6 Bargain-Bin Free Agents Who Can Help NHL Teams Next Season

After three days of NHL free agency, we've seen more than 200 players signed to new contracts, which means the pool of available talent is getting shallow.

Teams have spent a boatload of money, and a lot of them are creeping up on the salary-cap ceiling.

With impact players being a little harder to find and cash running thinner, it's time to go bargain hunting. We've identified a handful of players who were productive within the past couple of seasons but haven't found new places to play as of yet.

Whether your team is looking for a contributing scorer up front or a defenseman who can either move the puck well or stop opponents from scoring (or ideally both), there are still some guys out there who can help.

We've parsed through the list of unrestricted free agents and run the numbers and picked out these players for your team's general manager to think about snagging to help out.

While they might not make a team an instant Stanley Cup contender, they can certainly do their bit to help make it happen and not break the bank, either.

For a team in need of getting more depth for its forward group, winger Kailer Yamamoto would be a player worth checking out.

This season, Yamamoto had a down year with Seattle, scoring eight goals with eight assists in 59 games. Those aren't the kind of numbers to put on the top of any résumé, but a quick look at his past few seasons shows there's a guy who can contribute.

In the 25-year-old's previous stop in Edmonton, he scored double-digit goals three times including 20 goals in 2021-2022. That season he set a career high in points with 41, but more often he's been capable of 20-25 points. Perhaps playing with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl can do good things for your numbers.

Yamamoto's minutes dropped in Seattle compared to his time in Edmonton (nearly five minutes fewer per game) suggests he could improve his production with more ice time. His advanced stats were OK (positive puck possession, just below average expected goals at 5-on-5) and he's been a more offensive player going back to his days in junior hockey.

As far as potential bargains go, it's worth taking a flier on Yamamoto.

Solid veteran defensemen can be tough to find, and right-handed defensemen are always in demand. That's what makes Kevin Shattenkirk the best of both worlds.

Last season, the 35-year-old signed a veteran one-year deal with the Boston Bruins worth just over $1 million and used it to play nearly 16 minutes per game while contributing six goals and 18 assists in 61 games.

For how cap-strapped the Bruins were this season, landing a player who cost relatively little who produced so well is exactly what you want to have happen. And that same thing could happen for another team in a similar position.

Throughout his time in the NHL, he has been a steady, puck-moving defenseman with offensive instincts and the kinds of smarts to play consistently well on the blue line. At this point in his career, teams don't need him to play huge minutes and have major responsibilities.

For any team that may be lacking depth on the blue line or in need of a solid right-handed puck-carrier, Shattenkirk is as solid as you could expect to find on the market right now.

Plus, there's also the fact that he helped the Tampa Bay Lightning win the Stanley Cup in 2020, which is nice because everyone loves bringing a winner into the locker room.

We've already talked about one member of the Tampa Bay Lightning's Stanley Cup-winning team from 2020, so why not mention another one who can still score goals: Tyler Johnson.

For years in Tampa Bay, the 33-year-old was a key contributor to the Lightning's success. He's scored 20 or more goals four times and, for the past few seasons, he's steadily put up 30 or more points when healthy.

Johnson is now a free agent after wrapping up with Chicago. Obviously, things haven't been great with the Blackhawks the past few seasons and his numbers reflect that. That said, in 67 games this season, he had 17 goals and 14 assists and a hide-your-eyes bad plus-minus of minus-35.

(We know plus-minus is a bad stat, OK? We know.)

That said, if Johnson did join a team in a better place and not in the first few seasons of a massive rebuild, he could be a good contributor lower in the lineup. He can play all three forward positions and has a knack for finding the back of the net.

For a team lacking in offensive juice, Johnson could be of some assistance.

When it comes to capable puck-moving defensemen, the reputation Justin Schultz has is well-known.

Since coming up with the Edmonton Oilers, he's always been known more as an offensive defenseman than a defensive one, but that can sometimes work against a player considering the position.

However, since he moved on to Pittsburgh and helped the Penguins win back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017, appreciation for what he can do has gone up. That may have something to do with how opinions have changed about how players should function on the blue line, but either way, it's worked to Schultz's benefit.

As a scorer and playmaker, the soon-to-be 34-year-old is as steady as it gets. He's had 20-or-more points in each of the past four seasons and going back to the Kraken's playoff run last season, he can still handle things well from the back (10 points in 14 playoff games in 2023).

As a right-handed shot, Schultz should be higher up on some teams' lists for bargains on the blue line, although he might cost a bit more than others out there.

Still, you know what you're getting from the veteran: A guy who can handle the puck well enough to get the offense started.

Can a bargain also be a lottery ticket? It can be if it means signing Alex Nylander.

For years, the 2016 first-round pick has hunted for consistency at the NHL level and spent seasons in the AHL finding his way.

When he landed in Columbus this season after a trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins, the opportunity to play more minutes turned into a chance to show he can produce in the NHL.

In 23 games with Columbus, Nylander scored 11 goals with four assists and set a career high in goals in the process (he had 10 with Chicago in 65 games in 2019-2020). As far as samples go, it's a small one, but after so many years and opportunities to score in a somewhat regular way, he was able to do that with the Blue Jackets.

Columbus didn't qualify the 26-year-old and made him an unrestricted free agent in the process. Whether that's seen as a red flag or not around the league, we'll find out eventually.

But just going by the raw output in a small window, if he's found his way to a consistent game and is responsible enough defensively, a cheap contract could net a solid return.

As far as veteran scorers go, you could do well to bring James van Riemsdyk into the fold.

Last season, he gave the Boston Bruins the kind of depth offense they hoped for. In 71 games, he had 11 goals and 27 assists and also spent time on their second power-play unit.

At 6'3", 208 pounds, the 35-year-old has the big body presence to play well down low around the net and the kind of hands to beat goalies in tight situations.

We know Van Riemsdyk isn't quite the same guy from his days with the Philadelphia Flyers and Toronto Maple Leafs, but the fact that he was able to do well and fit in great with the Bruins shows what a professional he is. At 35, you know what you're getting with him.

While he ultimately wants to be on a winning team that is more in line with being a Stanley Cup contender than fighting to get into the postseason, those are the kinds of teams that could stand to benefit the most from bringing him onboard.

Every winning team wants a veteran like Van Riemsdyk on the ice and in the locker room, and he's now right there for the signing.