It’s been just over a month since the NHL free agent market opened. Major deals were closed in the first few days, and then, as usual, the activity slowly died down. However, already in early August, several players were still looking for a new job that could strengthen many teams in the league. We are talking about the top five unrestricted free agents in the NHL, among which there are both experienced veterans and once promising and still quite young hockey players.
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Kailer Yamamoto
The American has stopped progressing in recent years, although he was once a starter in Edmonton with 26 points in 27 games. Kyler spent last season in Seattle, where he couldn’t really establish himself and scored only 8+8 in 58 appearances on the ice, often being left out of the lineup for non-injury reasons. As a result, the Kraken did not make a qualifying offer to the forward, after which he moved from OSA to NSA. Adding to Yamamoto’s value on the market is the fact that he will only turn 26 in September – the forward will certainly still have the chance to reach his potential and, if used correctly, could become a good option for the top 9 right now.
Kailer Yamamoto
Photo: John Froschauer/AP Photo/TASS
Dominik Kubalik
A 28-year-old Czech has also been unexpectedly unemployed for some time. A few years ago, Kubalik made a powerful debut in the collapsing Chicago and had the potential to become the new leader of the Blackhawks, but three seasons later, Dominic ended up in Detroit, and a year later, despite a fairly good regular season, he was traded to Ottawa for Alexa Debrincata. In the Canadian capital, Kubalik did not work out – 11+4 points in 74 games, after which the Senators decided not to offer the Czech forward a new contract.
According to the player’s agent, Dominic is diligently preparing for the new season and is still hoping to receive an offer from the NHL. In the absence of this, Kubalik will most likely return to Europe. However, it is not necessary to wait for him in the KHL – the agent ruled out this option.
James van Riemsdyk
Of the remaining free agents, James had the best previous season: van Riemsdyk scored just over 0.5 points per game, despite missing just 11 games for the Bruins and playing out the playoffs from bell to bell. The 35-year-old forward’s dream of reaching his first career Stanley Cup is probably not over: He could easily sign a short-term contract with a team without grand ambitions with the prospect of a further trade to a contending club. A year ago, Philadelphia’s decision not to reach such a deal at the deadline rankled van Riemsdyk, who in recent years has been increasingly vocal about his desire to win the final game of the season, meaning he is unlikely to plan to end his NHL career and wait for offers.
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Tyler Johnson
Unlike Van Riemsdyk, Johnson already has two championship rings on his fingers, so it may not be so important for the forward to continue his career. Tyler spent the last three years of the contract signed in Tampa in Chicago, where last season he helped Connor Bedard enter the NHL. The 34-year-old forward did not show any extravagance with the Blackhawks, but at the same time proved that he has not lost all his skills yet – 17 goals and 14 assists in 67 games in the last regular season speak well of this.
Generally, like any other qualified veteran, Johnson could sign for a relatively good sum with a club at the bottom of the table and then request a trade to a team with big cup ambitions.
Tony De Angelo
After his scandalous exit from the Rangers, Tony spent a great year in Carolina and then played well in Philadelphia, where he opted out of his contract anyway. The return to the Hurricanes did not work out: DeAngelo played only 40 games during the regular season and playoffs and has yet to receive an offer from either the Hurricanes or anyone else.
The American will only turn 29 in October and has probably not yet reached his ceiling. If we go by his playing qualities alone, then there could well be many NHL teams lining up for Tony. However, the problem lies in his bad character: DeAngelo became his “victim” both in New York and, apparently, in the latter two clubs.
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The latest strong rumor sends the defender to the KHL and to a specific club – SKA St. Petersburg. And although the player himself stated that such information has nothing to do with reality, the army coach Roman Rotenberg did not rule out the possibility of reaching an agreement with Tony. I wonder if on the banks of the Neva they will be able to find an approach to DeAngelo if he really ends up in the Northern capital.
