General managers and agents are glued to their phones. The rumor mill is in overdrive. Yes, the opening of the 2022 free-agency period is almost here. To set the scene ahead of Wednesday, theScore is reading the tea leaves to offer realistic landing spots for seven high-profile unrestricted free agents.
Evgeni Malkin, C
Malkin was the subject of a Monday bombshell. TSN reported the future Hall of Famer has decided to hit the open market for the first time in his career.
Four years at $6.1 million per season was the last deal tabled by the Penguins, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. (Later Monday, the club signed winger Rickard Rakell to a six-year extension carrying a $5M AAV.)
Malkin, who recorded an average of one point per game over the past two seasons, has spent 16 straight years with Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang. Crosby is locked in for three more years while a few days ago Letang re-upped for six. None of them are at the peak of their powers in 2022. However, it's understandable why Penguins brass would try to keep all three around.
And, let's be clear, just because Malkin says he's going to market on Wednesday doesn't mean A) he can't be persuaded to sign with the Pens on Tuesday, and B) he can't circle back to the Pens after seeing what's out there.
Despite Washington being a Pittsburgh rival, the Capitals should be intrigued by this Malkin news, given Nicklas Backstrom's uncertain status. Same goes for Boston and Patrice Bergeron, who has yet to commit to another season with the Bruins. There's about 10 other teams who could conceivably be interested in bringing on an icon like Malkin, who still has plenty of juice left.
Best guess: Pittsburgh on a four-year deal (and slightly higher AAV).
Johnny Gaudreau, W
Gaudreau is in his own tier, which is saying something because this is an above-average UFA class. The career-long Calgary Flame is the only player expected to net an AAV of $10 million or higher during this free-agency period.
It won't be undeserved, either. Gaudreau, who's 29 in August, recorded a whopping 115 points last season to finish second in scoring. He was fourth on the MVP ballot, and 2021-22 wasn't some flash in the pan: the diminutive winger potted 99 points in 2018-19. Simply put, a player of his caliber very rarely becomes available to the entire league in and around their prime.
The Flames can swoop in with one last eight-year offer on Tuesday, so there's a solid chance Gaudreau never even makes it to Wednesday's market opening. Not only can he get the extra year with Calgary and nowhere else, as well as comparable money to other clubs based on reports, but Gaudreau and the Flames' other core members have unfinished business. During his tenure, the team has never made it past the second round of the postseason.
The New Jersey native is constantly being linked to the Devils and Philadelphia Flyers, and as of late the New York Islanders have been tossed around as a potential landing spot. As it currently stands, there might not be many suitors. The cap is virtually flat, so you can count on one hand the number of teams with enough flexibility to table a $10 million AAV deal.
Best guess: Calgary on an eight-year deal.
Nazem Kadri, C
Kadri, who's been on a bargain contract for years, is about to hit the jackpot.
He's coming off a career-high 87 points in 71 games; he changed the narrative around his playoff career, going from annual liability to hero on a Stanley Cup-winning squad; he's the type of edgy, two-way center GMs drool over.
The only thing working against Kadri is his birth certificate. He's looking for a lucrative long-term deal (think $50 million), but he'll be 32 by early October.
The Seattle Kraken have the cap space and could use a veteran to shepherd young centers Matty Beniers and Shane Wright. The upstart Detroit Red Wings have room on the books, too, and Kadri is from nearby London, Ontario. The contending New York Rangers could use a center behind Mika Zibanejad. Heck, maybe the Flames or Bruins get in the mix if top forwards Gaudreau and Bergeron sign elsewhere.
Best guess: Detroit on a six-year deal.
Claude Giroux, C/W
While still an effective two-way forward, Giroux's no longer producing at a superstar level in his quest to finally earn a Cup ring. In other words, his next cap hit won't even be in the ballpark of his just-expired $8.275 million AAV.
Still, Giroux is looking for a new home because the Florida Panthers are currently up against the cap. He's been linked in reports to three other teams: the Ottawa Senators, Edmonton Oilers, and Carolina Hurricanes.
