Free agent signing period is here

Sundin and Michigan native Rolston will be sought after

Brian Rolston’s roots in Michigan are undeniable.

He was born in Ann Arbor. He played junior hockey for Compuware and college hockey at Lake Superior State. His brother Ron coaches at the U.S. National Team Development Program in Ann Arbor and Rolston’s parents still live here.

But the big question is whether the Detroit Red Wings will help Rolston make his Detroit roots even stronger.

A month ago, the prevailing wisdom was that Brian Rolston, 35, would be re-signing with the Minnesota Wild. Now it seems possible that he could be one of the hotter names in the free agent marketplace.

The Tampa Bay Lightning traded for his rights on June 29, hoping to get him signed before his contract expired on July 1.

If Rolston doesn’t sign he’ll be a free agent and will probably get an average salary of more than $4 million on the open market. Many of the top contenders would be interested.

It’s not a rich free agent market this summer, and Rolston is a 30-goal scorer who can also skate, check and kill penalties. The Pittsburgh Penguins have already lost Ryan Malone and it’s likely they will lose Marian Hossa. They also would probably be interested in Rolston.

Here is my list of top free agents going into the July 1 free agent signing day:

Mats Sundin: At the NHL Draft it was announced that the Canadiens had been given permission to negotiate with Sundin. Montreal general manager Bob Gainey has already spoke once to Sundin, and more talks are expected. Sundin started his career with the Quebec Nordiques, and there seems to be a thought that he would like to stay in Canada. The Canadiens have enough cap room to pay him, and they can offer him a chance to play with a highly competitive team.

Brian Campbell: He would prefer to sign in the East for family reasons, and there is a long list of teams interested in him.

Marian Hossa: The Penguins made what they considered a substantial offer to keep Hossa, and he has informed him he’s going to test the free agent marketplace, even though he told GM Ray Shero that Pittsburgh is on the top of his list. The danger, for both parities, is that moves are made in rapid-fire succession on July 1. The Penguins may not be able to wait for Hossa to get back to them because they will have to sign someone else if they believe he is gone.

Jaromir Jagr: It seems as if the negotiations will come down to the Rangers are willing to give Jagr a one- or two-year deal, but the assumption around the league is that Jagr will re-sign in New York. If he doesn’t, most of the top contenders will be interested.

Kristian Huselius: The Red Wings have modest interest, but he will have many suitors.

Wade Redden: Although he isn’t the player he once was, Redden still will command a big dollar contract. Edmonton seemed like a possible destination, although their acquisition of Lubomir Visnovsky puts that in doubt. Carolina is looking for a defenseman.

Ron Hainsey: Puck-moving defensemen are in short supply, and he took his game to the next level this past season in Columbus.

Pavol Demitra: Some say he is already penciled into Vancouver’s lineup.

Brooks Orpik: It seemed as if Orpik was likely to leave Pittsburgh, but there is some chance he will stay with the Pens, although he has already rejected their last offer.

Brad Stuart: Just before the free agent signing period began, Detroit locked up Stuart for four more years. Stuart liked playing in Detroit, and the Red Wings very much liked what he did for them as their No. 4 defenseman, but they weren’t going to pay him as much as he might have commanded on the open market. Detroit didn’t plan on paying Stuart more than his defensive partner Niklas Kronwall, who is making $13.5 million over the next four seasons.

Sean Avery: A week before free agent signing period was to start the New York Daly News reported that Avery appeared to be heading toward testing the free agent marketplace because he is not yet close to a new deal with the Rangers.

Mike Commodore: There is such a shortage of defensemen that he will have a list of teams to choose from.

Michael Roszival: Rumor has him asking for $7 million. That’s high, but some team will pony up $5-plus million for a puck-moving defenseman.

Michael Ryder: Rumor has Dallas first in line after this former 30-goal scorer.

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