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, even after Alex Tuch agreed to an eight-year extension in a sign-and-trade with the Washington Capitals.
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 and Rasmus Andersson offer offensive ability from the back end, but they’re about the only defensemen available with high-end puck-moving ability.
The center market is even worse. Boone Jenner is the top UFA center available. No disrespect to him, but it says plenty about the available center that he’s the No. 1 pivot heading to free agency.
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. With free agency looming, we’ve expanded our list to include 40 players. Here they are:
| Player | Age | Position | Games Played | Goals | Points | Current Cap Hit |
| 1. Anthony Mantha | 31 | LW/RW | 81 | 33 | 64 | $2.5 million |
| 36 | D | 71 | 14 | 60 | $8 million | |
| 33 | RW | 69 | 25 | 54 | $4 million | |
| 38 | RW | 59 | 15 | 54 | $4.125 million | |
| 29 | D | 81 | 17 | 47 | $4.55 million | |
| 6. Patrick Kane | 37 | RW | 67 | 16 | 57 | $3 million |
| 7. Mason Marchment | 30 | RW/LW | 68 | 19 | 45 | $4.5 million |
| 8. Vladimir Tarasenko | 34 | RW | 75 | 23 | 47 | $4.75 million |
| 32 | C/LW | 67 | 13 | 38 | $3.75 million | |
| 32 | D | 81 | 10 | 35 | $8 million | |
| 35 | LW | 82 | 19 | 42 | $7 million | |
| 31 | RW | 80 | 12 | 32 | $5.4 million | |
| 29 | RW/C | 69 | 21 | 36 | $1.5 million | |
| 14. Claude Giroux | 38 | C/RW | 82 | 14 | 49 | $2 million |
| 25 | LW | 71 | 14 | 39 | $3.425 million | |
| 36 | LW | 60 | 15 | 36 | $1 million | |
| 33 | D | 78 | 5 | 15 | $4.6 million | |
| 33 | LW | 50 | 11 | 26 | $5.5 million | |
| 30 | LW/RW | 74 | 14 | 33 | $4.5 million | |
| 29 | D | 80 | 6 | 35 | $900,000 | |
| 36 | G | 35 | .874 SV% | 3.04 GAA | $2.75 million | |
| 35 | C/LW | 81 | 14 | 38 | $3.15 million | |
| 27 | G | 50 | .888 SV% | 2.92 GAA | $2.6 million | |
| 24. Connor Ingram | 29 | G | 32 | .899 SV% | 2.60 GAA | $1.95 million |
| 37 | G | 52 | .877 SV% | 3.07 GAA | $10 million | |
| 26. Eeli Tolvanen | 27 | LW/RW | 78 | 12 | 36 | $3.475 million |
| 31 | RW | 77 | 18 | 36 | $4.75 million | |
| 28. Nick Blankenburg | 28 | D | 61 | 8 | 24 | $775,000 |
| 29. Kasperi Kapanen | 29 | RW | 41 | 8 | 17 | $1.3 million |
| 27 | D | 82 | 7 | 23 | $3.25 million | |
| 30 | RW | 52 | 13 | 25 | $4.3 million | |
| 32. Jonathan Drouin | 31 | LW | 64 | 4 | 24 | $4 million |
| 33. Philipp Kurashev | 26 | F | 43 | 7 | 20 | $1.2 million |
| 30 | C | 64 | 13 | 20 | $3 million | |
| 35. John Klingberg | 33 | D | 56 | 10 | 27 | $4 million |
| 36. Logan Stanley | 28 | D | 76 | 9 | 26 | $1.25 million |
| 37. Patrik Laine | 28 | RW | 5 | 0 | 1 | $8.7 million |
| 38. Daniil Tarasov | 27 | G | 33 | .895 SV% | 3.05 GAA | $1.05 million |
| 39. Maxim Shabanov | 25 | LW/RW | 44 | 5 | 18 | $1.5 million |
| 40. Evander Kane | 71 | LW/RW | 71 | 13 | 31 | $5.125 million |
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