ECHL player Aaron Luchuk discussed being traded from the Toronto Maple Leafs to the Ottawa Senators and then the Montreal Canadiens. Tomas Tatar [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAwNTkwMTIxNjA5Nzk5MDMy/usatsi_19261821_168400847_lowres.jpg] Tomas Tatar With training camps nearing closer by the day, there are still a number of NHL veterans on the free agent market in need of new homes. Let's take a look at the 10 best players still standing and what they could bring to their potential new employers. TOMAS TATAR, RW/LW Age: 32 2022-23 Stat Line: 82 GP, 20 goals, 28 assists, 48 points, 15:07 TOI Tatar being unsigned this close to training camp simply doesn't make sense. This is a very effective middle-six winger coming off a 20-goal season as a member of one of the league's best offensive attacks who won't celebrate his 33rd birthday until after the puck drops on the 2023-24 campaign. What gives? The only explanation is that shenanigans are at play – namely that Islanders GM Lou Lamoriello signed him back in July and just hasn't gotten around to announcing it yet. That's just Lou being Lou, baby. Conspiracy theories aside, Tatar should have a wide variety of suitors if he is indeed still on the market, boosting the top-to-middle-six of a number of bubble teams such as the Pittsburgh Penguins, Buffalo Sabres and Winnipeg Jets. He's a great supplemental piece to a roster with its heavy lifters already in place. It all depends on the price, which may have been the sticking point all along. And while Tatar is likely looking to cash in on one last big-money deal before his mid-30s, training camps are only getting closer, leaving him with little leverage. PATRICK KANE, RW Age: 34 2022-23 Stat Line: 73 GP, 21 goals, 36 assists, 57 points, 19:19 TOI Kane isn't totally washed, per se. There are still flashes of the 92-point player from a year ago. But Kane doesn't exactly have momentum on his side at the moment, coming off the worst season of his career, a profoundly underwhelming cameo as a New York Ranger, and hip resurfacing surgery that you should not look further into if you have a sensitive stomach that will likely sideline him until the new year. The thing about Kane is that he's never played defense. He's never even thought about playing it, in fact. But his elite offensive results have always made up for those lapses while a quality supporting cast filled in the rest. Sadly, Kane's results and his supporting cast both vanished last season, and what materialized was a player who needed the puck on his stick to be effective but wasn't effective enough to get the puck on his stick. Kane played through hip injuries in 2022-23 that have hopefully been remedied by this surgery. And, at the right price, he could be a game-changing addition to a contender looking to juice its offense mid-season. Vegas just seems like the perfect fit. PHIL KESSEL, RW Age: 35 2022-23 Stat Line: 82 GP, 14 goals, 22 assists, 36 points, 12:49 TOI I would sell a kidney to get Kessel back on the Leafs for one last run at a Cup. Can you imagine? It would be Narrative Christmas, the old whipping boy sauntering back into town to help the most beleaguered fan base in the NHL snap the sport's longest championship drought like he was always destined to do. He's not the offensive focal point that he was during his Toronto days, but Kessel is still an effective depth forward who, in a shocking twist, happens to be one of the most universally beloved locker room guys in the league. Racking up 14 goals and 36 points in under 13 minutes of average nightly ice time is pretty darn efficient from the veteran winger. And, given his public declaration that the ironman streak won't be a problem, teams can rest easy knowing they won't be pressured into playing Kessel for all 82 games. Case in point: Kessel is absolutely still good enough to hold down an NHL roster spot. It's time someone gives one to him. ZACH PARISE, LW Age: 39 2022-23 Stat Line: 82 GP, 21 goals, 13 assists, 34 points, 16:09 TOI One of the more shocking revelations I've had recently is learning that Zach Parise scored over 20 goals last year. It doesn't seem right, and yet, it is. Looks like the old horse still has some legs under him. There's a chance that Parise has already re-signed with the Islanders, and we'll all learn about it on the first day of training camp. Once again, it's just Lou being Lou. But if he is still looking for a home, there are far worse options out there. As a league-minimum, bottom-six depth piece, Parise can absolutely fit on a contending roster in need of some extra help. He has plenty of limitations now, given his age, but the guy played all 82 games last year and scored at nearly a half-point-per-game clip on a club that doesn't