Fansided

25 top NHL free agents teams will be dying to sign in 2018

By David Rouben

NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 30: James van Riemsdyk #25 of the Toronto Maple Leafs and John Tavares #91 of the New York Islanders battle for the puck during their game at the Barclays Center on October 30, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 30: James van Riemsdyk #25 of the Toronto Maple Leafs and John Tavares #91 of the New York Islanders battle for the puck during their game at the Barclays Center on October 30, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images) /
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WINNIPEG, MB – MAY 20: Paul Stastny #25 of the Winnipeg Jets follows the play down the ice during third period action against the Vegas Golden Knights in Game Five of the Western Conference Final during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Bell MTS Place on May 20, 2018 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The Knights defeated the Jets 2-1 and win the series 4-1. (Photo by Darcy Finley/NHLI via Getty Images)
WINNIPEG, MB – MAY 20: Paul Stastny #25 of the Winnipeg Jets follows the play down the ice during third period action against the Vegas Golden Knights in Game Five of the Western Conference Final during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Bell MTS Place on May 20, 2018 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The Knights defeated the Jets 2-1 and win the series 4-1. (Photo by Darcy Finley/NHLI via Getty Images) /

4. Paul Stastny

As far as rentals at the deadline go, Paul Stastny couldn’t have done his job any better. He bolstered the Winnipeg Jets’ already stunning forward depth, helped them win their first two playoff series in franchise history and in turn boosted his own free agent stock by scoring 15 points in 17 games. Stastny was arguably the best playoff performer on the Jets outside of Mark Schiefele. Meanwhile, the St. Louis Blues continued their pattern of dealing their pending free-agents at the deadline in favor of stocking up on youth.

However, any Jets fans hoping to re-sign Stastny may be out of luck. It seems as though the club is prioritizing long-term extensions to Jacob Trouba and Connor Hellebuyck, both of whom are restricted free agents. There may not be room for Stastny in their future plans, and there’s always a risk of committing long-term to a 32-year-old. That being said, he’s been down this road before and knows how to navigate it.

Why he’s in demand: Stastny’s offensive numbers during the playoffs will be his biggest selling point, but he’s a great two-way center. He’s one of the few players that can play on both the powerplay and penalty kill and, for the first time since his rookie season, he played in all 82 games. When he’s healthy, he can contribute at least 50 points, which is all you can ask for out of a second to third line center.

Teams with the best chance to sign him: Stastny is going to have to deal with being a back-up option for many teams because of John Tavares. The Montreal Canadiens are one of the teams that will go all in for Tavares, but because they’re in desperate need of a center, they could still overpay for Stastny’s services.

Other teams that could use his services are the New Jersey Devils and Carolina Hurricanes. Only Taylor Hall and Nico Hischier broke the 50-point barrier last season so they’re going to need some secondary scoring, while the Hurricanes may have an opening at center if Derek Ryan walks.

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