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I hope you all had a great All-Star break.
The NHL schedule resumes on Monday night and teams need to be ready for the stretch run.
This week’s Power Rankings will focus on potential restricted free agents in 2022. Some teams have more key RFAs than others, but most squads will need to lock up a key player in the near future.
It’s important to note that only one RFA per team qualified for this list and they’re ranked based on their play this season.
Here you go!
1 – Matthew Tkachuk – W – Calgary Flames
The Flames power forward is already making $7 million this year and it looks like he might get a raise on his next deal. Tkachuk has an impressive 20 goals and 25 assists in 42 games this year and he also brings that physical element teams crave. He has a legitimate shot at hitting a new career high in points (his previous high was 77).
2 – Jason Robertson – W – Dallas Stars
Robertson broke onto the NHL scene last year by scoring an impressive 45 points in 51 games. This year, he’s even better. He’s already posted an impressive 17 goals and 41 points in just 35 contests. The 22-year-old is on an entry-level contract, but he’ll be getting a major raise this off-season. Robertson has a chance to be very special. Dallas will also need to re-sign goalie Jake Oettinger after this season.
3 – Pierre-Luc Dubois – C/W – Winnipeg Jets
Dubois was traded to the Jets for Patrik Laine last year. He had a so-so first year in Winnipeg, but he’s been much better in 2021-22. The 23-year-old has 18 goals and 15 assists in 42 games this season when he had 20 points in 41 games with Winnipeg last year. If the Jets want to lock him up long term, he’ll probably get a raise from the $5 million he’s earning right now.
4 – Tony DeAngelo – D – Carolina Hurricanes
After his very public departure from the New York Rangers, DeAngelo found a perfect new home in Carolina. The 26-year-old is having an amazing campaign, as he’s put up 33 points in 35 games in 2021-22. This one-year gamble has worked out perfectly and it looks like he’ll be able to cash in.
5 – Jesper Bratt – W – New Jersey Devils
Bratt is putting together an amazing campaign. The Devils forward, who hadn’t hit the 35-point mark since his rookie year, already has 14 goals and 41 points in 42 games this season. The Devils still aren’t a playoff team, but they have young players that are emerging as good NHLers.
6 – Patrik Laine – W – Columbus Blue Jackets
Laine and Dubois, who were both traded for each other, have both been a lot better in their second year with their new teams. The Jackets winger has missed an extended period of time due to injury and personal reasons, but he’s been productive when healthy. The 23-year-old has 10 goals and 11 assists in 24 games this season. He’s making $7.5 million this year and it wouldn’t be surprising to see his next deal fall in that range.
7 – Kevin Fiala – W – Minnesota Wild
Fiala went into the All-Star game riding a 12-game point streak and he’s already up to 13 goals and 21 assists in 41 games this season. He’s been remarkably consistent over the last three years, as he’s been rolling at a 0.8 points-per-game pace for the third year in a row. He’s a huge part of Minnesota’s success.
8 – Brock Boeser – W – Vancouver Canucks
Boeser’s having a bit of a down year based on his production from last season. He has 12 goals and 12 assists in 40 games this season after posting 23 goals and 49 points in 56 games laast year. Even though his numbers are down, the Canucks should find a way to re-sign him. If they decide to move him, they could get quite a bit for him in a trade.
9 – Adrian Kempe – W – Los Angeles Kings
Kempe has already set a new career-high in goals, with 19 (his previous high was 16). The 25-year-old was rolling heading into the All-Star break, as he had picked up points in four of his last five games. Kempe is making $2 million this year and he’s guaranteed to get a significant raise heading into next season.
10 – Josh Norris – C – Ottawa Senators
Norris has missed the last three games with a shoulder injury, but he was having an impressive season before that point. The 22-year-old has 18 goals and eight assists in 36 games in 2021-22. Hopefully he can get healthy quickly enough that it won’t impact the number on his next contract.
11 – Jared McCann – C – Seattle Kraken
McCann has been one of the pleasant surprises on the Kraken roster in their first year. The 25-year-old has an impressive 19 goals and 11 assists in 41 games this season. McCann leads the Kraken in goals and Jordan Eberle, who is second, only has 12. There’s a good chance he’ll get a raise on his $2.9 million salary. He has six points in his last five games before the All-Star break.
12 – Jesse Puljujarvi – W – Edmonton Oilers
Puljujarvi made his return to the NHL last year after spending two seasons in Europe. He managed to pick up 25 points in 55 games last year and he’s accumulated the same amount of points in just 40 games in 2021-22. The 23-year-old needs to be a solid secondary scorer behind Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.
13 – Noah Dobson – D – New York Islanders
Dobson averages an impressive 21:10 of ice time per game and he’s put up a solid 17 points in 37 games this season. The 22-year-old has already become an important part of the Islanders’ defense and he should continue to improve over the next few years.
14 – Nick Hague – D – Vegas Golden Knights
The towering defender has accumulated four goals and 10 assists in 36 games this season, but he finds himself on injured reserve with an undisclosed injury. Hague averages just over 18 minutes of ice time per game and that might increase if the Golden Knights are forced to trade bodies to become cap compliant.
15 – Dylan Strome – C – Chicago Blackhawks
Strome put together a couple of good seasons three and four seasons ago, but his numbers have dipped over the last two years. He has seven goals and 11 assists in 33 games this season. The Hawks will also need to re-sign RFAs Dominik Kubalik and Kirby Dach.
