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Unanswered questions ahead of NHL free agency
With Steven Stamkos remaining in Tampa, more eyes shift toward free agent Milan Lucic. Rocky W. Widner/NHL/Getty Images

Unanswered questions ahead of NHL free agency

There’s nothing that quenches the thirst for hockey during the offseason like free agency. That's mostly because you never know what team is going to come out of the woodwork and make the trade of the summer that puts everyone’s jaws on the floor …

Like the Edmonton Oilers trading Taylor Hall straight up to the New Jersey Devils for Adam Larsson.

Or the Predators shipping captain Shea Weber to the Habs in exchange for defensive juggernaut P.K. Subban.

Or that after what felt like an eternity of rumors, Steven Stamkos is staying with the Tampa Bay Lightning for the next eight years. (Looks like that meeting with MLSE and the mayor of Toronto still wasn’t enough to woo him.)

But the market hasn’t even opened yet, and believe it or not, there are still trades to be had and some unanswered questions ahead. Here are a couple things to think about ahead of the market opening on July 1.

Are the Two Biggest Question-Mark Players Hitting the Market?

Wingers Kyle Okposo and Mikkel Boedker highlight many a list of most desirable free agents. They both have also been tapped as potential players to get a bigger-than-necessary payday.

Predicting that either player will get overpaid has a lot to do with the fact each player still has something to prove. Okposo is dynamic, but there is concern that he won’t play to the same level that he did for the Isles once he is taken off of John Tavares’ wing. Boedker is a skilled skater and a speed demon, but as Dan Rosen of NHL.com said, he hasn’t had “a breakout offensive season yet.”

Both are being targeted by teams looking to add a scoring winger who isn’t afraid to charge the net and tap in those up-close-and-personal goals — think the Nashville Predators, Detroit Red Wings and Boston Bruins. It’s just a matter now of these teams thinking either player is worth the gamble.

Is Vancouver Going to Arm-Wrestle Every Other Team for Milan Lucic?

Lucic is high atop the list of desirable unrestricted free agents — becoming even hotter after Stamkos came off the list. The Canucks have been tapped by multiple outlets as being the most active when the market opens. They have expressed interest in a variety of big fish in the pond, but they seem to be gearing their focus toward bruising forward Lucic.

This isn’t to say that other teams aren’t interested in the 28-year-old, but Vancouver appears to be the most hungry to sign him.

Of course, part of the big prediction that Lucic will end up a Canuck is because he is a Vancouver native, but he would also be a good fit for a declining team coming off of a humdrum 2015-16 campaign. Vancouver needs size and grit up top — and more scoring, since even the Sedins are having trouble finding the back of the net these days.

As  Mark Spector of SportsNet put it: “if the Canucks aren’t going to do a full-on rebuild then this is the kind of acquisition that is absolutely imperative.”

The competition for Lucic is going to be stiff, particularly from teams that are in more of a rebuild mode and looking for a tough veteran to help protect their younger players. This would make sense for a team like Edmonton, who is also in the running. Lucic would be a great fit for helping protect wunderkind Connor McDavid — plus he has history with now-Edmonton GM Peter Chiarelli from when both were in Boston. (Then again, maybe the Oilers aren’t the Canucks' stiffest competition in the Lucic sweepstakes, given that they just made one very confusing one-way trade that sent Hall to New Jersey.)

Is It Still Possible that David Backes Stays with the Blues?

It’s hard to imagine the 32-year-old playing in another team’s sweater because, well, he’s always worn St. Louis blue. Yet according to a report earlier this week, there has been no forward progress in extending the captain’s contract. With reports that there was more being done on an extension for teammate and pending UFA Troy Brouwer, a departure for Backes seems a bit more likely.

With Stamkos off the board, any team looking for a strong leader for its roster will surely be looking right to Backes. Despite having a down year on the score sheet, Backes is still considered one of the top free agents about to hit the market on July 1 because of his gritty style and immense leadership skills. He could fit in to a team like the Detroit Red Wings that needs to fill the void left by Pavel Datsyuk or the Columbus Blue Jackets, who need a leader on the ice to rally around. (According to NHL.com, the Kings are also interested in Backes, although it’s hard to see how he would fit in that dressing room.)

With all of that being said, the Blues are still on the list of potential teams. There’s a chance that he could “pull a Stamkos” and end up staying put.

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