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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COLUMBUS, OH – MARCH 9: Thomas Vanek #26 of the Columbus Blue Jackets warms up prior to the start of the game against the Detroit Red Wings on March 9, 2018 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OH – MARCH 9: Thomas Vanek #26 of the Columbus Blue Jackets warms up prior to the start of the game against the Detroit Red Wings on March 9, 2018 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images) /

20. Thomas Vanek

Ever since the Buffalo Sabres matched the Oilers’ offer sheet for Thomas Vanek, his career has taken on the role of a journeyman. He’s played for eight different teams in five seasons while his production has slowly but surely declined. He may be a “gun for hire,” but even when it seems like the league has passed him by, there’s no shortage of teams willing to take a flier on him.

Why he’s in demand: Even at Vanek’s stage in his career, it was still amazing to see him put up another 20-goal season. When he arrived in Columbus, he was scoring at a near point-per-game pace. He’s also a powerplay specialist, with over a quarter of his total points coming on the man advantage.

At this point, though, it’s pretty much a given that he signs a one-year deal on a basement dweller before getting shipped off to a playoff team at the deadline.

Teams with the best chance to sign him: Vanek should warrant consideration from the Chicago Blackhawks. They may have missed the playoffs for the first time in 10 years, but Stan Bowman remains one of the league’s best GMs with the way he can maneuver his team to stay under the cap. The Blackhawks are in need of some depth scoring and had the third worst power play percentage last year.

The Oilers signing Vanek would be a cruel twist of irony. But with Peter Chiarelli at the helm, he’d almost certainly overpay for him. They may have a ton of holes, but conventional wisdom states that a team with Connor McDavid on it should be able to score their way out of trouble. Adding Vanek should at least help them do that.

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