*Editor’s note: Fan of the site, Maksim Vasilyev, decided to write a counterpoint to my article on the top 10 UFA forwards, which you can find here. The following is Maksim’s own take on the player’s in question. This is a fan piece and has not been edited by our editors. We hope you enjoy it. If you would like to write your own piece, contact us at [email protected]*
1) Zach Parise, New Jersey Devils, Left Wing/Right Wing
2011-12 Salary: $6,000,000
2011-12 Stats: 82 GP, 31 G, 38 A, 69 Pts, 32 PIMs
Zach Parise is an outstanding player no question about it, but he can’t grow a beard. Lets not hold that against him too much though. This UFA market is a bit slim and could yield a big contract for the tenacious winger. Jump to Inlouwetrust.com for some great details on Zach here. What Zach misses in size, he makes up with grit, determination, and ridiculous will to beat you to the puck. For most of his career and the reason we all know about him, besides his dad, has been all about scoring. This past year we saw his game mature a bit, the impact? How about Stanley Cup Finals. Parise has elevated his defensive game to a new level. Playing almost 2 minutes of SH time per game and scoring 7 short handed points. This new defensive game has had an impact on his offensive numbers, only 69 points, as it usually does to all the players. This may seem low, but he is only 27 years old (The sizzle of most NHL players) and has shown he can score 40+ goals before. He is not a 90 point guy by himself, but oh-my would he ever light the lamp playing with a skilled center like Crosby/Datsyuk.
2) Olli Jokinen, Calgary Flames, Centre
2011-12 Salary: $3,000,000
2011-12 Stats: 82 GP, 23 G, 38 A, 61 Pts, 54 PIMs
Jokinen is a solid player that has had more than 60 points 5 times in 13 seasons. A knock on him is that he is 33 years old and is not exactly the Flash on skates. His deep profile can be found at flamesnation.ca over here. The forward spent tons of time playing on
the 1st line (next to Flames local folk here Iginla) and his stats show the results. He was still a minus player and was really a “lets settle” #1 center for the Flames. He can benefit from the improved offensive production jump this season (compared to last season when he only had 50pnts) and since there are slim pickings, look for a pay upgrade. The center position is hard to fill and he does have good experience with a big body. 6’3 and 215 pounds is what you call a big boy and this big boy can be very effective on the powerplay. He really needs a good winger that can finish playing with him as Olli can create space with his big frame. As all Euro players he has good ice vision and does pass well. Calgary really needs an upgrade down the middle; I don’t think they can afford to let him go just yet.
3) Shane Doan, Phoenix Coyotes, Right Wing
2011-12 Salary: $4,550,000
2011-12 Stats: 79 GP, 22 G, 28 A, 50 Pts, 48 PIMs
Heart. Respect. Leadership. Those are the attributes you look for in your captain and hope your young guns grow to be. Doan is the ultimate captain in NHL right now. He is not only an awesome human being off the ice, but is an incredible player and captain on the ice. His leadership skills were rewarded at the NHL Awards when Mark Messier himself (arguably top 3 captains of all time) presented his own award to Shane. This is the guy you want on your team in playoffs. He will fight tooth and nail. Playing on a less than perfect team in Phoenix he has managed to still produce and constantly get Coyotes into the playoffs. Doan has probably about 1-2 more season left in him where he can score 60 points, but can really be solid 2nd line winger. He is physical and very affective along the boards. He can score and skates very well for a 220 pound guy. Grit and heart is what you get with this guy and you can’t have enough of it on your team. I think he will stay with Coyotes, it has been his home for so long, but may jump ship to a team that can help him achieve his one goal that has eluded him so far. A team that can help him win the cup.
4) Alex Semin, Washington Capitals, Right Wing/LeftWing
2011-12 Salary: $6,700,000
2011-12 Stats: 77 GP, 21 G, 33 A, 54 Pts, 56 PIMs
An enigma, a superstar, pure talent, and a lazy Russian. Those are all of the phrases and terms that have been thrown around by puck media and fans alike past few years about Semin. Alex really is everything Don Cherry would say Russian players are. He is the perfect and easy target for people to pick on the Russian player stereotype, but I think who ever lands him will have the last laugh. His success came when he played with a skilled center (Backstrom). Past few years Washington has had trouble finding a true #2 center and causing Semins numbers to dip heavily. Alex has one of the best shots in the league. He can dazzle razzle and put the biscuit in the basket with the best of them. A true sniper in ever sense of that word and if you have him play with a skilled center, watch out…40 goals in the bag. His career totals tell you a story. 197 goals and 211 assists (rare for players to have as many goals as assists) tell you that he loves to score more than pass. The big negative to his game is that he is not effective in the corners and even though he is 6’2 and 200 pounds, will not be getting dirty to fetch the puck. His defense game is always a question with lazy skating, floating around, and lack of urgency. This talent will not go for cheap, but may carry another tryout 1 year contract for 6-7 million. He has the best hands out of all of the UFAs and will have to prove he can “show up” with those hands every single night.
