PHR’s 2026 Top 50 NHL Unrestricted Free Agents

Much has been made of the unrestricted free agent class heading into the offseason. A list that once included the likes of Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel, and Kirill Kaprizov, among others, is now left with a handful of top-four defensemen as its biggest tickets.

It’s a sign of the times. Now that the upper limit of the salary cap is rising exponentially, teams have access to more financial resources to retain their top talent. Nevertheless, this has resulted in a strong trade market, with teams still seeking to enhance their rosters even if they cannot do so through free agency.

That wasn’t a slight to the players who remain available, as there are still meaningful contributors left for teams to sign. Here is our list, and predictions, for the top-50 unrestricted free agents heading into July 1st on Wednesday:

1. D Rasmus Andersson / Vegas Golden Knights / 7 years, $8.5MM AAV

Brennan McClain: As soon as they acquired him from the Calgary Flames, the expectation was that Andersson would sign a lengthy extension with the Golden Knights once they were able. Unfortunately, they don’t have the necessary cap space until they’re able to put Alex Pietrangelo‘s contract back on the LTIR. He’s coming off one of the most productive years of his career, registering 17 goals and 47 points in 81 games between Calgary and Vegas. He had a few negligent plays throughout the postseason, but we still expect Andersson to become a fixture on the Golden Knights’ blue line for years to come.

2. D John Carlson / Tampa Bay Lightning / 2 years, $8.5MM AAV

Brennan: Even after a deadline trade to the Anaheim Ducks, Carlson continues to produce as a top-four defenseman on the wrong side of 35. Although he’s no longer garnering Norris Trophy consideration like he was in the late 2010s, Carlson still registered 14 goals and 60 points in 71 games for the Capitals and Ducks this season, averaging over 23 minutes of ice time. Unfortunately for Anaheim, Carlson has a desire to return to the Eastern Conference, and few teams couldn’t use a puck-moving right-handed defenseman.

3. D Jacob Trouba / Detroit Red Wings / 4 years, $7MM AAV

Brennan: A few years ago, when the New York Rangers committed to trading Trouba, he was seen as a struggling defenseman with negative value on the trade market. He struggled down the stretch with the Ducks, but turned his career around in a big way under head coach Joel Quenneville. Trouba registered 10 goals and 35 points in 81 games for Anaheim this season with a -1 rating, while also throwing 143 hits and blocking 149 shots. Despite his recent struggles in New York, Trouba will be one of the most complete defensemen available on the market this summer.

4. RW Anthony Mantha / Chicago Blackhawks / 4 years, $6MM AAV

Brennan: Similar to Trouba, Mantha turned his career around in a big way during the 2025-26 season on the Penguins. After struggling with the Vegas Golden Knights and losing most of his prove-it contract with the Calgary Flames due to injury, Mantha used his second consecutive prove-it deal to show he can still be a formidable scorer in the NHL. Across 81 games with the Penguins, Mantha scored 33 goals and 64 points with a +10 rating, which should be more than enough to land a multi-year deal on the market.

5. D Mario Ferraro / Chicago Blackhawks / 5 years, $5.3MM AAV

Brennan: After years of being a speculative trade candidate with the Sharks, Ferraro is now expected to leave the only organization he’s ever known. He doesn’t have the flashiest track record as some of the other available defensemen, but that’s largely because San Jose was, well, terrible through most of his tenure. He benefited from their return to competitiveness this past season, scoring seven and 23 points in 82 games, averaging over 21 minutes of ice time per game. He may not get the biggest payday, but as a defenseman who can eat minutes, Ferraro should find the term he’s looking for on the market.

6. LW Mason Marchment / Pittsburgh Penguins / 4 years, $5.5MM AAV

Brennan: It was a tale of two seasons for Marchment. After an offseason trade to the Kraken, he got off to a dreadful start this past season, scoring four goals and 13 points in 29 games. However, after a mid-season trade to the Blue Jackets, Marchment finished the season on nearly a point-per-game tear, registering 15 goals and 32 points in 39 games. Extension negotiations with Columbus have dissipated over the last few days, and their acquisition of Valeri Nichushkin all but guarantees Marchment will head to the open market and cash in.

