With less than a month remaining in the 2009-10 NHL season and with the trade market now silent until after the 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs my thoughts are turned toward this summer's pool of potential unrestricted free agents. 

Looking at the latest list from NHLnumbers.com it's not a particularly deep pool of available talent. 

Sure, there's plenty of notable name players, like Paul Kariya, Teemu Selanne, Keith Tkachuk, Mike Modano, Saku Koivu, Slava Kozlov, Jere Lehtinen, Pavol Demitra, Olli Jokinen, Fredrik Modin, Adam Foote, John Madden, Owen Nolan, Alex Tanguay, Bill Guerin and Mike Comrie. 

That list would've generated considerable excitement about the UFA market...in the summer of 2005. 

Sadly, all of the above are past their best-before date. Some, like Selanne and Tkachuk, who commanded top dollar around ten years ago, could retire this summer. 

Others could find themselves scrambling to sign inexpensive one-year deals with those few NHL teams with available cap space once the initial wave of frenzied free agent signings has passed come mid-July. 

Failing that they could face either retirement or playing overseas in one of the European leagues. 

Aging stars like Detroit's Nicklas Lidstrom and Anaheim's Scott Niedermayer would still attract considerable interest should they hit this summer's market. 

Lidstrom however probably won't sign with anyone other than Detroit while Niedermayer could decide this time to retire. 

Veteran goalies Evgeni Nabokov and Marty Turco could prove attractive to teams seeking experienced starters between the pipes, but they're both 35, Turco has really struggled over the past two seasons and Nabokov is dogged by a reputation for coming up small in post-season play. 

Of course there could be some notable talent available who'll be the focus of intense bidding on July 1st. 

Ilya Kovalchuk will be the star of this summer UFA market, but it's believed he's seeking over $11 million per season, which could seriously limit his market value and destinations.

It's rumored he could end up in Russia's KHL, which would be quite the coup for that league...if it wasn't for the fact Kovalchuk has for most of his career toiled in the NHL backwater of Atlanta.

He's been one of the least-known and least-appreciated scorers in NHL history. Most fans are surprised when they learn only Ovechkin has scored more goals since the lockout than Kovalchuk. 

Losing him to the KHL won't be as significant to the NHL as losing a more visible star like Ovechkin, Malkin or Crosby.

San Jose's Patrick Marleau resurrected what appeared to be a declining career this season. Placed on the Sharks top line with Joe Thornton and Dany Heatley, Marleau is on pace to tie his career-best in points with 86 and hit the 40-goal plateau for the first time in his career. 

Sure, those stats are due in large part to his talented linemates, but if he tests the market you can bet there'll be several general managers willing to gamble big on his recreating those marks elsewhere. 

Montreal center Tomas Plekanec is having a career year (currently 64 points in 69 games) and his solid two-way play will garner him many suitors should the Canadiens fail to re-sign him. 

Nashville defenseman Dan Hamhuis was the subject of trade deadline speculation as the Flyers and Bruins were amongst several teams believed keen in him. If the Predators are unable to re-sign Hamhuis he'll probably be the most-pursued blueliner in this summer's market.

Several second-tier players could be due for big paydays if they hit the market this summer.

New Jersey defenseman Paul Martin, St. Louis goalie Chris Mason, Ottawa blueliner Anton Volchenkov, Buffalo forward Raffi Torres, Pittsburgh winger Alexei Ponikarovsky, Nashville netminder Dan Ellis, Atlanta's Maxim Afinogenov and Rangers forward Vaclav Prospal fall into that category.  

After them, the caliber of the depth drops dramatically. Combine that with the anticipation the salary cap won't rise much about the current $56.8 million, it could become a quieter than usual summer should the UFA pool be drained of most of the best talent by the first week in July.