believe in offense as a concept. That ain't bad! NICK RITCHIE, LW Age: 27 2022-23 Stat Line: 74 GP, 13 goals, 13 assists, 26 points, 13:33 TOI Ritchie is what he is at this point: A physical bottom-six winger who can contribute serviceable offensive numbers if put in a sheltered role. He should also never be tapped to win a shootout with his team's season on the line. Then again, I don't have a Jack Adams, so what do I know? The thing going for Ritchie at this point is his age. He's only 27, making him the youngest free agent on this list and one who could maybe convince a GM to think he still has some untapped potential waiting to be harvested. Just slap Ritchie on your fourth line at, like, $900,000, and hope he gives you double-digit goals and hits a few people along the way. Problem solved. JOSH BAILEY, RW/LW/C Age: 33 2022-23 Stat Line: 64 GP, 8 goals, 17 assists, 25 points, 15:08 TOI Bailey's numbers have been steadily declining every year after his breakout 2017-18 campaign, but last season was when the situation became untenable – at least for a guy making $5 million. The good news is that Bailey almost certainly will not be making that much money this season. The bad news is he might not be making anything at all, given that no team has signed him yet. It's the same story as most of the names on this list. At a league-minimum rate and in a bottom-six role, Bailey could possibly fill the gap as a solid veteran depth piece on a team that needs one. His status as one of the least efficient players in hockey last season won't exactly pair well with a reduction in usage, but, hey, he's respected in the room and won't rock the boat. Some teams are looking for just that. PAUL STASTNY, C Age: 37 2022-23 Stat Line: 73 GP, 9 goals, 13 assists, 22 points, 11:52 TOI Age caught up with Stastny last season, resulting in career lows in goals, assists, points and ice time by a wide margin across the board. To be fair, the guy was part of a stacked Hurricanes roster in which playing time is scarce. But Stastny noticeably fell off in 2022-23 and is now looked at purely as a fourth-line center who may have just been lapped by Father Time. There are still positives, though. Stastny crushed his heavily sheltered depth minutes last season to the tune of a 61.1-percent expected-goals share, showing he can still keep the puck moving in the right direction if put in the position to do so. The Hurricanes are one of the teams with the depth to make that happen, making Stastny a target for contenders looking to round out the peripheries of their roster. Add in the fact he won 57.6 percent of his draws, and there might still be use for Stastny somewhere out there. DERICK BRASSARD, C/LW Age: 35 2022-23 Stat Line: 62 GP, 13 goals, 10 assists, 23 points, 12:11 TOI Brassard impressively turned a PTO into a roster spot with the Senators last season out of training camp when it looked like his career was in flux, and that's likely what he'll have to do again this year as long as he's fully recovered from the broken fibula he suffered back in early April. It's been a while since Brassard was a meaningful offensive big-leaguer. But even as a depth player for the Sens last season, the veteran managed to rack up 13 goals, including four game-winners, while starting just 41 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone. As a 13th forward, there are far worse options out there than Brassard, whose journeyman status can help him assimilate into yet another new system. TYLER MOTTE, LW/RW Age: 28 2022-23 Stat Line: 62 GP, 8 goals, 11 assists, 19 points, 12:34 TOI Give Motte a cap hit under $950,000 and a steady heaping of defensive zone starts, and he'll make it work. That's what the guy does best, chipping in the occasional offensive contribution while logging defensive-focused minutes in a fourth-line role. It's not a sexy job, but it's one Motte does admirably. And it should net him at least a PTO as camps inch closer. ZACH ASTON-REESE, LW/RW Age: 29 2022-23 Stat Line: 77 GP, 10 goals, 4 assists, 14 points, 10:56 TOI Pure defense. That's what you're getting with Aston-Reese. That he hit double-digits in goals last season – a career high, by the way – came largely from the Leafs' talent surrounding him and at the expense of any assists, of which he racked up just four. In his own end, though, Aston-Reese is a tremendous depth option capable of tilting the ice in his team's favor while playing fourth-line minutes. He's a good barometer for roster construction, really. If Aston-Reese is on your fourth line, you're probably doing something right. If he's any higher, there is a problem that needs fixing right away. Frankly, it's surprising he's still available. And, when training camps open, he likely won't be for long.
