While most of the top unrestricted free agents have signed for the 2024-25 season, there are always a few stragglers who hang around past July 1. This year is no different, as there are still some UFAs left who could interest teams moving forward. Let’s look at the best remaining free agents for the 2024 offseason.
Vladimir Tarasenko — Signed With Detroit Red Wings on July 3
Vladimir Tarasenko is by far the biggest name left in free agency. 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 claimed another Stanley Cup with the Panthers and will now look to cash in for perhaps one last time in his career.
Tarasenko is not 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 last 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.
Evolving Hockey has Tarasenko signing a three-year contract at a cap hit of $5.478 million. It’s still early in free agency, so he could still earn that. But the longer he remains unsigned, the less burdensome his contract should be. And that could benefit a team looking for some value.
Daniel Sprong
Daniel Sprong consistently finds himself in this position despite having emerged as a reliable bottom-six/middle-six scorer over the last 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’s collected 40-plus points.
Related: 2024 NHL Free Agency Tracker
Though he’s also a defensive liability, Sprong has shown he can provide five-on-five scoring. He’s averaged 2.69 points per 60 minutes over the last two seasons, the 11th-best rate among forwards with at least 1000 minutes logged at five-on-five. That’s a more efficient rate than Artemi Panarin, Leon Draisaitl, and Jason Robertson, to name a few.
Evolving Hockey has Sprong signing a three-year deal at a cap hit of $3.378 million. I am surprised he remains unsigned, but it is only July 3. If he lingers into free agency beyond a week, he could also be a good value pickup for a team that needs a third-line scorer.
James van Riemsdyk
James van Riemsdyk’s game has slowed down a bit in recent years, but he still appears to be a solid middle-six winger. He finished the 2023-24 season with 11 goals and 38 points in 71 games for the Boston Bruins — a 44-point pace over 82 games.
Van Riemsdyk’s underlying numbers suggest he still has something left in the tank. He finished second on the Bruins in expected goals share (xG%) at 54.36 percent and averaged 1.95 points per 60 minutes at five-on-five. He fired 142 shots on goal, an average of two per game, which is right about what he’s averaged for the last couple of seasons.
Evolving Hockey has van Riemsdyk signing a one-year deal at a cap hit of $1.56 million. If he’s still a 40-plus-point player, he’s certainly worth that price, so I expect a team to bite and sign him at some point.
Jack Roslovic — Signed With Carolina Hurricanes on July 4
It was a tough year for Jack Roslovic, partly due to injuries. But there still appears to be a player a team could take a chance on if they need some depth. He finished this past season with nine goals and 31 points in 59 games — a 13-goal, 43-point pace over 82 games.
Roslovic has struggled with consistency in his NHL career, but his microstats from this past season show he’s worth gambling on. He excelled in transition, created offense off the rush, and had some solid playmaking and shooting metrics:
Evolving Hockey has Roslovic signing a four-year contract at a cap hit of $4.45 million. That seems a little rich, especially since he’s struggled in the playoffs for the New York Rangers. If I had to guess, he signs a one-year deal with some team, which should come in around $2 million. Like van Riemsdyk, if he can be a 40-plus-point player at a cap hit of around $2 million, he could be a good value depth signing for some team.
Kevin Shattenkirk
Though his game has slipped a bit, too, Kevin Shattenkirk is still a capable third-pair defender. He finished this past with six goals and 24 points in 61 games for the Bruins — a 32-point pace over 82 games. He posted some solid underlying numbers, finishing with an xG% of 52.9 percent of five-on-five.
In addition to playing well at five-on-five, Shattenkirk also had a positive impact on the power play, though in a small sample of 85 minutes. He still has some offensive ability, so a team that needs a veteran puck mover on their back end may come calling. He should come cheap, too, as Evolving Hockey has him signing a one-year deal at a cap hit of $1.606 million.
Kevin Lankinen
The one goalie on this list, it is a bit surprising Kevin Lankinen remains available. He was solid for the Nashville Predators this season, totaling a .908 save percentage in 24 games and 17 starts. In fact, he was the better of the two goalies in Nashville this season, stopping four goals above expected; Juuse Saros finished giving up three more goals than expected.
Lankinen has played well for the last couple of seasons, too. He had a .916 SV% in 2022-23 and saved 8.6 goals above expected. I’m not sure which teams still need a backup goalie, but Lankinen is a viable option who shouldn’t cost much on a one-year deal. It’d be a surprise if he didn’t soon find a home for next season.
Filip Zadina
Filip Zadina has had an up-and-down career to this point. 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 in ice time.
Admittedly, Zadina’s defensive game was non-existent this past season. In fact, he was one of the worst defensive forwards in the NHL, with his even-strength defense worth a goals above replacement (GAR) of minus-6.7. Still, he has some offensive value and actually had decent offensive impacts at even strength:
Zadina projects to land a two-year deal at a cap hit of $1.526 million, but it would not at all be shocking if he comes cheaper, too. If so, he could be a good depth addition who improves in his own end on a better team. It’s hard to take stock of Zadina’s defensive impacts because the Sharks were so historically bad in their own end. But he was never that bad defensively in Detroit with the Red Wings, so a rebound there could be possible.
There’s Still Value to Be Had
The bulk of the top UFAs have signed elsewhere, but there are still a few players available that should help teams out. Expect them to come off the board in the coming days before the dog days of the NHL offseason kick into full gear.
Honorable Mentions
- Max Pacioretty
- Justin Schultz
- Tyler Johnson
- Mike Hoffman
- Ryan Suter
- Tyson Barrie
- Mark Giordano
- Kyle Okposo
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Advanced stats from Natural Stat Trick, Evolving Hockey and Money Puck
