It is a little early but I always like to see what unrestricted free agents are on each team before the start of the season and see if the team will look to keep the player or trade them before the deadline. In addition, it is a huge incentive for the players to dig deep and put up very good numbers to ensure that they get the best contract they can going forward.

I've highlighted the key impending UFAs from each team in bold. I've also listed each player's best totals over the past three seasons to give us an idea of what point production they might still be capable of.

Anaheim Ducks

Rickard Rakell (W)- 28 years old; $3.79 million AAV expiring contract; 69-18-25-43 is his best year over the past three seasons.

Ryan Getzlaf (C) – 36;  $3 million; 67-14-34-48

Nicolas Deslauriers (C)  – 30; $1 million; 59-7-6-13 with 137 hits

Buddy Robinson (W) – 29; $750k; career 21-2-1-3 with 48 hits

Hampus Lindholm (D) – 27; $5.2 million; 76-6-22-28 with 133 blocks

Josh Manson (D) – 29; $4.1 million; 74-3-13-16 with 184 hits and 90 blocks

Kodie Curran (D) – 31; $1 million; no NHL games, 48-12-37-49 in the SHL in 2018-19

Ryan Kesler (C) – 37; $6.875 million LTIR; effectively retired

Sam Carrick (C) – 29; $750k; career 47-4-7-11 with 91 hits

Vinni Lettieri (W) – 26; $750k; career 51-2-6-8 with 72 hits

Trevor Carrick (D) – 27; $750k; career 7-0-0-0, 71-9-38-47 in the AHL in 2018-19

Greg Pateryn (D) – 31; $750k; 80-1-6-7 with 144 hits and 118 blocks

Brogan Rafferty (D) – 26; $750k; career 3-0-1-1, 57-7-38-45 in the AHL in 2019-20

The team can't look at Rakell and think about the 34 goals and 69 point year he had in 2017-18. They are better served to let some of the younger players like Troy Terry or Alexander Volkov absorb some of his top-six roles and move him before the deadline. Rakell's overall play over the past three seasons just hasn't been up to par for a top-six winger earning close to $3.8 million AAV. Getzlaf has an NMC and would need to waive to be dealt, but I'm sure a few contenders would love his experience in the playoffs. For a player that has earned over $92 million in his career, the $3 million salary for this year is not much of a discount for the 36-year old. It could be argued that his mentorship of Zegras is worth quite a bit.

The Ducks are going to have a pretty quick window of money available entering the 2022-23 season and if their young players progress as they hope, they might like to keep Lindholm for a similar salary cap hit of $5 million over four or five years. If the team can move Deslauriers and Manson before the deadline, I think they jump on it.

Arizona Coyotes

Phil Kessel (W) – 33; $6.8 million; 82-27-55-82 with Pittsburgh

Loui Eriksson – 36; $6 million; 81-11-18-29. An interesting factoid that I hadn't noticed before. Eriksson had 32 hits in 252 games as a Vancouver Canuck. Kessel has had 19 hits in 126 games as a Coyote. Imagine those two on a line together.

Dimitrij Jaskin (W) – 28; $3.2 million; 37-2-6-8 with Washington

Antoine Roussel (W) – 31; $3 million; 65-9-22-31 with 87 hits

Jay Beagle (C) – 35; $3 million; 57-3-10-13 with 102 hits

Johan Larsson (C) – 29; $1.4 million; 62-6-12-18 with 112 hits

Ryan Dzingel (W) – 29; $1.1 million; 78-26-30-56 with Ottawa and Columbus

Liam O'Brien (W) – 27; $750k; career 29-1-4-5 with 68 hits

Travis Boyd (W) – 27; $750k; 53-5-15-20 with Washington

Anton Stralman (D) – 35; $5.5 million; 69-5-14-19 with 68 hits and 96 blocks

Ilya Lyubushkin (D) – 27; $1.35 million; 51-0-4-4 with 151 hits and 72 blocks

Carter Hutton (G) – 35; $750k; 50 GP, 18 W, 25 L, 90.8 save percentage, minus 1.77 GSAA

Vladislav Provolnev(D) – 26; $842k; 48-10-10-20 in the KHL

It would be almost shorter to list the players that Arizona has signed for the 2022-23 season and beyond than listing the free agents. The team has taken on some bad contracts for some picks and prospects and will be able to move on from Eriksson, Roussel, Beagle and Stralman after this season.

Without a doubt, the Coyotes will ask Kessel to submit his eight-team trade list and look to move him and his contract before the deadline and add to their growing list of draft picks. Depending on the seasons that Larsson and Dzingel have, they could be moved as well or brought back next season for similar money.

Dimitrij Jaskin is an interesting experiment after posting 38 goals in 59 games last year with Dynamo Moscow in the KHL. He has 303 NHL games with only 27 goals, but the Coyotes are hoping he is somewhere in between with the $3.2 million he signed for this year. If successful he won't be cheap moving forward, so he might be trade bait at the deadline.

