The 2024 NHL free agency pool already wasn’t that deep. But when Auston Matthews, Sebastian Aho, Devon Toews and Connor Hellebuyck re-signed with their respective squads, it turned the potential free agent list from kiddie pool shallow to puddle on the side of the road shallow. But there’s still a few big nam who remain unsigned as the 2023-24 season is underway.
Forwards
Steven Stamkos
Stamkos will be 34 years old when July 2024 rolls around, but based on his production, he doesn’t appear to be slowing down any time soon. He quietly put up 42 goals and 106 points during the 2021-22 season and 34 goals and 84 points in 2022-23 on a stacked Tampa Bay roster, but he’s always been a big-time offensive producer. The injuries have started to rack up over the years, but until the decline in his production actually starts, there should be nothing to be concerned about when it comes to the talent of Steven Stamkos. He could be the perfect veteran leadership piece for a team looking for a boost to their offense, that is, if he leaves Tampa in the first place.
Elias Lindholm
In the never-ending conversation of who is the most underrated player in the league, Calgary’s Elias Lindholm may take the cake. He put up 82 points in 82 games during the 2021-22 season, centering one of the league’s most dominate lines with Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk. And he still managed 64 points in 2022-23 without either of them. He’s one of the best two-way centers in the game today, as evidenced by his runner-up Selke finish in 2022 and 10th place finish in 2023. All that boils down to a very expensive contract extension, a big pay day from his current $4.8 million. For the John Tortorella-led Flyers, adding another high-end two-way center to the duo of Noah Cates and Sean Couturier could be enticing.
William Nylander
After the Leafs inked Auston Matthews to his five-year, $58 million extension, the writing could be on the wall for William Nylander, who could hit free agency due to the cap crunch on Toronto. Nylander has kept getting better as his career has gone on, posting 34 goals and 80 points in 81 games during the 2021-22 campaign then surpassed his own best with 40 goals and 87 points in 2022-23.. He’ll be 28 years old in 2024, still plenty young enough to cash in on a major extension if his play remains at its current level. It is also worth pointing out the Nylander is transitioning to play center as well, making him very versatile up front.
Sam Reinhart
The Flyers passed on Sam Reinhart once during the 2021 offseason, so now they have a chance to right that wrong in 2024. The talent has always been there for Reinhart, who is now 28 years old, but being stuck on a miserable Sabres team limited his ceiling. When the Panthers acquired him, his play exploded, scoring 33 goals and 82 points in 78 games, and has produced 160 points in 168 games in Florida. He’s broke the 20-goal plateau in seven of his eight NHL seasons and provided his numbers stay inflated for the next few years he remains a Panther, he could be one of the best centers of the 2024 class.
Jake Guentzel
Guentzel has been attached to the hip with Sidney Crosby for most of his career at this point, and he’s done rather well for himself because of it. He’s posted 423 points in 461 games, including two 40-goal seasons and racking up more than a point-per-game in three consecutive years. He’ll turn 29 years old early in the 2024-25 season, which just so happens to be the last season of Crosby’s current contract. Time will tell what the Penguins look like in a few years as their core continues to age, but if Crosby appears to be at the end of his career at that point, does Guentzel go looking for greener pastures for the back-nine of his own career?
Vladimir Tarasenko
For most of his career, Tarasenko was among the elite offensive producers in the league. Then a stretch of various shoulder injuries and subsequent surgeries seemed to throw that in jeopardy. The 32-year-old returned and proved he’s still got plenty in the tank, and signed a one-year deal with the Ottawa Senators last summer. Is he going to turn into one of those veterans that bounces around the league during the late stages of his career? If so, it may be a smart play for the Flyers to sign him next summer, because he’d be an invaluable resource for youngsters like Tyson Foerster, Cutter Gauthier and Owen Tippett to learn from.
Defense
Noah Hanifin
The 27-year-old left-handed defenseman Noah Hanifin is going to be the crown jewel of the 2024 free agency pool on defense. Hanifin served as the Calgary’s top left-handed defenseman last season. Given the Flames are in a transition era trying to figure out where they go from here, Hanifin’s job security will depend heavily on how the rest of the team looks. If they can’t recover from losing Gaudreau and Tkachuk and an ugly start to the 2023-24 season, they may let him walk in free agency. He can play both sides of the puck, as evidenced by his 10 goals and 48 points during the 2021-22 campaign, and turning just 27 years old in 2024, he could cash in big thanks to his impressive two-way ability.
Shayne Gostisbehere
A reunion with Gostisbehere feels highly unlikely, but things are much different than they were when he last played here. Chuck Fletcher is gone. The previous coaching staff is gone, a vast majority of the players he shared a locker room with are gone. Maybe it’s enough to potentially re-open the bridge of communication between the two sides. Ghost’s overall game is still very hit or miss, but he’s shown the ability to score during his days with the Coyotes and early with the Red Wings, two teams with nothing to lose. Not sure Tortorella will be looking for an all-offense, no defense kind of addition to the blue line, but if the powerplay struggles continue to the level they have, it may soon be time to admit defeat and give an old friend a call.
Chris Tanev
Much like Sam Reinhart, Chris Tanev is a player the Flyers should’ve considered adding years ago but passed on the opportunity. The 34-year-old right handed defenseman is a cool, calm and collected veteran, who would be a decent option alongside one of the Flyers’ young lefties like Emil Andrae or Egor Zamula. John Tortorella loves him some veteran defensemen, and Tanev would actually serve a purpose unlike many of the elders on the roster today.
By: Dan Esche (@DanTheFlyeraFan)
photo credit: nhl.com / Getty Images
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