Whereas this year's crop of right wingers is a little more focused on depth, the group of left wingers hitting free agency on Wednesday includes some bonafide superstars.
Would-be UFA Taylor Hall has already found his new hockey home. His four-year, $24-million deal with the Bruins keeps him in Boston, where he fit in well to close out the season.
And, earlier Tuesday, the Washington Capitals made official what we all knew to be true: That captain Alex Ovechkin will play for one NHL team, and one NHL team only. The Great No. 8 inked a five-year, $47.5-million deal with a $9.5 cap hit to stay in D.C.
So, who's up next? Here's a look at the top left wingers due new deals this summer.
Gabriel Landeskog
Age: 28
2020-21 cap hit: $5.571M (Avalanche)
It's tough to imagine Landeskog not donning the C with Colorado, but are we nearing that point? After the captain opened up to The Athletic's Peter Baugh about his disappointment in not having already signed with the Avalanche months ago, there are clearly some emotions involved here. The club just signed star defenceman Cale Makar to a monster extension over the weekend, so while there's some new-found clarity about the team's cap future, there's also not much flexibility there considering GM Joe Sakic still needs to figure out his goaltending situation and reserve some cap space to extend Nathan MacKinnon two years from now.
Landeskog is a leader on and off the ice and plays the kind of skilled yet physical game that can be tough to come by. It's no surprise that there's a long list of suitors lined up to talk to Landeskog, should he in fact be considering other options... we're looking at you, Blues.
Zach Hyman
Age: 29
2020-21 cap hit: $2.25M (Maple Leafs)
The biggest winner of free agency might just turn out to be Hyman, whose days in Toronto as the league's biggest bargain are over. Hyman was an excellent fit in Toronto, bringing sandpaper to the star-studded top line, but so strong has his play been over the past four years that he's priced himself right out of Toronto and into the warm embrace of Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers. As multiple reports have indicated, Hyman-to-the-Oilers is all but a done deal, as the Maple Leafs gave their beloved (former) winger permission to talk to other teams ahead of July 28.
The latest intrigue here has been whether the Oilers can pry his rights away from Toronto ahead of the opening of free agency on Wednesday in order to gain the privilege of offering Hyman the eighth year on his deal -- and saving themselves nearly half a million annually against the cap.
“We’ve been in that situation before at the trade deadline and when you’re in that spot the other GM’s aren’t helping you out. They’re pulling the pin from the grenade and they’re throwing it to you,” Dubas said Saturday (via Sportsnet's Chris Johnston). “I know that there’s a narrative that we should just get something, but when you’re saving a team significant dollars on the salary cap that comes with a cost and we’re not going to bend on that.”
Jaden Schwartz
Age: 29
2020-21 cap hit: $5.35M (Blues)
One player who will be watching closely to see what Hyman gets on the open market? Schwartz. Between the impending departure of Schwartz and the trade request from Vladimir Tarasenko, there's about to be some pretty big turnover in St. Louis as the club retools its core. Schwartz's production has fluctuated greatly over his career, and a lot of that can be attributed to dealing with injuries through parts of seasons. While 2020-21 was a down year for the forward statistically (eight goals, 13 assists, 21 points in 40 games), he's just one year removed from 22 goals and 57 points in 71 games.
Per Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, it's looking like he's off to join Vince Dunn in Seattle. Friedman wrote Sunday that a deal was "basically" agreed to during the Kraken's exclusive UFA negotiation window last week.
Mike Hoffman
Age: 31
2020-21 cap hit: $4M (Blues)
Hoffman is as pure a goal-scorer as they come. Only, as we've learned, that's not always the best thing in this flat-cap world. Hoffman had to wait until the waning days of 2020 to find a new home last off-season, and even then it took a creative PTO agreement to get him into the fold in St. Louis. While overall the fit wasn't always perfect, the winger still managed to finish third on the team in goals (17) and points (36).
Hoffman's best seasons came in Florida, scoring a career-best 36 goals in 2018-19 and following it up with 29 in 2019-20. With the cap still flat and teams valuing sound defensive play and versatility, Hoffman's one-dimensional game (as crucial as that dimension is) might mean he takes a little extra time to find his next destination.
Brandon Saad
Age: 28
2020-21 cap hit: $6M (Avalanche)
Should the Avalanche reach an agreement with Landeskog, the club is all but guaranteed to be moving on from fellow UFA left-winger Brandon Saad due to cap space -- especially if he's eying a similar salary to what he's been earning. In one season with Colorado, Saad registered 15 goals and nine assists for 24 points while playing mostly alongside Name Kadri.
Friedman suggests St. Louis, Islanders, Pittsburgh or Los Angeles as potential destinations there, which all have a strong need for a versatile, middle-six forward.
More LW names to watch: Tomas Tatar, Mattias Janmark, Nick Foligno, Zach Parise.
Top five UFA left wingers: Hyman could be summer’s biggest winner - Sportsnet.ca
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