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Although there was some hope in the Colorado Avalanche camp that the team might be able to re-sign pending unrestricted free agent JT Compher, that no longer seems to be the case after The Athletic's Peter Baugh reported on Wednesday that the 28-year-old will move on from the team and go to market on July 1.
It's a big loss for the Avs, who have retained the services of Compher since the 2016-17 season; he won a Stanley Cup with the organization in 2022. Still, with Colorado trading for center Ryan J0hansen from the Nashville Predators and center Ross Colton from the Tampa Bay Lightning, and not a ton of room to work with under the salary cap, it was becoming clear that there was no more place for Compher in Denver.
That being said, it's a relatively weak free agent class in 2023, and the services of a tenacious, scoring center will be in high demand come early July. With 194 points in 423 NHL games, Compher will likely be due for a big raise, with Daily Faceoff projecting his next contact around the $5.3 million AAV mark over five years.
Although there should be high demand for his services, here are three teams that would make sense to aggressively pursue the Illinois native.
3. Minnesota Wild
The Minnesota Wild are absolutely desperate for a center as they look to get over the hump and have the kind of playoff success that has eluded them with their current core. Although Joel Eriksson Ek is a great 2C, Ryan Hartman has been inconsistent and hasn't been able to carve out the 1C role for himself.
Although Sam Steel and Marco Rossi are on the come up, both young guys aren't yet top-six calibre, and that's exactly where JT Compher comes in. He can play big minutes and be used in all situations, including powerplay and penalty kill, and can also rotate to the wing if necessary.
Could the Wild poach Compher from their playoff divisional rival? It's certainly possible. He fits in with Minnesota's style of play, a team that focuses on defensive hockey with most of the offensive workload being carried by superstar and legitimate game-breaker Kirill Kaprizov. With around $9 million in cap space and a ton of contracts that will be done in the near future, the Wild could realistically sign JT Compher to a long-term deal.
It's close to Colorado, it's a playoff team, and the opportunity to play with Kaprizov should certainly make Compher consider the Minnesota Wild in free agency.
2. Nashville Predators
Another divisional club that could take a run at JT Compher is the Nashville Predators. The team is similar to the Wild in focusing on defense first in Barry Trotz's system, and it's another divisional rival to consider. With Ryan Johansen now gone, there is a glaring need at both 1C and 2C for the Preds, and the 28-year-old could fit that mold perfectly.
Currently, Nashville is looking at Juuso Parssinen, Cody Glass and Thomas Novak down the middle, which is obviously not ideal for a team that is looking to stay competitive in a difficult Central Division.
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Compher provides a veteran presence that would make sense in Nashville, and of course he would be a huge piece to a penalty kill that hasn't always been great over the past few years. He provides stability throughout the roster, and could slot in along with Filip Forsberg and Matt Duchene, which would be an electric first line. He would also likely slot in on PP1.
Out of the three teams on this list, the Preds can probably offer Compher the most with approximately $15.5 million in cap space and only a few RFAs on the books this offseason. Although it could be another non-playoff year for Nashville in 2023-24, Compher would be the perfect addition for the Tennessee franchise.
1. Columbus Blue Jackets
The Columbus Blue Jackets were absolutely abysmal in 2022-23, one of the weakest teams in the league even after signing superstar Johnny Gaudreau. A lot of that had to do with Zach Werenski going down early with a shoulder injury and Patrik Laine also spending a good chunk of the year in the press box.
But it's clear the Jackets aren't playing around this offseason; they've already acquired Damon Severson from the New Jersey Devils and Ivan Provorov from the Philadelphia Flyers, and look to be much improved on the back end ahead of training camp. One place they seriously need an upgrade is up the middle.
With Gaudreau and Laine's contracts winding down, it's clear that GM Jarmo Kekalainen wants to build a roster that can contend, and JT Compher would be an excellent fit in Columbus. The franchise has Boone Jenner, Jack Roslovic and Cole Sillinger as their top three centers. The club could keep Jenner at 1C and Compher would slot in on the second line, or the two could easily swap if things didn't go well early in the season.
There aren't a ton of elite free agent centers on the market this summer to upgrade, and the Blue Jackets should be picking up the phone to Compher's agent immediately.
With a lack of high-end center talent available, it'll be intriguing to see where JT Compher ends up, and how much he commands on the free market come July 1.
