Anywhere but Florida and I'll be happy
One of the biggest days in the NHL offseason is right around the corner. On July 1 the free agency market becomes open for business, and this year there should be no shortage of movement. Here are who the Bench Boss considers to be the top 10 free agents at each position (Forward, Defencemen and Goalie), today starting with the rearguards:
Defencemen
1. Jay Bouwmeester- Calgary claimed his rights but they still need to come through and pay him the bills. I think Daryll Sutter will cough it up for the big, smooth skating d-man.
2. Scott Niedermayer- The veteran proved last year that he still has the wheels and the moxy to be a top notch player in the league. He has expressed interest in going back home and playing for the Canucks.
3. Rob Blake- Blake enjoyed a renaissance season in San Jose last year, racking up points on the most potent (regular season) team in the league. At 40, it will be interesting to see for how long and for how much his contract will be.
4. Johnny Oduya- Chances are the Devils will re-sign Oduya who as a 7th round draft pick has turned into one of their best defencemen.
5. Mattias Ohlund- Ohlund is 32 years old, and he looked every bit of it last year for the Canucks. He is still a solid and reliable blueliner who would be a good fit for a contending team wherever it may be.
6. Hal Gill- The towering Gill has always been an underrated player, but now that he is a Stanley Cup Champion you can be sure that he will be fielding some pretty nice offers. Expect him to stay in Pittsburgh and defend the Cup next season.
7. Francois Beauchemin- Injuries have become a major concern for this rugged defencemen but when he plays he is a force. If the Ducks fail to sign Niedermayer, having already lost Pronger, they will have to sign Beauchemin.
8. Rob Scuderi- As I said earlier in the season in my Overrated/Underrated posts, Scuderi is one of the most underrated defencemen in the league. He followed up a terrific regular season with an even better playoff and was a key cog for the champion Pens. Like Gill, he should be back next year.
9. Mike Komisarek- It is a surprise that Komisarek, perhaps my most hated player in hockey would get on this list, but I can’t argue that he is a big, physical defencemen that brings it every night. There is no way to predict what Bob Gainey will do and I certainly won’t do it here.
10. Marc-Andre Bergeron- This oft-travelled defencemen is always coveted for his power play precision and it seems like he is on a new team every season so I don’t expect anything different here. Could he be the next in line to help the Montreal powerplay?
***Check back tomorrow for my top 10 free agent forwards
