5 UFAs best served by re-signing with current teams

This offseason's free-agent pool offers quite a bit of high-end talent, including an unusual surplus of goaltenders. Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the league's economics, not only this season but for the foreseeable future, certain teams will have to get creative with cap space. This uncertainty also puts some players expecting hefty pay raises into tricky positions.

Let's take a look at some of the top free agents that would be best served by sticking it out with their current teams rather than exploring the open market and switching to a new club.

Jacob Markstrom

Markstrom put together the best season of his career in 2019-20 with the Canucks. Vancouver showed immense potential with its young stars and should make some noise in the coming years as players like Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes get better.

With a team bursting at the seams to enter legitimate contender status, it would make sense for Markstrom to stick with what he knows rather than trying to gel with a new team this deep into the 30-year-old's career. It was clear this past season that Markstrom played confidently, and the team in front of him did too.

The emergence of 24-year-old Thatcher Demko during the playoffs poses a bit of trouble for Markstrom. But, with such a plentiful goalie market this offseason, there's no guarantee Markstrom will sign for much more money elsewhere on a team as good as the Canucks.

Torey Krug

Krug is looking to secure the first long-term, high-salary contract of his career this offseason. It remains to be seen whether or not Boston can figure out a way to give him that deal, but it can muster up something close. Leaving a perennial Stanley Cup contender for a team potentially in rebuild mode with money to dish out is a tough decision, but one Krug will likely have to make.

The 29-year-old blue-liner is coming off a four-year, $21-million deal, and will surely get a bump in salary. Krug's desire to get paid puts him in a bit of a predicament. Boston has $14 million in projected cap space next season, but also needs to hand out contracts to players like Jake DeBrusk and Brandon Carlo this year and next. The Bruins likely want to retain Krug, but he'll probably have to take a pay cut to stay.

Krug's talent as an offensive defenseman is evident - he ranks sixth among blue-liners in points (161) over the last three seasons. The two sides can meet somewhere in the middle to ensure Krug remains with the team and gets the money and long-term security he deserves. He's been a key player since his debut in 2013, and Boston's blue line will suffer without him.

Alex Pietrangelo

The writing seems to be on the wall for Pietrangelo in St. Louis, but that doesn't mean there isn't a scenario where he ends up staying with the organization he captained to a Stanley Cup in 2019. The Blues remain one of the best teams in the league, and the 30-year-old might not find himself joining a squad in as good of a position to make another Cup run.

There's no doubt most teams will call Pietrangelo to try to snag the top free-agent of this offseason. Over the past three seasons, Pietrangelo ranks 10th in points among defensemen (147), and ninth in time on ice per game (24:42), proving he's one of the most valuable blue-liners in the league. But, how many teams can offer the right number to get him to sign and satisfy his desire to win?

It's unfortunate timing for the stud defenseman who was well on his way to securing a big-time contract. The Blues have a roster built to contend now and sticking around with the team that drafted him fourth overall in 2008 is a wise move.

Anton Khudobin

Khudobin turned in the best year of his career this past season and nearly led the Stars to a Stanley Cup victory when he took over the crease for the entirety of the 2020 playoffs. The 34-year-old has played in a backup role for virtually his entire career, so the big question is if he can finally take the step to be a bonafide starter elsewhere, or should he stay put in Dallas?

During the past two seasons, Khudobin and Ben Bishop have been one of the best goaltending tandems, allowing the least amount of goals against over that time. The duo has split the net almost evenly, with Khudobin appearing in 71 games in the last two campaigns.

Khudobin led the league in save percentage at .930 in 2019-20 and posted a dazzling .923 the season before. The situation in Dallas is seemingly perfect for the Russian netminder. He's thrived in a 1B goaltending role, and the Stars have made it clear they want him to return. His unique personality is infectious, and it's obvious the team loves to play in front of him. While he may command more money elsewhere, his fit in Dallas is almost as perfect as it gets.

Tyler Toffoli

Though it's been reported Toffoli is set to hit the open market with the Canucks likely unable to make their cap situation work, there is a chance the two circle back and find some common ground. They've both expressed interest in coming to an agreement in the past.

Toffoli's time with the Canucks was short-lived, but it's obvious he fits into the lineup well. He appeared in just 17 games with Vancouver between the regular season and playoffs. During the 10 regular-season games, the 28-year-old made an immediate impact by netting 10 points. An injury forced him out for most of the postseason, but he still managed two goals and two assists in seven games.

Toffoli had a respectable 52.83 expected goals for percentage and 51.78 Corsi For percentage at five-on-five during the regular season with the Canucks. Vancouver is set down the middle for the foreseeable future with Pettersson and Bo Horvat and needs to secure a top-six winger to play alongside them. Toffoli showed he fits that role. After a few underwhelming seasons with the Los Angeles Kings, the change of scenery in Vancouver is what he needed to pick things back up.