Alex Ovechkin
36 years old. 24 goals, 42 points in 45 games. Cap hit: 9.54 million.
This would be the cream of the crop acquisition. A big, physical winger with playoff experience and a cup ring who also happens to be the 6th leading goal scorer of all-time in the NHL.
He has scored 790 goals in just under 1200 games and has a Calder, Art Ross, Conn Smythe, three Ted Lindsay, three Hart, and nine Maurice Richard trophies, as well as a Stanley Cup Championship (all stats from hockey-reference.com), to his name. He’d look mighty fine on that vacant wing beside Matthews and Marner but unless he is willing to sign for 5 million or less, that dream is as likely as an obstruction interference call in the NHL playoffs.
Taylor Hall
29 years old. 10 goals, 33 points in 53 games. Cap hit: 8.00 million
Forget those paltry Buffalo Sabres numbers- his line in Boston (8 goals, 14 points in 16 games) is the real deal. Hall has endured some seriously low shooting percentage stats the last number of years (save for his lone Hart year in NJ) and, excluding that year and his brief stint in Boston, hasn’t had a shooting percentage in the double-digits since 2014. Hall would thrive in Toronto but, alas, even his discounted one-year deal in Buffalo is far too rich for Toronto’s blood.
Brandon Saad
28 years old. 15 goals, 24 points in 44 games. Cap hit: 6 million
I’m not sure what the market is going to look like for Saad but he has quietly put up a very nice career. Saad has scored in the double-digits in every single season he has played (back to 2012-2013) and sports a career CF% of 55.2. In 632 career games Saad has 184 goals and 371 points, despite averaging under 17 minutes per game. He also stands 6’1, 206lb, so there’s that too. He may be looking at something near his current salary, which eliminates Toronto from the bidding, but if he comes in under Hyman’s asking price and can fit in the 5 million or less category Toronto is probably looking at, then he should be scooped up.