Which players should Blackwawks target for free agency?

Christmastime - aka the Opening Day of Free Agency - for NHL fans is fast approaching.

Who will sign John Tavares and will it be for more than $10 million a season? Could the Blackhawks seriously be in the running for 36-goal scorer James van Riemsdyk?

Could the Hawks bring in a defenseman like the Islanders' Calvin De Haan or the Blue Jackets' Ian Cole? And who is going to back up Corey Crawford next season?

With teams able to sign unrestricted free agents Sunday, we'll have all of these answers soon, but let's take a look at what GM John Dietz would do if I were in charge of the Hawks:

Forwards

Go get James van Riemsdyk. Pay him the $6.5 million to $7.5 million he'll command and suddenly your top two lines look like this: Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Brandon Saad, Alex DeBrincat, Nick Schmaltz and van Riemsdyk.

Finding a way to afford van Riemsdyk is a big issue, however. The Hawks would probably have to trade Artem Anisimov, who can give them a list of 10 teams he's willing to go to, or get a team to trade for Marian Hossa's $5.275 million cap hit.

After that, bring in someone like Columbus' Mark Letestu (decent scorer, solid faceoff guy, well respected in the room), Dallas' Antoine Roussel (57 goals last five seasons), Philly's Valtteri Filppula (43G last four) or bring back Tommy Wingels.

Then give Brandon Pirri a chance on a Professional Tryout. Pirri scored 29 goals in 57 games with the Chicago Wolves last season. He oozes offensive potential, is rooted in Chicago and would be highly motivated to stick in a second go-round with the Hawks.

Defensemen

Until all the youngsters in the Hawks pipeline are ready, they desperately need a top-four defenseman to play with Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook and Connor Murphy.

Ian Cole is my guy if they can afford him. A two-time Stanley Cup winner with the Penguins, the 29-year-old left-shot is hard on the puck, extremely strong, a shot-blocking machine, isn't afraid to run you over and will stick up for his teammates. The 6-foot-1, 219-pounder is also a fantastic locker-room presence.

If the Hawks are outbid for Cole or can't afford him, my next two choices are the Islanders' Calvin De Haan and the Devils' John Moore. De Haan, 27, has a good shot, excellent vision, skates well and isn't afraid to hit you. One red flag, though: He's already had shoulder surgery three times.

Moore, who was born in Winnetka and played for the Chicago Steel and Chicago Mission, knows how to step up in the play and has an excellent shot. With 19 goals the last two seasons, he could really infuse some offense from the back end.

Goalies

There are multiple reports that the Hawks are in serious talks with Cam Ward, who has spent his entire 13-year career with Carolina.

My question is, why? The 6-foot-1, 185-pound Ward - admittedly playing for mostly sievelike Hurricanes squads - hasn't posted a save percentage above .910 in SEVEN years. I suppose if he signs for $1.5 million or less, it's worth bringing him in. But otherwise what's the point of dumping 3-5 times the salary of Anton Forsberg on another mediocre backup?

Other potential free agents include the Islanders' Jaroslav Halak, Buffalo's Robin Lehner, Colorado's Jonathan Bernier and St. Louis' Carter Hutton. The 32-year-old Hutton is a career backup, but did post awfully impressive numbers last season (. 931, 2.09) in 32 games.

If I'm in charge, I bring in anybody who will sign for around $1.5 million or less. No takers? Then go with Forsberg (. 908, 2.97, $750,000 cap hit) with the understanding that he should improve in his second full year in the league.

Twitter: @johndietzdh

Top available NHL free agents

<b>FORWARDS</b>John Tavares, Islanders. Could command $10 million per year. Isles' signing of Barry Trotz as coach gives them a chance to retain their captain.

James van Riemsdyk, Maple Leafs. With 65 goals in past two seasons, 29-year-old might be out of Blackhawks' range. Still, if they shed a big contract via trade, who knows?

Joe Thornton, Sharks. Soon-to-be 39-year-old will look for a 1-year-deal. Could easily return to Sharks.

Paul Stastny, Jets. Strong, veteran center who can play on any line. Has 20 goals and 30 assists in 72 postseason games.

James Neal, Golden Knights. Perennial 20-goal-scorer will be 31 when camp starts. He'll be looking for one more solid payday.

David Perron, Golden Knights. Journeyman puts up decent regular-season numbers but has just 4 goals in 57 playoff games.

Tyler Bozak, Maple Leafs. A solid third-line center for a contending team.

Jay Beagle, Capitals. Not a big goal-scorer, but he's won 56.4-58.5 percent of faceoffs the last four seasons.

Others: Riley Nash, Thomas Vanek, Antoine Vermette, Mark Letestu, Valtteri Filppula, Antoine Roussel, Matt Calvert, Tommy Wingels, Jimmy Hayes, Michael Grabner, Patrick Maroon, Leo Komarov, Blake Comeau, Ryan Reaves, Derek Ryan, Anthony Duclair.

<b>DEFENSEMEN</b>Mike Green, Red Wings. With John Carlson re-signing with Washington, Green is the top free-agent D-man on the market. Problem is he's 32 years old. It's only a good signing if length of contract is about three years.

Calvin DeHaan, Islanders. He's only 27 but has had three shoulder surgeries. Still, he's a steady force, and perhaps 10 teams are interested.

Ian Cole, Blue Jackets. Columbus dealt for Cole at trade deadline and would love to re-sign him. Not a big offensive contributor, but he's an intelligent shot-blocker that can plug a hole on a team with leaky, suspect defenders. Great in the locker room, too.

John Moore, Devils. Moore was born in Winnetka and played for the Chicago Mission and Chicago Steel, so this might be a perfect fit for the Blackhawks. Has 19 goals the last two seasons.

Jack Johnson, Blue Jackets. Penguins and Ducks reportedly are front-runners for his services.

Others: Dan Hamhuis, Nick Holden, Alexei Emelin, Kevin Bieksa, Michal Kempny, Brandon Manning, Luke Schenn, Kevin Connaughton, Thomas Hickey.

<b>GOALIES</b>Carter Hutton, Blues. Sensational .931 save percentage and 2.09 goals-against average in 32 games last season. Averaged just 23 starts over past five years, however.

Cam Ward, Hurricanes. After watching Scott Darling struggle as a starter, Carolina went back to Ward. He went 23-14-4 in 42 starts, although those numbers are skewed by 11-3-2 start. He's 34 years old and hasn't posted decent numbers since 2011-12.

Robin Lehner, Sabres. Soon to-be 27-year-old had less-than-impressive numbers (.908, 3.01) in 2017-18, but has 108 starts past two seasons.

Jaroslav Halak, Islanders. Has plenty of experience (418 starts) but has just .913 save percentage and 2.69 GAA last four seasons in New York.

Jonathan Bernier, Avs. Still only 29, Bernier could easily push for No. 1 duties on a team with a weak starter.

Others to watch: Kari Lehtonen, Petr Mrzaek.