We’re 3 weeks into the 2023 NHL Free Agency period, and while most of the big names have signed on the dotted line for the upcoming season, there remain a few notable players still available to be had. With teams facing salary cap constraints, and the league cap ceiling likely to spike by $4M+ next year, those that haven’t committed to a club as of yet are likely to sign 1 year deals at this point.

In doing so, they’ll be able to re-hit the market in 2024-25 and hopefully cash in when more money is available. The list below contains some names who may have hinted at retirement, but have yet to officially make an announcement/file their paperwork with the league.

Latest Rumours:

Patrice Bergeron & David Krejci: Both players are more likely to retire than to sign with another club at this point in their careers. But with Krejci (37) and Bergeron (soon to be 38) both quickly approaching 40, they’ll also need to weigh whether their bodies can handle another full 82 game season + playoffs. Still, all signs point towards them donning the yellow and black again this year, or hanging up their skates altogether.

Jonathan Toews: The longtime Hawks captain took his final lap in Chicago in 2022-23 in front of an emotional crowd. Toews has struggled with the lasting effects of COVID, and has admitted to being physically off for several seasons now. After rumours that he would retire leaked online, Toews set the record straight telling reporters “To be fully honest, I’m not near making that decision yet…I don’t feel like with what I’ve been through this year and this past season that I have enough clarity on what that decision is going to be.” While his future remains up the in the air, the likelihood of him suiting up with a team for training camp this fall seems slim at this point.

Matt Dumba: After years of trade speculation, the Wild ultimately let alternate captain Matt Dumba walk via free agency. The 28 year old RHD is the top remaining blue line option on the market, but remains unsigned well into the summer. A former 7th overall pick, Dumba put up 4G, 10A in 79 contests for the Wild last year. The latest buzz around the league has the Vancouver Canucks, San Jose Sharks, Dallas Stars, and Arizona Coyotes kicking the tires on the free agent defenseman.

Tomas Tatar: Tatar is a 6x twenty goal scorer in the league, who put up a respectable 48pts (20G, 28A) with the New Jersey Devils last season. That being said, he’s likely one of the players feeling the effects of the cap crunch at the moment, as few clubs have $4M+ (his reported asking price) to squeeze him onto their roster. His poor playoff performance (1G, 0A in 12 games) also likely didn’t help his cause. The Devils and Sabres are rumoured to be interested in the Slovakian winger, and teams like the Anaheim Ducks, who have ample cap space, and could then flip him to a contender at the trade deadline, shouldn’t be ruled out either.

Patrick Kane: Kane’s situation is relatively simple. He’s a proven winner, who still possesses high end offensive talent, but he’s also recovering from major offseason surgery and won’t be ready for the start of the season. As such, Kane’s camp is going to bide their time, and see which teams emerge as viable Stanley Cup contenders through the first few months before making any decisions.

Vladimir Tarasenko: Tarasenko likely thought he would have been signed by now. But the soon to be 32 year old hasn’t put together consecutive healthy seasons since the Blues won the cup. A 6x thirty goal scorer, Tarasenko is undoubtedly talented, but also wants to be paid as such. Meaning he’s either going to need to sign with a team not yet ready to compete (such as San Jose) or perhaps roll the dice on a one year deal at a discounted rate with a contender. The Rangers, Senators, and Hurricanes have all contacted the Russian forward’s camp, but the money would need to be right in order for any of them to be a fit.

Each Team’s Remaining UFA’s:

Anaheim Ducks:

Axel Andersson, Nathan Beaulieu, Simon Benoit, Max Comtois, Michael Del Zotto, Olle Eriksson Ek, Derek Grant, Scott Harrington, Olli Juolevi, Bryce Kindopp, John Moore, Dylan Sikura.

Arizona Coyotes:

Laurent Dauphin, Ronald Knot, Brett Ritchie, David Tendeck.

Boston Bruins:

Samuel Asselin, Patrice Bergeron, Peter Cehlarik, Matt Filipe, David Krejci, Anton Stralman, Kai Wissmann, Nick Wolff.

Buffalo Sabres:

Michael Houser, Sean Malone, Matej Pekar, Lawrence Pilut, Austin Strand.

Calgary Flames:

Nicolas Meloche, Nick Ritchie, Kristians Rubins, Alexander Yelesin.

Carolina Hurricanes:

Dominik Bokk, Jack Dugan, Ryan Dzingel, Cavan Fitzgerald, Jake Gardiner, Oliwer Kaski, Stelio Mattheos, Jesse Puljujarvi, Paul Stastny, Derek Stepan, Malte Stromwall.

