Top 10 unrestricted free agent left wingers: Scoring options available

If the early flurry of off-season action has told us anything, it’s that the road to roster improvement in 2023 seems to run through the trade market.

Across the league, general managers have been getting their business done early, bringing in talent via swaps before free agency officially opens, with the 2023 UFA class not exactly one for the ages. Add to that a few key extensions that have dropped already, and the free-agency market has thinned even further.

Still, there are some game-changers scattered throughout the UFA field, in need of new deals and new sweaters, and the shallow class figures to create some interesting bidding wars.

Let’s take a look at the top left wingers on the market heading into July 1.

Top 10 FAs at each position: C | RW | D | G

Tyler Bertuzzi
Age: 28
2022-23 Cap Hit: $4.75M (Red Wings, Bruins)

What could’ve been a disappointing step backwards for Tyler Bertuzzi in 2022-23 wound up a glimpse of the value he can bring to a contending squad. Starting the year with just four goals through 29 games with Detroit, hampered by injuries — this after putting up 30 for the Red Wings the year before — a trade to Boston at the deadline gave the 28-year-old a chance to show what he could do with some stronger pieces around him.

While it took time to settle, he showed his worth in the post-season, putting up a team-leading five goals and 10 points through Boston’s seven-game first-round bout, finishing as perhaps the lone positive amid what was a brutally disappointing B’s finish. He’s due for a raise after earning $4.75 million for the past two years in Detroit, and will no doubt get one from a club looking for the type of offensive depth that thrives in the playoffs.

Max Pacioretty
Age: 34
2022-23 Cap Hit: $7M (Hurricanes)

The 2022-23 campaign was a devastating one for veteran winger Max Pacioretty. Traded to the Carolina Hurricanes after a four-year run in Vegas that saw him collect 97 goals and 194 points through 224 games, Pacioretty’s season was cut short after just five games, a torn Achilles tendon pushing him to the sidelines for the majority of the campaign. Still, when healthy, Pacioretty’s proven to be a valuable finisher, reaching the 30-goal plateau six times in his career. He put up nearly 20 goals and totalled 37 points in just 39 games only a year ago, and had 24 goals and 51 points through 48 tilts the year before that.

The key question, of course, is whether injuries will prevent the 34-year-old from showing glimpses of the player he was back in Montreal, or early in his Vegas days. But as a depth piece, on a reasonable deal, there’s no question Pacioretty can still be a useful offensive piece. Also worth noting: because of the length of time Pacioretty spent on LTIR last season, he’s eligible for a bonus-laden contract, opening the door for a club with limited cap space to take a run at the proven sniper.

Alex Killorn
Age: 33
2022-23 Cap Hit: $4.45M (Lightning)

On one hand, it’s tough to imagine the Bolts ever parting ways with Alex Killorn, who’s been something of a heart-and-soul engine for the perennial contenders over his 11 years with Tampa Bay. Recent reports suggest the Bolts are still trying bring the vet back. But if they can’t, it wouldn’t be the first time a key piece of a continued contender moved on, as we saw with former Lightning mainstays Ondrej Palat and Ryan McDonagh.

After wrapping up a seven-year deal that paid him $4.45 million per year, the 33-year-old is surely going to be lured away from his longtime club by some hefty offers, having proven himself as a valuable playoff weapon. Tampa is limited in what they can pay their seasoned winger, having handed out a number of extensions to younger core pieces. If his time in a Lightning sweater is done, the list of suitors for Killorn will be long, especially after showing out in 2022-23, putting up career-best offensive numbers across the board.

Michael Bunting
Age: 27
2022-23 Cap Hit: $950,000 (Maple Leafs)

Had Michael Bunting been signed to a one-year deal when he first came to Toronto, rather than a two-year pact, there’s little doubt he’d be inked to a lengthy deal in Toronto already. But after riding high in Year 1 with the Maple Leafs — doubling his previous best goal total, quintupling his previous best point total, and earning a Calder nomination — the second year of his Leafs tenure wasn’t quite as breezy. While the 27-year-old’s numbers didn’t fall off too dramatically, he did take something of a step back.

But it was between the whistles that Bunting became more of a polarizing figure, drawing criticism from some for his extracurricular antics, particularly when they earned him a series-altering post-season suspension. Still, if the Maple Leafs’ new regime looks to move on, the fiery winger is sure to draw plenty of suitors offering a hefty raise on the $950,000 he earned last year, as Bunting’s proven he can be a blue-collar complement in the top six, or provide some offence further down the lineup. 

