The list of pending free agents has been revealed and teams have roughly 10 weeks to sign anyone without a contract beyond 2016.

While plenty of time remains before open season arrives up on Feb. 14, it’s impossible to ignore names like Solomon Elimimian, Matt Nichols and Ernest Jackson among many others.

With so many star players on track to hit the market, what does it all mean? CFL.ca’s Jamie Nye takes a team by team look:

*Indicates national

MONTREAL ALOUETTES

Offence – Brandon Rutley, Ryan White*, Nik Lewis, Marcus Henry, Kyle Graves*, Luc Brodeur-Jordain*, Martin Bedard*

Whoever the new General Manager is in Montreal, Luc Brodeur-Jordain should be the number one priority on offence. Their five strong Canadian offensive linemen allow so much flexibility and allows the defence to have a big impact.

There aren’t many ‘got to have’ free agents on the list but Brandon Rutley has been a valuable depth member of the team out of the backfield with Tyrell Sutton injured.

Does Nik Lewis have more left? I sure hope so because he continues to get better with age.

Defence – J.S. Blanc*, Nicolas Boulay*, Marc-Olivier Brouillette*, Alan-Michael Cash, Dequin Evans, Jeffrey Finley*, Kyries Hebert, Tyree Hollins, Jovon Johnson, Jesse Joseph*, Michael Klassen*, Gabriel Knapton, Aaron Lavarias, Billy Parker, Ray Ordick, Daryl Townsend*, Winston Venable

Have fun. That would be my advice seeing the long list of defenders up for free agency. Five of the Alouettes’ top 10 tacklers are on the pending free agent list. Seven of their top 10 players in sacks are pending free agents. Their special teams tackles leader, their interceptions leader — all pending free agents.

Add to that they have several impact Canadian players pending free agency, this is going to be an off-season of very difficult decisions where long-time members of the team have to go to fit younger players like Winston Venable into the salary structure.

Kickers – Boris Bede, Anthony Fera

Oh and to make matters worse, you need to make a decision on a kicker. Neither was very good in 2016.

OTTAWA REDBLACKS

Offence – J’Michael Deane*, Greg Ellingson, Ernest Jackson, Kienan LaFrance*, Scott MacDonell*, Nolan McMillan*, Andrew Marshall*, Danny O’Brien, Khalil Paden, William Powell, Jamill Smith, Travon Van, Chris Williams

The only thing going for the Ottawa REDBLACKS in free agency is the fact they have some of the offensive lineman and their quarterbacks locked in, though Nolan McMillan and J’Michael Deane should be big priorities. The rest on the offensive side is going to involve a lot of tough, monetary decisions.

From receiver to running back, Marcel Desjardins is likely going to say goodbye to at least one of his 1,000-yard receivers up for free agency (Ernest Jackson, Chris Williams, Greg Ellingson) as well as a running back he’s had to rely on to pick up some valuable yards.

Of course, this all depends on what his salary structure is. There is a lot less room than there was when he paid up to get those receivers and they may all ask for raises.

Defence – John Boyett, Jerrell Gavins, Forrest Hightower, Moton Hopkins, Tristan Jackson, Abdul Kanneh, Cleyon Laing*, Ettore Lattanzio*, Mike Moore, Antoine Pruneau*, Taylor Reed, Jeff Richards, Nigel Romick*, Nicholas Taylor, Dan West*, Mitchell White, Aston Whiteside

The REDBLACKS’ defensive secondary could look a lot different next year as the thing is, when you win the Grey Cup, everyone’s resume looks that much better and the prices start going up.

Seven starters from the Grey Cup team are up for free agency on the defensive side and they’re all going to be priorities to re-sign. However, two, maybe three could be headed elsewhere.

Canadian safety Antoine Pruneau is likely the top priority because many teams would love to have him to help the ratio.

Kickers – Ray Early

It’ll be interesting to see what Ottawa does at kicker after reportedly already having signed one following the Grey Cup win.

TORONTO ARGONAUTS

Offence – Anthony Coombs*, Alexandre Dupuis*, Andre Durie*, Tyler Holmes*, Dan LeFevour, Kenny Shaw, Diontae Spencer, Greg Van Roten, Chris Van Zeyl*, Brandon Whitaker

The Toronto Argonauts need to lock down the handful of offensive linemen that are potential free agents. Holmes, Van Zeyl and Van Roten are all starters and the team can ill-afford to weaken its offensive line going into an important season and with no first overall pick thanks to a trade this season.

