Free Agent Centers – Who Might Be Available for the Caps

Posted on May 23, 2016 by Jon Sorensen

free-agent-centers

Capitals General Manager Brian MacLellan noted in his end of season press conference on May 16th, that the he felt the Caps still haven’t adequately addressed the teams’ need at the third line Center position. So who will be available during this summer’s Free Agency?

The Capitals will potentially look to the free agency market to fill the need at third-line center, with speed and youth the driving criteria. In addition, the Caps will probably look to fill the void with a salary in the $2-4 million range. With that, the following is a break-down of all of the 2016 free agents (UFA and RFA).

Unrestricted Free Agents (UFA) – Centers

UFA-2016-2017

Restricted Free Agents (RFA) – Centers

RFA_2016-2017

So who meets the criteria?
Unrestricted Free Agents (UFA)
Kyle Chipchura (AZ), Shawn Matthias (CO), Darren Helm (DET), Trevor Lewis (LAK), Cody Bass (NAS), Jiri Tlusty (NJ), Tyler Kennedy (NJ), Frans Neilsen (NYI), James Wright (NYI), Ryan White (PHI), Nick Spaling (SJS), Michal Haley (SJS), Jayson Menga (NYR) and Jonathan Marchessault (TB).

Restricted Free Agents (RFA)
Potential available RFA’s are bit trickier, as the current team has the negotiating advantage, and it’s less likely these players will become available.

Other Candidates
The listing does not currently include Free Agents that may be currently on a team’s minor league squad. (Only NHL Free Agents).

Continued Analysis
In the coming days, NoVa Caps will begin to provide analysis and reduce the candidates list as the Free Agency period approaches.

About Jon Sorensen

Jon has been a Caps fan since day one, attending his first game at the Capital Centre in 1974. His passion for the Caps has grown over the decades, which has included time as a season ticket holder, social media and community organizer, and most recently led to the founding of NoVa Caps in 2014. Jon earned a Bachelor's of Science in Civil Engineering at Old Dominion University, and is a Systems Engineer during intermissions, which has been instrumental in supporting his Capitals habit.
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7 Responses to Free Agent Centers – Who Might Be Available for the Caps

  1. Anonymous says:
    May 23, 2016 at 5:24 pm

    Mathias is pretty enticing

    Reply
  2. victormkelley says:
    May 23, 2016 at 5:46 pm

    i would love it if the caps could sign Backes for the third line center role. Offer him 2 years at 5.5MIL AAV. He is the type of player the caps need; a physical player with lots of heart and great leadership.

    Reply
  3. Bernie DeGastyne says:
    May 23, 2016 at 9:19 pm

    Too bad Stamkos is so pricey. He’s only 25

    Reply
  4. Anonymous says:
    May 23, 2016 at 11:26 pm

    Andrew Shaw if they could pry him away from Chicago would be a fit. He will get dirty in front of the net!

    Reply

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