Guentzel, Reinhart, Stamkos top NHL free agent list

Jon Cooper had Steven Stamkos right in his line of sight.

Speaking ahead of the NHL Draft at the stunning Sphere on February’s 4 Nations showdown tournament, the Tampa Bay Lightning head coach sat in front of a giant picture of his captain taken the day he was selected first overall in 2008.

“I looked at him all the time,” Cooper said with a smile when asked about Stamkos, who is set to hit the market Monday when free agency opens unless the team and player come to an agreement on a new understanding.

“You know how I feel about him,” continued Canada’s 4 Nations coach. “This whole thing is a process.”

But Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois said he met with Don Meehan, Stamkos’ agent, over the weekend.

“Our respective positions have not changed,” Brisebois said.

The Lightning then made a trade on Sunday, picking up the rights to Jake Guentzel from the Carolina Hurricanes, hoping to sign the winger before other teams had a chance.

With all that in mind, The Canadian Press takes a look at some of the big-name free agents in this year’s class:

JAKE GUENTZEL

AGE: 29

2023-24 PROJECTED SALARY CAPACITY: $6 million

The shortstop could be the most sought after player when the clock strikes 12 pm ET on Monday – unless he signs in Tampa first. Guentzel was a trade deadline acquisition by Carolina from the Pittsburgh Penguins, finishing the season with 30 goals and 77 points in 77 games. He scored 227 goals and 491 points in 520 regular season contests. He added 67 points (38 goals, 29 assists) in 69 playoff appearances.

STEVEN STAMKOS

AGE: 34

2023-24 SALARY CAPACITY SHOW: $8.5 million

The center won the Stanley Cup twice in his 16 seasons with the Lightning. Despite being on the wrong side of 30 goals, Stamkos made it his second 40-goal campaign in the past three seasons. He has 555 goals and 582 points for 1,137 points in 1,082 regular season games with the Lightning. Stamkos added 101 points (50 goals, 51 assists) in 128 playoff games.

SAM REINHART

AGE: 28

2023-24 POSTED SALARY CAPACITY: $6.5 million

The winger is coming off a career-high 57-goal campaign — and added nine more in the postseason — with the Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers after never scoring more than 33. She was drafted drafted second overall by the Buffalo Sabers in the 2014 draft, Reinhart has 255 goals and 538 points in 696 career games. He added 32 points (20 goals, 12 assists) in 53 playoff appearances.

BRANDON MONTOUR

AGE: 30

2023-24 SALARY CAPACITY SHOW: $3.5 million

The defenseman is among the top blue line options to become available after winning the Cup with Florida. Similar to Reinhart, he spent years finding his game elsewhere before settling with the Panthers. Montour had eight goals and 33 points in 66 games in 2023-24. He has 66 goals and 252 points in 520 career contests. Montour has 35 points (11 goals, 24 assists) in 80 playoff appearances.

ELIAS LINDHOLM

AGE: 29

2023-24 POSTED SALARY CAPACITY: $4.85 MILLION

The center was acquired by the Vancouver Canucks from the Calgary Flames this offseason, but seems ready to test the market. Lindholm will be a solid addition to any team that secures his services, despite a down year in which he scored just 15 goals and 44 points in 75 games. In total, he collected 218 goals and 557 points in 818 regular season games. Lindholm added 27 points (13 goals, 14 assists) in 40 playoff games.

JONATHAN MARCHESSAULT

AGE: 33

2023-24 POSTED SALARY CAPACITY: $5 million

One of the “Golden Misfits” from the original Vegas Golden Knights roster that stunned the hockey world by reaching the Cup Final in their 2018 expansion season, Marchessault posted a career-high 42 points in 2023-24 . The veteran winger’s 69 points also rank second on the all-time stat sheet. Marchessault has 230 goals and 487 points in 638 regular-season games, along with 76 points (36 goals, 40 assists) in 101 playoff appearances — including the Knights’ 2022-23 title campaign.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on June 30, 2024.

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Joshua Clipperton, Canadian Press