Toronto Maple Leafs: The Exhaustive List of NHL UFAs
By Jeff Borsuk
Jason Demers
A team looking for a defenseman on the right side of a pairing may be interested in 33-year-old Jason Demers. He isn’t flashy but has been consistently steady. This past season, playing 5-on-5 with the Coyotes, he had a Corsi rating of 50.0, which was 1.2 percent better than his team.
Brandon Sutter
Brandon Sutter is a versatile forward who can lead a third or fourth line. The 32-year-old, former 11th overall draft pick was once a hard-hitting player who used his six-foot-three frame to flatten opponents in the corners. He doesn’t appear to be that sort of player any longer. Last season with the Canucks, in 43 games he threw a total of 18 hits. That said, he is still competent in his own end and is a star on the penalty kill.
Brendan Smith
Is Brendan Smith a forward or a defenseman? Over his career, he has gone back and forth to play both positions. Last season, he was a blueliner for the Rangers who was actually a healthy scratch in their opening day tilt. However, when DeAngelo was benched by the team, it opened up an opportunity for Smith. Earning a $4.35 million cap hit, the 32-year old played an average of 16 minutes and 26 seconds per game.
Devan Dubnyk
Devan Dubnyk player and wasn’t great for two teams this past season. Starting the season with the San Jose Sharks, Dubnyk posted uninspiring numbers. In 17 games between the pipes, he had a goals-against-average of 3.18 and a save percentage of 0.898. The 35-year-old backup was then traded to the Avalanche in April. He played five games for Colorado and his goals-against-average fell to 3.25 and save percentage to 0.886.
Braden Holtby
Another buyout victim just before the opening of free agency was 31-year-old goaltender Braden Holtby. The buyout only cut out this coming season, the final of the two-year $8.6 million contract he signed with the Canucks. Last season, Holtby played in 21 games and had a goals-against-average of 3.67 and a 0.889 save percentage. Adding the former Vezina winner and Stanley Cup champion should be an excellent pickup for a team to use as their backup next season.