3. Ben Lovejoy
Team: Pittsburgh Penguins Age: 32 Status: UFA
2015-2016 stats: GP: 66 G: 4 A: 10 P: 14 +/-: 6 PIM: 24
On Sunday, the Penguins won the Stanley Cup. Lovejoy has been great all postseason, but must be especially commended for his play after Trevor Daley was lost to injury. As such, he will likely be a sought after name this summer. That being said, he is a player that teams must be careful not to overvalue.
Lovejoy is playing in Pittsburgh’s top-four and looking very good while doing it. Over the course of his entire career, however, he has been more of a reliable third-pairing guy. He isn’t overly physical but has good positioning and is very capable in transition. He is a very smart, well-respected player, but if you ever watched before this postseason, he didn’t have any attributes that really stood out.
For the right price, Lovejoy would be a great addition for the Avalanche. Unfortunately, that price will likely be inflated. If he continues to play at his current level, he might be worth it, but Lovejoy has all the makings of a player who cashed in on a great playoff performance, only to fail to live up to the expectations that came with a large contract.
Estimated cost: $3.75-4.75 million per season.
