While everyone is busy over the holidays, and while we're also dealing with a scheduling upheaval, I wanted to take the time to put out some updated contract projections for the 2022 free agent crop. With the new year upon us, we could see a few more extensions signed as more players become eligible.

I have the top 150 listed below, from a Calgary Flames duo down to a Canadiens' cast-off claimed by Canada's capital. Anyone below that can be assumed to be projected at the league minimum for an extension. If you think someone is missing though, it's possible they got dropped off the list somewhere along the way, so let me know. Either I have missed them, or I have them projected for the league minimum – either way, you can laugh at me, so really it's a win-win for you.

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Before we get to that, just another quick reminder that the Midseason Guide will be out January 14. This Guide comes with your Ultimate Fantasy Pack or Gold/Platinum subscriptions. It does not come with the Keeper League Fantasy Pack nor the Silver subs. You can pre-order it here.

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Connor Bedard scored four goals last night in Canada’s 11-2 win over Austria at the World Juniors. The 2023 draft is loaded, and you want to have more than one ticket for that lottery in your leagues if you can.

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Getting down to contract business, we see that Johnny Gaudreau is the highest projected free agent for this summer's class, and it's pretty tough to argue with his production this season. He is up over a point-per-game for the first time in three years, despite his ice time the last three seasons sitting at 18:30 per game compared to the 20 minutes per contest that he was seeing in 2018-19 when he put up his career best year. His shooting percentage, power play ice time, and underlying metrics all check out (they're even a bit low if anything). For Gaudreau, his shot rate is up at a career-high 3.3 per game, and it seems as though he has finally put things together on a line with Matthew Tkachuk and Elias Lindholm. Lindholm is also putting up career numbers, while Tkachuk is putting up a respectable season as well.

Ideally for Tkachuk though, he would also be putting up career numbers, as he is looking to cash in on a long-term deal here as well.  He's still going to get paid, but he's likely leaving a few million on the table by not keeping up with the pace set by his linemates. From a fantasy perspective, it is nice to see Tkachuk back up over one PIM per game, in addition to a rising shot rate. On the flip side, since his line has the puck so much, Tkachuk's hit rate has plummeted to half of what it was last year.

John Klingberg rounds out the top three for us, and after we saw all of the big contracts given to top Dmen last offseason, Klingberg's $8.5 million price tag may look steep, but it actually fits right in. Zach Werenski is a very similar style of player, and will be making even more than that. The question is, will Klingberg be able to find somewhere on the open market where he can be that number one defenceman and command that money. It won't be in Dallas, where the Stars have decided that their number one is Miro Heiskanen, who is coincidentally making $8.45 million per season. There are a few landing spots that will be looking for someone like Klingberg in the offseason. Seattle, Pittsburgh, and a few others are either missing a big ticket defenceman, or will also have them hitting free agency. Klingberg would be best suited as the top-dog somewhere new, rather than sticking it out where he isn't able to be the go-to guy in all offensive situations. In fact, since Dallas will likely be losing him anyways, and since they have an in-house replacement ready to go in Tomas Harley, it wouldn't surprise me to see Klingberg moved at the deadline. It would be a win for Klingberg as he could up his value on a playoff team right before going for his big pay-day. If he does get moved, I expect him to have a very strong finish to the season.

Having mentioned the Penguins, it seems to be an easy lead in to the fact that they have a few big fish of their own. Both Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang are in the final year of their contracts, and that puts Pittsbugh in a very interesting situation. The two are projected for pay cuts this offseason, which makes sense due to their age, declining production, and history of injuries. Both may take a discount to stay in Pittsbugh, but likely only if they know the team is committing to trying to win. At this point, neither is likely trying to max out their bank account, and I would expect both would be looking at the right situation more than anything.

In Letang's case, he may benefit from taking a step back. He has been worn thin over the years, and this year he has been getting much easier minutes, although not reduced in number. The best-case scenario for him may be the opposite of what Klingberg needs, as Letang has been struggling with his possession numbers even against easier competition. He may be able to continue playing 25 minutes a night, but at 34 years old he is going to break down a lot faster with that usage. It would be in his best interest to step back to second pairing minutes, and let someone else take the lead. A $5.5 million price tag would fit that well.

For the rest of the old guard, we have the cup winners, and the cup chasers. The cup winners, like Patrice Bergeron, Phil Kessel, and Ryan Getzlaf are going to be looking for fit over fortune, and are more likely to stay where they are. All three will likely take pay cuts to make that work, and in Getzlaf's case this will be round two. However, for Coyotes' sniper Kessel, that discount may come from wherever he gets traded to at the deadline, as there is no reason for Arizona not to shop him. His fantasy value may actually go up, unlike most of these other players that are seeing them decline with age.

On the flip side we have the cup chasers, like Joe Pavelski, Alexander Radulov, and Mark Giordano. All three could be on the move to various new contending teams, and those veterans usually see a little spike in their production as the competing teams work to make sure they are afforded a place in the lineup worthy of their seniority. For Pavelski this means a continued top of the lineup spot, while for Radulov and Giordano this likely means a continued mirage that they have much left in the tank. Neither is putting up fantasy numbers to be worthwhile rostering, and their name value will likely drive the price up on their future contracts as well.

Moving on to the goaltenders, we have another whose age and cup status present an interesting scenario for his free agency status. I'm talking of course about three-time cup winner Marc-Andre Fleury, who also contemplated retirement after being traded to Chicago. Fleury could end up as the most sought-after goalie on the market, or he could end up walking away to his family in retirement. If he does stay on, his projected $2.7 million cap hit makes some sense, as it would be worthwhile playing for, but not too much to take up too much cap space on whatever team is deemed the best fit for him. It would be so much fun to see him win a cup in Colorado next year.

Speaking of, both Colorado goalies are up for new contracts, and it's possible that neither is back with the team next year (so the Fleury pipe-dream lives on!). Darcy Kuemper and Pavel Francouz have underwhelmed overall, Kuemper with his play, Francouz with his inability to play. Kuemper's history and upside keep his contract projection at a nearly identical level to his current number. If he can't turn things around shortly this season, it might make sense for him to take a chance on himself with a one-year deal somewhere, before trying to cash in again in 2023. That being said, he won't get many better opportunities than with the team in front of him in Colorado, so maybe we just need some patience for the team to get healthy.

Francouz's small projection comes from not having a lot of games over the last little while. He's not the only one though, as that adds a lot of uncertainty to the projections of Malkin, David Perron, Max Domi, Ondrej Kase, Anthony DeAngelo, and others. These players have plenty riding on the second half of this season, so these kinds of players are interesting ones to look into if you want someone motivated on your fantasy teams. Usually production follows the players that have something extra to play for.

Well, now that I've rambled on enough, here are the projections:

If you have any questions, comments, or other fantasy hockey related thoughts you want to share, feel free to find me on Twitter @alexdmaclean.