Top five value NHL free agents still available for 2023-24

Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

According to CapFriendly, 14 of the league’s 32 teams have under $1 million in cap space, with eight sitting over the cap.

Most teams are close to icing full rosters, with the majority of the league’s top free agents inking deals. There are plenty of RFAs still to sign, but, for the most part, we have a general idea of what the league should look like come October.

But teams will still look to save money when they can, and that means signing depth scoring pieces to inexpensive contracts. And while most of the quality names have already been snagged, there’s still some value to be found.

Here’s a look at five free agents who made $1 million or less last year looking for work heading into 2023-24, with contract projections from AFP Analytics:

Sam Gagner, RW/C, 33

2022-23 Salary: $750,000
AFP Projection: $917,348

What a career Gagner has had. After going sixth overall to Edmonton in 2007 and recording at least 41 points in each of his first five seasons, Gagner has bounced around teams ever since. He had a career-high 50 points in 2016-17 with Columbus after recording a career-low (at the time) 16 points in Philly the year before, a campaign that saw him head to the AHL for the first time.

Gagner never hit 50 again and had trips down to the Toronto Marlies and Bakersfield Condors, but he found a bit of a revival with 31 points in Detroit two years ago. Gagner reached a major career milestone by playing in his 1,000th NHL game while with Winnipeg last year, with the 33-year-old sitting at 519 points in 1,015 games. Through all the ups and downs, Gagner has managed to carve out a spot for himself in the big leagues, most recently as a bottom-six goal scorer with the Winnipeg Jets. At under a million bucks, he’d be an excellent fit for quite a few teams still.

Eric Staal, C, 38

2022-23 Salary: $750,000
AFP Projection: $948,768

Most expected Staal’s career to be over after he went unsigned in 2021-22 and had an underwhelming Olympic performance with Canada. But Staal and his brother, Marc, bet on themselves and joined Florida, advancing all the way to the Stanley Cup Final. Eric even had a decent campaign, recording 14 goals and 29 points in 72 games, with another five in the playoffs. While he’s clearly not the 70-point threat he used to be, Staal can still hold his own as a bottom-line center with a long history of wearing a letter on the front of his jersey. Someone looking for cheap leadership and two-way play could take a run at Staal.

Alex Chiasson, RW, 32

2022-23 Salary: $750,000
AFP Projetion: $941,912

Chiasson was out of work until late November when the Grand Rapids Griffins inked him to an AHL deal. He must have impressed the Detroit Red Wings’ brass, who gave him a deal in March to add some scoring depth. He finished with nine points in 20 games, making him one of the team’s more cost-efficient scoring threats down the stretch. Chiasson is no stranger to last-minute deals, having had a couple of tryout contracts turn into full-blown NHL work. In a full season, he’s good for around 20 points – and in 2018-19, he had 22 goals. At a low price, the 6-foot-4 winger can chip in enough to make it worth it.

Danton Heinen, LW, 28

2022-23 Salary: $1,000,000
AFP Projection: $2,452,263

Heinen took a big pay decrease when he left Boston to join Pittsburgh for 2021-22 – a drop of $1.7 million. He responded by scoring 18 goals, a career-best, before bouncing down to just 22 points this year – the lowest of his pro career. It’s a far cry from the 47 points Heinen had with Boston in 2017-18, but it’s still stout for a player that’s a fourth-liner in most places. Heinen has a nose for the net, can be difficult to clear out near the crease and skates well, too.

Denis Malgin, LW, 26

2022-23 Salary: $750,000
AFP Projection: $1,480,552

Malgin never worked in Toronto, and his surface numbers were nothing special in Colorado. But he played at a near 25-goal pace during the second half of the season and played at a 2.3 points-per-60 rate – good for fifth on the Avs. The issue? Malgin tends to disappear way too often and when he isn’t producing points, he’s not bringing enough value to the lineup. So Malgin needs to be in the right spot to get the most value, but he definitely deserves another chance in a team’s bottom six. You can do much worse.

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