Calgary Flames

Johnny Gaudreau (W) – 28; $6.75 million; 82-36-63-99

Tyler Pitlick (W) – 29; $1.75 million; 63-8-12-20 with Philadelphia

Brett Ritchie (W) – 28; $900k; 32-4-4-8 last year, 126 hits with Dallas in 53 games

Trevor Lewis (W) – 34; $800k; 56-6-6-12 with Los Angeles

Brad Richardson(C) – 36; $800k; 66-19-8-27 with Arizona

Byron Froese (C) – 30; $725k; 48-3-8-11 with Montreal in 2017-18

Nikita Zadorov (D) – 26; $3.75 million; 70-7-7-14 and 228 hits with Colorado

Andy Welinski (D) – 28; $750k; career 46-1-5-6 with 66 hits and 33 blocks

Michael Stone (D) – 31; $750k; 33-2-5-7 with 52 hits and 54 blocks

Erik Gudbranson (D) – 29; $1.95 million; 76-2-8-10 and 184 hits and 84 blocks with Vancouver and Pittsburgh

Kevin Gravel (D) – 29; $750k; 36-0-3-3 and 31 hits and 53 blocks with Edmonton

Nick DeSimone (D) – 26; $750k; 65-14-32-46  in the AHL

The options for Calgary with Gaudreau are fairly limited as he has a five-team trade list NTC. He is still one of the better offensive drivers in the league and moving him would signal to the roster and fans that the club was acknowledging that this core's window has closed. I think they get something done and re-sign him.

I'm not sure how you bring back Zadorov at his existing salary cap hit of $3.75 million for a bottom-pairing defender. It will be interesting to see how he does in Calgary, but the signings of Gudbranson and Stone don't elicit great short-term confidence in Zadorov, Juuso Valimaki, Connor Mackey and Oliver Kylington.

Chicago Blackhawks

Ryan Carpenter (C) – 30; $1 million; 68-5-13-18 and 126 hits with Vegas

Calvin De Haan (D) – 30; $4.55 million; 74-1-13-14 and 187 hits and 106 blocks with Carolina

Marc-Andre Fleury (G) – 36; $7 million; 61 GP, 35 W, 1.98 GAA, 92.8 save percentage and 19.99 GSAA with Vegas

Kevin Lankinen (G) – 26; $800k; career 37 GP, 17 W, 3.01 GAA, 90.9 save percentage and 1.77 GSAA

Andrew Shaw (W) – 30; $3.9 million LTIR; effectively retired

Collin Delia (G) – 27; $1 million; career 24 GP, 8 W, 3.63 GAA, 90.5 save percentage and minus 3.0 GSAA

Malcolm Subban (G) – 27; $850k; 21 GP, 9 W, 2.93 GAA, 90.2 save percentage and minus 3.67 GSAA with Vegas and Chicago

Ryan Carpenter is a good defensive forward and might bring some value at the deadline, but more importantly, the team will need to decide on Calvin De Haan and his $4.55 million salary cap hit moving forward. De Haan is a fairly good defender that provides very little offense and who has only averaged more than 20 minutes per game twice in his eight seasons. It is possible that De Haan pairs well with Seth Jones and has an excellent year.

I'm guessing that the Blackhawks made some sort of unwritten concession to Fleury so that he honored the trade from Vegas and perhaps promised him that they wouldn't move him at the trade deadline. Otherwise, he is a slam dunk to move. With four of their goalies up for unrestricted free agency at the end of the year, there is a good chance that two or three of the four aren't in Chicago next season.

Colorado Avalanche

Andre Burakovsky (W) – 26; $4.9 million; 58-20-25-45

Nazem Kadri (C) – 30; $4.5 million; 73-16-28-44 with Toronto

Valeri Nichushkin (W) – 26; $2.5 million; 65-13-14-27 with 84 hits

Darren Helm (C) – 34; $1 million; 61-7-10-17 and 88 hits with Detroit

Stefan Matteau (W) – 27; $750k; career 91-6-5-11 with 179 hits

Kiefer Sherwood (W) – 26; $750k; 50-6-6-12 and 79 hits with Anaheim

Ryan Murray (D) – 27; $2 million; 56-1-28-29 and 38 hits and 93 blocks with Columbus and New Jersey

Kurtis MacDermid (D) – 27; $875k; 45-3-5-8 and 95 hits and 43 blocks with Los Angeles

Jordan Gross (D) – 26; $750k; career 9-0-4-4, 56-10-17-27 in the AHL

Darcy Kuemper (G) – 31; $4.5 million; 55 GP, 27 W, 2.22 GAA, 92.8 save percentage and 26.61 GSAA with Arizona

Pavel Francouz (G) – 31; $2 million; career 36 GP, 21 W, 2.40 GAA, 92.3 save percentage and 13.8 GSAA

Dylan Sikura (W) – 26; $800k; career 53-3-13-16 with 6 hits

Jacob MacDonald (D) – 28; $725k; career 35-2-8-10 with 39 hits and 32 blocks

The Avalanche will need to find room to sign Burakovsky as he is only 26 and depending on what he does this season might be in store for a raise from $4.9 million AAV. Kadri's play has fallen off over the past season, so this year is important for him to ensure that he maintains his current salary whether it is with Colorado or not. Depending on the development of Alex Newhook, Kadri could be moved before the deadline, but he does have a 10-team no-trade list NTC. Nichushkin has turned into a very good defensive forward who can chip in with 15 goals and 30 points. Colorado might not be able to afford him at $2.5 to 3 million for his next contract but it would create a large hole in their team.

