The offseason round of musical chairs is about to stop as the puck drops on the 2014-15 NHL season, and a few name players will start the season left hanging.
It happens every year. Veteran players who are either age-challenged, production-challenged, or both, find themselves looking for work even as the season begins. Some got nibbles and tryout contracts but didn’t stick. Others are waiting for the right opportunity (injury/desperation) to pop up. Either way, odds are you won’t be seeing these names in the next few weeks.
One note ... these guys aren’t necessarily the best free agents out there. Some of them deservedly are struggling to find work. But they’re names you might recognize and wonder about. And if you hear one of your fellow fans suggest them, you can have a better idea whether to nod your head at a savvy, low-risk veteran move, or to make a joke about how it’s not 2007 anymore.
Without any further ado, here are 10 players who are just looking for a chance.
Martin Brodeur
The future Hall of Fame goalie is still waiting for a call. But while he might be the biggest name out there, it’s hard to argue he’s been the most productive. Both Tomas Vokoun and Ilya Bryzgalov have been better, more recently and seem to have a better idea of what their value on the market, and to NHL teams, actually is. Even if Brodeur isn’t totally done, his options are limited.
Tomas Vokoun
When you look at the list of free agent goalies, Vokoun is one of the oldest, but he’s also probably the best. After missing most of last season due to issues from blood clots, he seems intent on playing, but only in the right situation. What’s the right situation? One presumably where he can start, contend or both. Nobody’s biting right now, but hey, who knows who will get an itchy trigger finger with their goalie before the season’s out. I mean, he’s never played in Philadelphia, right?
Ilya Bryzgalov
He didn’t the make the Wild, which is unfortunate for those who enjoy goalies who give amusing quotes. But as much as he was the most recent face of failed goaltending in Philadelphia, Bryz isn’t really that bad. He owned a .923 even-strength save percentage split between Edmonton and Minnesota last season, admittedly after posting a .907 mark in Philly the year before. But he also had a .921 mark in 2011-12. In other words, if you need a backup goalie, he’s perfectly fine. And he’s open to the idea.
Mike Komisarek
In 32 games last year in Carolina, Komisarek wasn’t good, posting a -6.2 relative Corsi rating. Yet that was way better than what the defenseman posted in the lockout-shortened 2012-13 campaign (-15.1). Komisarek hasn’t been a positive puck-possession player in years, and at age 32, in a league that, at least outwardly, seems to be embracing analytics, it’s not looking good for the veteran. He tried out for the Devils and didn't make it.
Scott Gomez
Last seen trying out for the Devils,where he says he’s willing to wait for a roster spot, Gomez wasn’t a productive player last season, and at age 34, is not finding the market too friendly. But he isn’t that far removed from being a positive driver of play — in 2011-12, Gomez had a relative Corsi of 9.4. In ’12-13, he was at 1.7 before posting a negative number last year. That was against relatively easier competition (though with few offensive zone starts) so it’s not criminal that Gomez is without a team. But he’s probably better than a lot of the fourth-line players teams are throwing out there (Looking at you. Tanner Glass).
Michal Handzus
Last seen failing to produce with Patrick Kane, Handzus is simply a veteran who looks like he’s at the end of the road. His possession numbers were negative last season and have been for some time. If you hear his name connected with your team, be afraid.
Todd Bertuzzi
He’s got plenty of gray in his beard at 39. But for what it’s worth, his analytics aren’t terrible. He was a neutral puck possession player in 2011-12 and after missing much of the lockout shortened year, was only slightly negative in 59 games for Detroit last year. He also settled with Steve Moore, closing the book on that chapter of his life.
Ryan Whitney
When you can’t crack a team that finished near the bottom of the league, it probably doesn’t bode well for your career. And last year, Whitney spent most of the season with Panthers AHL affiliate the San Antonio Rampage before getting a tryout with the Blues this preseason. He didn't make it. Considering how poorly his puck-possession stats tracked the last few years, it’s little surprise he’s not found permanent work, even if he’s younger (31) than most of the people on this list.
Derek Morris
A few years ago, Morris was a guy who had terrible puck-possession numbers. But unlike some of players his age where that signaled the end, Morris has bounced back the last few years, posting decent stats. His age, 36, is likely the turn off. But teams could do worse than throwing him a look.
Henrik Tallinder
After three positive seasons in New Jersey, including leading the Devils in relative Corsi in an abbreviated 25-game campaign in 2012-13, Tallinder’s numbers stunk in Buffalo last year. But he’s been a positive player before, and he might still have something left at age 35. The Leafs thought to give him a try, but he separated his shoulder in the preseason, killing his chances of making their roster.