An early look at 2021 NHL free agent bargains
Anthony Scultore
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Yesterday we identified realistic top NHL free agents based on Adam Gretz’s power rankings of 2021 UFAs. Now our focus shifts to top free agent bargains.
NHL Unrestricted Free Agent Bargains for 2021
David Krejci: This Boston Bruins center will be a UFA in 2021 at the age of 35. He can still play as he notched 43 points in 61 games. Krejci will also be coming off a deal that pays him $7.25 million and will get nothing close to that in this environment. Teams looking for a veteran center to play second or third line minutes will do well here.
Ryan Getzlaf: When this former superstar hits the open market he will be 36 years-old. Getzlaf will also be coming off the last year of a big contract that paid $8.25 million. Just like Krejci he will not see anything close to it, but has immense value. The 6’4″ pivot notched 42 points in 69 games.
Paul Stastny: Another old center makes his way on this list. Stastny will be 35 when he hits the open market. He will be coming off a deal that paid $6.5 million AAV and will not see anything close to that. He can still be a veteran third line center after scoring 38 points in 71 games this past season.
Eric Staal: There’s a theme here. The most senior Staal is a center that will hit the open market in 2021 at the tender age of 36. Eric represents a prime candidate to play for one year at one million which is all the rage these days. He scored 47 points in 66 games and could be an absolute steal for a team looking for center depth.
Zdeno Chara: First off, he hasn’t signed anywhere for this year. The expectation is that he will sign a one year deal with Boston. If that is the case, he will absolutely be in the top 5 of the 2021 UFA list at age 44.