2 Teams Linked To Capitals UFA Conor Sheary

It doesn't seem like the Washington Capitals are going to be keeping Conor Sheary around and re-sign him before free agency. Whether it is because they are utilizing their cap space elsewhere or they feel like their forward group is very crowded when healthy, there are definitely other teams that can use his services.

Colorado Avalanche

The Colorado Avalanche displayed more than anyone in recent memory just how bad their depth is at forward. There were some key injuries, forcing some of their players to play higher in the lineup, but eight players who slotted in on the bottom-six combined to record one assist in seven games.

The Avalanche have proven that they aren't the healthiest team and they do well when their middle-six players can move up and down the lineup like Evan Rodrigues did for them this season. While Sheary isn't a center, he is constantly used in the bottom-six while being very capable of playing higher than that in the lineup. He's a veteran presence who has performed well in playoffs before and won't cost a ton despite repeatedly putting up good all-around numbers.

Vancouver Canucks

The Vancouver Canucks are still going through changes that I expect to ramp up closer to the draft and free agency. Not only do they need work on their defense, the forward group still requires some altering. The Canucks made the mistake of rushing Vasily Podkolzin and Nils Hoglander to the NHL and now they have spent the majority of the last year in the AHL where they arguably need more time.

I don't expect both to make the team out of training camp and the forward depth of Vancouver is fairly weak with Phillip Di Giuseppe currently slotted in on the third line. While there still may be some trade candidates at forward like Conor Garland, the Canucks can find value in a one to two year deal with Sheary.