Chicago Blackhawks:

Anders Bjork, Hunter Drew, Jakub Galvas, Maxim Golod, Cam Hillis, Caleb Jones, Jujhar Khaira, Anton Khudobin, Buddy Robinson, Alex Stalock, Jonathan Toews, Austin Wagner, Andy Welinski.

Colorado Avalanche:

Darren Helm, Charles Hudon, Keith Kinkaid, Ryan Merkley, Gustav Rydahl.

Columbus Blue Jackets:

Jon Gillies, Michael Hutchinson, Joona Luoto.

Dallas Stars:

Riley Barber, Dawson Barteaux, Tanner Kero, Joel Kiviranta, Oskari Laaksonen, Adam Scheel, Marián Studenič, Dylan Wells.

Detroit Red Wings:

Pontus Andreasson, Seth Barton, Victor Brattstrom, Alex Chiasson, Adam Erne, Dylan McLaughlin, Danny O’Regan, Chase Pearson, Mark Pysyk, Pius Suter.

Edmonton Oilers:

Justin Bailey, Tyler Benson, Jason Demers, Oscar Klefbom, Slater Koekkoek, Ryan Murray, Devin Shore.

Florida Panthers:

J-F Berube, Anthony Bitetto, Henry Bowlby, Connor Bunnaman, Evan Fitzpatrick, Max Gildon, Serron Noel, Eric Staal, Colin White.

Los Angeles Kings:

Tobie Bisson, Aidan Dudas, Alexander Edler, David Hrenak, Jacob Ingham, Nate Schnarr. 

Minnesota Wild:

Brandon Baddock, Matt Dumba, Damien Giroux, Mason Shaw.

Montreal Canadiens:

Frederic Allard, Madison Bowey, Paul Byron, Otto Leskinen, Tony Sund, Joel Teasdale.

Nashville Predators:

Cal Foote, Jimmy Huntington, Markus Nurmi, Isaac Ratcliffe, Austin Rueschhoff, Tomas Vomacka.

New Jersey Devils:

Zachary Emond, Joseph Gambardella, Mason Geertsen, Jeremy Groleau, Jayce Hawryluk, Zack Hayes, Timur Ibragimov, Robbie Russo, Gilles Senn, Aarne Talvitie, Tomas Tatar.

New York Islanders:

Collin Adams, Cole Bardreau, Blade Jenkins, Jeff Kubiak, Richard Panik, Zach Parise, Cory Schneider, Bode Wilde. 

New York Rangers:

Libor Hajek, Jaroslav Halak, Patrick Kane, Tyler Motte, C.J. Smith, Vladimir Tarasenko, Cooper Zech.

Ottawa Senators:

Olle Alsing, Jonathan Aspirot, Antoine Bibeau, Derick Brassard, Dylan Ferguson, Nick Holden, Austin Watson.

Philadelphia Flyers:

Evan Barratt, Kieffer Bellows, Jackson Cates, Max Willman, Wyatte Wylie.

Pittsburgh Penguins:

Peter Diliberatore, Danton Heinen, Josh Maniscalco, Colin Swoyer.

San Jose Sharks:

Aaron Dell, Jonah Gadjovich, Noah Gregor, Strauss Mann, Markus Nutivaara, CJ Suess, Andrej Sustr, Evgeny Svechnikov, Max Veronneau.

Seattle Kraken:

Joonas Donskoi, Jesper Froden, Christopher Gibson, John Hayden, Martin Jones, Austin Poganski, Carsen Twarynski.

St. Louis Blues:

Martin Frk, Josh Leivo, Dmitri Samorukov, Luke Witkowski.

Tampa Bay Lightning:

Rudolfs Balcers, Trevor Carrick, Brian Elliott, Pierre-Cedric Labrie, Maxime Lagace, Dominik Masin, Grant Mismash, Dmitry Semykin, Gemel Smith, Daniel Walcott.

Toronto Maple Leafs:

Zach Aston-Reese, Jordie Benn, Carl Dahlstrom, Filip Kral, Wayne Simmond.

Vancouver Canucks:

Ethan Bear, Micheal Ferland, Carson Focht, John Stevens.

Vegas Golden Knights:

Connor Corcoran, Spencer Foo, Phil Kessel, Sakari Manninen, Maxim Marushev, Nolan Patrick.

Washington Capitals:

Gabriel Carlsson, Kody Clark, Carl Hagelin, Bobby Nardella, Mike Vecchione.

Winnipeg Jets:

Mikhail Berdin, Evan Cormier, Sam Gagner, Saku Maenalanen.

-Kyle Skinner

Twitter: @JKyleSkinner

Photo: Michael Miller. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.

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