The remaining UFA class in 2018 offers a handful of high-impact players, but there's a rapid dropoff. It's an extremely shallow group this summer.

The 2018 free agent class is top heavy. The biggest names, from John Tavares to John Carlson, have come this far without re-signing, so they will likely reach the negotiating window in late June and hear offers from new teams. The open market will produce major bidding wars for some top-notch offensive players, many of them younger than 30. After the top 10 names or so, there’s a precipitous drop in talent. We get a sea of aging former stars and grinder defensemen. It's one of the shallowest UFA classes of all-time.

Here’s a look at the best names to watch approaching this summer, with salary info provided by capfriendly.com. I’ll update the list again between now and July 1. Ages listed are as of July 1, 2018.

1. JOHN TAVARES, C, 27
2017-18 cap hit: $5,500,000

http://www.thehockeynews.com/news/ar...agents-of-2018