- Adam Henrique is still without a contract almost two months into NHL free agency
- Pro Hockey Rumors expects a professional tryout, not a guaranteed deal, to be his way back in
- Read below for the teams flagged as fits and the numbers keeping them away
Adam Henrique has played 1,058 NHL games. He does not have a contract for the 1,059th.
Brennan McClain of Pro Hockey Rumors wrote Monday that the 36-year-old center will most likely find his next job through a professional tryout instead of a signed deal. Because Henrique was over 35 on June 30, whatever he does sign can be loaded with bonuses, which means league minimum salary on paper and games-played money on top.
Last season is why the phone stopped ringing. Henrique managed three goals and 15 points in 65 games for the Oilers, easily the worst full season of his career, and he finished at minus-12 on 13:14 a night.
The faceoff dot is still an asset. He took 54.0 percent of his draws last season and sits at 50.6 percent across 16 NHL seasons.
That same profile floated the Ducks, Blackhawks, Sharks and Lightning as landing spots, since all four finished in the bottom 10 in faceoff percentage and could use a veteran on the fourth line. Minnesota fits the same description but has almost nothing left under the cap.
Nobody is moving quickly around him, either. Matt Larkin of Daily Faceoff pointed out on Aug. 21 that 10 of his outlet’s top 50 free agents from July 1 remained unsigned, and bigger names than Henrique are still waiting for a phone call.
His résumé was never the issue. Henrique hit 1,000 games on Oct. 21 in Ottawa, the first player to reach that number in an Oilers sweater, and Edmonton ran the ceremony nine days later at Rogers Place.
Watch the night Edmonton honored him:
New Jersey took the Brantford, Ontario product 82nd overall in 2008 and got a Calder finalist out of the third round. Henrique led all rookies with 35 assists in 2011-12 and lost the trophy to Gabriel Landeskog.
Then came the goal nobody in New Jersey has forgotten. Henrique ended the 2012 Eastern Conference Final 1:03 into overtime of Game 6, jamming a loose puck past Henrik Lundqvist to send the Devils to the Stanley Cup Final and the Rangers home.
Take a look at the goal that made his name:
Training camps open in mid-September. Game 1,059, if there is one, starts with a tryout jersey and three weeks of preseason to earn something better.
