Five free agents who could be the missing piece for a contending team

Joe Yerdon

Aug 28, 2011, 9:30 AM EDT

5 Comments

AP

All right so there’s just a handful of free agents available out on the market for teams to pick from to try and give them an edge heading into the new season. Most teams do have most of their situations figured out while others are going to need to make a move or two to get under the salary cap. As for those who could stand to add some money or another player to become contenders for the Stanley Cup, their options in free agency are dwindling.

Like all things in life, there are still some diamonds in the rough to be found and that is the case for free agency as well. If your team is lacking a depth scorer, center, or defenseman there are options still out there. If you’re in need of a goalie, the pickings are rather slim (Marty Turco and Pascal Leclaire are it). As for the rest, there are a few guys that could still be helpful contributors to a team in need. We’ve picked out five that could provide the boost needed to lift the Stanley Cup in June.

Cory Stillman
All right, so you need a guy with Stanley Cup experience who can give your second or third line a boost with play making and scoring. How about taking a look at Cory Stillman. Stillman won the Cup with Tampa Bay in 2004 and Carolina in 2006. He spent last year with both Florida and Carolina and had 12 goals and 27 assists with both teams. He’s not the ace running mate on the left wing that he was on those two Cup teams, but he’s a guy capable of helping out when he’s given the right minutes.

He’s two years removed from being a more-than solid power play helper and his numbers have fallen off each year since his career-high 2007-2008 season. He’s not the guy you want on your top lines, but you could do worse than having him help out on the third line.

Bryan McCabe
So your team needs a fourth or fifth defenseman who has some skills on the power play. You don’t want to make a move for Chris Campoli, so why not Bryan McCabe? McCabe split last season between the Florida Panthers and the New York Rangers and managed to help give the Rangers a slight boost on the power play from the blue line. With both teams, McCabe had seven goals and 21 assists. In 19 games with the Rangers, McCabe had two goals and four assists with both goals coming on the man advantage. McCabe was given a bit more of a load in the playoffs with New York and averaged over 19 minutes a game and adding two assists.

At 36 years-old, McCabe is on the downside of his career and while he’s not going to give you the sort of production an older guy like Nicklas Lidstrom would, if your team has a need for a offensively helpful defenseman, McCabe is there for the taking.

Mike Grier
So you’re in need of an experienced grind line player. Mike Grier is there for the taking. Grier isn’t a guy that’s going to give you much offensive production, but that’s not why you want him anyhow. You want him there to play tough, checking defense at forward and you want him to make life miserable for opponents. You’ll also want him there to play on the penalty kill to further hinder an opposing offense. Grier’s work in Buffalo last season was solid and he’s been that way through his whole career.

At 36 years-old, Grier will give you a hint of offensive help (between 15-25 points) but he’ll be best when playing steadily for 15 minutes a game. If your team’s offense is set and you think you’re a little soft, Grier is worth making a call on.

Kyle Wellwood
Perhaps your team has a weakness at center and has a need to have a guy that is the butt of jokes on the Internet. Who better to get than Kyle Wellwood? Wellwood departed for the KHL last season, but didn’t enjoy it in Russia and came back to North America finding a home in San Jose. There he provided solid work as a depth centerman getting to saddle up on the Sharks’ third and fourth lines. In 35 games, Wellwood had five goals and eight assists but it was in the playoffs that Wellwood left his biggest mark scoring a goal and adding six assists in the Sharks’ 18 playoff games.

As a depth guy, that kind of production is more than solid. Any team looking for help up the middle would do well to get a hold of Wellwood to fill their needs. While there’s another guy out there in John Madden to do the same thing, Wellwood is still young at 28 years-old. After a humbling season, perhaps Wellwood has found his way in the NHL.

Sergei Samsonov
So you’re looking for speed, some scoring touch, and a veteran presence. How about Sergei Samsonov? Samsonov spent last season with both Florida and Carolina, and after a career that started off so promising in Boston, he’s been bounced around of late. After starting out like a potential big time scorer, Samsonov has settled in as a depth contributor as he scored 13 goals and 27 assists with both Carolina and Florida last year. He’s still a power play threat after scoring nine power play goals last year, but giving him top six minutes could be a dicey prospect.

Samsonov turns 33 in October and while he’s not going to be a 29-goal scorer anymore (we think) he’s still a guy that can help out offensively. With Nikolai Zherdev playing back in Russia this year, taking a flier on Samsonov might be worth the trouble.

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