Both Kuemper and Francouz become UFAs at the end of this season, so the Avalanche can either move forward with whoever emerges as the better of the two, or look to solidify the position long-term with another goalie through trade or free agency. It all rides on how far the team goes in the playoffs this season and how Kuemper and Francouz play.

Dallas Stars

Joe Pavelski (W) – 37; $7 million; 75-38-26-64 with San Jose

Alexander Radulov (W) – 35; $6.25 million; 70-29-43-72 with 60 hits and 83 blocks

Michael Raffl (W) – 32; $1.1 million; 58-8-12-20 with Philadelphia

Blake Comeau (W) – 35; $1 million; 77-7-11-18 with 208 hits

John Klingberg (D) – 29; $4.25 million; 64-10-35-45

Andrej Sekera (D) – 35; $1.5 million; 57-2-6-8 and 75 blocks

Braden Holtby (G) – 31; $2 million; 59 GP, 32 W, 2.82 GAA, 91.1 save percentage, 3.35 GSAA

Alex Petrovic (D) – 29; $750k; 35-0-2-2 and 116 hits and 53 blocks with Florida and Edmonton in 2018-19

Andreas Borgman (D) – 26; $750k; career 55-3-10-13 and 131 hits

Pavelski has an M-NTC that allows him to only be traded to three teams that he lists, so it is unlikely he moves before or after the deadline. Radulov has an M-NTC that he can submit a 15-team no-trade list so there are a few more options in his case. If healthy, Dallas should be a playoff contender, but if they fall out of it, they might look to move Klingberg for as much value as they can. Otherwise, they are faced with re-signing him for $6-7 million AAV over five or six seasons. I can't envision a scenario where Pavelski, Radulov and Klingberg are all back with the Stars next season.

Edmonton Oilers

Kyle Turris (C) – 32; $1.65 million; 62-9-22-31 with Nashville

Josh Archibald (W) – 28; $1.5 million; 68-12-10-22 with Arizona and 192 hits in 52 games with Edmonton last year

Kris Russell (D) – 34; $1.25 million; 72-3-13-16 with 93 hits and 185 blocks

Mikko Koskinen (G) – 33; $4.5 million; 55 GP, 25 W, 2.75 GAA, 91.7 save percentage and 8.75 GSAA

Alex Stalock (G)  – 34; $785k; 38 GP, 20 W, 2.67 GAA, 91.0 save percentage and 0.38 GSAA

Seth Griffith (W) – 28; $725k; career 79-8-11-19 with 58 hits

The Oilers are not planning on being sellers this deadline, nor do they have much to sell from impending free agents this deadline if they were. I doubt very much that any of the players listed above are with the Oilers to begin the 2022-23 season.

Los Angeles Kings

Dustin Brown (W) – 36; $5.875 million; 72-22-29-51 with 150 hits

Andreas Athanasiou (W)- 27; $2.7 million; 76-30-24-54 with Detroit

Alexander Edler (D) – 35; $3.5 million; 56-10-24-34 and 127 hits and 166 blocks with Vancouver

Olli Maatta (D) – 27; $3.33 million; 65-4-13-17 and 119 hits and 116 blocks with Chicago and Pittsburgh

Christian Wolanin (D) – 26; $750k; career 61-5-13-18 and 19 hits and 47 blocks

Cal Petersen (G) – 26; $858k; career 54 GP, 19 W, 2.81 GAA, 91.6 save percentage and 12.3 GSAA

T.J. Tynan (W) – 29; $750k; career 19-0-1-1 with 8 hits

Martin Frk (W) – 27; $725k; past three seasons 48-7-7-14 combined with 50 hits

Garret Sparks (G) – 28; $750k; career 38 GP, 14 W, 3.10 GAA, 89.7 save percentage and minus 15.1 GSAA

The career arc of Dustin Brown is surely unique in that it looked like his career was bottoming out in 2015-16 after four successive seasons of diminishing production from him. The worst part was that he had just signed an eight-year deal for $5.875 million AAV beginning in 2014-15 and it was looking like a horrible contract. He slightly improved in 2016-17 and then had one the best seasons of his career in 2017-18 with 28 goals and 61 points in 81 games followed by seasons of 22, 17 and 17 goals in the years following. He has spent his whole career with the Kings and now that he is 36-years old has only one or two more years left. He is unlikely to go anywhere else but he does have a seven-team no-trade clause if it comes to it.

If Cal Petersen continues his fine play this season and sees 30 games or more, the Kings or another team will be needing to pay him north of three or four million AAV beginning next season. The Kings might be wise to re-sign him before then.

I think Athanasiou will be a trade chip before or near the deadline while Maatta will be made available as well.

Next week we will look at Minnesota, Nashville, San Jose, Seattle, St. Louis, Vancouver, Vegas and Winnipeg.

Thanks for reading and if you have any questions or players you’d like me to look at please message or follow me on Twitter @gampbler15.