Then you have to focus on the talent that will be around whoever is quarterback in 2017. Kenny Shaw and Diontae Spencer seem like two future stars in Toronto, while Brandon Whitaker may have some gas left out of the backfield. Anthony Coombs and Andre Durie are must-haves thanks to their national status because they are dynamic players that can be placed in various spots along the offence.

Defence – Matt Black*, Michael Carter*, Kyler Elsworth, Isiah Green, Cory Greenwood*, Bryan Hall, Justin Hickman, Brandon Isaac, AJ Jefferson, Akwasi Owusu-Ansah, Jake Reinhart*, Tracy Robertson, Devin Smith, James Yurichuk*

The top five tacklers for the Argos are pending free agents and with some Canadian starters on this list in Matt Black and Cory Greenwood, the General Manager, again, has some work to do. Newcomers like Bryan Hall and Justin Hickman would be great to have back in Toronto. Hall is a powerhouse defensive tackle who had four sacks this season.

However, the defence could be aided by finding more talent around the league in free agency. The secondary must be improved and we just finished talking about how Ottawa might have a DB or two that don’t get re-signed.

Kickers – Lirim Hajrullahu*

Another team, another kicking question, though Hajrullahu had a bounce back year in Toronto.

HAMILTON TIGER-CATS

Offence – Giovanne Aprile*, John Chiles, Matt Coates*, Kevin Elliott, Andy Fantuz*, Xavier Fulton, Jacory Harris, Kendial Lawrence, Jeff Mathews, Chad Owens, Landon Rice*, Da’Rel Scott, Terrence Tolliver, Anthony Woodson*

Kent Austin and Eric Tillman have their quarterback. Their offensive line is more or less set. Running backs are for the most part taken care off.

So, about receiver. There is a mix of young and old in Hamilton on their free agent list and while a player like Luke Tasker is under contract, can the team still go with Chad Owens? How much longer does Andy Fantuz have after a terrible knee injury will likely linger into 2017.

This is likely a spot that needs to be an area where Tillman, especially, works his magic by finding another couple of receiving stars rather than spending in free agency. There is talent on this list, no doubt, and a few of them will return.

Defence – Johnny Adams, Michael Daly*, Emanuel Davis, Shane Herbert*, Beau Landry*, Rico Murray, Drake Nevis, Ron Omara*, Cleshawn Page, Keon Raymond, Louie Richardson*, Jermaine Robinson, Johnny Sears

Overall, the defence is pretty set in Hamilton with Craig Butler likely back after sitting this season out. Emanuel Davis is one of the team’s top defensive backs and likely is tops on the priority list for Hamilton.

The strong majority of players on the Hamilton side are depth players, or players who were part of the infirmary on a packed Hamilton injured list. For the most part, the Tiger-Cats’ defence is in tact.

Who their defensive coordinator will be may be the biggest issue defensively this off-season.

Kicker – Brett Maher

Hey look, another team that needs to make a decision in the kicking game. They might look for an improvement but for a kicker tasked to do all three, Maher is a fine option.

WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS

Offence – Darvin Adams, Stanley Bryant, Dominique Davis, Clarence Denmark, Kevin Glenn, Tori Gurley, Jeff Keeping*, Rory Kohlert*, Quincy McDuffie, Matt Nichols, Chad Rempel*, Gerrard Sheppard, James Tuck*

When your team’s No. 1, 2 and 3 quarterbacks are all pending free agents, it has to give some anxiety to Kyle Walters, especially when a practice roster quarterback was already scooped up by the Roughriders. Walters’ first priority is Nichols and then he’ll be in chase mode to either re-sign Glenn and/or Davis or find another quarterback to be the team’s safety net.

Outside of that are the players the quarterback will be throwing to. The Bombers have a lot of talent in the receiving corps that are pending free agents. There is no way they all sign but Gurley and Adams may be the higher priorities unless their wage is a little steep.

A few years ago, Stanley Bryant was the big free agent signing to lock down the left side. Bryant actually may demand less than he did two years ago, which could help Walters sign others.

Defence – Khalil Bass, Jesse Briggs*, Tony Burnett, Euclid Cummings, Victor Harris, Sam Hurl*, Teague Sherman

Where Kyle Walters should feel best about his team is that the defence is rather sparse in terms of impact potential free agents. Khalil Bass and Euclid Cummings are clearly the two big names. Bass was one of the team’s best on defence and Cummings provided a push along the defensive line.

