The NHL's top 50 free agents

Since entering the NHL at the start of the 2015-16, Panarin is the league's eighth-leading scorer with 320 points in 322 games. He showed in Columbus that he can be the focal point of an offense and at age 27 should have several years of elite production ahead of him. Florida seems to be a favorite to get him, but do not rule out a team like Colorado with its massive amount of salary cap space. 

Just as long as a team does not give him a crazy-long contract, Pavelski would be a massive addition to any contender. He is 35 years old but is coming off one of his best goal-scoring seasons ever with 38 in 75 games for the Sharks. Since the start of the 2013-14 season, only six players in the league have more goals than his 205. 

This is Duchene's first chance to score a major contract on the open market, and he is almost certainly going to get it as one of the top players available. It seems to be a foregone conclusion that he is going to end up in Nashville, especially after the Predators were able to shed all of P.K. Subban's $9 million salary cap hit in each of the next three seasons. They need another impact forward, and Duchene could be it. 

Just about all of the top free agents in this year's class have ties to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Bobrovsky is the one the Blue Jackets can probably least afford to lose, but it seems to be a given that he is going elsewhere, most likely to the Florida Panthers. Bobrovsky's age, likely salary cap hit, contract term and down 2018-19 season are going to be cause for concern. But he has a track record of being one of the league's best goalies. He could potentially make one of the biggest impacts of any free agent on the market. 

The sticking point with Lee and the Islanders appears to be the term of the contract, as he looks to get an eight-year deal. He has \quietly been one of the league's most productive goal scorers in recent years and is great on the power play. 

With Erik Karlsson re-signing in San Jose, Gardiner becomes the top free-agent defender on the open market. The Maple Leafs would probably love to have him back, but their salary cap situation is not likely to allow that. He is a smooth skater and puck-mover and would be a great addition to any team's top-four on defense. 

He is not going to be the difference between winning a championship or not winning a championship, but he is an excellent second-line winger whom you can pencil in for 20 goals and 50 points every season, and he'll also help to dictate the pace of the game. 

Another free agent with a Blue Jackets connection and another of their big trade deadline acquisitions, Dzingel has shown steady improvement across the board in each of the past three seasons. Eventually that production will level off, but even if it does he is still going to be a strong second-line winger who gives you 25 goals and 50 points and is probably a few years away from starting to see his production decline. 

Mr. Game 7 is back on the free-agent market. Even as he gets into his late 30s, he is not showing any signs of slowing down and is almost as good of a two-way player as he was seven or eight years ago. He has missed only three games over the past eight years and has been a lock for around 50 points every season. 

Even though he did not get to play a ton of games with the Stars due to injury, he looked to be a great fit in their lineup after coming over in a trade with the New York Rangers. He is the exact type of depth player they need to complement their stars, but this is probably his last shot to get a big contract in free agency, and he will be a sought-after player. What he lacks in size he makes up for in creativity and playmaking. 

Technically he is a free agent, so we will include him in the rankings. But if he is going to play anywhere in 2019-20, it is going to be only with the San Jose Sharks. He is not the MVP-caliber player he was a couple of years ago, but he can still be a dominant two-way center at times and can still thread the needle when it comes to his playmaking skills. 

Lehner was one of the biggest surprises in the NHL this season as he helped solidify the New York Islanders' goaltending situation and was one of the biggest reasons they were able to return to the playoffs and reach Round 2 after sweeping the Pittsburgh Penguins. He was a finalist for the Vezina Trophy as the league's best goalie and for the Masterton Trophy for commitment and dedication to hockey. 

The success of the St. Louis Blues might make him a popular target for teams trying to copy the champion's style of play. Ferland is one of the league's most physical forwards but is also a pretty useful second- or third-line player. 

The sixth-overall pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, Connolly never became the star player you would like to see someone taken in that position become, but he has carved out a nice career for himself as a secondary player. He had a great 2018-19 season in Washington, scoring a career-high 22 goals and 24 assists. At worst you are getting a player whom you can pencil in for 15 goals for the foreseeable future. 

If he is healthy you are getting a talented, productive player. The problem is he has had some pretty significant injury issues the past two seasons that have robbed him of a lot of his peak years in the league. It could be a worthwhile gamble to take, though, because there is a pretty high reward with him. 

