WWYDW: Go big in free agency?

The Flames have a new coach, but they still have work to do this offseason. One of their most pressing issues? Their forward lineup needs bolstering in a big way.

They don’t have too many assets left to trade, but there’s another way to acquire players, that costs nothing but money: sign them as free agents.

Ideally, the Flames would be going after players who can be had at an effective cost, and can contribute to the team for years to come. That’s not exactly conducive to free agency (see: Troy Brouwer’s contract). But we’re also looking at this through the lens that the Flames likely want to win a Stanley Cup sooner rather than later, and that may mean biting the bullet to get greater offensive firepower now and suffering later.

To that end, here are 10 potential free agents:

The Flames need the most help at right wing, then centre, then left wing. They’re also devoid of right-handed shots, so right-shooters may take greater priority here. That considered, Perron and Vanek both look like intriguing options as two potentially high-scoring right-shot forwards.

On the other hand, most of these players will be 30 or older to start the season – only Tavares and van Riemsdyk won’t, but they’re both in their late 20s already – and many will likely be looking for their last big contract, which could blow up in a signing team’s face pretty spectacularly (see: Troy Brouwer’s contract). Someone like Vanek could come relatively cheap, but there also may be red flags to identify before trying to put anyone’s pen to paper.

So let’s look at some underlying numbers from this past season as well (advanced numbers via Natural Stat Trick):

An inflated shooting percentage is something the Flames are familiar with (see: Lance Bouma, Joe Colborne). This mainly calls out van Riemsdyk and Grabner as risks, as both shot at a clip 3% higher than their career averages. (It casts a slight warning over Tavares, as well, but he’s at a different level than everyone else entering free agency, so there isn’t much need to worry about him.) On the flip side of things, Stastny and Nash could be due for stronger seasons next year; however, both are among the older list of free agents, so their performance has to be taken with a grain of salt.

It’s of no concern that most of these players got prime offensive zone starts. If the Flames are after them, they’ll likely want to give them those same starts, as well: that’s what you do with guys expected to score. Perron’s negative relative corsi is something of a red flag against him – can he be expected to score at that high of a rate again, all while not having the puck go against him? – and it’s another strike against Grabner, as well.

This is just a basic overview of some of the highest scoring unrestricted free agents who, barring any advance signings, will be available to all come July 1. Most would have easily placed in top six scoring for the Flames this past season; all would have been in the top eight.

So: what would you do? Would you sign any of these forwards in hopes of improving the Flames’ scoring for next season? Is there another free agent you’d eye instead? Or would you avoid signing anyone all together?

Arctic Spas is a proud partner of the Nation Network. Looking for a way to stay warm during hockey season? Check out a local dealer near you.