NHL Free Agency Period Begins: 5 Bold Predictions

NHL Free Agency Period Officially Opens on July 1st, 5 Bold Predictions

NHL Free Agency period officially opens tomorrow for players to sign with new teams. Over the past week, prospective free agents have been courted by various teams in an effort to convince FAs to sign on July 1.

Edmonton gave Milan Lucic and Jason Demers the royal treatment, taking them on a tour of the Oilers new arena. Meanwhile, the Toronto Maple Leafs did their best to sway hometown boy Steven Stamkos, that is before he re-signed with Tampa Bay on Wednesday.

As we do with every major league event, we present our five bold predictions for the NHL free agency period:

Detroit Signs Two Top Free Agents (Center/Defenseman)

After clearing space at the draft unloading Pavel Datsyuk‘s contract, the Red Wings have plenty of money to spend in free agency.

James Reimer Joins a Goalie Tandem

Similar to what Dallas did with Antti Niemi last year, or even Carolina with Cam Ward and Eddie Lack; don’t be surprised if James Reimer finds himself in a similar scenario. After a stellar 2015-16 campaign, there’s bound to be a team willing to pay a decent price on a short 2-3 year deal.

Potential Targets to Tandem with James Reimer:

Arizona Coyotes (Mike Smith), Calgary Flames (Brian Elliott) – if Joni Ortio is not re-signed, Nashville Predators (Pekka Rinne) – this would be borderline backup role, but Rinne needs a no.2 to relieve some of the load.

Big Names Re-Sign After Testing the Water

Sometimes a player needs to hit the open market to see what other offers look like before they realize the price to stay where they are is surprisingly fair. For others, they simply just want to see what other opportunities are out there.

On the other hand, maybe a team undervalues a certain player, and once they get a taste of what other teams are willing to offer, then they increase their original offer. Whatever the reason may be, there are always circumstances in which players re-sign beyond July 1st.

Potential Candidates: David Backes (STL), Frans Nielsen (NYI), Kris Russell (DAL), Brian Campbell (FLA)

New Jersey Splurges on a Top-Six RW and Defenseman

More from Puck Prose

The Devils need to add an impact RW and have more than enough money to make a big splash.

Among the notable names available are Kyle Okposo, Loui Eriksson, Troy Brouwer, and Teddy Purcell.

Ray Shero and company should be heavily in pursuit of either Okposo or Eriksson, with Brouwer and Purcell as worst case scenarios.

Following their big acquisition of star LWer Taylor Hall, the New Jersey Devils created a massive hole on the blue line. Expect them to spend a fair bit of money on a quality defender, if not two.

Next: 5 Trade Scenarios for Kevin Shattenkirk

New York Islanders Find John Tavares a New Linemate

For years, Kyle Okposo served as a suitable linemate for Johnny T, but it’s time to find Tavares a new linemate. The 2016 class features several intriguing names to play on the wing. If the Islanders are lucky, perhaps Michael Dal Colle will eventually slide in on the top line, but even if that were to ever happen, it wouldn’t likely be for a couple of years or so.

Potential Targets: Andrew Ladd, Milan Lucic, Loui Eriksson, Mikkel Boedker, David Backes

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