Free Agent Frenzy: 10 Best Left Wingers

In the third of five 'Free Agent Frenzy' pieces, we're moving up to the forward position and addressing the 10 Best Left Wingers available come July 1st. Although this year's crop of left-wingers doesn't really compare evenly to the talent of available right wingers, as always they're still many good and valuable players available. However, this piece will not put Dany Heatley on the list regardless of him being on the move, because he's simply not a free agent. In this year's field of left-wingers, the amount of solid defensive forwards on the left side is especially staggering and overwhelms the category.

10) Taylor Pyatt - Following two consecutive years with 37 points for the Canucks, 2008-09 was an overwhelmingly difficult year for 27 year old Taylor Pyatt. After being sidelined for 8 games with a broken foot, Pyatt was trying to string together a consistent year and was on pace to finish strongly when tragedy struck. Seemingly hours following a Vancouver overtime loss to the Anaheim Ducks in which Pyatt recorded his 9th assist of the season in what had been a frustrating year, news broke of a car crash that took the life of Pyatt's fiancee. Devastated by the loss, Pyatt elected to take time off from the sport he loved and grieve. He didn't return until the Western Conference Semifinals where in 4 games, he was held off the board and finished with a -3. Although 2008-09 was considered a down year for the former 13th overall pick, Pyatt still has the talent and skill to return back to form. His 86 hits, 35 blocked shots and penalty killing ability will make the Thunder Bay native a good signing for any team at a reasonable price.

9) Travis Moen - It's not often that you see two teams trade within the division but on the NHL Trading Deadline, Travis Moen found himself packing his bags and leaving the Ducks of Southern California for California's northern jewel and hockey power, the San Jose Sharks. Moen's grinder style of play ejected some life into the rather soft Sharks line-up and took ease off of Jody Shelley to be the premiere enforcer in the Sharks line-up. His 171 hits were tops among Sharks forwards, and was a solid defensive performer with his 42 blocked shots and his average of 20 shifts a game make him a grinder worth keeping an eye on in this year's free agency among teams in need of a youthful down-and-dirty type of player.

8) Ville Peltonen - Who? Why it's every one's favorite 36 year old Finnish forward from the Florida Panthers! The 8-year NHL veteran had another note-worthy year for the Florida Panthers with 31 points in 79 games playing on the Panthers third line. For 1.1 million, Peltonen brings a team everything they could want in a third line forward. He can score, assist, contribute finely on the penalty kill (his 197+ minutes on the penalty kill was good for first on the Panthers among forwards) and can even create chances on the rush on a penalty kill with his 44 takeaways in 2008-09. Despite his age, Peltonen can undoubtedly become a steal for any team willing to take the risk of the Florida Finn.

7) Brendan Shanahan - Honestly, I feel like he's so high on my list based on the name alone. What he brings to any club, even at the age of 40 is more than welcomed to any team. He was brought in to the New Jersey Devils late in the year with the intentions of helping the Devils add more offensive power and compete against teams such as Washington and the Boston Bruins. However, the experiment didn't work out as planned for New Jersey as Shanny's 34 games he had just 14 points along with a -2. His 29 penalty minutes were a surprise to me anyhow, as he was just 6 shy of matching his 2007-08 total in 39 less games. It'd be a stretch to say the 1,354 career point man has "lost it", but it's possible that he needs a full season of play to be productive, which is something at the age of 40 his body may not be able to handle. Perhaps a return to the Rangers is in the works as with Naslund's departure and boatload of free agents (restricted and unrestricted) ready to hit the open market that the veteran could be brought back for another go 'round in Manhattan for close to a million.

6) P.J Axelsson - The man known as 'Axe' in the Bruins locker room and mainstay on the roster since 1997 may appear to be on the out's in Boston due to the lack of cap space and roster room. It's an absolute shame given the penalty killer's success in Boston, especially in 2008-09. P.J's 30 points were the highest the Swede has recorded since the 2002-03 season (36) and his leadership qualities led to an 'A' on his jersey for much of the season. It's clear that even at the age of 34, Axelsson is still among the best penalty killers in the Eastern Conference, and perhaps the NHL. His veteran know-how, resistance to major injury and defensive capabilities make him a valuable asset to any contending team looking for that extra edge on the penalty kill.