Tony Burnett led the team in special team’s tackles and is a great option, who can play various spots.

Kicker – Justin Medlock

After Matt Nichols, Justin Medlock is up there on the priority list. Medlock was the best all around kicker in the league and scrambling to find a kicker is the last thing Walters wants to do this off-season. Medlock could and should get a look from the NFL.

SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS

Offence – Phil Bates, Shamawd Chambers*, Thaddeus Coleman, Darian Durant, Jeff Fuller, Mitchell Gale, Curtis Steele, Matt Walter*

We start and end with Darian Durant. With contract negotiations reportedly going the wrong direction, Durant could be the biggest name that actually makes it to free agency not only out of Saskatchewan but in the entire league.

This puts pressure on Chris Jones to find the next quarterback, though he told me he believes one of the other quarterbacks on the roster could win him games.

Phil Bates and Jeff Fuller are both big, tall receivers who Jones loves and I’d be surprised if one or both aren’t back in 2017.

Curtis Steele was banged up all season, as was Walter, so it’ll be interesting to see if Jones wants to give them another chance. When Steele played he was a difference maker, especially in pass protection.

As for the other two, Shamawd Chambers is rumoured to be done in Saskatchewan and Thaddeus Coleman could be a player that has to wait to see if the team finds other tackles this off-season.

Defence – Dylan Ainsworth*, Gregory Alexandre*, Ivan Brown*, Randy Chevrier*, Otha Foster, Jeff Hecht*, Jorgen Hus*, Corvey Irvin, Anthony Jackson, Willie Jefferson, Jeff Knox Jr., Andrew Lue*, Bryn Roy*, Matt Webster*, Jonathan Williams

The big concern you see is how many Canadians are pending free agents. Canadian depth wasn’t great in Saskatchewan but that doesn’t mean the Riders can afford to lose too many of them. Some of them are also young and contribute on special teams quite well.

It’ll be interesting to see if Jeff Knox Jr. gets his shot in the NFL after two decent seasons in Saskatchewan. Corvey Irvin and Jonathan Williams could be priorities to start the season with a good base at defensive tackle, while Willie Jefferson was very impressive in his games after signing late in the season.

Otha Foster should be a priority as well due to his ability to play multiple positions in Jones’ defense, as well as his familiarity with the defence.

CALGARY STAMPEDERS

Offence – Simon Charbonneau-Campeau*, Rob Cote*, Derek Dennis, Dan Federkeil*, Bakari Grant, Kamar Jorden, Pierre Lavertu*, Marquay McDaniel, Charlie Power*, Cameron Thorn*, Joe West, Greg Wilson

The offensive line protecting Bo Levi Mitchell and opening holes for Jerome Messam was a big reason the Stampeders were as good as they were and here you have three starters as pending free agents. Cameron Thorn was a great depth option for Calgary as well. With the line play as good as it was there are some raises due and Hufnagel also has a receiving corps he needs to deal with.

Davaris Daniels is the only international receiver who caught a touchdown pass that’s under contract. It’s going to be very interesting to see which receivers stay and advance up the depth chart and which receivers land elsewhere. Between Grant, McDaniel, Jorden, West and Wilson, the Stampeders don’t have room to keep them all but all five of them are talented athletes. And you know Hufnagel has the next one already on his radar to step right in.

Defence – Frank Beltre, Adam Berger*, Brandon Boudreaux, Matt Bucknor, Ben D’Aguilar*, Charleston Hughes, Micah Johnson, Cordarro Law, Glenn Love, Zach Minter, Quinn Smith*, Adam Thibault*

35 sacks are the total among potential free agents along the defensive line with Charleston Hughes (16) and Micah Johnson (7) leading the way. Add Frank Beltre and Cordarro Law to the mix with Quinn Smith and Hufnagel has some tough decisions to make. He also has Junior Turner, Derek Wiggan and Ja’Gared Davis under contract so expect some talent to hit free agency off of this defensive line.

The rest of the pending free agents are depth players and special team contributors for the Stampeders but those can also be the heart beat of the team. With Charlie Power, Glenn Love and Adam Thibault, the top three special team tacklers are pending FAs for Calgary.

Kicker – Rene Paredes*, Rob Maver*

John Hufnagel should be able to keep both these kickers in Calgary as they seem like players who just belong in Calgary. Still, there will be tonnes of interest if either one hits the open market.

