Over the last few days, we have seen a few re-signings; some of them good, some of them not so good. The contracts to Zack Kassian (which I nailed by the way – here) and Yanni Gourde were small risk, and could provide decent reward for depth forwards. On the other hand, Esa Lindell and Patrick Eaves will likely end up being slight overpayments. However, this is nothing compared to what some names will get on July 1^st. Thankfully for the bidding teams, there aren’t as many big names to go wrong with this summer.

As a side note, it seems as though Edmonton and Connor McDavid are close to a contract extension that would see the generational centre become the highest paid player in the NHL at the moment. The extension cannot officially be signed until July first, so I plan to cover it once it becomes official. Keep checking back in for the recap on that one. 

Now back to the UFAs:

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Joe Thornton –  San Jose Sharks

Expiring Cap Hit: $6,750,000

Expected Cap Hit: $4,500,000

Top Destinations: Dallas, Nashville, San Jose

Joe Thornton seems to be on the move, and he will want to be headed to a contending team. Two of the best bests seem to be Western Conference foes from the central division. Thornton is going to make a nice second-line centre for a contender. Nashville may be losing Mike Fisher to retirement, and Dallas just lost Cody Eakin in the expansion draft. Both teams have the hole to fill, and lost almost exactly the right amount of money for Thornton to slide into on a two or three year deal. Dallas also just bought out Nimei, and now has a little extra room to make a splash. On either of these teams Thornton would be well insulated. On Dallas he would likely fit in on a four-man powerplay. On Nashville, if he doesn’t make it on to the top power play, then he will be the focal point of a very underrated second unit.

However, this is all assuming that Thornton will be willing to leave his bearded buddy Brent Burns. San Jose still has a very competitive core, and if they bring Thornton back into the fold at a reduced pay, then they can take at least one more kick at the can. Remember, this team made it to the Stanley Cup final just last year, and they haven’t lost any major pieces from that roster. Thornton may just be testing the waters on July first and then turn right back to the Sharks and stick with what he knows. Staying in San Jose would also keep from uprooting his family (two kids both under the age of eight).

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Alexander Radulov –  Montreal Canadiens

Expiring Cap Hit: $5,750,000

Expected Cap Hit: $6,500,000

Top Destinations: Montreal, Washington, Vegas (Wildcard: Carolina)

If the rumours floating around the internet are even partially true, then Alexander Radulov is looking for a substantial raise on his expiring deal. It’s a standard practice however, asking for a lot more than you are finally willing to settle for. Assuming teams overpay for the best pure scorer in free agency, Radulov will get his raise. That being said the number of teams able, and willing to bid is limited, so the price may not get driven up too high. We land at around $6.5 million on a mid-range term for the soon-to-be 31 year old. So who could reasonably fit that in?

Of course, Montreal can still fit Radulov back in the same spot he was this whole summer. We already know it would be a good fit there. Otherwise, adding another Russian to Washington seems to make sense. Speaking of Russians, could we see Vegas pay up to land another top line Russian? If he is looking for money and playing time, then Vegas could be a good fit for him. Suiting up for either of those teams, the goal-scoring winger would be a good fantasy own for different reasons. In Washington, he fits in a high-octane system, and would be one more name in a long line of offensive weapons. In Vegas, the team outlook isn’t great, but it does mean that the top line ice time and a place on the first power play are almost a certainty. Wherever Radulov signs he should be a go to weapon. At $7 million or more though, he becomes a little too pricy for the return.

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Kevin Shattenkirk –  Washington Capitals

Expiring Cap Hit: $4,250,000

Expected Cap Hit: $6,750,000

Top Destinations: New York Rangers, Buffalo, Montreal

Who needs a defenceman? Apparently everyone, based on some of the prices we are seeing being paid. However if you take a gander around at every team’s depth chart, direction in the standings and salary cap situation, there really aren’t many great fits. The New York Rangers have long been rumoured to be interested in the services of Kevin Shattenkirk, and they also just freed up a lot of salary cap space. Buffalo just desperately needs defencemen that can skate and handle the puck at the same time. Montreal may be letting Markov walk, so obtaining a younger version may be worth the slightly larger contract.

Shattenkirk is looking as though he may end up being overpaid in fantasy circles. As a defenceman that puts up 50 points with limited value in categories such as hits and blocks, there will be many other less expensive options than the money Shattenkirk will have thrown at him. Additionally, there will also likely be quite the term attached to the contract. Hopefully his deal isn’t too excessive, and you can sell him after the contract is signed, getting a decent return purely off of the perceived value boost from a change in scenery.

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Brian Elliott –  Calgary Flames

Expiring Cap Hit: $2,500,000

Expected Cap Hit: $2,000,000

Top Destinations: Winnipeg, Philadelphia, Buffalo

There have been some unconfirmed rumours floating around that Brian Elliott has been looking into the housing situation in Winnipeg. This doesn’t mean anything yet, but the same thing came out a couple weeks before the expansion draft with regards to M.A. Fleury (who is now the starting goalie in Vegas). If this is to be believed, then the Jets would seem to have their platoon starters set for next season. A competition for the starting job between incumbent youngster Connor Hellebuyck and a newly-signed Elliott looks significantly better on paper than Hellebuyck backed up by Michael Hutchinson.

The only other real locations that would make sense for a goalie of Elliott’s caliber would be Philadelphia (after letting Steve Mason walk) or Buffalo (who currently have last year’s starter Robin Lehner as a restricted free agent). Only in Buffalo would Elliott be the undisputed starter, and even then it is likely that someone along the lines of Lehner or Mason would be brought in to compete with him. No matter where Elliott ends up, expect between 35-50 starts this season, and no more.

After a rough start to his 2016-2017 campaign, Elliott had some very good stretches to close out the season, and looked much more like the goalie he had been in St. Louis the past few seasons. Elliott can be a great goalie for your fantasy squad, and due to the limiting options he has to sign with this summer, he will come at a very discounted rate compared to the stats he produces. He’s a soft buy before he signs a contract. You can reassess once he has signed, but it would be surprising to see him get either of excessive term or money in the current goalie market.

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You can find me on twitter @alexdmaclean where I will be recapping some thoughts on free-agency after the Canada Day long weekend, as well as providing other (mostly) hockey related tidbits and musings throughout the summer.