7. LW Alex Ovechkin / Washington Capitals / 1 year, $9.1MM AAV (Salary + Perf. bonuses)

Brennan: Unsurprisingly, we didn’t have too much deliberation on our prediction for Ovechkin as a staff. The 40-year-old legend will either sign on for a 22nd season with the Capitals or return to Russia to finish his playing career in the KHL. Already the NHL’s all-time greatest goal-scorer in the regular season, Ovechkin is only 10 tallies away from tying Wayne Gretzky for most career goals in the regular season and playoffs. Considering he just had his 20th 30-goal season in the NHL, Ovechkin shouldn’t have any issues breaking another one of Gretzky’s records.

8. C Boone Jenner / Boston Bruins / 3 years, $5.4MM AAV

Brennan: Jenner clocks in as arguably the top center remaining in this year’s free agency class. He’s had several injury concerns crop up over the last few years, but he’s remained productive when healthy, scoring 91 goals and 181 points in 278 games for the Blue Jackets since the 2021-22 campaign. Additionally, Jenner is efficient in the faceoff dot, winning 54% of draws throughout his career, and isn’t afraid to get engaged physically. He likely won’t suffice as a second-line option for most teams, but Jenner has all the makings of a solid third-line center.

9. LW Anders Lee / New York Islanders / 2 years, $5.8MM AAV

Brennan: Although he’s no longer the 40-goal scorer he once was, Lee remains one of the most consistent and available wingers in the game. Throughout the past five years, Lee has scored 124 goals and 229 points in 403 games, missing a total of seven regular-season contests in that stretch. It was another year of offensive struggles for the Islanders, but Lee can still put up 20+ goals a season. As New York graduates higher-upside forwards such as Victor Eklund and Cole Eiserman, Lee’s role may diminish, but he would still carry plenty of value as a third-line option as he enters the twilight years of his career.

10. G Sergei Bobrovsky / Edmonton Oilers / 2 years, $6MM AAV

Brennan: Bobrovsky, 37, had a disappointing season heading into free agency, to say the least. In fact, it was the worst season of his NHL career, finishing with a 27-23-1 record in 52 games with a .877 SV%, 3.07 GAA, and -23.4 GSAA. Even so, Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos recently reported that Bobrovsky is seeking a six- to seven-year deal on the open market worth approximately $42MM.While some teams in the league are in desperate need of goaltending, particularly the one we’re predicting to land Bobrovsky, it seems unlikely they would offer a long-term contract to a 37-year-old goalie. Yes, Bobrovsky is only a year removed from helping the Panthers to back-to-back Stanley Cup championships, but his 2025-26 campaign could be an indication that Father Time has finally caught up to him.

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11. D Ryan Shea / Chicago Blackhawks / 4 years, $4.25MM AAV

Brennan: Shea doesn’t have as much name recognition as some of the other defensemen available, but he quietly had a phenomenal season with the Penguins. In 80 games for Pittsburgh this season, Shea scored six goals and 35 points with a +30 rating, averaging nearly 19 minutes of ice time per game. Furthermore, he finished with a 91.0% on-ice SV% and a 58.3% On-Ice Goals% at even strength, nearly 4% better than Sidney Crosby. Still, as good as he was throughout the 2025-26 campaign, Shea doesn’t have a track record of having that kind of success at the NHL level. Any team that signs him will be gambling, but if he continues to be the defenseman he was this past season, he may be one of the sneakier pickups of the offseason.

12. RW Mats Zuccarello / Minnesota Wild / 1 year, $5.5MM (Salary + Perf. bonuses)

Brennan: Like Ovechkin, it’s hard for us to imagine Zuccarello playing anywhere else at this point in his career. The perfect playing partner with Kirill Kaprizov, Zuccarello has averaged nearly 50 points a season on an 82-game basis since joining the Wild ahead of the 2019-20 campaign. However, it’s worth mentioning that Zuccarello has dealt with several injuries over the past three years, missing approximately 20% of Minnesota’s regular-season contests. Still, Zuccarello was practically a point-per-game player when healthy this past season, and maintained that offensive prowess in the postseason. To stay competitive in a closely contested Central Division, Zuccarello will be a key player for the Wild to retain.