Finally, the Senators appear committed to being competitive; the team picked up 40-goal man Alex DeBrincat via trade last week. And that's great, but the club's timeline to contend for the Cup - not just sneak into the playoffs - doesn't quite line up with Giroux's final few productive years in the NHL. It's been well-documented that Giroux has a personal connection to the Ottawa area. Are the Sens pursuing him hard for both the playmaking and presence?
Meanwhile, the Oilers and Hurricanes are both in win-now mode and shuffling the deck at forward. Giroux preferred to stay on the east coast at the trade deadline, so it may require a whopper of an offer to send him to Edmonton.
Best guess: Carolina on a two-year deal (Giroux signs in Ottawa in two years).
Jack Campbell, G
With Marc-Andre Fleury, Ville Husso, Alexandar Georgiev, Vitek Vanecek, Casey DeSmith, and Matt Murray all recently on the move, Campbell is in a position to cash in while also staring down a dwindling goalie market.
Campbell had a roller coaster 2021-22 season in the Toronto Maple Leafs' crease, his first as an NHL starter. It began very well, then he battled through an injury, returned, and more or less struggled down the stretch. The result: a .914 save percentage in 49 games. (He was OK in a first-round playoff loss.)
Nevertheless, the 30-year-old fan favorite should command at least $3 million more than the $1.65M AAV attached to his last deal. The Capitals, who traded Vanecek and chose not to extend a qualifying offer to Ilya Samsonov all within a few days, should be in the running for Campbell's services. Edmonton will be right there, too. They find themselves in a similar spot as Campbell's old team - with a roster heavy on star forwards and a GM desperate for a reliable starting goaltender. The Oilers could move out enough money to reel in Campbell, and who doesn't want to play with McDavid and Draisaitl?
Best guess: Edmonton on a three-year deal.
Darcy Kuemper, G
Kuemper is a pretty desirable UFA goalie: at 32, he's not too old for a netminder; with a .918 save percentage through 299 games, he's a proven starter; he's fresh off backstopping the Colorado Avalanche to a Cup.
The buyer beware tag comes into play when you realize Kuemper posted a pedestrian .902 in 16 playoff games, and shortly after the Cup was handed out Avs management acquired Georgiev to be Pavel Francouz's partner. Georgiev's cheaper, sure, but the Avs clearly don't think highly of Kuemper.
The Saskatchewan native is reportedly looking for something similar to the six-year, $35.4-million deal signed a year ago by old partner Philipp Grubauer. The goalie market being what it is, Kuemper's dream likely becomes reality.
The Oilers and Capitals top the list of obvious suitors. There are surely additional clubs tossing out proposals. Maybe the Devils enter the conversation if they can get off Mackenzie Blackwood's deal? And what's stopping the Buffalo Sabres from making a statement to jolt the rebuild?
Best guess: Washington on a five-year deal.
John Klingberg, D
Klingberg is the top UFA defenseman - and it isn't particularly close.
The soon-to-be-30-year-old Swede is a defensive liability at times, yet not many blue-liners across the NHL possess better offensive tools. Klingberg is hungry for a big ticket following what felt like an entire year of trade rumors as his seven-year, $29.75-million contract with the Dallas Stars wound down.
The Kraken, who lack mobility on the back end, can certainly afford him. The Hurricanes are itching to improve their defense corps and, after trading Tony DeAngelo to Philadelphia, don't have a quintessential puck-mover. That said, Carolina is famous for avoiding long-term commitments to older free agents regardless of the player's pedigree. The Senators have also been connected to Klingberg, though it would be an odd fit. (On the other hand, it would be fascinating to watch him skate with Thomas Chabot and Jake Sanderson.)
Best guess: Seattle on a seven-year deal.
John Matisz is theScore's senior NHL writer. Follow John on Twitter (@MatiszJohn) or contact him via email (john.matisz@thescore.com).