Best fits for NHL's top remaining UFAs

Virtually every high-profile unrestricted free agent signed during the July 1 frenzy. Vladimir Tarasenko was the biggest name left after Day 1, but he joined the Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday.

However, there are still a handful of potential hidden gems available. Rather than choosing veterans who can only play depth roles at this point in their careers, we tried to steer our focus to younger UFAs who could still have their best hockey ahead of them.

Below, we choose the best fit for the most intriguing players remaining on the open market.

Daniel Sprong

Age: 27
Position: RW/LW
Best fit 🧩: Colorado Avalanche

The Avalanche are dealing with a high degree of uncertainty regarding two key top-six forwards. Valeri Nichushkin will remain suspended to start the season after entering stage 3 of the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program in May, and there's no guarantee he'll return at all. And captain Gabriel Landeskog said he hopes to play at some point in 2024-25, but there's still no timeline for his return. Even if he does come back, it's unclear how effective he might be after undergoing three knee surgeries since his last NHL appearance in the 2022 Stanley Cup Final.

Enter Sprong, who's easily the most established UFA available and still in the prime of his career. The Dutch-born winger scored 21 goals in 66 games in 2022-23 with the Seattle Kraken before posting 18 goals in 76 games with the Detroit Red Wings in 2023-24. Sprong averaged only 11:44 of ice time per contest over the two seasons, ranking ninth in the NHL in five-on-five goals per 60 minutes among skaters who logged at least 1,000 minutes.

There's a reason Sprong hasn't carved out more ice time despite his goal-scoring efficiency: he has notable defensive warts. However, there's 30-goal potential in his stick if he can gain Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar's trust, especially if he gels with Colorado's second-line playmaking center Casey Mittelstadt.

Sprong's last contract carried a cap hit of $2 million on a one-year deal. It's unlikely he'd cost much more than that - if at all - considering he's still without a job five days into free agency. That's a low-risk bet worth taking for the Avs.

Alex Nylander

Age: 26
Position: RW/LW
Best fit 🧩: Toronto Maple Leafs

It was mildly surprising that the Columbus Blue Jackets chose not to tender an $814,000 qualifying offer to retain Nylander's services with the way he caught fire down the stretch of the 2023-24 campaign. He tallied 11 goals and four assists in 23 games with the Jackets after being acquired in a midseason trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins. That's a 39-goal pace over 82 games, albeit with a robust 17.7 shooting percentage.

Nylander, the 2016 No. 8 pick by the Buffalo Sabres, failed to establish himself early in his career. Just when he seemed to be trending in the right direction after playing a career-high 65 games with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2019-20, he tore his meniscus in the playoffs that year, causing him to miss the entire 2020-21 campaign.

Nylander will likely only garner a one-year deal for under $1 million. That's great news for the Maple Leafs, who are nearly capped out but could use further competition for a middle-six winger spot. The potential to play on a line with his brother, William, is intriguing for all parties involved.

At best, Nylander catches fire in a potential once-in-a-lifetime opportunity alongside his older brother and becomes a cheap source of depth offense for Toronto. At worst, he fails to earn an opening day spot on the Maple Leafs and is either claimed off waivers or becomes an experienced depth option in the AHL.

Adam Boqvist

Age: 23
Position: RD
Best fit 🧩: Florida Panthers

The Panthers have a tremendous track record with reclamation projects under general manager Bill Zito. Carter Verhaeghe, Gustav Forsling, Brandon Montour, Sam Bennett, and Oliver Ekman-Larsson are all prime examples of players who were either plucked off the scrap heap or viewed as declining assets before joining Florida and flourishing.

Given his age, draft pedigree, and position, Boqvist is the most intriguing player available. The Blue Jackets surprisingly non-tendered him partly due to a logjam on the right side of their blue line. The 2018 No. 8 pick by the Blackhawks has battled some injuries in his five-year NHL career but has averaged an impressive 34 points per 82 games.

Luring Boqvist to Sunrise on a cheap, one-year deal should be an easy sell for Zito, and not just because of the GM's history with such players and the obvious advantages of playing in Florida. The Panthers have a gaping hole on the right side of the second pair of their defense, which was previously occupied by Montour. Boqvist, a true offensive defenseman, isn't totally unlike Montour. He'd be a nice fit next to the rugged Niko Mikkola and could effectively quarterback the team's power play. A bonus: the Panthers signed Boqvist's older brother, Jesper, on July 1.

Oliver Kylington

Age: 27
Position: LD
Best fit 🧩: Dallas Stars

Kylington enjoyed a breakout 31-point season with the Calgary Flames in 2021-22, but he missed all of the 2022-23 campaign and the first half of 2023-24 to focus on his mental health. Despite showing flashes of his old self, Kylington was understandably rusty in his return.

The Stars - who boast a strong organizational culture and leadership under GM Jim Nill, head coach Peter DeBoer, and captain Jamie Benn - have a need for a puck-moving defenseman to play on the left side of the third pair along with either Ilya Lyubushkin or Matt Dumba. A highly explosive skater, Kylington would be a nice fit beside one of those immobile, rugged veterans.

Kylington would ideally go to a place where he could play more minutes, but there aren't a lot of potential top-four openings available. However, if he performs well on a one-year deal in sheltered minutes for a Cup contender, it could lead to more opportunity - and a bigger payday - as a UFA again in 2025.

Kevin Lankinen

Age: 29
Position: G
Best fit 🧩: Tampa Bay Lightning

It's somewhat surprising that Lankinen is still available after a successful two-year stint as Juuse Saros' backup with the Nashville Predators, during which he posted a .912 save percentage and 13.9 goals saved above expected in 43 games.

Lankinen would be a sizeable upgrade over Jonas Johansson as Andrei Vasilevskiy's backup. Johansson registered a .890 save percentage and minus-7.2 goals saved above expected in 26 contests with the Bolts this past season.

Vasilevskiy, one of the position's true workhorses, started to show some wear and tear in 2023-24, enduring his worst NHL season after having back surgery in September. He's looked worn out in the last two postseasons, with the Lightning eliminated in Round 1 both times.

Getting a legitimate backup like Lankinen, who can play 30-plus games, would go a long way in preserving Vasilevskiy for the playoffs. Lankinen played a career-high 37 contests as a rookie with the Blackhawks in 2020-21, recording a respectable .909 save percentage for a team amid a teardown.

Martin Jones

Age: 34
Position: G
Best fit 🧩: Vancouver Canucks

Arturs Silovs endeared himself to Canucks fans with some magical moments in the postseason. However, Vancouver could still stand to add depth in the crease behind Thatcher Demko.

Enter Martin Jones, the lone elder statesman on this list and a native of North Vancouver, British Columbia.

At one point in 2023-24, Jones was Toronto's savior between the pipes. He ended up posting a decent .902 save percentage and 4.2 goals saved above expected in 22 appearances with the Maple Leafs.

Silovs has only 19 career NHL games under his belt between the regular season and playoffs. The 23-year-old is also waiver-exempt, and further seasoning in the AHL would do no harm.

Jones would likely come with a sub-$1-million cap hit, especially to play for his hometown team. He could also be placed on waivers if he struggles out of the gate. There would be no downside to bringing him in.

(Analytics sources: Natural Stat Trick, Evolving-Hockey)