The Vegas Golden Knights are going through another period of retooling. After winning the Stanley Cup, the Knights regressed a bit, losing to the Dallas Stars in the first round of the playoffs in seven games. Prior to that, the Golden Knights acquired Tomas Hertl from the Sharks at before the deadline. With Hertl, Jack Eichel and William Karlsson down the middle, it’s tough to see Vegas bringing back Chandler Stephenson, who will hit the open market. Given the importance of the position and scarcity, Stephenson should find a home quickly and get paid. We go over best fits for Stephenson in free agency.
2024 NHL Free Agency Predictions: Chandler Stephenson
New Jersey Devils
It may be a bit tough to fit in Stephenson long-term but the Devils have a glaring need a center. Michael McLeod shouldn’t be playing in the NHL moving forward. So the Devils could use someone down the middle who is strong in both ends and can win draws at a high rate. The jury is still out on whether or not Jack Hughes projects as a center long-term. Hughes still needs to get bigger and stronger, and isn’t the best in the dot. Hughes could make more sense at RW with Stephenson on the second line while Nico Hischier is your 1C and Erik Haula your 3C. That would give the Devils two above-average, two-way centers and a roster ready to compete for the Cup again. New Jersey could run into cap issues past this season but you worry about that when the time comes.
Boston Bruins
You lost Patrice Bergeron recently to retirement and are in need of a replacement. Stephenson makes so much sense for the Bruins. He’s not going to be Bergeron, but he can be a lite version of the type of player the future Hall of Famer was. Stephenson can work as a top-6 center and you can pair him with David Pastrnak and/or Brad Marchand. Stephenson is 30 years old but you’re trying to compete now. Boston could go a bit higher on a contract for 5-6 seasons and if it works out in the short-term, great. The cap should go up and make Stephenson’s deal look even better in a few years.
Chicago Blackhawks
Everyone is talking about pairing one of the top wings in free agency with Connor Bedard. Well, how about finding the perfect two-way center to play on the center line in the lineup? Stephenson could come in and play plenty of minutes, provide some defensive structure and also a veteran voice in the room. It takes pressure off Bedard to become a complete center right away. He’s great offensively but has a lot to learn. The Blackhawks are also in good position to grab whomever in free agency given their cap situation. You can shell out an extra year or some additional salary to secure Stephenson and start to turn a corner in the next few seasons.