5) Ruslan Fedotenko - The pride of the Ukraine, Ruslan Fedotenko experienced success he hadn't felt in the Steel City since his days with the Tampa Bay Lightning. The 30 year old winger's 39 points and career-high +18 took great pressure off of the Penguins top line as he proved to be a pivotal secondary scorer for Dan Bylsma's Pens. Fedotenko's stocked has surely risen due in large part to his 2009 playoff performance where he registered 14 points and +9 in the Penguins 24 games en route to their third Stanley Cup in franchise history. With Miroslav Satan's cap hit off the books and unlikely chance of re-signing in the 'Burgh, Fedotenko could be rewarded with a nice pay raise, by another team if not the Penguins.

4) Jere Lehtinen - Obviously, any time a 3-time Selke Trophy winner dips to number four on a list of available players there has to be a valid reason. Lehtinen's no exception, the inability to stay healthy for a full 82 game season should be a fast rising issue for the 36 year old. Upper-body and groin injuries held the Finland native to just 48 games in 2008-09, but as always he proved to be effective when healthy. His 24 points in 48 games (a point every two games for you mathematics majors) and 7 powerplay points were a contributing factor to his still top 5 ranking on my list of players available. Although Lehtinen missed 33 games of the 2007-08 regular season with a sports hernia and the final 4 games of the Stars unsuccesful quest to defeat the Red Wings in the Western Conference Finals, he's still a very solid two-way player for just about any team in the NHL. Despite his 4-million dollar a year paydays being behind him, Lehtinen still has the chance to bring in a decent chunk of change from someone this summer.

3) Erik Cole - Following a failed change of scenery in Edmonton, Erik Cole found himself back in Raleigh playing for the Cardiac 'Canes by the NHL trading deadline. Cole's reemergence into the Hurricanes line-up proved to provide just the spark needed for the Hurricanes push into the 6th seed of the Eastern Conference. His 15 points in 17 games and two-way style of play benefitted the 'Canes playmaking opportunities as Cole wasn't afraid to get his hands dirty to make something happen. His late season play would be sure to add to his stock, had it come in some place other than Carolina as with the lack of success in Edmonton teams are raising their eyebrows and wondering if Cole can produce in someplace other than Carolina.

2) Alex Tanguay - After a rumored dispute with Calgary coach Mike Keenan found Alex Tanguay in Montreal, the super-line set to destroy the Eastern Conference was aligned. A line of Tanguay, Saku Koivu and Alexei Kovalev was sure to feast upon the goaltender of the NHL in the Canadiens journey to a 25th Stanley Cup victory, right? Despite the talent, the numbers never quite added up for Montreal's benefit as Tanguay's battles with a seperated shoulder and minor injuries led to the winger missing 32 games for the Habs and even kept him out of two of Montreal's four playoff games against the arch-rival Bruins. Regardless, Tanguay still put together a solid season for an injury-riddled Canadiens team with his 41 points, +13 and 16 goals on just 76 shots. The addition of Tanguay bolstered the already potent Habs powerplay where he contributed for 16 points on the powerplay and his presence in Montreal was surely welcomed by teammates and fans alike. It's believable that barring any major upgrade at the left wing position, that Tanguay will be back in his hometown playing for le bleu, blanc and rogue.

1) Daniel Sedin - This one was fairly obvious, no? One half of possibly the best 1-2 punch in the Western Conference, Daniel Sedin had another career year out in British Columbia. The Canucks winger lit the lamp for 31 goals and added 51 assists on the Vancouver top line attributing to the Canucks capture of the Northwest Division title. He's also part of the NHL's top prized two-for-one deal as he's sure to sign with whoever his twin brother Henrik chooses to sign. With a rumored asking price of 126 million combined for the two over 12 years, the list of teams in the running for the Swedish twins drops dramatically. However, at the end of the day come July 1st, 2nd or even 3rd, the Sedins will be two of the richest NHL players in the league.

The T.A.B.B. 2009 Playoff Awards

For all, the 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs drew to a close of extremes. Either you loved every second of Sidney Crosby hoisting the Cup in Detroit due to your respect for the Pens captain or for your incredible disdain for Detroit's recent dominance over the NHL. On the other hand, you could have hated seeing the Pens capture the Cup due to your disliking of Crosby (much like myself) and the entire Pittsburgh Penguins team. Fact is, whether it was a bitter, sweet or a bittersweet ending to the playoffs, you can't say it wasn't entertaining. With another year in the books, it's time to hand out the non-conventional awards of the playoffs invented by yours truly.

The Worst Playoff Slogan: "The Beard is Back" - Detroit Red Wings.

- Like, really? "The Beard is Back"? The beard never left when you consider that Detroit hasn't missed the playoffs since the 1989-90 season. A word for the Detroit Red Wing P.R staff, do your research before making another dumb slogan.

