will be like on his next contract, though. Considering they were front-runners for Tavares, there’s a good chance San Jose will dish the American a large sum of money on his next deal.
MATT DUCHENE
What a travesty it would be for the Ottawa Senators if Duchene elected to leave after just two seasons. He didn’t exactly thrive after being traded from the Colorado Avalanche but did string a nice stretch of games together towards the end of the year. With Ottawa in the midst of a serious overhaul, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Duchene move to a more competitive team.
ARTEMI PANARIN
The Bread Man could be on the verge of signing his first NHL contract of more than two years. Reports have swirled that the forward is still unsure of his future, so he’ll be an interesting player to watch over the coming year.
MAX PACIORETTY
With the exception of a down 2017-18 season, Pacioretty has arguably been the league’s strongest value player at a cap-hit of $4.5 million. 30-goal scorers are hard to come by in the NHL but ‘Patches’ strung together four in a row from 2013-14-2016-17. A bounce back year could set Pacioretty up for a huge pay day next summer.
Honourable mentions: Jordan Eberle, Jeff Skinner, Wayne Simmonds.
(H/T Spotrac)
