Colorado and Florida are far from the only teams looking for defence — and these certainly aren’t the only players who will be on the move.
Similarly, the Kings are in the market as well, more likely for a lefty with term given that they’re not just striving for a quick playoff run and have depth on the right in their prospect pipeline.
The Maple Leafs could use reinforcements on the blue line, probably preferable on the left given the Jake Muzzin injury.
The Coyotes defender isn’t a rental — the 23-year-old still has three more years on his current contract with a $4.6 million cap hit that’s super reasonable for a top-four back.
Obviously, Giordano is at the later stages of his career, and his offensive impact has trended down this season .
His play also isn’t at the levels of years past, but the left-handed shooter denies entries against, and limits scoring chances at a high rate, keeps opponents away from the inner slot.
Sticking with pending UFAs, a more offensive lefty is Leddy.
Teams looking for a stay-at-home, physical defender may consider Hagg.
The lefty can possession the puck, make outlet passes out of his own zone, and contribute to his team’s drive to generate slot shots.
At 26 years old, the lefty will be a restricted free agent so teams maintain control after this year — and at such a low cap hit, of just $725,000, it shouldn’t require financial gymnastics to make him fit.
When opponents do get past Soucy to enter the zone, it generally doesn’t translate into a scoring chance — that’s something he ranks highly in the league at limiting.
Some teams want a more experienced defender for the playoffs, so they can turn to de Haan who could be flipped ahead of Monday’s deadline from the rebuilding Blackhawks.
He can be tasked with matching up against top competition, defend the blue line, and use his long reach to make stick plays both at even strength and in short-handed situations.
It’s going to take a lot to get Severson for the next two playoff runs before he hits unrestricted free agency, but it could help solidify a team’s blue line.
Or, if paired with a possession player, he can provide some balance with his defensive efforts of blocking shots and battling for loose pucks to help spark plays from his own zone.