A look at the best free agents remaining on the market

Several prominent names remain available on the free agent market as of Monday, July 18th. From Stanley Cup champions to Norris and Selke Trophy winners. Let's take a look at some of the best remaining unrestricted free agents and also at some restricted free agents that could be the target of an offer sheet.

1. Nazem Kadri.

The 31-year-old had the best season of his NHL career during the 2021-22 campaign, tallying 87 points (28 goals, 59 assists) in 71 regular season games. He went on to add fifteen points in sixteen playoff games, helping the Avalanche win their first Stanley Cup since 2001.

Potential destinations: Calgary Flames, New York Islanders, Seattle Kraken.

2. John Klingberg.

Klingberg was on the trade market for quite a while during the 2021-22 season, but the Dallas Stars opted not to move him with the team pushing for a wild card spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Gothenburg (Sweden) native saw an increase in production with 47 points during 2021-22 after putting up 36, 32 and 45 in the previous three seasons.

Potential destinations: Dallas Stars, Detroit Red Wings, Seattle Kraken.

3. Patrice Bergeron.

While Patrice Bergeron is still undecided on if he will continue his NHL career, the 36-year-old is expected to return to the Bruins if he does. Bergeron won the fifth Selke Trophy following the 2021-22 season. The Bruins captain put up 65 points (25 goals, 40 assists) in 73 games last season.

Potential destination: Boston Bruins.

4. Phil Kessel.

Kessel is far from the 30+ goal scorer he was several years ago, but he can still produce offensively and could be a really good depth piece on a contending team. The cap hit on his next contract more than likely won't be anywhere near the $8 million he was being paid for the last eight season.

Potential destinations: Colorado Avalanche, Minnesota Wild, Nashville Predators.

5. Nino Niederreiter.

Coming off a 24-goal campaign, Niederreiter can produce some much needed depth scoring to any contending team, but also has the ability to slide into the top-six if needed. The Chur (Switzerland) native will turn 30 in September and is likely seeking a multi-year contract this summer.

Potential destinations: Calgary Flames, Nashville Predators, Ottawa Senators.

It's unclear if we'll see an offer sheet this summer given the cap situation of most teams, but there are several prominent names that could be on the receiving end of one.

The first player that could is Matthew Tkachuk of the Calgary Flames. Now, if he remains with Calgary, Tkachuk could become their next captain, but given that Johnny Gaudreau has left for Columbus, will Calgary take a step back next season? It's very unlikely they blow things up, but could the Flames work out a trade involving Tkachuk, possibly to his hometown St. Louis Blues? Of all the RFA's on the market, Tkachuk will be the one to watch.

While this one is extremely unlikely, given his team's recent additions, Patrik Laine of the Columbus Blue Jackets will be a name to keep an eye on. The 24-year-old Finn has the ability to scorer 35-40+ each season, but wants to remain with the Blue Jackets long-term, so any offer sheet submitted to him would have to blow him out of the water in terms of money. The quicker Blue Jackets General Manager Jarmo Kekalainen can get Laine under contract, the better.

Finally, Martin Nečas of the Carolina Hurricanes is someone who could receive an offer sheet this summer, but don't expect it to be the Montreal Canadiens, like they did with Sebastian Aho in 2019, but the Finn remained with the Canes. Two years later, the Hurricanes successfully offer sheeted Jesperi Kotkaniemi, but I think it's safe to say both teams don't want to go down that route again.

Nečas is only 23-years-old and has the potential to be a legit top-six forward in the NHL. The Hurricanes currently have $4.08 million in cap space remaining, so they certainly have the money to get Nečas under contract, but his potential has to be appealing enough for teams to consider offer sheeting him.

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