There was a time when Spezza was one of the league's elite playmakers, but he is a shell of his former self at this stage in his career. Still, if you are looking for a veteran center who can play on your third line and still give you a solid, well-rounded game, you can do a lot worse than him. 

If you are expecting to get the former league MVP and goal-scoring champion, you are going to be disappointed. Perry is only a free agent because the Ducks bought out the remainder of his contract, as he was no longer worth the $8.5 million price tag he was carrying, and the team had almost no trade options. Get him for $3 to $4 million and expect 15-20 goals, and you might be able to get some value from him at this stage of his career. 

It is a fairly thin group of free-agent blue liners, but Benn might be one of the more underrated ones. He is not going to score a lot, but he is a strong, second-pairing defender who can help move the play in the right direction and defend his own zone. 

Donskoi is an underrated player because a lot of what he does well does not show up in the box scores. But when he is on the ice, his team always outshoots and outscores its opponents, and there is a lot to be said for that. He would be a great bargain addition. 

Missing half of the 2018-19 season due to injury makes it easy to forget just how good he can be when he is healthy. He's the type of defender you are not going to notice much when he is at his best because he does not make many mistakes or allow other teams to generate much in the way of offense. If he is healthy, he can still be a top-four defender. 

Like Joe Thornton, he is probably going to play for only one team, and in this case it is the Detroit Red Wings. But he is still a free agent and as such we will put him on here. One of the most feared open ice hitters in the league, Kronwall has lost a couple of steps but can still contribute. 

After it looked like his career was starting to fizzle out, Filppula had a little bit of a rebound this past season with the Islanders, finishing with 17 goals in 71 games. That was his highest goal total since the 2013-14 season. 

His career has started to break down a little bit, and he is no longer the dominant net-front presence he was throughout his prime. He is probably best served to be a bottom-six player at this point in his career and used in specific situations where he can play to his strengths. There is still some value here but not a lot. 

Vanek has played for five different teams since the start of the 2015-16 and has been bouncing around the league as a rental and short-term addition. You should probably expect more of the same this season. He's still a pretty decent offensive player, but maybe not enough of one to hide his other flaws as a player. 

Panik will be an intriguing addition for a team because he can play all over a team's lineup. He is ideally suited for a third-line role, but he will not be out of place on the first or second line for a spell if needed. He's a good all-around player who can chip in 15-20 goals. 

A potential steal. All Pirri has done in the NHL is find a way to score goals whenever he has been given an opportunity. The problem is no team ever seems to be willing to give him an extended look. He will be dirt cheap compared to the top players and has the potential to score 20 goals. 

St. Louis' hometown hero is back on the open market after signing a one-year deal with the Blues and helping them win their first-ever Stanley Cup. Do not overvalue him based on that, but he can still be a good depth player. 

An inspirational player over the past two years due to his fight with cancer and the way he was able to come back from it, Boyle scored 18 goals for the Devils and Predators this past season. He's the type of player a lot of general managers love to have in their bottom six. There will be plenty of suitors for him. 

The Avalanche traded for Wilson two years ago hoping a change of scenery could help him realize some of his untapped potential. It never really happened, and at this point it is pretty clear that what you see from Wilson is what you are going to get : a bottom-six forward and probably nothing more than that. 

Brassard's stock has fallen pretty dramatically over the past two years, going from a premium trade deadline acquisition during the 2017-18 season to someone who has been traded twice since then in less than a year. He has declined pretty significantly in a short period of time, so anyone signing him is going to be taking a chance on a bounce back. 

Mrazek is coming off the best season of his career and played a crucial role in the Hurricanes making a shocking run to the Eastern Conference Final. The most surprising thing about it is that Mrazek wasn't really expected to play that big of a role when the season began, but he emerged as a crucial player on the Hurricanes' run. 

The other half of Carolina's surprisingly good goaltending duo, McElhinney is a career backup who got a chance to play an extended role this season and made the most of it. He is not someone you can count on to carry the full starter's load, but as a backup, or even in a platoon role, he could be a good value signing. 

