Top 10 NHL free agents to watch this offseason

NEWARK, NJ - MARCH 31: New York Islanders center John Tavares (91) skates off the ice during the second period of the National Hockey League Game between the New Jersey Devils and the New York Islanders on March 31, 2018, at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

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6. Rick Nash

For the first time in his career, Rick Nash will hit the free agent market. He played with the Columbus Blue Jackets before being traded to the New York Rangers and then spent some time with the Boston Bruins after he was traded there during this year’s deadline. Nash has been a 20-goal scorer almost every season he’s been in the league, except for two seasons. This past season, he had 21 goals and 34 points in 71 games between the Rangers and the Bruins.

At this point in his career, he can still play on the top six, but if a team has him as a third-line winger, that’d be just ideal. Again, a team can and will put him in the top six, but he’d also look so good on the third line since he’s still a 20-goal scorer in this league. He’ll still need to be better in the playoffs at times as his game wasn’t near his regular season level when he was making some deep runs with the Rangers. In five playoff runs, he had 14 goals with the Rangers.

He’s now in his mid-thirties so this will likely be a short-term deal with a team, as this isn’t the player a team should sign for long-term.

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