Brady Skjei is approaching free agency. Once the Stanley Cup is handed out at the end of June, the NHL Draft and free agency will be the next big events on the league's calendar. Skjei has become one of the most desirable players who will be available when free agents are allowed to sign new contracts at noon Eastern Time July 1.

Skjei, 30, is in the prime of his career and is coming off an excellent season with the Carolina Hurricanes. He is a left-shot defenseman with size at 6-3 and 210 pounds, and he combines that with dynamic skating ability, puck handling, a solid shot, and the ability to thump opposing offensive players with convincing body checks.

Skjei has split his 10-year career between the New York Rangers and the Hurricanes. He was a promising player with the Rangers from 2015 through 2020, but he has reached star level with the Hurricanes. Skjei is coming off three solid seasons in a row that saw him score 39 points with a plus-22 rating in 2021-22 followed by an 18-goal, 20-assists season with a plus-7 rating in 2022-23.

He had a career-high 47 points last season and a plus-15 rating last season, and he followed that up with 1 goal and 8 assists in 11 postseason game.

Brady Skjei is extremely desirable

Skjei has proved he can get the job done on both the offensive and defensive sides of the puck. The Hurricanes appreciate the growth in Skjei's game, and they have been talking with the defensemen about a contract extension since last summer. However, the two sides have not reached an agreement yet and it may be very difficult for that to happen. The Hurricanes have a significant number of expiring contracts and they are almost certainly going to lose one or more players due to salary-cap limitations and other issues.

Because of his size, strength, intelligence, and improvement, Skjei is the kind of player who appeals to multiple teams.

Whether a team is playoff-caliber and looking to climb the ladder further or one that simply wants to demonstrate improvement, Skjei would be a proper fit.

He has not indicated where he wants to go at this point other than being quite complimentary to both New York and Carolina. However, he knows where he is at this point in his career and who wants to get full value for his services.

Shortly after the Hurricanes lost their second-round matchup with the Rangers, Skjei explained his position.

“Just want a fair offer probably,” he said. “That's the biggest thing. We'll see what that looks like. Like I said, I haven't thought about it too much. I have to talk to my agent and talk to Don [Waddell]. We'll see and we'll try to figure it out.”

Waddell was the Carolina general manager at the time, but he has since left and taken a similar position with the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Maple Leafs and Bruins quickly could be at the top of the list

The Toronto Maple Leafs finished the season in their usual position as they were eliminated in the first round. After getting defeated by the Boston Bruins, they fired head coach Sheldon Keefe and brought in hard-edged Craig Berube.

The former St. Louis Blues boss emphasizes defense and accountability, a pair of factors that the Leafs would like to employ in the years to come. Skjei would be able to help them in both of those areas.

The Bruins were defeated by the Panthers in the second round, and it marked the second consecutive year that Florida had ended Boston's season.

While the Bruins have three good-to-excellent defensemen in Charlie McAvoy, Hampus Lindholm, and Brandon Carlo, adding a highly skilled left-shot defensemen with size and excellent offensive ability like Skjei would take care of a big need. The Panthers wore down the Bruins forwards and defensemen throughout their six-game series. Adding another blue liner who can carry the puck out of his own zone could help the Bruins find a way to get past the Panthers in 2024-25.

Other potential choices for Skjei

The measurables and high skill level will serve Skjei well at the start of free agency. Teams like the Montreal Canadiens, Detroit Red Wings, Buffalo Sabres, and Ottawa Senators may not be far away from making the playoffs. A player like Skjei could make a huge difference for them.

Waddell has just joined the Blue Jackets, and he could make a big splash with his new employer by signing a key defenseman like Skjei.

Additionally, there are a slew of teams in the Western Conference that could use a high-quality, puck-moving defenseman. He is a Lakeville, Minnesota native and he played his college hockey for the Minnesota Golden Gophers, so it's not too much of a stretch to see him continue his career with the Minnesota Wild.

Adding a defenseman with size, speed, and scoring ability would help nearly every team in the league, and it's just a matter of finding one that will give Brady Skjei a contract that awards him full value at this critical time in his career.