Who's The Top Right Defenseman Still Available On Free Agent Market?

Right-shot defensemen have always been harder to come by in the NHL, but this offseason seems to still have a number of options left for teams to sign and take a chance on. At this point of the offseason, it is no real risk to bring in a defender on a cheap contract. We've reached the point of the summer where players are signing PTOs.

That being said, there are a mix of free agent right-shot defenders still available, including Tyson Barrie, Tony DeAngelo, Kevin Shattenkirk, Justin Schultz, and Calen Addison. So who of these five are the best option for a team looking to add another piece on the back-end?

If upside is what a team is looking for, there's one clear option, Addison. He is only 24 years old and should have many years ahead of him in professional hockey. He hasn't gotten a great opportunity to reach his full potential yet and is a former second-round pick from 2018.

Addison has played exclusively in the NHL in each of the past two seasons, but has been very limited to playing time, averaging 16:07 and 17:21 per game. He showed his offensive upside with 29 points in 62 games in 2022-23 for the Minnesota Wild when he demonstrated just how effective he could be on the power play. A young team with a thin back-end would do well giving Addison a shot this season.

When looking at the best all-around defenseman of the bunch, that has to be Kevin Shattenkirk. The veteran has always had the willingness to block a ton of shots on top of his knack for producing points. At age 35, that ability to contribute offensively had declined as his role has, but that didn't stop him from scoring six goals and 24 points in 61 games while averaging under 16 minutes per game.

The d-man who will add the most offense is DeAngelo, but some issues off-ice have come with him in the past. Prior to last season with the Carolina Hurricanes where he averaged less than 15 minutes per game due to a stacked defense group, he put up three consecutive 10+ goal seasons and recorded over 50 points in two of the three seasons where he actually played enough games (excluding 2020-21). DeAngelo is a big help on the power play and he is in his prime.

Barrie and Schultz have offensive capabilities, but with age that has slowed down. It has to be the right fit and it will be tough for either of them to find playing time next season without injuries. They are nearing the end of their careers, and I would choose the other three defenseman over both of them at this point this offseason.