Potential Top NHL Free Agents of 2011

Joe Thornton

If San Jose doesn't keep him, Jumbo Joe will be the biggest name in the free agent pool. But if he and the Sharks continue to underachieve in the postseason, he'll come with the baggage that has dogged him for years: a reputation for coming up small in big games or series. During the 2010 playoffs, he scored three goals and 12 points in 15 games and was minus-11.

Brad Richards

A leader, veteran playmaker of nine NHL seasons, and the 2004 Conn Smythe Trophy-winner with Tampa Bay, Richards equaled his career-high of 91 points with Dallas in 2009-10.

Alexander Semin

One of Washington's top guns and just entering his prime, Semin reached career-highs of 40 goals and 84 points in 2009-10 while finishing plus-36.

Zdeno Chara

There's no denying, at 6-9 and 255 pounds, his presence or the respect he commands as a team leader. The 2009 Norris Trophy winner has produced 40 or more points in each of the past five seasons.

Andrei Markov

A solid all-around All-Star defenseman who moves the puck well and quarterbacks the power play, Markov is coming off an injury-plagued 2009-10 season in which he had ankle surgery. If he stays healthy, his value should be high.

Tomas Kaberle

The current object of much trade speculation, the four-time All-Star has produced in the neighborhood of 50 or more points in four of the last five seasons.

Ilya Bryzgalov

The 2009-10 Vezina Trophy finalist had a huge season for Phoenix (42-20-8 with 8 shutouts, 2.29 GAA and .920 save percentage) and, with anything close to a repeat, could be the most coveted netminder on the market.

Tomas Vokoun

A veteran netminder of 12 NHL seasons, Vokoun has elite-level skills. He recorded a career-high seven shutouts for the woeful Panthers in 2009-10.

Simon Gagne

The object of offseason trade talk, the 10-year veteran has been injury prone, but he's still an exceptional skater and penalty-killer. He's twice scored 40 or more goals in a season, most recently in 2006.

Patrice Bergeron

The Bruins' current cap situation has made him the subject of trade speculation. A versatile playmaker with a dependable defensive game and good face-off skills, Bergeron has battled injuries, most notably concussions, during his six-season career, but if he stays healthy he'll just be entering his prime.

Mike Knuble

He's getting on in years, but a team in need of a versatile, hard-working veteran with plenty of playoff experience can't do much better than Knuble. Along with his zest for battle in front of the net and along the boards, he's maintained a very nice scoring touch: 20 or more goals in each of the past seven seasons.

Ville Leino

A Detroit castoff who became a playoff revelation for the Flyers in 2010, Leino is a solid puckhandler and playmaker with versatility and some scoring touch. He has only 68 regular-season games of NHL experience spread over three years, so the 2010-11 campaign should reveal if he's blossoming.

Jason Arnott

Acquired by the Devils in June for right winger Matt Halischuk and a 2011 second round pick, Arnott was hailed by GM Lou Lamoriello for bringing "size, strength, and experience to our club. There is no question he strengthens our center ice position." The 16-year veteran's offensive production fell off last season, but he's a defensively responsible workhorse.

Brooks Laich

A versatile forward with nice scoring touch -- he reached career highs of 25 goals and 59 points last season -- Laich has developed a solid defensive game (plus-16) and he stays out of the box (only 34 PIM in 78 games).

Craig Anderson

After stops in Chicago and Florida, he grabbed the starting role in Colorado last year and was a presence in Vezina Trophy talk for much of the season, though he started to wear down by April. If he maintains anything close to that form (38-25-7, 7 shutouts, 2.64 GAA, .917 save pct.), he'll be an interesting call for the Avalanche.

Milan Hejduk

Blessed with great hands, Hejduk's offensive production has gradually declined since his 50-goal, 98-point season for Colorado in 2001-02. A Knee injury limited him to 56 games and 44 points last season, but a return to health and some semblance of his old form could make him a valuable veteran addition.

Jimmy Howard

For much of 2009-10, the Calder Trophy finalist seemed to be the able successor to the fading Chris Osgood, but Howard's postseason was inconsistent and that could make next season a make-or-break proposition as far his future in Detroit is concerned.

Ed Jovanovski

The workhorse blueliner could be attractive to teams seeking a veteran with size, physicality and some power play capability though his defensive skills leave something to be desired. He's finished with a minus rating 12 times during his 14-year career.

Joni Pitkanen

The six-year veteran has size (6-3, 210), toughness, decent offensive skills and the ability to log serious minutes.

Jamie Langenbrunner

A veteran leader with two Stanley Cups on resume, Langenbrunner still has a solid two-way game and a knack for raising his play in the postseason.

Chris Phillips

The 12-year veteran (a first round pick in 1996) has been consistently solid, but hardly a big star during his 12 seasons in Ottawa. Phillips is mobile but not prolific offensively.

Kevin Bieksa

A rugged, workhorse defenseman who plays physically if inconsistently, Bieksa is coming back from a season that had a chunk taken out of it by serious leg laceration.

Jean-Sebastien Giguere

It seems like a lifetime ago that Giguere won the Conn Smythe Trophy in a losing cause for Anaheim (2003), but he's not all that old and could make an ideal veteran backup for a team seeking some insurance in net.

Nicklas Lidstrom

It's hard to imagine the six-time Norris Trophy winner doing anything other than re-signing with Detroit for one more year or hanging up his skates and waiting for the Hall of Fame to call.

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