Those Left Standing

Now that Jeremy Roenick has retired with all the class that he was known for, which is to say none at all, I wanted to focus on those that are left wading in the free agent pool.

Here are my top guys that are still available:

1. Dominik Hasek - The Dominator proved in the playoffs that even at the ripe age of 42 he still had something left in the tank. The question is whether or not he used it all up in that stretch. He was able to play in 56 games in the regular season, his highest since the 2001-2002 season with the Red Wings, despite his tendency for injury and can still serve as a number 1 goaltender for a team that has a solid back-up. Rumor has it that Detroit is still trying to get him to re-sign while they look for a solid back-up to support the old man. (7/5 - RE-SIGNED WITH DETROIT FOR ONE YEAR WORTH JUST OVER $2 MILLION)
2. Brendan Shanahan - Other than missing about a month after inadvertently smashing his face into Knuble's head in February, the veteran winger had a great year averaging nearly a point per game. It doesn't appear that he has any desire to retire after expressing an interest to re-sign with the Rangers prior to free agency. However, the Rangers may have spent all of their money on Drury and Gomez so Brendan will likely need to play his last few years off of Broadway. (7/10 - RE-SIGNED WITH THE RANGERS FOR ONE YEAR WORTH $2.5 MILLION WITH $2.8 MILLION AVAILABLE IN ATTAINABLE BONUSES)
   
3. Sheldon Souray - While he's roughly as effective as a telephone pole in his own end, earning him a solid -28 plus/minus which was among the league's worst, Souray possesses one of the best point shots in the league. He scored 26 goals and tallied 38 assists in 81 games last season putting him third in the league among defenseman in points and first in goals. However, his questionable play in his own zone combined with his desire to make a ridiculous amount of money for a defenseman with one of the league's worst plus/minus has kept him from landing on a team thus far. I expect that someone will over pay for him in the next few days. I think it's also important to note that Souray's point totals last year were significantly better than any year prior so take from that what you will.
4. Teemu Selanne - Teemu did two things last season. He proved that he's still one of the best examples of hands and speed in the league and he earned the enviable and awkward position of having nothing left to prove. I'm guessing that the $4 million a year contract for Bertuzzi means that Burke, Anaheim's GM, expects the Finish Flash to go ahead and call it a career. It's too bad, he was a great player to watch and I'm glad he got his name on the cup.
5. Peter Forsberg - Frankly, Peter's on here because he has to be. If he decides to play, and can physically play with those maligned feet of his, he's a great player to have. However, he's not worth the risk if it requires any real money to secure him. He has, however, informed everyone that he won't be returning until December which could make him a bargain for the last half of the season and the playoff run.
6. Mike Comrie - Unlike almost everyone else on this list Mike Comrie is still young. The streaky centerman is 26 years old and is, in many ways, still developing. He totaled 45 points in 65 games last season and managed to have a +1 rating after 24 games in Phoenix. He cooled off after being sent to Ottawa but is still a solid second line center. It seems that multiple teams are pursuing Comrie now that the top-tier centermen are gone and I wouldn't be surprised to see him end up in Buffalo. (7/5 - SIGNED A ONE YEAR DEAL WORTH $3.3 MILLION WITH THE ISLANDERS WHO ALSO SIGNED GUERIN TO A TWO-YEAR DEAL AT $4.5 MILLION PER YEAR)