2024 NHL Unrestricted Free Agents

The 2023 free-agent class may have been underwhelming, but 2024 has the potential to be different. Much different. Headlined by high-end talent and plenty of depth, the 2024 crop of NHL unrestricted free agents may be the best we’ve seen in years, even after some notable names have signed contract extensions. Let’s look at some of the marquee UFAs and present a way-too-early top 30. 

Star Talent Leads the Way

The 2023 UFA class severely lacked high-end talent. There were good players, but most were second-tier free agents who didn’t earn top dollar or max term. For example, among the 2024 class was Auston Matthews, but he signed a four-year extension during the summer worth $13.25 million annually. Still, there is plenty of talent without Matthews. 

Leading the way is his teammate William Nylander, who will get a significant raise from his current $6.9 million cap hit. Following was Connor Hellebuyck. But in a surprise move, the Winnipeg Jets announced identical seven-year extensions worth $8.5 million annually for him and Mark Scheifele, taking two of the top 10 UFAs off the board.

Steven Stamkos has played his entire career with the Tampa Bay Lightning. While I don’t expect that to change, he is entering the final year of his contract. He’s unlikely to get significant term since he’s 34, but he’s still a point-per-game player. There will be plenty of interest in him if he hits the market. 

There isn’t as much talent defensively as there is up front, but there are some intriguing names. Devon Toews was the top UFA defenseman until he signed a seven-year extension worth $7.25 million annually with the Colorado Avalanche. Still, names like Brandon Montour, Brett Pesce and Noah Hanifin will interest clubs if they make it to July 1 unsigned.

Rounding out some of the star talent are Joe Pavelski and Jake Guentzel. Pavelski may be 39, but he just put up a 77-point season. If he repeats that performance in 2023-24, there will be plenty of interest in him on a one-year deal, which adds to his value if he wants to keep playing. Guentzel has been one of the top goal-scorers in the NHL for half a decade, and it’s not a product of playing alongside Sidney Crosby. He will get his money, too.

It’s Not a Top-Heavy UFA Class

Those names may headline the class, but there is plenty of depth behind them, partly because so many players signed one-year deals this past offseason in hopes of cashing in when the cap projects to rise next summer. 

Related: Jets Re-Sign Hellebuyck and Scheifele to Seven-Year Extensions

After getting bought out by the Nashville Predators, Matt Duchene signed a one-year deal worth $3 million with the Dallas Stars. If he produces on a very good Stars team, he should have another payday coming, even though it likely won’t be for max term since he will turn 33 before July 1, 2024. 

Another player who took a one-year deal was Tyler Bertuzzi, who signed with the Maple Leafs. Health has been an issue with him, but if he can stay on the ice, there’s the potential for him to put up big points with that Maple Leafs lineup. That will lead to a payday in 2024. 

Aside from some NHLers who signed one-year deals (Vladimir Tarasenko and Jason Zucker, to name a couple more), there are plenty of high-end players entering the final years of their contracts that strengthen the 2024 UFA class. 

These NHLers include Tyler Toffoli, Sam Reinhart, Pesce, Montour, Viktor Arvidsson, and many more. Of course, some will re-sign with their current teams — as we’ve seen to start the 2023-24 season — or perhaps new ones if they get traded at the 2024 deadline. 

But even then, there are players like Anthony Beauvillier, Anthony Duclair and Victor Olofsson who just missed the cut for making this way-too-early top 30 list. There is plenty of talent to go around next year, so even if some players re-up with current or new clubs, the 2024 UFA class should be one of the best in years. 

Without further ado, here’s our way-too-early top 30 for 2024. This list will change throughout the season, and stats will be updated weekly to bi-weekly, depending on the schedule. (Stats are from 2022-23)

Rank	Player	POS	Age	GP	G/GAA	A/SV%	P	Team	Cap Hit
1	William Nylander	RW	28	82	40	47	87	TOR	$6,962,366
2	Steven Stamkos	C/LW	34	81	34	50	84	TBL	$8.5 million
3	Elias Lindholm	C	29	80	22	42	64	CGY	$4.85 million
4	Joe Pavelski	RW	39	82	28	49	77	DAL	$3.5 million
5	Jake Guentzel	LW	28	78	36	37	73	PIT	$6 million
6	Chandler Stephenson	C	30	81	16	49	65	VGK	$2.75 million
7	Matt Duchene	C	33	81	22	34	56	DAL	$3 million
8	Tyler Toffoli	RW	32	82	34	39	73	NJD	$4.25 million
9	Sam Reinhart	RW/C	28	82	31	36	67	FLA	$6.5 million
10	Tyler Bertuzzi	LW	28	50	8	22	30	TOR	$5.5 million
11	Jonathan Marchessault	RW	33	77	28	29	57	VGK	$5 million
12	Brett Pesce	D	28	82	5	25	30	CAR	$4.025 million
13	Brandon Montour	D	30	80	16	57	73	FLA	$3.5 million
14	Viktor Arvidsson	RW	31	77	26	33	59	LAK	$4.25 million
15	David Perron	RW	36	82	24	32	56	DET	$4.75 million
16	Jordan Eberle	RW	34	80	20	43	63	SEA	$5.5 million
17	Tyson Barrie	D	32	85	13	42	55	NSH	$4.5 million
18	Jake DeBrusk	LW/RW	27	64	27	23	50	BOS	$4 million
19	Vladimir Tarasenko	RW	32	69	18	32	50	OTT	$5 million
20	Nino Niederreiter	RW/LW	31	81	24	17	41	WPG	$4 million
21	Adam Henrique	LW/C	34	62	22	16	38	ANA	$5.825 million
22	Noah Hanifin	D	27	81	7	31	38	CGY	$4.95 million
23	Gustav Forsling	D	28	82	13	28	41	FLA	$2,666,667
24	Jason Zucker	LW	32	78	27	21	48	ARI	$5.3 million
25	Daniel Sprong	RW	27	66	21	25	46	DET	$2 million
26	Alexander Barabanov	LW/RW	30	68	15	32	47	SJS	$2.5 million
27	Max Domi	LW/C	28	80	20	36	56	TOR	$3 million
28	Brady Skjei	D	29	82	18	20	38	CAR	$5.25 million
29	Dominik Kubalik	LW	28	81	20	25	45	OTT	$2.5 million
30	Anthony Duclair	LW	28	20	2	7	9	SJS	$3 million