Now that the regular season has wrapped up, trades are starting to flow again in fantasy leagues.

But it’s tough to make trades in cap leagues when it involves unrestricted free agents. A player signing for $1 million more than you budgeted for can screw over your team quite a bit. This year could be even tougher thanks to the NHL’s expansion. I believe there are some GMs who know one of their players that wants to re-sign, but they’ve decided not to talk about it until after the expansion draft. That way, the team can protect others players instead. The downside of this is the expansion draft is two days before the NHL draft and only a week before free agents can talk to other teams. GMs run a risk of losing a player with this strategy.

Below you’ll find the top 10 most interesting UFAs for this offseason. Remember these are not necessarily the best players or the players that will get the biggest contracts.

10. Ilya Kovalchuk

Technically he’s not a free agent yet (hence his low ranking) but there is a chance he could be. If rumours are correct and Kovalchuk wants to return to the NHL, he can only sign with the Devils or become a UFA if every single team agrees. All it would take is one team to say no (including the Devils) for Kovalchuk to be stuck in Russia for another season if they Devils don’t want him. If he does become a UFA, there would be a demand for him as he did have 32 goals and 78 points in the KHL this season (both in the top-three in the league).

9. Andrei Markov

He’s the second-best defenseman on the free agent market this summer. And he’s probably the hardest guy to gauge on this list. He’s 38 years old and missed 20 games. But he can still run a power play and play 22 minutes a game. He’s also played with defensemen that have an absolute bomb from the point (first P.K. Subban and now Shea Weber). Will a team pay him $5-plus million if there’s no hard-shooting linemate?

8. Mike Fisher

Fisher has a lot of great value in cap leagues when healthy. After all, he contributes in almost every single fantasy category: Goals, assists, PIM, hits, power play points, faceoff wins and blocked shots. The only thing he lacks is shooting the puck. He is an excellent second-line centre in the right situation and probably won’t cost more than the $4 million he is making now.

7. Patrick Eaves

Even though he’s proven he can play with elite linemates, is there any team willing to pay him a long-term contract for too much money? He hit 32 goals this season while making just $1 million. His downfall could be that he is rarely healthy. This year was the first time since 2008-09 that he made it to 70 games played. A strong playoff could help alleviate fears but it will be interesting to see the term and money he makes this offseason.

6. Chris Kunitz

As much as everyone love Jarome Iginla, Kunitz has the best opportunity this summer to take the title of “Veteran signing that everyone says is going to help a team even though he hasn’t been good for about three years.” But Kunitz still has fantasy value. While his hits, shots, PIM, power play points and what not have been declining for a few years, so has his ice time. On a new squad, he could get more ice time which would see a small bump in some of these categories.

5. Ben Bishop

There are a number of UFA goalies that could have made this list but Bishop’s name is the most intriguing as he’s considered the best goalie on the free agent market. He had a subpar season and is 30 years old. The downside is there’s not enough teams looking for goalies. There’s probably only three or four teams that are in need of one. An NHL GM has to decide whether they would rather pay Bishop $6-million-plus for several years, or someone like Brian Elliott $3 million for one or two years?

4. Alexander Radulov

It’s fair to say that Radulov’s first season back to the NHL was an unqualified success. Especially his postseason play where he was the Habs’ best player. But rumours have it he wants an eight-year deal (a rumour he denied) and is there any team willing to give him that kind of term in today’s NHL? There’s also the chance he goes back to the KHL for a season if he wants to play in the 2018 Olympics.

3. Joe Thornton

Even with a down season this year, Thornton was nothing if not consistent. He ranged from 0.59 to 0.68 points-per-game in each of the four quarters. But he’s getting old (Thornton will turn 38 in July) and he’s not exactly a centre as most people think of one as linemate Joe Pavelski takes the majority of faceoffs. He still has a great pedigree and there are plenty of teams out there who need a top-six centre.

2. T.J. Oshie

Oshie scored more goals this season than any other upcoming UFA and was tied for tops in points. He obviously benefitted greatly by playing regularly with Nicklas Backstrom and Alexander Ovechkin, but this actually bodes well for Oshie. He’s a proven commodity and GMs know he can produce with top-notch players.

1. Kevin Shattenkirk

This is going to be a great offseason for Shattenkirk. He’s tied for most points by a free agent. He already reportedly turned down contract extensions from three teams that wanted to trade for him from the Blues. He finally had a great second-half season (his Achilles heel for years was that he was a first-half player). He’s going to get interest from a lot of teams and a lot of money. The only question is who is going to pay him.