13. C Scott Laughton / Los Angeles Kings / 4 years, $4.25MM AAV

Brennan: It’s safe to say that Laughton has struggled throughout the past few years. After a deadline deal to the Maple Leafs two years ago, Laughton failed to live up to his acquisition cost, scoring 10 goals and 16 points in 63 games wearing the blue and white. This past season, the Maple Leafs cut bait, dealing Laughton to the Kings. He performed well enough, scoring five goals and eight points in 21 games to finish the season. He shouldn’t be counted upon for much offense, but he does well in the faceoff dot and seemed to enjoy his time in Los Angeles.

14. RW Viktor Arvidsson / Boston Bruins / 2 years, $4.9MM AAV

Brennan: Arvidsson performed much better with the Bruins than many expected. Coming off a few injury-riddled seasons with the Kings and Oilers, the Skelleftea, Sweden native got a fresh start in Boston. He finished the 2025-26 campaign with 25 goals and 54 points in 69 games, more than double what he produced over the two previous seasons in far fewer appearances. If interested teams believe that Arvidsson can continue to maintain a 25-goal pace, he should have a fairly robust market.

15. RW Patrick Kane / Detroit Red Wings / 1 year, $3.4MM Salary + Perf. bonuses

Brennan: Unlike some of the other veterans available, it’s harder to put a finger on Kane’s future. Despite hip resurfacing surgery and being in his late 30s, Kane has continued to be a productive second-line winger in the ‘Winged Wheel’, scoring 57 goals and 163 points in 189 games while in Detroit. However, with the looming trade of Dylan Larkin on the horizon, is Kane willing to commit to another year with Detroit as the team takes a step back? There seems to be some mutual interest in continuing their relationship, but Larkin’s trade request may have altered that.

16. C Jack Roslovic / Seattle Kraken / 3 years, $4.5MM AAV

Brennan: We are predicting the end of Roslovic’s cycle of prove-it deals this summer. Over the past two years, the Columbus native has registered 43 goals and 75 points in 150 games on separate one-year deals with the Hurricanes and Oilers. He may not be the best forward available this summer, but Roslovic has proven over the last few years that he can be an effective secondary scorer while moving from city to city. If he has some stability for the next few years, Roslovic may perform even better.

17. LW Ilya Mikheyev / Edmonton Oilers / 3 years, $3.8MM AAV

Brennan: Although he doesn’t have as much name recognition as Connor Bedard or Tyler Bertuzzi, Mikheyev has been a quietly effective forward with the Blackhawks over the past two years. Since the start of the 2024-25 season, Mikheyev has registered 38 goals and 70 points in 157 games while miraculously finishing with a +7 rating on some disappointing Chicago teams. He’s clearly a solid defensive forward who can kill penalties, and if he can offer some additional scoring, he’s a no-brainer addition for multiple teams.

18. D John Klingberg / Philadelphia Flyers / 2 years, $5MM AAV

Brennan: As recently as the 2023-24 season, it looked as if Klingberg’s career was over. Then, with Toronto, Klingberg underwent major hip surgery, and it looked as if it might prematurely end his playing career. Instead, Klingberg worked his way back and signed with the Oilers toward the end of the 2024-25 campaign, putting up respectable numbers. He parlayed that into a one-year deal with the Sharks, where he scored 10 goals and 27 points in 56 games, averaging 20:28 of ice time per game. Injury concerns remain, but Klingberg should be a safer bet for a longer contract this summer.

19. LW Eeli Tolvanen / Seattle Kraken / 3 years, $4MM AAV

Brennan: Like Shea, Tolvanen could be one of the sneakier options available this summer. Despite having eight years of experience under his belt, he is only 27 and is one of the younger options available. Somehow, the Kraken were able to add him for free off the waiver wire from the Predators, and he’s given them 67 goals and 139 points in 288 games. Although we believe he’ll re-up in Seattle, his relative youth puts him squarely in the age range for younger teams like the Flyers, Ducks, Sharks, Sabres, Blackhawks, and Canadiens.

