Top 5 Remaining UFA Defenseman Still Available

All of the big names are gone, but for teams looking to beef up their blueline in free agency, there are still some players out there that can provide a lift to the bottom end of a defense corps.

Yesterday, we had a look at the top 5 remaining free agent forwards, now we turn our attention to the top d-men still on the market.

Adam Boqvist
Justin Schultz
Ryan Suter
Tyson Barrie
Tony DeAngelo

Boqvist was a late surprise addition to the UFA ranks, as the Columbus Blue Jackets bought him out on the eve of free agency. Still only 23, the former 8th overall pick in the NHL Draft (2018), is a puck-moving defender who just needs some time to grow into his offensive game. He has battled injury troubles in each of his five NHL seasons.

Suter, though 39, clearly has the most caché of any of the remaining names on this list, as he received Norris Trophy votes for 10 straight seasons during his career, finishing as high as runner-up (2012-13). His minutes have declined in each of the last three seasons since arriving with the Dallas Stars (understandably as he'll turn 40 next season), but he can still be a good stabilizing veteran on most teams' back line. He averaged nearly 19 minutes with the Stars this past season with a +14 rating.

Schultz is a right-shot defenseman who is a decent puck-mover. He posted 26 points in 70 games for the Seattle Kraken this past season on a $3 million cap hit. He'll probably have to settle for a bit of a pay cut wherever he signs.

Barrie, 33, fell completely out of favor with Nashville this past season, while DeAngelo had the worst full season of his career with Carolina this year, with just 11 points in 31 games while playing a career-low 14:20 per night.