ALANEN: Offering a Look at This Year’s Best Free Agents From Finland

Finland’s free agent offerings this year don’t inspire a great deal of enthusiasm. There might not be a single NHL regular next season among them beyond the group’s best member.

Then again, the possibility always exists for a team to sign someone entirely out of left field, as the Dallas Stars did last year with Joel Kiviranta. Pedestrian boxcar stats weren’t enough to ward off the Stars after Kiviranta shined under the bright lights of the Men’s World Hockey Championships.

Seeing as the Covid-19 pandemic has essentially taken the remainder of this year’s hockey schedule from us, it’s hard to imagine another signing of that ilk.

Mikko Lehtonen, D, Jokerit

Mikko Lehtonen is the best defenceman outside of the NHL. He dominated the KHL last season with Jokerit, scoring 49 points in 60 regular