He has been up and down over the past few years, alternating strong seasons with bad seasons. He was pretty ordinary this past year for the Colorado Avalanche, but like any goalie he is capable of going on a hot streak where he can carry his team at any time. 

Chiasson was one of the few pleasant surprises in Edmonton this past season, turning a one-year contract into a 22-goal season that should get him a nice raise this year. Just do not expect 20 goals again since he spent all year playing next to Connor McDavid. 

A long-time fan favorite in Buffalo, Pominville's production has cratered as he's aged. He is still pretty durable, but he has not scored more than 16 goals in a season in five years. He is probably looking at a one-year deal. 

Phaneuf is a free agent after the remainder of his contract was bought out by the Los Angeles Kings. Like Corey Perry, he was once one of the top players in the league but Father Time has won his battle. He probably does not have much remaining in the tank, but someone is going to find out. 

Hainsey is a respected veteran who still played a big role on the Maple Leafs' blue line this past season, though some might argue a little too big of a role. He is probably best suited to be a No. 6 or 7 defender on a contending team, but some team is going to value his experience a lot. 

He once went nearly a full season without scoring a goal (he scored two — his only two of the season — in Game 82 during the 2016-17 season) but has been a double-digit scorer pretty much every other season in the NHL. He can play center or wing and will find a spot as a fourth-liner on a short-term deal. 

A responsible defensive forward who also chipped in 14 goals for the Winnipeg Jets this past season, Tanev played some tough minutes for the Jets. He was rarely put into positions to score but still demonstrated some scoring touch.He's a good bottom-six player. 

He scored one of the biggest goals in Blues history in the Stanley Cup Final when he netted the game-winner in overtime of Game 2. He played only 25 games during the regular season and has played more than 60 just once in the past seven years, but he will find a home as a bottom-pairing defender this summer. 

A few years ago he looked like he had the chance to be a pretty solid starting goalie in the NHL, and for one year in Edmonton he was. But playing behind the Oilers defense and being run into the ground appeared to take a toll on his play. 

Smith has been a pretty consistently league-average to slightly above-league-average goalie for most of his career but saw a huge decline in his play this past season with the Calgary Flames. It was one of the worst individual seasons of his career, but he had a decent showing in the playoffs. You cannot rely on him to be a full-time starter anymore, but he will get a spot as at least a backup somewhere in the NHL for this season. 

Bellemare really came into his own when he arrived in Vegas two years ago and has become one of the more effective fourth-liners in the league. Do not expect much offense, but he is a strong defensive forward and perfect for a bottom-line role. 

Acciari made a name for himself in the playoffs with the Boston Bruins, scoring a couple of big goals and displaying a lot of toughness on the team's fourth line. He is a player whose postseason exploits will get him a lot of interest on the open market, even if it results in teams maybe overvaluing what he can do or should be expected to do. 

He played in only 51 games for the Maple Leafs this past season but still managed to score 12 goals. He was an outstanding player for Buffalo several years back but decline has set in for him. The 2018-19 season was the first time he topped double digits in goals since the 2014-15 season. 

It is hard to imagine him playing anywhere other than Vegas at this point, but he is a free agent. He completely reinvented himself as a player over the past few years, going from an enforcer to an actual defender who could play big minutes and be relied on to play in tough situations. 

One of the Stanley Cup heroes for the Washington Capitals during their 2017-18 championship run, he struggled through a brutal year in 2018-19 and never seemed to be in favor of the coaching staff or front office. He needs to have a rebound season this year no matter where he ends up. 

He had a brutal season in Edmonton, going the entire year without scoring a single goal. He was also called out, by name, by the team's CEO for the team missing the playoffs. Obviously he needs a fresh start somewhere else. A little change in his shooting luck, and he could be a great bargain bin pickup. 

He never became the player he was supposed to be, and at 27 there is little chance of that happening. But somebody is always going to think that a fresh start can do him well and can get him to realize some of the potential he once had. 

Girardi plays a style of defense from another era and is your classic "stay-at-home," net-front defender. It does not really fit in today's NHL, and now that he is another year older his value is probably not going to increase much going forward. He will get a role as a penalty-killing specialist and third-pairing player.