20. C Claude Giroux / Ottawa Senators / 1 year, $2.3MM Salary + Perf. bonuses

Brennan: Like Kane, Giroux has remained a productive middle-six option as he enters the twilight years of his career. His offensive contributions have steadily declined each year, now showing a 30-point difference between his first season with the Senators and the most recent one, despite not experiencing any major injuries. Even if his offense diminishes even further, his possession metrics and quality of play in the faceoff dot should help extend Giroux’s career for a few more years.

21. LW Jaden Schwartz / New Jersey Devils / 2 years, $4.4MM AAV

Brennan: Soon to be 34, the former Stanley Cup champion is coming off an injury-plagued season with the Kraken in which he scored 11 goals and 26 points in 50 games. Schwartz is more of a middle-six winger at this stage of his career who can be relied upon for approximately 40 points a year with decent defensive metrics. One thing that stands out about Schwartz is his performance in the playoffs. Obviously, his run to the Stanley Cup in 2019 with the Blues was his best showing, but Schwartz also scored five goals and 10 points in 14 games during Seattle’s lone playoff run in 2023.

22. LW Michael Bunting / Columbus Blue Jackets / 4 years, $5MM AAV

Brennan: Bunting has played for four teams under his three-year contract with the Hurricanes. His move to the Stars this past deadline didn’t produce great results, with Bunting scoring one goal and two points in 13 games while being burdened by injuries and missing much of the postseason. He’s not as physical as some may like, but Bunting is a strong defensive forward who can chip in from time to time, and is only a few years removed from being a consistent 20-goal scorer.

23. RW Patrik Laine / Florida Panthers / 1 year, $1.35MM Salary + Perf. bonuses

Brennan: This summer, Laine will be looking for yet another fresh start. As has been the case before, Laine’s struggle with major injuries and scoring at even strength cost him his job with the Canadiens. Now unencumbered by a hefty price tag, Laine will have the opportunity to choose where he plays next, with the ability to sign a performance-laden contract given his injury this past season. Given that he should come cheaply, Laine will have his pick of the litter for his next destination, including teams jockeying for a Stanley Cup.

24. D Andrew Peeke / New York Islanders / 4 years, $4.1MM AAV

Brennan: Instead of a defense-first blueliner, Peeke is mostly a defense-only player. He has provided tepid offensive value to the Bruins, scoring five goals and 14 points in 77 games this past season. Meanwhile, Peeke gave Boston 292 blocked and 254 hits, showing he’s unafraid to get involved physically. He had a -13 rating at even strength this, though some of that can be attributed to him beginning so many shifts in the defensive zone. Far be it from a top-four option, Peeke would provide some value as a pesky bottom-pairing option for most organizations.

25. D Logan Stanley / San Jose Sharks / 3 years, $3.3MM AAV

Brennan: Based on his career output, Stanley had a great season leading into his first trip through free agency. Standing at 6’7″, Stanley scored nine goals and 26 points in 76 games split between the Jets and Sabres. Although it doesn’t jump off the page, his nine goals were nearly double his career totals before the season. Unfortunately, Stanley was largely a non-factor in Buffalo’s postseason run, going scoreless in eight games with a -2 rating.

26. G Stuart Skinner / Ottawa Senators / 2 years, $4.25MM AAV

Ethan Hetu: At just 27 years old, Skinner represents perhaps the youngest option on the open market available for teams looking to add a goaltender capable of handling a starter’s workload. Although Skinner’s performance has declined over the last two years (.892 save percentage across 2024-25 and 2025-26), he posted a solid .905 save percentage across his first 155 starts with the Oilers, and backstopped the team to consecutive Stanley Cup Finals. Getting yanked in the playoffs in favor of youngster Arturs Silovs didn’t help Skinner’s case, but he remains one of the top goalies on the open market.

27. LW Jamie Benn / Dallas Stars / 1 year, $1.6MM Salary + Perf. bonuses

Ethan: It’s tough to imagine the Stars’ captain signing anywhere but the only team he’s known in his 1,252-game NHL career. Although he’d likely be able to earn more elsewhere, the former Art Ross Trophy winner is still chasing his first Stanley Cup ring in Texas. Benn, 36, showed he could still contribute last season, posting 15 goals and 36 points in 60 games. If he can repeat that level of performance while staying healthy, he could earn a solid number in performance bonuses.

