from Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press,

Here are the top defensemen eligible to be unrestricted free agents this offseason, with a focus on those with offensive skills.

Alex Pietrangelo
Pietrangelo, 30, is coming off a seven-year, $45.5 million contract ($6.5 million cap hit). He’s the complete package — 6-foot-3, 210 pounds, shoots right, and on track for a career 60-point season when the league suspended the season (16 goals and 36 assists in 70 games).

He captained the St. Louis Blues to the Stanley Cup championship in 2019. He has earned the right to command in the range of $10 million annually, and if the Blues can’t swing that if the cap does not increase, Pietrangelo will probably prefer to go somewhere competitive. He’d be a humdinger of a rebuild-booster, though.

Torey Krug
Krug, 29, has made himself a home with the Boston Bruins, where he is coming off a four-year, $21 million contract ($5.25 million cap hit). The 5-9, 186-pound Livonia native had nine goals and 40 assists in 61 games this season. Of his 49 points, 28 were on power plays. He’d be a significant upgrade, but he is with a good team that should remain competitive for the near future, and might not be possible to lure away.

more