Photo: Stanley Cup Of Chowder
With training camps for the 2024-25 season across the NHL set to open on Thursday, there are still a few players looking for a home, including some notable veteran defensemen. NoVa Caps looks at some of the best defensemen remaining on the unrestricted free agent market who have yet to commit to PTOs.
- Justin Schultz (right-handed)
The 2016 and 2017 Stanley Cup Champion earned seven goals, 26 points, a -23 rating, .53 five-on-five Corsi-for percentage, .5178 five-on-five expected goals-for percentage, and .5443 five-on-five expected scoring chances-for percentage in 70 games with the Seattle Kraken last season despite averaging just 16:28 per game (seventh among Kraken defensemen), 2:22 of which came on the power play (second).
Schultz’s five-on-five expected goals rate was his personal highest since 2017-18 with the Pittsburgh Penguins while his scoring-chances percentage was his best since the season prior. His Corsi ratio was the best of his 11-season NHL career.
Schultz tallied seven goals in each of his two seasons in the Emerald City and has hit the 11-goal mark twice in his career (though, the most recent time came in 2017) and 30-point plateau four times. He would be a great addition to a team looking for a point man on the power play.
- Kevin Shattenkirk (right-handed)
The 2019 Stanley Cup Champion notched six goals, 24 points, a -2 rating, .4891 five-on-five Corsi-for percentage, .5261 five-on-five expected goals-for percentage, and .5246 five-on-five expected scoring chances-for percentage over 61 games in his lone season with the Boston Bruins. Shattenkirk averaged 15:47 per game (ninth among Bruins blueliners), including 1:24 on the power play (tied for second).
Like Schultz, Shattenkirk is known more for his offense with seven seasons where he scored at least eight goals and seven with more than 33 points. He could also provide help on the power play.
- Tony DeAngelo (right-handed)
The 28-year-old, who tallied three goals, eight points, a -7 rating, .5551 five-on-five Corsi-for percentage, .4958 five-on-five expected goals-for percentage, and .4891 five-on-five expected scoring chances-for percentage in just 31 games with the Carolina Hurricanes, is another offensive-minded blueliner. However, in the four seasons where DeAngelo played more than 50 games, he hit the .5 Corsi-for, expected goals-for, and scoring chances-for benchmarks just once each. He averaged 14:20 per game (ninth on a deep Hurricanes defense) but 2:31 on the power play (second).
DeAngelo, who has a history of off-ice issues, has scored at least 10 goals in a season three times and 30-point mark four (including two 50-point campaigns).
- Mark Giordano (left-handed)
Giordano, who has expressed interest in playing this season, can contribute both offensively and defensively but will turn 41 on October 3. He tallied three goals, nine points, a +10 rating, .5455 five-on-five Corsi-for percentage (his best since 2018-19 when he won the Norris Trophy as the best defenseman of the season), .5403 five-on-five expected goals-for percentage (a year after putting up a .5533 rate), and .5818 five-on-five expected scoring chances-for percentage (the best since he was a rookie) in 46 games.
Giordano ranked last among all six Maple Leaf defensemen to appear in at least 41 outings with an average of 16:37 per game but 2:16 of that came while shorthanded, which trailed only long-time partner T.J. Brodie from their days with the Calgary Flames.
Giordano may not be the player he once was but still put up at least 17 assists and 24 points, respectively, in 11 consecutive seasons prior to 2023-24.
- Marco Scandella (left-handed)
While averaging 12:28 per game (seventh), including 1:02 on the penalty kill (fourth), the 34-year-old put up two goals, eight points, a +2 rating, .439 five-on-five Corsi-for percentage, .4067 five-on-five expected goals-for percentage, and .4315 five-on-five expected scoring chances-for percentage in 65 games with the St. Louis Blues. Scandella has failed to hit .5 in any of these categories since the 2019-20 season.
Scandella has never been a high-scoring blueliner as he had more than six goals in his career just once (11 with Minnesota Wild in 2016-17) over his 14-season NHL career and hit that mark one other time (with Buffalo Sabres in 2018-19). Scandella’s career-best in points is 23 while he has hit just 20 three other times, none of which have since 2017-18.
- John Klingberg (left-handed)
The 32-year-old’s 2023-24 season lasted just 14 games after suffering a hip injury on November 11 that required surgery. Klingberg notched five assists, a -7 rating, .5191 five-on-five Corsi-for percentage, .4202 five-on-five expected goals-for percentage, and .4484 five-on-five expected scoring chances-for percentage in that time with Toronto, where he averaged 20:33 per game (still fourth among defensemen to suit up for the team), including 3:24 on the power play (first).
Klingberg tallied Corsi-for, expected goals-for, and scoring chances-for percentages at five-on-five above .5 in seven of his eight seasons with the Dallas Stars from 2014-22. He has also hit the double-digit goal mark five times, including as recently as two seasons ago with Minnesota and the Anaheim Ducks, and 30-point eclipse in all nine of his full NHL seasons.
Klingberg could be a worthy pickup for teams needing a defenseman to quarterback their power play unit as he led all Stars blueliners with an average of 3:04 per game on the man advantage, where he scored 19 goals and 148 points, over his tenure in Dallas. He has four seasons with at least 20 power-play points and seven with at least 17.
Defensemen On PTOs
- Nikolai Knyzhov (left-handed), Pittsburgh
- Tyson Barrie (right-handed), Calgary
- Jakub Zboril (left-handed), New Jersey Devils
- Calen Addison (right-handed), Ottawa Senators
- Travis Dermott (right-handed), Edmonton Oilers
- Mark Pysyk (right-handed), Anaheim
By Harrison Brown