28. LW A.J. Greer / Toronto Maple Leafs / 4 years, $2.9MM AAV

Ethan: Fresh off the most productive season of his decade-long career in professional hockey, Greer enters the free agent market on strong footing. The 6’3″ grinder, 30, scored a career-high 17 goals and 32 points last season, taking advantage of the increased opportunities provided by being one of the few healthy players on a Panthers team decimated by injuries. Greer offers the kind of size and pest-like qualities teams covet, as well as a Stanley Cup ring, but some teams might question the sustainability of his rapid ascent as a goal scorer.

29. RW Vladimir Tarasenko / Florida Panthers / 1 year, $3.5MM AAV

Ethan: Now 34, Tarasenko isn’t the star scorer he once was during his days as a member of the St. Louis Blues. But just one year removed from when he was traded for future considerations, Tarasenko appears poised to receive a decent contract as a free agent after a campaign with the Wild that saw him rehabilitate his value as a middle-six scorer. Tarasenko potted 23 goals and 47 points with the Wild, showing he can still hold his own as a complementary piece on a scoring line.

30. C Erik Haula / Boston Bruins / 1 year, $3.5MM AAV

Ethan: Widely respected due to his versatility and two-way acumen, Haula has kept up his strong standard of play even as he’s progressed deeper into his thirties. Haula’s second tour of duty with the Predators was an improvement on his first, as he managed 14 goals and 38 points, missing just one game all season. In a free agent market that is thin on center options with any kind of scoring ability, Haula (who had six points in six games representing Finland at the Winter Olympics) is one of the better options at his position.

31. D Jamie Oleksiak / Columbus Blue Jackets / 3 years, $3.1MM AAV

Ethan: Standing 6’7″, 252 pounds, Oleksiak is one of the largest and most physically imposing players in the NHL. In many respects, he’s a player whose free agent market could end up supercharged by a deep playoff run, but that isn’t something he could access playing on a poor Seattle Kraken team. Oleksiak saw his role decline sharply in 2025-26, averaging just 16:56 time on ice per game, a notable drop from his average of 19:15 across the rest of his Kraken career. While the team’s addition of Ryan Lindgren is largely to blame for Oleksiak’s reduced defensive role, there are teams that will wonder if the 33-year-old’s drop in form can also be attributed to age-related decline.

32. C Teddy Blueger / Los Angeles Kings / 3 years, $2.75MM AAV

Ryan Long: A reliable defensive center and penalty-killing specialist, Blueger turned in arguably his most efficient season despite playing only 35 games for Vancouver, missing most of the schedule from October through late January with a lower-body injury. He still posted 17 points (9 goals, 8 assists) once healthy, doing so as the Canucks’ shutdown pivot while centering a young, inexperienced group on one of the league’s lowest-scoring rosters. The 31-year-old Latvian, who will represent his country at the 2026 Olympics, takes key faceoffs and anchors a penalty kill, and at his modest $1.8MM cap hit, he profiles as one of the more affordable bottom-six center options available. Expect a contender to view him as a cheap, plug-and-play addition.

33. D Jeremy Lauzon / Detroit Red Wings / 3 years, $3.15MM AAV

Ethan: A relentlessly physical defenseman, Lauzon made the most of his year with the Golden Knights, fighting through some nagging injuries to feature on a team that made it to the Stanley Cup Final. Lauzon registered 251 hits last season and has a career-high of 386, making the punishing defenseman an attractive free agent bet for teams looking to add some violence to their blueline. Although the bottom-line defensive impact of Lauzon’s style has been a matter of debate, it’s worth noting that he did rank No. 2 among all Vegas defensemen in short-handed time on ice last season.

34. RW Andrei Kuzmenko / Ottawa Senators / 2 years, $4.15MM AAV

Ryan: In his fourth full NHL season, Kuzmenko stayed with just one team for the first time since taking the league by storm during his rookie year with Vancouver in 2022-23, when he posted 74 points. The 30-year-old Russian really hit his stride in LA in the new year with 13 points in 19 games, but unfortunately, his season was cut short after tearing his meniscus on February 25th. Kuzemenko is still a very viable depth scoring option, a solid net-front presence on the power play, and wouldn’t come at a very high cost. Expect him to get a lot of interest once the market opens.

