With a plan now in place for the 2020-21 season, teams could bring their attention back to the free agent market, where 32 names remain from the initial Top 100 board compiled by TSN Senior Hockey Reporter Frank Seravalli ahead of Oct. 9.

The Florida Panthers got back in on the action last week, signing Anthony Duclair to a one-year, $1.7 million contract. 

Meanwhile, former Panthers Mike Hoffman and Erik Haula continue to sit atop the list. Seravalli reported earlier this month that the Vegas Golden Knights could have interest in one of the two forwards should they free up cap space.

"I’m told the Golden Knights have doubled down in recent days and weeks in an attempt to try and move Pacioretty. He has three years left at $7 million a year coming off a 32-goal shortened season. You think back previously in this off-season, they were trying to move any number of players on their team to try and gain salary cap flexibility," Seravalli said on Dec. 8. "There is no question the team is over the cap at this point, but they believe they can be cap compliant by opening night.

"Pacioretty would go a long way in terms of getting some of that flexibility and also enable them to potentially take a run at any number of the high-profile free agents that remain unsigned at this point, like a Mike Hoffman or an Erik Haula."

Hoffman had 29 goals and 59 points in 69 games with the Panthers last season, while Haula scored 12 goals and recorded 24 points in 48 games split between the Panthers and Carolina Hurricanes.

Among defencemen, Sami Vatanen tops all blueliners at No. 5, one spot ahead of veteran Zdeno Chara and four spots ahead of former Flame Travis Hamonic.

 

Top Remaining UFAs - Dec. 21

 
RK Player Team Pos Age GP G PTS 19-20
1 Mike Hoffman FLA LW 30 69 29 59 $5.19M
2 Erik Haula FLA C 29 48 12 24 $2.75M
3 Corey Perry DAL RW 35 57 5 21 $3.1M
4 Mikael Granlund NSH LW 28 63 17 30 $5.75M
5 Sami Vatanen CAR RD 29 47 5 23 $4.88M
6 Zdeno Chara BOS LD 43 68 5 14 $2M
7 Andreas Athanasiou EDM RW 26 55 11 26 $3M
8 Carl Soderberg ARI C 34 70 17 35 $4.75M
9 Travis Hamonic CGY RD 30 50 3 12 $3.86M
10 Ilya Kovalchuk WSH LW 37 46 10 26 $700K
11 Matt Martin NYI LW 31 55 5 8 $2.5M
12 Conor Sheary PIT LW 28 63 10 23 $3M
13 Michael Frolik BUF RW 32 57 6 14 $4.3M
14 Colin Wilson COL LW 30 9 0 4 $2.6M
15 Mirco Mueller NJD LD 25 50 2 7 $1.4M
16 Melker Karlsson SJS RW 29 61 6 12 $2M
17 Trevor Lewis LAK RW 33 56 6 12 $2M
18 Ben Hutton LAK LD 27 65 4 16 $1.5M
19 Andy Greene NYI LD 37 63 2 14 $5M
20 Ryan Miller ANA G 40 23 3.1 0.907 $1.13M
21 Ron Hainsey OTT RD 39 64 1 12 $3.5M
22 Michael Del Zotto ANA LD 30 49 2 15 $750K
23 Drake Caggiula CHI LW 26 40 9 15 $1.5M
24 Madison Bowey DET RD 25 53 3 17 $1M
25 Jan Rutta TBL RD 30 33 1 7 $1.3M
26 Brian Boyle FLA LW/C 35 39 6 15 $940K
27 Karl Alzner MTL LD 31 4 0 0 $4.63M
28 Michael Grabner ARI LW 32 46 8 11 $3.35M
29 Frederik Gauthier TOR C 25 61 7 12 $675K
30 Riley Sheahan EDM LW/C 28 66 8 15 $900K
31 Jimmy Howard DET G 36 27 4.2 0.887 $4M
32 Craig Anderson OTT G 39 34 3.25 0.902 $4.75M