Top 20 2026 NHL Unrestricted Free Agents

Rest in peace to NHL Free Agency? At this time last year, all the talk was about how much potential the 2026 free-agent class had. Stars like Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel, and Kirill Kaprizov were among the potential UFAs, but they all signed extensions before the 2025-26 season began.

As such, what was once a promising UFA class now appears to be one of the weakest in years. There are some intriguing players, especially on the wing, but this year’s crop of free agents lacks star power and game-breaking talents.

It’s Slim Pickings for This NHL UFA Class

There may not be any star players in this year’s UFA class, but some decent wingers should be available. It starts with Alex Tuch, who’s also the No. 1 UFA. He finished with 33 goals and 66 points in 79 games and could command a contract in a similar range to the one Adrian Kempe signed with the Los Angeles Kings earlier this season.

Following Tuch is Anthony Mantha, who had a career year with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He finished with 33 goals and 64 points in 81 games and will likely command a significant raise from the $2.5 million cap hit he had this season. Perhaps it comes with the Penguins, but I imagine he hits the open market on July 1.

They aren’t the only UFA wingers who could help teams out, either. Viktor Arvidsson is coming off a 25-goal season with the Boston Bruins, and Mats Zuccarello is still nearly a point-per-game player at the age of 38. Vladimir Tarasenko and Patrick Kane still have some gas left in the tank, while Mason Marchment could be a sneaky good addition based on his play with the Columbus Blue Jackets.

There’s no question that wing is the strength of this UFA class because it’s slim pickings after them. John Carlson, Darren Raddysh, and Rasmus Andersson offer some offensive ability from the back end, but they’re about the only defensemen with puck-moving ability available in this UFA class.

The center market is even worse. Evgeni Malkin is available, but it’s hard to envision him playing anywhere else but Pittsburgh, and Charlie Coyle is reportedly close to an extension with the Blue Jackets (update: the Blue Jackets re-signed Coyle to a six-year, $36 million contract). That would take two of the top centers available off the market if they stay with their respective teams.

And let’s not even talk about the goalie market. There are no goalies in our initial top 20, so teams looking for help in between the pipes will likely have to head to the trade market for improvements.

It’ll be interesting to see what free agency looks like this summer, despite the weak class. Will teams overpay because the trade market ends up being weaker than expected? As of now, it looks like there’ll be more demand than supply, which could make for some head-scratching deals in free agency. To start, we’ll begin with our top 20. The plan is to expand the list as we approach July 1. Without further ado, here’s our first UFA list of 2026.