10. Steve Downie
Age: 29
Position: Winger
Shoots: Right
Last Team/Cap Hit: Arizona – $1.75M
Downie appeared in 26 games for the Arizona Coyotes last season, recording six points. he also notched two points in eight games with the Springfield Falcons of the American Hockey League.
While neither of those point totals are going to impress anyone, it is late August.
Downie is a fourth line player in the NHL and while his numbers aren’t strong he’s a better option than a lot of players currently under contract around the league.
He adds a physical component to the team he’s on but teeters on the line of on-ice character from time to time.
He’s looking at a contract much lower in value than his last one, probably coming in under $1M for the season, if he gets a deal.
He wouldn’t be of much use to the Toronto Maple Leafs as a lot of younger players (Rychel), and some veterans (Greening), are already better than Downie at no additional cost to the team.
Next: 9. Nikita Nikitin