Former St. Louis goalie Manny Legace is looking to latch on with Atlanta, one of a number of veterans attending training camps on a tryout basis. Former St. Louis goalie Manny Legace is looking to latch on with Atlanta, one of a number of veterans attending training camps on a tryout basis. (Mark Avery/Associated Press)

It could be the "last chance saloon" for a number of veterans still holding out hope of drinking from the Stanley Cup.

NHL training camps open in full this weekend, and tryouts have been extended to a number of players currently without a contract.

They range from those who've been integral on Stanley Cup winners (Darryl Sydor) to former No. 1 goalies (Dan Cloutier, Manny Legace) to reliable point-per-game players (Jason Allison).

And of course, there's a healthy collection of grinders, energy players and depth defencemen.

Most played in the NHL last season, with some coming back from Europe and retirements of varying lengths.

Here's a list of some of the job applicants, in team alphabetical order:

  • Kyle Calder, F (Anaheim): Totalled 47 points in two seasons with Kings after signing for over $5 million US.
  • Dan Fritsche, F (Atlanta): Has already played for three teams since second round, 2003 draft selection.
  • Manny Legace, G (Atlanta): Former No. 1 goalie fell out of favour with Blues. Stats: 337 G, 2.38 AVG, 23 SO.
  • Shawn Bates, F (Colorado): Brings grit and 13 career SHG. Was playing in Finland.
  • Dan Cloutier, G (Detroit): Just 33 games with Kings after signing lucrative deal. Has 13 career SO.
  • Martin Skoula, D (Florida): Unbelievably, Skoula is just 30 in Oct. Played with Cup teams for Avs, and Wild more recently.
  • Christian Backman, D (Florida): Swede disappointed in Columbus last year after some solid seasons with Blues.
  • Andy Hilbert, F (Minnesota): Couldn't hang on to a spot until playing with wafer-thin Islanders. Streaky scorer.
  • Blair Betts, F (Philadelphia): Former Rangers energy stalwart is trying to bounce back after dirty Donald Brashear hit in playoffs.
  • Ryan Bayda, F (Pittsburgh): Sask. native showed jam with Carolina in playoffs but wasn't retained.
  • Dan Hinote, F (San Jose): Vet of 500+ games looks to fill void left in third or fourth line by retirements and players not re-signed.
  • Darryl Sydor, F (St. Louis): Has played on two Cup winners. At 37, would be used as a mentor for talented Blues prospects.
  • Brett McLean, F (Tampa Bay): Heads up the road after two years with Florida.
  • Jason Allison, F (Toronto): Notched 485 points in 552 games but hasn't played in four seasons.
  • Keith Carney, D (Vancouver): Briefly played for Canucks in 1,018-game career. Played in Switzerland last year.
  • Ronald Petrovicky, F (Vancouver): Slovakian veteran of 342 NHL games has been in Europe the past two seasons.
  • Dave Scatchard, F (Vancouver): Gritty Alta., native dealt with effects of concussion, skipping last season.