Paul Martin: The Forgotten Free Agent Defenseman

Anton Volchenkov is the prototypical defensive defenseman. He'll block shots, hit anything that moves, and occasionally chip in something in the offensive end.

Two teams have traded for the negotiating rights to former Nashville defenseman Dan Hamhuis. Nothing special, Hamhuis is a smart player who can do a few things offensively, but will never overwhelm in that area.

Much attention has also been paid to veteran offensive defenseman Sergei Gonchar, 36, who might break free from the Pittsburgh Penguins and seek a new home in free agency.

Forgotten in all this is another solid, steady, smart defenseman who enters free agency Thursday. Free agency appears destined to go as the career of Paul Martin has gone.

Without anyone really noticing he's there.

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Martin doesn't throw vicious checks, but he's still effective in his own zone. When the puck is on his stick, he makes smart, effective passes and has very little panic when faced with forecheck pressure. He isn't a high-scoring defenseman like Gonchar is, but he'll still make a good fixture on a team's second power play unit, and he is capable of 50 points over a full season if he's in the right system and can stay healthy.

He's a good player, and he isn't likely to cost an arm and a leg. Where's the love?

Perhaps Martin isn't considered an elite player, which makes perfect sense. Of course, then it makes no sense to have teams practically salivating over Hamhuis, who is virtually the same player minus a pretty serious injury this past season. Does Martin's rough contract year mean the Devils have the inside track on signing him because he's not a desirable player?

In the grand scheme of things, it seems Martin is being penalized because he broke his forearm blocking a shot -- a totally freak accident that is not a recurring injury. This isn't Marian Gaborik's groin. It's a broken bone suffered in a situation that is highly unlikely to ever repeat itself.

Outside of that, he's been a very steady player for a very good team for a number of years. Martin's exploits go all the way back to high school in Elk River, Minn., when he was one of the best players in a hockey-centric state. He was then a major part of two Minnesota Gopher national championship teams.

His consistency should get him some bites in free agency, assuming he's interested in leaving New Jersey. If a team like Phoenix, Atlanta, Minnesota or Toronto come calling with the right deal, it's going to be hard for Martin to say "no," regardless of where his NHL loyalties lie now. He can help those teams with his steady defensive hand, combined with his underrated puck skills on the power play.

Of course, he could always just stay in New Jersey. He seemed fine in old coach Brent Sutter's system, and while the idea of a third coach in three years might not be terribly appealing, it's not like Martin played much for Jacques Lemaire last year. The injury kept him out for more than half the season. There's no reason for new coach John MacLean or longtime general manager Lou Lamoriello to want to cut the cord. Martin is too solid of a player.

With the free agent market quite thin, he's smart to test the market and see what he can get. His cap number -- according to NHLNumbers.com -- was around $3.8 million last season. There's no reason he should play for less than $5 million, regardless of where he signs or for how long he signs.

For Martin, this will be an interesting few days. Does he stay where he's comfortable, or does he take advantage of the fact that the Devils have lacked stability as of late, and look for the perfect fit for his talents?