25 top NHL free agents teams will be dying to sign in 2018
By David Rouben
13. Michael Grabner
Michael Grabner has had an up-and-down career. He scored 34 goals in his first full season and carved out a niche as a depth scorer. Then, when he got traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs, he had the lowest goals-per-game of his career output and couldn’t score on a breakaway to save his life.
A move back to the Metropolitan Division with the New York Rangers seemed to revitalize him, as he had consecutive 25-goal seasons. But when the New Jersey Devils acquired him at the deadline to load up, he went back to being bad Grabner. However, that could be a blessing in disguise for his suitors during free agency, as he’ll come a lot cheaper than he would’ve had he stayed with the Rangers.
Why he’s in demand: Things didn’t work out for Grabner in New Jersey, but Ray Shero can’t be blamed for going for it. He brings experience to the table and is a tremendous skater. His time spent with the Leafs and Devils was an outlier — he can score no matter what line you stick him on, plus he can kill penalties. And the fact that he carries a $1.65 million cap hit means that GMs will hold the cards in negotiating his new contract.
Teams with the best chance to sign him: Even before Peter Chiarelli came aboard, the Edmonton Oilers have not handled free agency well (Mark Fayne and Andrew Ference say hello). As long as they don’t grossly overpay for his services, Grabner could be a low-key good signing for them. They need all the wingers they can get.
Other teams that should inquire for his services are the Panthers — as they slowly look to regain their dignity after being the laughingstock of the NHL all season — and the Columbus Blue Jackets. He might end up playing at least one game for every Metropolitan team when all is said and done.