35. G Frederik Andersen / Carolina Hurricanes / 1 year, $2.6MM AAV

Ryan: At age 36, the regular season was a bit of a roller coaster. Anderson played 35 games, posting a 16-14-5 record, 3.05 GAA, and .874 save percentage. However, the Hurricanes made the decision to go with Freddy in the playoffs, and it paid off. Anderson was in elite form, going 13-2 with a 1.89 GAA and a .910 SV%. There have been rumors about the Danish netminder retiring, but looking for him to be a viable backup option if he ends up resigning in Carolina or short-term with a different franchise.

36. RW Oliver Bjorkstrand / New Jersey Devils / 2 years, $3.15MM AAV

Brian La Rose: Bjorkstrand’s value was fairly high just a year ago, when the Lightning gave up multiple first-round picks and more to get him and Yanni Gourde from the Kraken.  But while the 31-year-old has had steady offensive success over his career, that success eluded him with Tampa Bay.  He had just 32 points this season and was healthy scratched at times in the playoffs.  Still, his track record is strong enough for teams to bet on a bounce-back this summer.

37. C Alexander Kerfoot / Utah Mammoth / 3 years, $3.5MM AAV

Brian: Kerfoot has been a reliable and versatile forward for most of his career, settling into a bottom-six role in recent years.  He’s coming off an injury-riddled season, one that saw him play in a career-low 34 games, where he had just 13 points.  Still, there is always a high demand for centers and teams will almost certainly put enough stock in his year-to-year performance over his career and be confident enough to commit a multi-year deal to him.

38. LW Evander Kane / Seattle Kraken / 1 year, $3.45MM AAV

Brian: Kane is one of the bigger wild cards of this year’s UFA class.  He made it through this past season with no long-term injury, significant considering he missed all of the 2024-25 regular season with an injury.  However, he wasn’t able to muster up much for his hometown Canucks, recording 13 goals and 18 assists in 71 outings.  And with a pricey contract, they couldn’t trade him at the deadline.  Still, power forwards aren’t easy to come by and at a more affordable price tag, Kane should be able to generate the type of interest that hasn’t been there on the trade front in recent years.

39. G Connor Ingram / New York Islanders / 2 years, $2.85MM AAV

Brian: Ingram had an interesting season, to say the least.  After being traded by Utah, he started the season as Edmonton’s third-string option.  But by the end, he had taken over as their starter.  While his overall numbers weren’t much better than league average, that still stood out on an Oilers team that struggled between the pipes, to put it lightly.  Ingram probably didn’t do enough to secure himself a spot as a full-time starter but he should be able to secure a multi-year deal as a backup.  With how the season started, that’s still a solid outcome for him.

40. D Radko Gudas / Anaheim Ducks / 1 year, $2.35MM AAV

Brian: Age is starting to catch up with the veteran, who will be in his age-36 season in 2026-27.  After being a second-pairing option for most of his tenure with Anaheim, his ice time dropped to a career-low 16:11 per contest in 56 outings.  Gudas still brings plenty of physicality and a willingness to block shots to the table which are elements that will be enticing to several teams if he makes it to the open market.  But teams will almost certainly be viewing him as strictly a third-pairing option moving forward.

41. LW Cole Smith / Edmonton Oilers / 3 years, $2MM AAV

Brian: Smith is the definition of a late bloomer.  He didn’t secure a full-time NHL roster spot until 2022-23 when he was 27.  Since then, he has been one of the more physical bottom-sixers in the NHL, averaging 223 hits (per 82 games) since he became a regular.  He can also take a regular turn on the penalty kill; that type of utility will have several teams hoping to pencil him onto their fourth liners while giving him the type of contract that didn’t seem possible just a few years ago when he was a full-timer in the minors.

