5 best free-agent right wingers
Brian Gionta
The Montreal Canadiens captain is exploring his options on the open market in lieu of taking a hometown discount in order to remain in la belle province.
The 35-year-old is coming off an 18-goal, 22-assist season with the Canadiens, and contributed one goal and six assists in 17 games during the team's rather surprising run to the Eastern Conference finals.
Clearly on the down swing of his career - having not reached the 20-goal mark in three years after six seasons of 25-plus goals from 2003-2011 - Gionta remains a valuable veteran presence who isn't afraid to shoot the puck, as evidenced by his 336 attempts last season (good for fifth on the Canadiens).
Martin Havlat
Recently bought out by the San Jose Sharks, the 26th overall pick in the 1999 NHL Draft is a 0.77 point per game player over the course of his career, but has never played a full 82-game season due to a plethora of injury issues over the years.
As such, the 33-year-old is a high-risk / relatively high-reward free agent option; a six-time 20-goal scorer who topped the 50-point mark on seven occasions, Havlat hit a career-high 29 goals and 77 points as a member of the Chicago Blackhawks in 2009-09.
His time in San Jose, however, produced three of the lowest producing seasons of his career, scoring 12 goals and adding 20 assists in 2013-14.
While he certainly won't command the $5-million cap hit from his previous contract, he could be a sneaky buy-low option for a team looking for offensive depth.
Radim Vrbata
Vrbata is already commanding much attention, having reportedly whittled his list of potential destinations down to a handful.
The 33-year-old is an interesting case; Vrbata spent six of the past seven seasons with the Phoenix (now Arizona) Coyotes, posting the best years of his career in the desert, including four 20-goal seasons and one 19-goal effort. This consistent production was highlighted by a 35-goal, 62-point 2011-12 season.
Outside of AZ, however, Vrbata tends to have struggled, unable to reach the 20-goal mark in stints with the Colorado Avalanche, Carolina Hurricanes, Chicago Blackhawks and Tampa Bay Lightning.
He signed with the latter as a free agent on July 1, 2008, after one successful season with Phoenix; after scoring three goals in 18 games, he requested permission to return to his native Czech Republic that season due to personal reasons, and was later traded back to the Coyotes, where he has largely thrived ever since.
Ales Hemsky
Hemsky recorded four goals and 13 assists in 20 games with the Ottawa Senators after being traded by the Edmonton Oilers prior to the trade deadline, but was not blown away by a contract offer from the penny pinching club in Canada's capital, and is therefore one of the more attractive options on this summer's free agent market.
The 30-year-old - who is also no stranger to injury issues - was drafted 13th overall by the Oilers in 2001, producing at a rate of 0.74 points per game over the course of 672 career games.
Known more as a setup man than a goal scorer, Hemsky - when healthy - is able to drive play in his team's favour and create offense in consistent and oft-entertaining fashion, and will more than likely reel in considerably more than the three-year, $10-million offer that Ottawa is believed to have presented.
Jarome Iginla
For the second straight summer, Iginla is an unrestricted free agent, and while not quite the legend he once was, he remains one of the biggest names on the open market with more than respectable numbers to boot.
Iginla scored 30 goals and added 31 assists in 78 games with the Bruins last season, extending a remarkable streak of 30-plus goal seasons to 12, a lockout shortened 2013 season notwithstanding.
At 36, Iginla is clearly in search of an ever-elusive Stanley Cup, and if an agreement with the Bruins - his preferred destination - can't be reached, he's likely to sign a two-year contract with a team with only the most serious of championship aspirations, or as close to that as he can get.