While most of the top unrestricted free agents have signed for the 2024-25 season, there are always a few stragglers hanging around after July 1. This year is no exception, as there are still a few unrestricted free agents that teams could be interested in moving forward. Let’s take a look at the top remaining free agents for the 2024 offseason.
Vladimir Tarasenko — Signed with the Detroit Red Wings on July 3
Vladimir Tarasenko is by far the biggest name still available on the free agent market. He’s coming off another solid season, totaling 23 goals and 55 points in 76 games between the Ottawa Senators and Florida Panthers. Of course, he won another Stanley Cup with the Panthers and now he’ll be looking to cash in perhaps one last time in his career.
Tarasenko isn’t the player he was in his prime, but he’s still a useful offensive player who’s averaged 59 points per 82 games over the past two seasons. He’s a defensive liability at this point, but if you’re a team that needs scoring, he could make sense on a short-term deal.
According to Evolving Hockey, Tarasenko signed a three-year deal worth $5.478 million in salary cap space. It’s still early in free agency, so he could still make that amount. But the longer he’s out of contract, the less he should pay on his contract. And that could benefit a team looking for value.
Daniel Leap
Daniel Sprong regularly finds himself in this position despite being a reliable bottom-six and second-six scorer over the past two seasons. He was solid for the Detroit Red Wings in 2023-24, totaling 18 goals and 43 points in 76 games, the second straight season he had 40-plus points.
Related: 2024 NHL Free Agent Tracker
While he’s also a defensive liability, Sprong has shown he can score at five-on-five. He’s averaging 2.69 points per 60 minutes over the past two seasons, which is 11th-best among forwards with at least 1,000 minutes at five-on-five. That’s a better rate than Artemi Panarin, Leon Draisaitl and Jason Robertson, to name a few.
Evolving Hockey announced that Sprong has signed a three-year, $3.378 million salary cap hit. I’m surprised he’s still unsigned, but it’s only July 3rd. If he stays on the free agent market beyond a week, he could also be a good fit for a team in need of a third-line scorer.
James van Riemsdyk
James van Riemsdyk’s play has slowed down a bit in recent years, but he still looks to be a solid winger in the middle of the sixth line. He finished the 2023-24 season with 11 goals and 38 points in 71 games for the Boston Bruins, a pace of 44 points in 82 games.
Van Riemsdyk’s stats suggest he still has potential. He finished second on the Bruins in expected goals percentage (xG%) at 54.36 percent and averaged 1.95 points per 60 minutes at five-on-five. He took 142 shots on goal, an average of two per game, which is roughly in line with his averages over the last two seasons.
Evolving Hockey announced that Van Riemsdyk has signed a one-year contract at a salary cap hit of $1.56 million. If he is still a 40+ point player, he is certainly worth that price, so I expect a team to sign him at some point.
Jack Roslovic
It’s been a tough year for Jack Roslovic, partly because of injuries. But there always seems to be a player a team could bank on if it needs depth. He finished last season with nine goals and 31 points in 59 games, a pace of 13 goals and 43 points in 82 games.
Roslovic has struggled with consistency throughout his NHL career, but his microstats from last season show he’s worth considering. He excelled in transition, created offense off the rush, and had solid playmaking and shooting stats:
According to Evolving Hockey, Roslovic signed a four-year deal for a $4.45 million salary cap hit. That seems a bit pricey, especially since he struggled in the playoffs with the New York Rangers. If I had to guess, he would sign a one-year deal with a team, which should pay him around $2 million. Like van Riemsdyk, if he can be a 40-plus point player for a salary cap hit around $2 million, he could be a good depth signing for a team.
Kevin Shattenkirk
While his play has also declined somewhat, Kevin Shattenkirk is still a capable third-pairing defenseman. He finished last season with six goals and 24 points in 61 games for the Bruins, a pace of 32 points in 82 games. He posted solid underlying numbers, finishing with a 52.9 percent xG% at five-on-five.
In addition to playing well at five-on-five, Shattenkirk has also made a positive impact on the power play, albeit in a small sample size of 85 minutes. He still has some offensive ability, so a team in need of a veteran puck-moving back end could use him. He should also be cheap, as Evolving Hockey signed him to a one-year deal at a $1.606 million salary cap hit.
Kevin Lankinen
The only goalie on this list, Kevin Lankinen, is a bit of a surprise. He was solid for the Nashville Predators this season, posting a .908 save percentage in 24 games and 17 starts. In fact, he was the better of Nashville’s two goalies this season, stopping four more goals than expected; Juuse Saros finished the season allowing three more goals than expected.
Lankinen has also played well over the past two seasons. He posted a .916 save percentage in 2022-23 and saved 8.6 more goals than expected. I don’t know which teams still need a backup goalie, but Lankinen is a viable option who shouldn’t cost much on a one-year deal. It would be a surprise if he doesn’t find a goalie quickly for next season.
Philippe Zadina
Filip Zadina has had an up-and-down career so far. But despite playing on one of the worst NHL teams in recent memory, he had a decent season in San Jose with the Sharks, finishing with 13 goals and 23 points in 72 games while averaging 13:20 of ice time.
Admittedly, Zadina’s defensive play was nonexistent last season. In fact, he was one of the worst defensive forwards in the NHL, with an even-strength goal-above-replacement (GAR) defense of -6.7. He does have some offensive value, though, and had some decent offensive impacts at even strength:
Zadina is expected to sign a two-year deal at a $1.526 million cap hit, but it wouldn’t be surprising if he also came in at a lower price. If so, he could be a nice depth addition who would improve in his own zone on a better team. It’s hard to put a price on Zadina’s defensive impact because the Sharks have historically been bad in their own zone. But he was never that bad defensively in Detroit with the Red Wings, so a rebound could be possible.
There is still value to be gained
Most of the top free agents have signed elsewhere, but there are still a few players available who should help teams. Expect them to come off the board in the coming days before the dog days of the NHL offseason get into full swing.
Honorable mentions
- Max Pacioretty
- Justin Schultz
- Tyler Johnson
- Mike Hoffman
- Ryan Suter
- Tyson Barrie
- Marc Giordano
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Advanced stats from Natural Stat Trick, Evolving Hockey and Money Puck