EDMONTON ESKIMOS

Offence – Natay Adjei*, Devon Bailey*, D’Anthony Batiste, Shakir Bell, Thomas DeMarco, Chris Getzlaf*, Aaron Milton*, Derel Walker, Tony Washington

The pain for Ed Hervey is the reality that Derel Walker will be in the NFL next season. The team did see some emerging receivers this season but nothing like what Walker did in his first two seasons. Younger Canadian receivers Adjei and Bailey need to step up if the team is willing to move on after using Chris Getzlaf for one season, though Getzlaf still showed his veteran savvy on second downs.

Shakir Bell is a great running back that could get some interest though Hervey may have to decide between Bell and John White, who is under contract. White is likely the guy they’d go with.

Hervey has his starting left and right tackles up for free agency and both could get interest on the open market.

Defence – Marcus Howard, Phillip Hunt, Deon Lacey, Cauchy Muamba*, John Ojo, Don Oramasionwu*, Cord Parks, Troy Stoudermire, Brandyn Thompson, Jason Vega, Patrick Watkins, Marcell Young

When you look at the Eskimos’ pending free agents on defence you see a bunch of starters again. They lost plenty last year and can ill-afford to lose more. Parks, Thompson, Watkins, Ojo, Young and Muamba are a damn good six members of the secondary. It’s going to be tough for Hervey. It may be time that he moves on from older vets in Watkins and Young in order to keep some younger talent, especially if Ojo is healed up from his Achilles tear.

Across the board, Hervey has some work to do to keep the Eskimos in contention.

Kickers – Grant Shaw*, Sean Whyte*

Like Hufnagel in Calgary, Hervey has to try to keep both his kicker and punter. Whyte was among the best and could get interest with other teams likely in need of a FG kicker.

BC LIONS

Offence – Bryan Burnham, Marco Ianuzzi*, Jeremiah Johnson, Rolly Lumbala*, Tim O’Neill*, Terrell Sinkfield Jr., Hunter Steward*, Nick Moore

Instantly, you see the receivers for the BC Lions that need to be addressed. Outside of Emmanuel Arceneaux, Wally Buono has some work to do to solidify Jonathon Jennings’ targets for 2017. Four of the top six receivers are on the free agent list and one of those is long forgotten Nick Moore, who had 200 yards in the first four games of the season before tearing his ACL celebrating. Moore’s absence allowed the team to chase down Terrell Sinkfield, who came back from the NFL. Bryan Burnham may make things difficult for Buono as a near 1,400 yard season could make for a big price tag.

Jeremiah Johnson was an exceptional running back who had to split some time with Anthony Allen. Also, the emergence of Chris Rainey as the team’s utility player could lead Buono to bring along another younger player rather than pay up. Rolly Lumbala has been a solid contributor and likely returns.

The two offensive lineman battled each other for the starting spot early, but it was Steward who solidified himself for the remainder of the season, starting 14 games to O’Neill’s four. It would make sense for Steward to be a high priority and O’Neill as a priority depth spot along the o-line. Although if draft pick Charles Vaillancourt is ready to step up and the team prioritizes the O-line with a high draft pick, that may change the plan for one of the two pending free agents.

Defence – Alex Bazzie, Mike Benson*, Michael Brooks, Steven Clarke, Marcus Dixon, Solomon Elimimian, Anthony Gaitor, Nehemie Kankolongo*, TJ Lee, Bo Lokombo*, Keynan Parker*, Bryant Turner, Jabar Westerman*, Ronnie Yell

Solomon Elimimian becomes the biggest name on the list of free agents in BC. He has been one of the best linebackers in the game but also now comes at a big price. Can he take a ‘hometown discount’ to stay? It’s going to be tough negotiation for him and the team.

Elsewhere on the defence are starters Alex Bazzie, Ronnie Yell, Mic’hael Brooks, Jabar Westerman and Anthony Gaitor. T.J. Lee and Steven Clarke also saw time as starters before injuries set them back and Bryant Turner turned into a rotational player after being a sought after tackle out of Winnipeg. The advantage here for Buono is his Canadian content heading to free agency is limited. Guys like Bo Lokombo and Keynan Parker could look elsewhere if their playing time would increase on defence.

Buono should be able to hold on to many of these free agents.

Kickers – Richie Leone, Paul McCallum*

Richie Leone could see some NFL opportunities after punting the skin off the ball. The Lions will be happy to see so many other kickers potentially heading to free agency if Leone does not return.