5) P.A. Parenteau, New York Islanders, Right Wing
2011-12 Salary: $1,250,000
2011-12 Stats: 80 GP, 18 G, 49 A, 67 Pts, 89 PIMs
Who is this man and how did he score 67 points? Did anyone say that NHL players sizzle at 27-31 years of age? P.A. Parenteau did not join NHL 2-3 years after the draft, in fact he would not have been even drafted in this years draft, because there is no 9th round anymore. Took a long time for this man to get a starting gig and he worked very hard to get this chance at this success. Parenteau was one of the best bargains of 11-12th season in NHL. His salary was only 1.2 million and he showed a return of 67 points, while I am no banker…that’s some very good math right there. You would be hard pressed to find better return anywhere in NHL. Here is a good break down of his last season. The bad thing for NHL Salary Cap and NHL standings bottom dwellers aka NY Islanders is that he is due for a raise. Obvious comparison here is that he has almost the same amount of points as Parise. Will his paycheck yield Parise-esq cheddar? I don’t think so, but he should land at around 4/4.5 cap hit. The main criticism here is that he has benefited from Mr.JT91 aka John Tavares (who is a bargain himself at cap hit of 5.5 million). His skill set is still not proven with only 2 full seasons in NHL. He benefits from the current UFA market and will grab the most he can from a desperate GM with lots of $$ to spend. He goes to the highest bidder or should I say Calgary?
6) Jiri Hudler, Detroit Red Wings, Left Wing
2011-12 Salary: $4,250,000
2011-12 Stats: 81 GP, 25 G, 25 A, 50 Pts, 42 PIMs
Hudler is a small player who relies heavily on his speed and quick but very accurate shot. He had a sort of a resurrection season with 25 goals playing with Zetterberg and Filppula. Detroit will not pay him more than 3/3.2 million and this means his career with the Red Wings is over. One thing that most people probably will not assume about Hudler’s game is his net presents. He will be looking for the dirty goals and his small size makes him hard to find for guys like Chara. Hudler has ran to money before, with his short stint in KHL, and will most likely settle with the team who is desperate enough to pay him with the hopes that he breaks 60 points. I think Hudler is another Leino. Buffalo seriously over spent on a player that just won’t hit the numbers they expect. The same speaks of Jiri. The teams will bet that he is hitting his stride at good hockey age of 28 and will sprout/blossom into a 30 goal scorer. Look for him to get paid as much, but he will be lucky to see 25 goals again.
7) Ray Whitney, Phoenix Coyotes, Left Wing
2011-12 Salary: $3,000,000
2011-12 Stats: 82 GP, 24 G, 53 A, 77 Pts, 28 PIMs
Remember when they said Larionov is too old to play at age 40…41…42…43. The same could be said of Ray Whitney. He is a very talented set up man with an accurate shot. His vision is his asset and just like Larionov he can still bring it at a ripe age of 40 years old. Two years before 11-12 season, it looked like his career was winding down to a slow and steady burn…like a candle flame that has been deprived of oxygen. Both seasons were productive with 58 and 57 points, but the minutes got smaller and most of the points came from the PP. Last year, he did not miss a game; in fact he has missed 9 games total in the last 4 season, and put up team leading 77 points. Veteran that can still play could be a key acquisition for a team on a brink of a Stanley Cup run. I would not be surprised if he got a nice pay raise as he showed that he is not injury prone and that he can still play at an ultra high 1st line minute pace. Who will be interested in his services? Every team will be interested, but I expect a team that is looking to add depth for a good run at the cup to snatch him up with a two 4/4.5 million year deal. Oh and last thing…his plus/minus was plus 26 last year.
8) Jaromir Jagr, Philadelphia Flyers, Right Wing
2011-12 Salary: $3,300,000
2011-12 Stats: 73 GP, 19 G, 35 A, 54 Pts, 30 PIMs
Everyone knows who Jaromir Jagr is and what he can do. Everyone saw that he can still do his Jagr thing…you get my butt but not the puck thing. He had 54 points and 20 of them came from the PP. I don’t see him playing 1st line minutes, unless it is with Giroux again, due to lack of speed that he clearly lost with his fine like wine age of 40 years old. His huge rear and his skill set is still super affective weapon on the power play. You need a good power play to win in this league and in the playoffs. A veteran like him will not take less cash and will not be playing for Blue Jackets. He wants a good team and a good pay. Apparently, he can teach the young guns what it means to be dedicated to hockey with late night workouts and religious dedication to skating during between games. So that’s a plus too. I can see him playing with a team that has talent; he does not want to carry a team and wants to enjoy the game. Maybe a come back tour with the Penguins? Add a little bit more drama between Philly and Pittsburg… Drama is not Jagr’s style? Right? RIGHT? !
9) Andrei Kostitsyn, Nashville Predators, Right Wing/Left Wing
2011-12 Salary: $3,250,000
2011-12 Stats: 72 GP, 16 G, 20 A, 36 Pts, 26 PIMs
Another Russian…more problems? Just when you had Malkin and Datsyuk show how good and dedicated Russian players can be, just before the draft filled with Russian talent, you have this guy (helping Canadian media question Oilers #1 pick of Nail Yakupov). Andrei got in trouble with the Nashville Predators because of his late night partying before NHL playoff game, rightfully so I may add. But what does he have to offer? He is a fairly big guy with a good shot, but he has never been a game breaker. Third line duties is where I would see him spend the rest of his NHL career unless he gets hot, similar to his brother (Sergei had 23 goals with a 24.7 shooting % in 10-11), where he has a 20+ shooting percentage and scores 30/35 goals. He CAN score and has some size to push people around, but it seems like he has the Russia-itis and lack of effort leaves everyone thirsting for more. Has only broke 50 point mark once in his career and might dangle with north of 40 points again. The only benefit he has is that he can score 20 goals from the 3rd line. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Rangers replaced Prust with Kostitsyn and we all know Torts can get any player to play for him. His paycheck will be slightly inflated due to poor UFA talent, but I bet he will not be anything but a bottom 6 player with slim to none top 6 upside.