Jason Zucker
Age: 31
2022-23 Cap Hit: $5.5M (Penguins)

Like Killorn, Jason Zucker picked a good time to pull out one of the best offensive campaigns of his career. Hampered by injuries for the majority of his first few years in Pittsburgh — which amounted to the former Minnesota Wild winger collecting single-digit goal totals over that span — Zucker finally made his way back to the Penguins lineup full-time this past season, finishing with 27 goals on the year, the second-most he’s ever amassed in the big leagues.

Had he not been able to put up those numbers, this could’ve been a disastrous off-season for the UFA. But after managing to prove he can still do some damage in the right situation, he’s sure to get some calls — likely not from Pittsburgh, who appear to have replaced Zucker via their acquisition of Cup champ Reilly Smith. How close Zucker’s next deal will be to to the one he just finished, which carried a $5.5-million cap hit, is less certain. But in a thin free-agent class, his near-30 goal performance will surely draw interest.

Tomas Tatar
Age: 32
2022-23 Cap Hit: $4.5M (Devils)

It was the same story for veteran Tomas Tatar, who stumbled through a couple down years before returning to the 20-goal club this past season, proving his worth before hitting the market. But the criticism of Tatar’s game is pretty clear. Despite topping the 20-goal mark seven times in 12 regular seasons, he’s scored just seven times in the 52 post-season games he’s played throughout his career.

This past season’s run with New Jersey was no different, as Tatar managed just one goal through 12 games for the Devils. At 32 years old, fresh off that post-season cold streak, the former Canadiens standout won’t exactly be a club’s first choice to bring to town. But on a reasonable deal — he earned just $4.5 million last season — Tatar could still be a useful depth option.

James van Riemsdyk
Age: 34
2022-23 Cap Hit: $7M (Flyers)

JVR wasn’t so lucky in the contract year department. After a resurgent 24-goal campaign at age 32 a year earlier in Philly, the veteran put up only 12 goals this past season for the lowly Flyers. At 34 years old, his effectiveness has clearly declined, and his stock has fallen around the league — evidenced by the fact that Philly wasn’t able to move him for assets at the deadline.

He won’t necessarily have a line around the block for clubs offering him a new deal either, and he’s unlikely to get a raise on the $5 million he earned in salary last season with his best years behind him, but as he showed in 2021-22, van Riemsdyk can still be effective in the right situation.

Max Domi
Age: 28
2022-23 Cap Hit: $3M (Blackhawks, Stars)

The former 12th overall pick is a long way away from his years as the Coyotes’ talisman. After seeming on track for stardom early in his career, the 28-year-old has bounced around the league for the past three seasons, playing out stints with four different clubs since his run in Montreal. Max Domi’s game is well-established, and he’s sure to land somewhere after putting up 20 goals and nearly 60 points this past season, the second-best offensive showing of his career.

Still, it’s worth noting the majority of that production came for basement-dwelling Chicago, while Domi managed just two goals in 20 games after being acquired by Dallas at the deadline. After inking a one-year, $3 million deal in 2022-23, a similar setup seems likely for next season.

Evan Rodrigues
Age: 29
2022-23 Cap Hit: $2M (Avalanche)

It’s been a bizarre, resurgent pair of seasons for Evan Rodrigues, who’s become one of the game’s most interesting roster gambles. After spending the first six years of his career as a background presence, Rodrigues found his game with Pittsburgh in 2021-22, proving he can be an effective depth piece in the right situation. He managed 19 goals and 43 points with the Pens, before being picked up by the defending champs last season and posting fairly similar numbers.

The 29-year-old isn’t necessarily a game-changer, and won’t be the picture of consistency, but with exceptional hands and plenty of versatility, he’d be a useful bottom-six piece on most rosters around the league. Like Domi, he seems likely to sign a similar deal to the one-year, $2-million pact he played out this past season. 

Jonathan Drouin
Age: 28
2022-23 Cap Hit: $5.5M (Canadiens)

It’s been a tough few years for the 2013 third-overall pick, who took some needed time away from the game and has endured some injury issues since deciding to return. After spending time as a healthy scratch under Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis, and with the offence not flowing as it used to for the talented winger, a change of scenery might be the best way forward for Jonathan Drouin.

There will surely be interest, even after the numbers the 28-year-old put up in 2022-23. Rewind to the early years of Drouin’s career, and his raw skill and potential were clear. Regardless of how it’s panned out in Montreal over the past six years, there’s still a chance the former 20-goal-scorer can do well in a different situation.