The Best Playoff Slogan: "We Want It" - Boston Bruins.

- Okay, maybe I'm being a homer here. In all seriousness though, the simplicity is there and clear as day. The Bruins wanted it, the fans wanted it, ownership wanted it and the city of Boston wanted it. However, thanks to Scott Walker and the rest of the Carolina Hurricanes, they'll have to want it more next year, and so on and so forth until they get it.

The 'OMG' Moment: The Fall of Marty - New Jersey Devils Game 7

- On March 17th, Devils goaltender and President of the Sean Avery Haters Club Marty Brodeur passed Patrick Roy's NHL record of 551 wins with a 3-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks. Despite Brodeur's 15+ years of dismantling opponents, he simply couldn't hold off the Carolina Hurricanes in the closing minutes of Game 7. The Devils were penciling themselves in for a date with the Washington Capitals in the 2nd round when disaster struck. With just 1:20 left in the 3rd period, Jussi Jokinen struck again when he scored the game-tying goal. Then, the unthinkable happen when Eric Staal slipped one by the ten-time All-Star with just 32 seconds left in regulation to secure a win and advancement to the 2nd round for the 'Canes.

The Joe Thornton Award: Jeff Carter - Philadelphia Flyers.

- The Joe Thornton Award is given to the player who plays very strongly in the regular season but then disappears when the pressure's on. For this 'honor', the choice is simple: Jeff Carter of the Philadelphia Flyers. The Flyer's sniper finished with a career high 46 goals, good for 2nd in the NHL behind Alexander Ovechkin. Then, when it came time for the Flyers to avenge their 2008 Conference Finals loss against the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Flyers number one scoring threat was nowhere to be found. Carter finished with just 1 goal and a -2 in their 6 game series loss.

The Ulf Samuelsson Trophy: Scott Walker - Carolina Hurricanes.

- The Ulf Samuelsson Trophy, is an award intended for the cheap shot of the Playoffs. Now, close runner up honors for this "award" go to Donald Brashear's hit on Blair Betts and Michael Cammalleri's punch to the head of Martin Havlat, both notable cheap-shot's of the 1st round. However, the honor goes to Mr. Walker who's punch to Aaron Ward's face went unsuspended and inevitably put Scott in position to finish the Bruins season in Game 7's overtime period.

The All Guts Award: Mike Richards - Philadelphia Flyers, Sergei Gonchar - Pittsburgh Penguins and Phil Kessel - Boston Bruins.

- This award goes for the guys who put their physical pain aside and still were more than able to compete at a high level of play. Richards competed at a high level and registered 5 points in 6 games..in true captain fashion with two torn shoulders. Sergei Gonchar, injured in a questionable hit by Alexander Ovechkin missed just two games and was an offensive leader on the Penguins blueline with his 14 points in 22 games despite playing through a torn MCL in his knee. Phil Kessel, the Bruins best pure goal-scorer earns honors for this award with his strong post-season play through a torn rotator cuff and hip injury.

The Worst Playoff Beard: Sidney Crosby - Pittsburgh Penguins and Jonathan Toews - Chicago Blackhawks.
- Alright, I know these guys are young but seriously? Crosby's pirate 'stache would leave even Captain Hook insulted. Toews, can we get some gravy with those 'chops? C'mon Peter Pans, get real...you guys looked like the 8th graders who forced facial hair upon themselves in feeble attempts to land the good looking girls.

The Best Playoff Beard: Erik Cole - Carolina Hurricanes

- Seriously, this guy had the thickest beard of anyone..even in the 2nd round. The dark-ness of the beard truly made the 'Canes winger a weirdo with a beard-o.

The Irony Award: Marian Hossa vs. Pittsburgh

- In all honesty, this was one of the reasons why I found myself rooting for the Penguins at times. I love the continuing torment of Marian Hossa by the Hockey God's above. The irony of Hossa's statement made upon signing with the Red Wings of "When I compared the two teams, I felt like I would have a little better of a chance to win the Cup in Detroit.". Oh, the irony.

The Player Who's Stock Doubled In The Playoffs Trophy: The Sedins - Vancouver Canucks

- Every one's presumed 2 for 1 deal continued their 2008-09 strong regular season play into the playoffs where they each registered 10 points in 10 games. The Swedish twins both proved themselves more than capable offensive weapons and were lethal on Vancouver's powerplay. Their estimated July 1st pay-day has undoubtedly increased with their strong performance. Whether the Sedins will end up moving to Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver or even Atlanta has yet to be determined.

