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Best NHL Free Agent Left Wingers
1. Patrick Marleau
Two decades of Patrick Marleau’s service for the Sharks may finally be coming to an end this offseason. Bay Area fans would want nothing more for the 37-year-old forward to finish his career in San Jose, but re-signing Joonas Donskoi and Melker Karlsson is somewhat an indication that the Sharks are looking towards the future already with a more youthful core.
Despite his age, Marleau still managed to play in all 82 regular-season games in six of the past seven seasons. His 27 goals in 2016 – his best scoring production in three years – proves that he’s not yet ready to call his NHL career a day and will be of great help to a team in need of some firepower and overall leadership.
Ideal landing spot: Los Angeles, Dallas
2. Thomas Vanek
The pool of unrestricted left wings in free agency is mighty shallow this year considering that the top three prospects are all over 30 years of age. Of the three listed here, Florida’s Thomas Vanek is the youngest at 33 and also has the lowest cap hit from 2016-17 at just $2.6 million.
Other NHL teams would be wise to acquire Vanek on a short-term contract. Still, 48 points from a power-play producer is nothing to scoff at, and a quick return to the Red Wings may be up for reconsideration to inject some veteran blood into Detroit’s young roster. The Devils, who finished at the bottom of the Metropolitan Division, are also in dire need of scorers too. They ended up with the third-fewest goals scored last season (183).
Ideal landing spot: Detroit, New Jersey
3. Patrick Sharp
Multiple concussions led to veteran Patrick Sharp playing less than 50 games last season and for the first time since 2013. But whenever he’s healthy, the Ontario native is as reliable as they come on the attack, having posted 40-point campaigns over the last eight seasons wherein he played no less than 60 games.
Sharp spent the majority of his career in the Windy City, wherein he was a member of the Blackhawks’ three Stanley Cup title runs. With Brandon Saad recently making his return to Chicago, a reunion with his old pals may just reignite the 35-year-old’s game playing for a true playoff contender. On the other hand, Dallas could opt to keep him in the Lone Star State as well, granted that his injury concerns aren’t as serious as the team perceives.
Ideal landing spot: Chicago, Dallas
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