By Nick Obergan 1a. Zach Parise, New Jersey Devils Parise is far and away the best forward available in the upcoming free agency. No doubt once the Stanley Cup Finals end, the Devils and Parise will sit down and exchange numbers and see if there is a way to keep him. But with the extremely large commitment made to Ilya Kovalchuk, and a recent uncertainty about the teams’ financial situation, it is entirely likely that Parise looks at the open market. After missing almost the entire season with injury last year, the 27-year-old bounced back to regain his 30-goal form and has at times looked like the best player on the ice in the playoffs. The 5-time 30-goal scorer, filled with leadership and intangibles, is probably looking at a cap hit in the range of $7M on his next contract. Destinations: New Jersey, Detroit, NY Rangers, Minnesota, Los Angeles. 1b. Ryan Suter, Nashville Predators Suter is essentially the blueline version of Parise, an All-Star 27-year-old about to cash in on a very weak market. Suter doesn’t put up gaudy offensive numbers from the back, but will contribute 40+ points. Instead, he has great patience, great hands, great intelligence and great positioning that have guided him to near the top of the league at his craft. Nashville is going to try everything in its’ power to resign Suter and defense partner Shea Weber to long-term contracts, but if they fail to reach an agreement before July 1st there will be plenty of suitors (pardon the pun). The durable American (seven straight years with 70+ games played) will likely receive an annual average salary north of $6M on his next contract. Destinations: Nashville, Detroit, Philadelphia, Minnesota, Colorado. 3. Justin Schultz, U. of Wisconsin Yes, you read correctly; the third-best free agent out there has never played an NHL game. Did I mention how shallow this upcoming free agent pool is? Schultz is a 6’1”, 185lb defenseman that will turn 22-years-old in July, and he was a second round pick by Anaheim in 2008. But according to the CBA, once a player has filed paperwork to leave school (which Schultz did at the end of May), his team has a 30-day window to sign him to a contract or else he becomes a UFA. An offensive defenseman, Schultz led his team is goals last season with 16. In 121 games at Wisconsin Schultz registered 113 points and was nominated for the Hobey Baker award twice, which goes to the top college hockey player. Destinations: Detroit, Minnesota, Edmonton, Colorado, Philadelphia, Toronto, Anaheim, Tampa Bay. 4. Alexander Semin, Washington Capitals For the teams unable to land Parise, Semin would be a decent, cheaper alternative. While he made $6.7M this past season, don’t expect him to fetch that on the open market after his play (and attitude) declined. From 2006-10 he scored 30+ goals in three of four seasons, but the totals have since dropped to 28 and 21 the past two seasons. The 28-year-old is probably more likely to reach his goal scoring potential on a veteran team that won’t permit his lackadaisical ways to rear their head. That said, it won’t stop any teams in need of scoring punch for chasing the potential of another 35-goal season. Destinations: Detroit, Toronto, Philadelphia, Minnesota, Los Angeles, Montreal, Carolina, Florida. 5. Dennis Wideman, Washington Capitals Wideman is a solid defenseman who shouldn’t break your bank. He is solid defensively, and a quality power play weapon. In three of the last four years he has surpassed the 10-goal and 40-point plateaus, and twice he has scored nine power play goals. He is also a proven minute-eater, averaging over 23:00 minutes of ice time for four straight seasons, and five straight years with 75+ games played. For teams that miss out on Suter, Wideman is the Plan B as far as sure-fire top-four defensemen. Unlike Schultz, signing Wideman doesn’t mean going through growing pains or learning on the job; signing Wideman (for roughly $4.5-$5M per year, I figure) is the type of move a contender with a hole to fill would make. Destinations: Detroit, Philadelphia, NY Islanders, Washington, Winnipeg, Minnesota, Colorado, Dallas, Edmonton. 6. Olli Jokinen, Calgary Flames The widespread belief was that the Toronto Maple Leafs were happy to overpay for Mikhail Grabovsky because the next best option at center this offseason was Jokinen; by that comparison, you can’t really blame them. Jokinen is 33-years-old and is coming off of his first 60-point season since he left Florida. Was it a coincidence that Jokinen put up a solid season in a contract year, maybe the last offseason he can except a quality contract due to his age? Or is he really a solid second-line center capable of helping offensively? Sadly for the league, he will probably be earning closer to $4.5M instead of $3M in his next contract, which is overpaying. Destinations: Calgary, Columbus, Minnesota, Anaheim, Florida, Chicago, Nashville, Carolina. 7. Jarret Stoll, Los Angeles Kings Well, Stoll certainly found the best way to boost your free agent value: winning the Stanley Cup and being a key contributor. Stoll seamlessly transitioned from a 20-goal threat on the second-line to a defensive and penalty killing specialist on the third-line. On top of that, he proved to be a great teammate and solid leader. L.A. would love to have him back, but his playoff performance and the rising salary cap likely means he will get a raise (from $3.6M per year to roughly $4-$4.5M with the increased cap), which may not truthfully fit his best role as a third-line center who contributed only 21 points in 78 games last season. That doesn’t mean he isn’t valuable, though, and we have seen quality role players overpaid before. Destinations: Los Angeles, Toronto, Washington, Minnesota, Detroit, Carolina, Tampa Bay, Anaheim, Montreal, Florida. 8. Matt Carle, Philadelphia Flyers The 27-year-old defenseman has never lived up to the hype of his rookie season as a Shark in 2006-07 (11-31-42), but has still been able to pound out 35+ points in three straight seasons. Additionally he is very responsible defensively, posting a plus-53 rating over the last three seasons. Like Wideman, he will probably receive between $4.5-$5M per season due to his age and durability in a top-four role. Destinations: Philadelphia, Detroit, Washington, Dallas, NY Islanders, Minnesota, Colorado, Winnipeg, Edmonton. 9. P.A. Parentau, New York Islanders This under the radar winger barely gets talked about as free agency approaches, but he is coming off an extremely strong season, posting 49 assists and 67 points playing mostly on the Islanders’ top line. It shouldn’t be viewed as a pure fluke, given that he registered a respectable 53 points in 2010-11, and scored 204 points in 184 over three and a half seasons with the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack. A late bloomer, the 29-year-old could fetch a contract close to 5-years/$25M from a team desperate for offense from the wing. Destinations: NY Islanders, Montreal, Minnesota, San Jose, Carolina, Tampa Bay, Los Angeles, NY Rangers, Columbus, Anaheim, Phoenix. 10. Dustin Penner, Los Angeles Kings Penner is perhaps the most interesting case of the whole UFA lot. He is a big, bruising winger who is in the prime of his career (29-years-old), has once scored 30 goals and three other times registered 20. But he was also made a healthy scratch this season at times and managed a mere 7-10-17 in 65 games. Then of course came the playoffs, where he was a matchup nightmare for the opposition, contributing 11 points and a series-clinching overtime goal in the Conference Finals. Will he continue dedicating himself to his craft, or will he revert back to being lazy after signing another deal? Destinations: Los Angeles, NY Rangers, Phoenix, Minnesota, Dallas, Florida, Carolina, Washington. Nick is RealGM’s NHL Feature Writer. You can reach him by email Nick.obergan@realgm.com or on twitter @NolanObergan