Does Senators' Anton Forsberg Have A Chance To Start With Any Team?

Anton Forsberg, who has played with the Ottawa Senators for the past five seasons, is arguably the best UFA goalie on the market this offseason. I would have Jake Allen right up there with him, but at this stage, Allen has fit well as a 1b or backup and will be 35 years old before next season. Forsberg, on the other hand, has proven to be pretty solid and if he's the best option out there for teams, he is going to get some attention.

The Senators are very unlikely to bring him back. The team has Linus Ullmark locked in long-term and Leevi Merilainen, though it was a small showing, played very well for Ottawa. The Senators also have Mads Soogard, so the depth chart is solid.

This is definitely a bad year to need help in net, but there are more than enough teams that need it regardless. At 32 years old with a number of good seasons under his belt, I presume Forsberg is looking for an opportunity to start somewhere, or at least have a chance. The last goalie to have this turn into a reality was Kevin Lankinen this season with the Vancouver Canucks.

So are there options where Forsberg can have a chance to start at least half of the games next season? One team stands out as the clear option, but there are five other teams that may also have a spot and opportunity open up if they were to move on from a goalie (which isn't out of the possibility).

The Sharks already told Alexandar Georgiev that he won't be returning to the team and Yaroslav Askarov will get a full time role in the NHL next season. It has also been said that the Sharks will not be going into next season without a veteran goalie. Forsberg fits that bill and at the very least, will be able to split starts with a very inexperienced Askarov. If San Jose targets Forsberg and he looks to go there, it should be the best chance at starts without hoping for an injury, and I don't think the Sharks will be eager to play Askarov a ton so he gets acclimated to the NHL properly.

The five teams that could be an option if a goalie is moved for good reason is the Columbus Blue Jackets (Elvis Merzlikins), Edmonton Oilers (Stuart Skinner or Calvin Pickard), Philadelphia Flyers (Ivan Fedotov or Alexei Kolosov), Pittsburgh Penguins (Tristan Jarry or Alex Nedeljkovic), and Utah HC (Connor Ingram).

It's hard to imagine over half of those teams making a chance right now with the weaker goalie market, but you never know.