Current FAs: Aaron Bold (franchised), Zack Greer (qualified), Nik Billic, Jeff Cornwall
Strengths: Right side shooter
Needs: Secondary left handed shooter, left handed defense, transition
Draft Position: 9, 12, 14, 18, 24, 31, 40, 47, 55
Notes: Curtis Knight returns next season after missing all of the 2015 season.
As the defending champs enter the free agency period, it is with great relief that few of the players from the championship squad are on any lists restricted or unrestricted.
The only player on the unrestricted list is Aaron Bold, who it could be argued was the MVP of the Rush season last year. With a sparkling 9.44 GAA and a .779 SV%, he showed his true ability in net and was able to lead this team to a Championship. Bold has been labeled with our Franchise Tag, so it appears that Rush management feels the same way.
Although Bold was spectacular in net, it does appear based on his Save Percentage that he was experiencing many shots on net and needed a Defensive Unit ahead of him capable of shutting down the attack and clearing out plays before getting to him. If anything, that could be an area we see the Rush looking for upgrades during Free Agency and the draft in September.
When we look at Restricted Free Agents we have three potential players. Zack Greer has accepted a qualifying offer. Any time you have a player that has 36 Goals and 44 assists, he is the type of player you want to keep around. Greer can certainly contribute and would be a really good player to build around in Saskatchewan.
The other two players, Nik Bilic (3 G, 6 A) and Jeff Cornwall (1 G, 1 A), while not putting up big numbers offensively, are not required to as they play defence. Seeing young guys like this in the lineup is great. However, a shutdown d-man with an accurate pass could really open up opportunities in transition for points.
But really, with the defending champs keeping most of their lineup from last year, we should not be concerned in Saskatchewan.
