Best Value Free Agent Signings of the 2026 NHL Offseason

The NHL offseason has quieted down as it usually does as we get closer to August. The bulk of free agents, including RFAs, have already signed for the upcoming season. With that, let’s look at some of the best value signings of the 2026 offseason.

Matias Maccelli

In a somewhat surprising move, the Toronto Maple Leafs declined to extend a qualifying offer to Matias Maccelli, making him an unrestricted free agent on July 1. That led the New York Islanders to sign him to a one-year, $2 million deal.

Maccelli is coming off a rebound season with the Maple Leafs, totaling 14 goals and 39 points in 71 contests. The strength of his game is his playmaking, but he does have some finishing talent, even though he’s not a high-volume shooter. He more or less produced to his career norms last season, so it’s not unreasonable for the Islanders to expect around 40-50 points from him.

Even though it’s just a one-year deal, Maccelli should provide plenty of value. He’s probably closer to a $4 to $5 million player, so odds are that he will out-produce his cap hit. He should help add some scoring to an Islanders lineup that needs it, and if worst comes to worst, he could be a highly valuable trade deadline piece for GM Mathieu Darche.

Jaden Schwartz

The Colorado Avalanche are one of those teams that catch your attention when they make an under-the-radar move in free agency. Signing Jaden Schwartz to a three-year, $3.25 million AAV contract could prove to be a steal, especially if he gets some run in the team’s top six.

Schwartz missed time with injuries last season. He played in just 50 games, but he still totaled 11 goals and 26 points, a 19-goal, 44-point pace over 84 games. The Avalanche will provide him with a much better offensive environment than the Seattle Kraken, so I wouldn’t be shocked if he’s more productive.

Also helping Schwartz’s cause is that he’s always had a positive impact at five-on-five, and he’s now joining one of the best five-on-five teams in the NHL. He’s probably closer to a $5 million player, so the Avalanche seem to have gotten him at a discount.

Olen Zellweger

The three-year, $3.1 million AAV extension Olen Zellweger inked with the Buffalo Sabres could prove to be a great deal in due time. His counting totals from last season don’t suggest it, but he has breakout potential.

Zellweger’s microstats profile is excellent. He’s highly mobile and efficient in transition, and he’s an excellent passer. Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff’s system always seems to get the best out of defensemen; just look at Mattias Samuelsson and Bowen Byram this past season. Zellweger should be the next in line.

The Sabres’ top four looks pretty set, but that should benefit Zellweger. He’ll likely begin next season in a third-pair, sheltered role, but that should allow him to feast against weaker competition. His next contract could easily look like a steal at this time next year.

Arseny Gritsyuk

Much like Zellweger, Arseny Gritsyuk’s three-year, $3.25 million AAV extension with the New Jersey Devils has the potential to age quite well. He had a solid rookie season in 2025-26, totaling 13 goals and 31 points in 66 games, but his underlying metrics suggest there’s room for him to grow.

Gritsyuk was one of the Devils’ best five-on-five players last season, and he does many things with the puck on his stick. He creates plenty of offense off the rush and is excellent in transition, but he also has a non-stop motor and is an underrated forechecker.

Even now, you could argue Gritsyuk is underpaid. Most contract projections had him as a $5 to $6 million AAV player on a medium-term deal (4-5 years). If he breaks into the Devils’ top six next season, he should be well worth the $3.25 million AAV.

Jack Roslovic

Jack Roslovic has had trouble sticking with teams over the last couple of seasons, even though his production has been consistent. He finished this past season with 21 goals and 36 points in 69 games for the Edmonton Oilers, a 25-goal, 44-point pace over 84 games.

Fortunately for him, he finally found some security this offseason, with the Maple Leafs signing him to a two-year, $4 million AAV deal. Roslovic has shown improved finishing ability the last couple of seasons, and he’s one of the better skaters in the NHL. The Maple Leafs needed a player like him in the middle of their lineup last season, so he should help.

Given his recent production, you could argue that Roslovic is about a $5 to $6 million AAV player in this rising cap world. The Maple Leafs did well to get him at the number they did, and he shouldn’t have trouble living up to the contract.

Mats Zuccarello

Sure, the Los Angeles Kings may have gotten even older by signing Mats Zuccarello, but he will bring some needed scoring pop to their top six. Most importantly, it will come at a great price.

Zuccarello signed a one-year deal with the Kings at a cap hit of $1 million. Granted, he has $5.5 million in performance bonuses he can reach, which brings his AAV to $6.5 million, but he’s still very likely to overperform his contract value.

Zuccarello finished this past season with 54 points in 59 games for the Minnesota Wild. He was one of the team’s most efficient five-on-five scorers, and he totaled an expected goals share (xG%) above 54 percent. Even at 38 years old, he’s not showing any signs of slowing down. The Kings will most likely get their money’s worth and then some.

Viktor Arvidsson

There’s plenty of uncertainty in Detroit after the Red Wings abruptly moved on from Steve Yzerman as GM a week ago. He had a so-so offseason, but it’s hard to argue with the deal he gave to Viktor Arvidsson, who signed a two-year, $5 million AAV deal.

The Red Wings lost a top-end scorer in Patrick Kane, who just signed with the Chicago Blackhawks for a second stint. But Arvidsson should make up for the loss, as he’s coming off a 25-goal, 54-point season with the Boston Bruins. He was one of the most efficient five-on-five scorers in the entire NHL in 2025-26; only Nikita Kucherov and Nathan MacKinnon averaged more points/60 at five-on-five than Arvidsson.

There’s no doubt Arvidsson is an upgrade. He’s worth more than an AAV of $5 million, but it’ll depend on what happens with Dylan Larkin. If Larkin rescinds his trade request once the Red Wings hire a new GM, Arvidsson could be quite impactful.

Mavrik Bourque

The Nashville Predators barely missed the playoffs last season, but they seem to be trending in the right direction. GM and president of hockey ops Chris MacFarland had an active first offseason at the helm in Nashville, with his most notable transaction being Mavrik Bourque.

Bourque is coming off a solid 2025-26 campaign, totaling 20 goals and 41 points in 81 games with the Dallas Stars. He was one of their top five-on-five skaters, as well as one of their more efficient five-on-five scorers. He’s also versatile, having the ability to play center and right wing.

That’s part of why the Predators are making the long-term bet with Bourque. After acquiring him from the Stars for a second- and third-round pick, they inked him to a six-year, $5.5 million AAV extension. That’s probably about market value for what he is now, but this contract has the potential to age very well. He’s a top breakout candidate for next season, so it won’t take much for him to be worth more than a $5.5 million AAV.

Anthony Mantha

It was a bit surprising to see Anthony Mantha linger until the middle of July as an unrestricted free agent. He finished last season with 33 goals and 64 points in 81 games for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Eventually, the Devils swooped in and signed him to a two-year, $4.75 million AAV deal.

Mantha shot 21.7 percent last season, comfortably above his career average of 13.8 percent, but he has overperformed his expected numbers in each of his last three full seasons. That would suggest regression is coming, but he might just be a plus finisher at this point.

That’s what the Devils have needed for a couple of seasons, and they likely plan to have him somewhere in their top six, perhaps alongside Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt. If so, he could be in for another productive season as a goal-scorer, and that could lead to him overperforming his $4.75 million AAV.

Which of these deals will prove to be the most valuable? Time will tell, but even with the 2026-27 season still a couple of months away, these teams have likely gotten their money’s worth with these signings.

Advanced stats from Natural Stat Trick, Hockey Stats