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Kevin’s Morning Hash: Looking for defensive help? Avoid leftover free agents

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Zdeno Chara is still available, but is he a great choice for an NHL team looking for a defenseman?

Any NHL team still looking to add a defenseman should probably consider the trade market rather than the list of remaining free agents.

TSN’s Travis Yost did an excellent job sorting out the available free agents.

“The NHL’s current Best Available list would have been an all-star-caliber lineup in 2010,” Yost writes. “Not so much anymore.”

With regard to defense, Yost writes: “To be blunt, there are few good options here. Zdeno Chara and Braydon Coburn are at the very tail end of their respective careers and will be picky when choosing a team to sign with, assuming they want to play another full season. Sami Vatanen has struggled mightily with health. Other players listed here – like Erik Gustafsson and Erik Gudbranson – were already struggling to crack NHL lineups.”

A look at the player’s on Yost’s list. 

Around the NHL

Pittsburgh: Chris Johnston’s projections for Team Canada includes Sidney Crosby but has two defensemen ahead of Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang.

New York Islanders: The New York Islanders finally announced their contract extensions this week, including deals with Kyle Palmieri and Zach Parise. They still need a puck-moving defenseman. Is Noah Dobson that guy?

Detroit:  Red Wings draft pick Oscar Plandowski has hockey in his DNA