2024 NHL Offseason: Top 10 Free Agents

The 2024 NHL Offseason is underway as the Florida Panthers were crowned Stanley Cup Champions. The NHL Draft is just under a week away. We already saw the Tampa Bay Lightning re-acquire Ryan McDonagh from the Nashville Predators. The New Jersey Devils acquired their goaltender, while the Kings and Capitals made a hockey trade. There could be more moves along the way as the countdown to the start of NHL free agency. This year, free agency is back to the normal day of July 1st, and the crop is filled with high-quality talent. Teams with salary-cap space will look to add a name or two to make improvements to go on a run at the Stanley Cup next season. Contending teams will look to keep what they have as the salary cap rises to $88 million—time to dive into the Top 10 NHL free agents this off-season.

Here are the Top 10 NHL Free Agents this offseason

1) Jake Guentzel

The number one free agent in the NHL this summer is Jake “The Snake” Guentzel. As it stands now, Guentzel is not returning to the Carolina Hurricanes. The Hurricanes traded for Guentzel at the deadline from the Pittsburgh Penguins. Pittsburgh got assets for Guentzel. We know what he can do in the playoffs and the regular season. This season, playing for Pittsburgh and Carolina had 67 points (38 goals and 29 assists) in 69 regular season games. He added another nine points in 11 playoff games for Carolina. The Hurricanes also have work to do with many pending UFAs and RFA Martin Necas. Guentzel could get $9 million or more on the market.

2) Sam Reinhart

Florida has a lot of work to do this summer. It begins with Sam Reinhart. Reinhart was already a 20-goal scorer, and he did that seven times, but this season, he had his best, recording 94 points (57 goals, a career-high, and 37 assists). The Panthers have an internal salary, with Aleksander Barkov ($10 million AAV) and Matthew Tkachuk ($9.5 million AAV) being the highest-paid forwards.

As Full Press Hockey has documented, Reinhart wants to stay in Florida. If he hits the open market, he could get $10 plus million, but he likes playing Paul Maurice’s system. He could get a discount to stay, especially with no state income tax. You have to wonder if Florida can get him around $8.5 million or $9 million on AAV.

3) Brandon Montour

As mentioned, the Florida Panthers have had several key free agents this summer. One of which is defenseman Brandon Montour. Montour has a salary cap hit of $3.5 million, which is expected to go up. GM Bill Zito already took care of Gustav Forsling. The issue for the Panthers is keeping Montour will be an issue with the salary cap. RFA Anton Lundell is due a new deal. Montour delivered in the 22-23 season, but this season, it took some time after offseason shoulder surgery after the Panthers run to the Cup Final in 2023. He is a solid defenseman for any team but will test the market, barring a change.

4) Elias Lindholm

Elias Lindholm will look to get the most this season in the off-season. He is the number one center on the board. Several teams, including the Boston Bruins, will look for his services. Vancouver will look to re-sign him, but they are in on Jake Guentzel. The Canucks acquired Lindholm from the Calgary Flames before the NHL Trade Deadline. He played well for the Canucks, especially in the playoffs. His regular season numbers were ok for the Canucks in 26 games. But he will get a bump from the $4.85 million he is currently making. Carolina and Boston both have an interest.

5) Vladimir Tarasenko

We saw Vladimir Tarasenko take a one-year deal in Ottawa before getting traded to the Florida Panthers at the deadline. Tarasenko still has a lot left to give to the game. He currently makes $5 million on an AAV. That number might go down just before of the market. But he can still shoot the puck, especially during power play. This season, he recorded 55 points (23 goals and 32 goals) in 76 games with the Senators and Panthers. A team looking for scoring will want to add him, but it took some time before he was signed last year.

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6) Chris Tanev

Chris Tanev is the second defenseman listed among the free agents available in the NHL this off-season. He is a warrior in the playoffs, a defensive defenseman who can block shots and play on the penalty kill, and a steady player in the zone. Tanev is making $4.5 million, which will probably go north of $6 million. Before the trade deadline, Tanev was a hot commodity, even going back to November, for teams like the New Jersey Devils. The Dallas Stars ultimately got him from the Calgary Flames. Dallas Stars GM Jill Nill will try his best to keep the rugged defenseman on the blueline.

7) Steven Stamkos

Steven Stamkos must be on the list until he signs an extension with the Tampa Bay Lightning. It feels that Stamkos will remain with the Lightning now that Ryan McDonagh is back in the fold. Everything is status quo between Stamkos’s camp and Lightning GM Julien BriseBois. Stamkos currently makes $8.5 million on an AAV. You can argue that it is already a discount. The Lightning have $82.665 million already committed to next year’s roster. They have a little over $5 million to sign Stamkos. Players will have to be moved out. Just imagine if he hit the open market. Stamkos had a great season, putting up 40 goals. He can still play and will be motivated. It does not feel likely, but they will get it done. Maybe sign him up for a one-year extension and work on it next year. Oh yeah, Victor Hedman is eligible for an extension on July 1, too.

8) Jonathan Marchessault

The Conn Smythe Trophy winner of 2023 wants to remain with the Vegas Golden Knights. Vegas would like to keep him. They have the money to do it, even with Tomas Hertl being acquired at the deadline. Marchessault wants to win but also wants to get paid. Vegas also does not have a state income tax, so he could take a discount to stay. However, the organization is ruthless regarding moving players in decline. He had a career-high 42 goals this season with Vegas. There is chemistry with Jack Eichel, and he stays, then others will go.

9) Chandler Stephenson

Chandler Stephenson was vital to this group’s success regarding other free agents from the Vegas Golden Knights. We know that Anthony Mantha was not returning, But if Marchessault re-ups with the club, Stephenson could be out. What a pickup he was from the Washington Capitals. His current cap hit of $2.75 million will increase and could be in the $5 million range. Now GM Kelly McCrimmon has options, especially with Robin Lehner and maybe others who could be moved out to lock these guys up. However, Stephenson will be a hot commodity in the market, given the lack of center depth this year.

10) Patrick Kane

Patrick Kane is rounding out the Top 10 free agents in the NHL this summer. Kane signed a one-year deal with the Detroit Red Wings, and multiple suitors were looking for his services, even with hip resurfacing surgery. Kane recorded 47 points (20 goals and 27 assists) in 49 games this season. At times, Patrick Kane looked like the player of old. He still feels he has a lot of hockey left and is looking for a multi-year deal. Will teams hesitate to sign him to a multi-year extension, considering his AAV will be more than $2.75 million?

Bonus:

Brett Pesce

The sweepstakes for Hurricanes defenseman Brett Pesce will be high. Teams like the New Jersey Devils, Nashville Predators, Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs and even his current team, the Hurricanes, will try to get his services. Pesce currently has an AAV of $4.025 million, but he is expected to reach $6 million. While an extension could be possible with the Hurricanes, he might have priced himself out of Carolina.

Other Notable NHL Free Agents

Here is a list of other notable NHL Free Agents, which includes Matt Duchene, Brady Skjei, Anthony Mantha, Matt Roy, Nikita Zadorov, Teuvo Teravainen, Tyler Toffoli, Max Domi, Jake DeBrusk, Jonathan Drouin, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Sean Monahan, Anthony Duclair, Matt Dumba to name a few.

Keep locked into Full Press NHL as the NHL offseason gets underway for the latest trades and free-agent signings.