The 'Who The Heck Is That?" Award: Jonas Hiller - Anaheim Ducks

- Undoubtedly, the biggest surprise of the 2009 Playoffs was the man in between the iron for the Anaheim Ducks, a 27-year old Swiss goaltender. Jonas Hiller, a career back-up to J.S Giguere was given the task of stopping the NHL-best San Jose Sharks, which he did. Then, Hiller was given the task of stopping the Detroit Red Wings, something he almost did. Overall, Hiller finished with a 7-5-1 record with a 2.23 GAA. His play has also put the Ducks in position to trade away Giguere and make room for Hiller to take over as the full-time starter in Anaheim.

Now come's the fun part, the NHL draft and the beginning of free agency are just weeks away.

Time To Pull Trade Trigger?

There may be another 19 days until the March 4th NHL trading deadline but it's certainly on the mind of fans already. This year, the Bruins will undoubtedly be buyers, looking for that veteran or added depth to help their quest for their first Stanley Cup in 37 years. With left-winger Marco Sturm done for the year the Bruins have his 3.5 million dollar salary and plus to work with to bring in another player. Let's start with the obvious: the Bruins are not in the market for Ilya Kovalchuk, Marian Gaborik or Vincent Lecavalier, nor should they be. All 3 players have high salaries not to mention their astronomical asking price.

With Ryder out for another 3 weeks, Kessel struggling to regain his scoring touch and the cooling down of Blake Wheeler the Bruins should definitely consider all their options. In my opinion, player such as Petteri Nokelainen, Vladimir Sobotka, Matt Lashoff, Matt Hunwick and even Manny Fernandez in certain situations can be used as trade bait. For the right price, I can see Peter Chiarelli throwing in a 1st round draft pick to sweeten the deal. With these players potiental and age to the Bruins advantage, they need to see who's on the market in order to potientally add that one piece for the Cup Run.

Let's start in Toronto where Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke is beginning the selling of center/right-winger Nik Antropov. Burke has publicly stated that he does not see Antropov being apart of the Leafs future and with an expiring contract, one can bet that he'll be looking to move the 6'6 forward. With a 2.2 million dollar salary he doesn't come as a big risk not to mention Burke's familiarity with the Bruins from his Anaheim days. Antropov has struggled in spurts this year, including a dreadful stretch where he went goal-less in 16 games straight but the upside is there when you factor in his size, potiental, and powerplay production (5 PPG, 5 PPA). His -15 isn't anything to write home about but realize how terrible the Maple Leafs and their goaltending has truly been. Antropov's stock has undoubtedly gone up given his latest hot streak of scoring goals in 4 of his last 7 games.

In St. Louis the Blues just won't die. Making the situation with Keith Tkachuk that much more diffecult for potiental buyers. Although the Blues find themselves in 14th place, they're just 8 points away from the 8th seed. There's no question the Bruins would be interested in a veteran such as Tkachuk, but his health and St. Louises asking price could give the Bruins a reason to stand back. Tkachuk's trade to Atlanta in 2007 only strengthens the Bruins desire to stay away from the Medford native.

There's no team that demonstrates the word 'bubble-team' better than the Edmonton Oilers. The Oilers are currently 3 points away from the 5th seed and 7 points away from the 15th seed. However, the Oilers are insistent upon the idea that Erik Cole is on the market. Cole, a player capable of playing both LW and RW has struggled fitting into the Oilers offense, producing just 22 points in 54 games. However, his best days came with Carolina where he posted 50+ points in his final seasons along with a total of a +26. Cole is a gritty player who fights for every possession and has a knack for scoring too, a perfect fit in the Claude Julien system. Given the Oilers rumored asking price (Sobotka and Lashoff) the Bruins should definitely keep a close eye on this one.

Perhaps the most intriguing option resides in Anaheim. Chris Pronger, a physical and ferocious defensmen is rumored to be on the block by the Ducks. Pronger currently makes just over 6 million dollars and is under contract for 2009-10 which makes the idea of trading for him more difficult given the Bruins current salary-cap predicament. There's no question the idea of having Chara and Pronger on the ice for 20+ minutes in the playoffs is an intriguing option for Boston and a terrifying one for their opponents his salary may not fit into the Bruins budget without the B's having to give up a key piece of their team. One idea I had is a three-way trade in which the Bruins send Manny Fernandez to Colorado, Colorado sends Jordan Leopold to Anaheim and Pronger comes to Boston.