16 – Mario Ferraro – D – San Jose Sharks
Ferraro hasn’t produced much offensively this year, as he has two goals and nine assists in 42 games this season, but he eats up a lot of minutes on defense. The 23-year-old is averaging an impressive 23:29 of ice time per game in 2021-22, but he hit 27 minutes of ice time in two of his games before the break (he was injured in the other two).
17 – Lawson Crowse – W – Arizona Coyotes
Crowse is close to setting a career-high in points, as he’s already up to 21 points in 44 games this season. His career-high is 25 points, which he hit in 2018-19 and 2019-20. As of right now, the Coyotes have just three forwards under contract for next season on their NHL roster.
18 – Kasperi Kapanen – W – Pittsburgh Penguins
Kapanen is having a decent year for the Penguins, but he’s hit a bit of a rough patch. The Pens forward has gone five straight games without a point and he’s scored just once in his last even outings. He’s currently earning $3.2 million this season, so it’ll be interesting to see what he makes on his next deal.
19 – Victor Olofssson – W – Buffalo Sabres
Olofsson scored 20 goals in 54 games during his rookie season back in 2019-20. That total came down to 13 goals last season and he’s managed to score five times in 36 games this year. The Sabres forward has proven to be a reliable power-play sniper during his short NHL career, but his production on the man-advantage has dipped this year (he has one PP goal).
20 – Ilya Samsonov – G – Washington Capitals
Vitek Vanecek, who is also an RFA after this season, has posted better numbers than Samsonov, but it feels like the former first-rounder could get a bigger deal. It’ll be interesting to see how much money the Caps commit to their goalies beginning next season.
21 – Isac Lundestrom – C – Anaheim Ducks
Lundestrom has made some positive strides in his second full season with the Ducks. Last year, he had nine points in 41 games, but he’s followed that up by picking up 20 points in 48 games this year. The Ducks are lacking a little experience, but they’re heading in the right direction thanks to their talented group of youngsters.
22 – Alexander Romanov – D – Montreal Canadiens
The Canadiens defender has been inconsistent during his first two NHL seasons, but he’s proven to be a physical presence on the back end. The 22-year-old has two goals and five assists while averaging 18:46 of ice time in 41 games. Romanov should be part of Montreal’s blue-line for a long time.
23 – Ondrej Kase – W – Toronto Maple Leafs
Kase has played in four games since returning from the Covid-19 list, but he’s failed to collect a point in those four outings. He has a respectable eight goals and nine assists in 34 games this season after being limited to just three contests in 2020-21.
24 – Jake DeBrusk – W – Boston Bruins
DeBrusk scored an impressive 27 goals in 68 games back in 2018-19, but he’s followed that up with 19 and five-goal seasons. So far this season, he’s found the back of the net seven times in 38 contests. It seems like the Bruins have been trying to trade DeBrusk for a while, but they haven’t pulled the trigger on a move yet.
25 – Luke Kunin – W – Nashville Predators:
Kunin is closing in on his career-high of 15 goals, as he has 10 goals in 46 games this season. His 18 points are reasonable for a depth scorer on the team. Kunin’s contract has a cap hit of $2.3 million this season, but there’s a good chance his cap hit won’t be much higher than that.
26 – Filip Zadina – W – Detroit Red Wings
The 22-year-old was the sixth pick in the 2018 NHL Draft, but his adjustment to the NHL has been a little slow. There’s still time for him to reach his ceiling, but he needs to show a little more improvement between now and the end of the year. The first contract coming out of his entry-level deal isn’t going to be too heavy.
27 – Kaapo Kakko – W – New York Rangers
Kakko hasn’t lived up to the billing of being a second overall pick yet, but he’s still very young and there’s plenty of time for him to develop into an impact forward. The 20-year-old still has a lot of work to do. He has five goals and nine assists in 37 games this season.
28 – Eetu Luostarinen – C – Florida Panthers
Luostarinen had eight points in 44 games with the Panthers last season, but he’s nearly doubled his totals this year. The 23-year-old has eight goals and seven assists in 43 contests this year. He’s one of the many good young players on the Panthers roster.
29 – Mathieu Joseph – W – Tampa Bay Lightning
Joseph is the only restricted free-agent on the Lightning roster right now. He isn’t the most talented player on the roster, but he’s valuable because he does possess some skill and he isn’t making much money. The 24-year-old will certainly get a raise, but he should remain affordable. He has eight goals and seven assists in 43 games this season.
30 – Nicolas Aube-Kubel – W – Colorado Avalanche
Aube-Kubel has been a nice waiver pickup this year, as he’s given the Avs a solid depth piece. The 25-year-old has a respectable 14 points in 39 games and he’s added 39 penalty minutes during that stretch.
31 – Klim Kostin – W – St. Louis Blues
Kostin is still just 22 years old and he has some nice upside, but he hasn’t “arrived” in the NHL yet. He’s played 30 games so far, but he’s picked up just two goals and four assists in 30 games this season. The upside is there though.
32 – Zack MacEwen – W – Philadelphia Flyers
The Flyers don’t currently have many restricted free-agent on their roster. MacEwen is more of a depth forward that can provide some energy on a fourth line. He has one goal and two helpers in 43 games this season. He’s very replaceable.