42. RW Corey Perry / Florida Panthers / 1 year, $2MM Salary + Perf. bonuses

Brian: Very quietly, Perry is coming off his best offensive season since 2021-22 as he collected 17 goals and 20 assists in 72 games between Los Angeles and Tampa Bay, who traded for him at the deadline.  Things didn’t go as well for the 41-year-old in the playoffs but his regular season performance showed he has something left in the tank.  Perry has accepted contracts with performance bonuses for three straight summers now and will need to be amenable to doing so once again if he wants to maximize his potential landing spots in free agency.

43. D Nick Jensen / Tampa Bay Lightning / 2 years, $3.2MM AAV

Brian: You don’t have to go too far back to see the last time Jensen played a top-four role.  It was just one season ago as he logged more than 20 minutes per night for Ottawa in 2024-25.  Things didn’t go as well for the 35-year-old this past season, however.  He was used in more of a third-pairing role for the Senators and then missed the final month and the playoffs due to meniscus surgery.  He still should be viewed as an upgrade for several teams on their third pairings and being a right-hand shot should boost his value a little more as well.

44. D Ian Cole / Colorado Avalanche / 1 year, $2.85MM AAV

Brian: Cole has played on one-year contracts for each of the last five seasons, ranging from salaries of $2.8MM to $3.1MM to provide a steadying defensive presence.  His ice time dipped a bit from over 20 minutes per game to 18:16 and at 37, he’s probably not going to be a top-four player on a regular basis moving forward.  But given that he continues to be a defensive stabilizer, there’s little reason to think that his contract streak won’t continue.

45. C Nick Cousins / Ottawa Senators / 2 years, $1.55MM AAV

Brennan: A bottom-six center through and through, Cousins may have more value than one might think. He offers mild offense, having scored nine goals and 23 points in 81 games for the Senators last season, but his real value comes from his nastiness on the ice. Toeing the line of legal conduct of play at nearly all times, players of Cousins’ archetype are becoming more and more of a commodity, especially in the Atlantic Division. There’s no question that teams are seeking players to combat the Florida Panthers, and Cousins is exactly the type of player to help in that endeavor.

46. LW Nick Foligno / Minnesota Wild / 1 year, $3MM AAV (Salary + Perf. bonuses)

Brennan: If Foligno returns for a 20th season, and that’s a big if, it’ll likely be with the Wild on a very cheap contract. After being acquired from the Blackhawks at last season’s trade deadline, Foligno had the chance to not only compete for a Stanley Cup but also to do so alongside his younger brother. This opportunity provided him with much-needed rejuvenation after spending time on a few struggling Chicago teams. Foligno finished the season scoring one goal and four points in 17 games, with another two goals and three points in 11 postseason contests. Even though Minnesota is going big-game hunting once again this offseason, they’ll still need depth players like Foligno for sustained playoff success.

47. G Cam Talbot / Utah Mammoth / 1 year, $2MM AAV

Brennan: Despite being the de facto starter in Detroit during the 2024-25 campaign, Talbot lost his job to John Gibson this past season. Objectively, he had a disappointing year, managing a 12-9-6 record in 34 games with a .883 SV% and 3.19 GAA. At this point in his career, and especially with a season like the one he just had, Talbot has become a really good third-string option. Unfortunately, it’s hard to imagine a team relying on him in any meaningful fashion, even as a backup netminder.

48. RW Victor Olofsson /  Detroit Red Wings / 1-year, $2.5MM

Brennan: Through the first part of the year, Olofsson was enjoying a really solid season, scoring 11 goals and 25 points in 60 games for a dominant Avalanche team. He essentially matched his production from a year before with the Golden Knights despite averaging one less minute of ice time per game. At the trade deadline, Olofsson was included in the trade for Nazem Kadri to offset some salary, and that led to a dip in his production. Still, he’s shown he can still offer some tertiary scoring and can be a sneaky addition to a team’s second powerplay unit.

49. C Adam Henrique / Boston Bruins / 1-year, $2MM

Brennan: Henrique is another veteran talent who is coming off one of the worst seasons of his professional career. Last season, his first full one with the Oilers, Henrique scored three goals and 15 points in 65 games with a -12 rating, averaging 13:14 of ice time per game. Still, he had a faceoff percentage of 54.0% and would be a trustworthy addition to nearly any team’s bottom-six. It’s hard to argue that he should be playing in a third-line role anymore, but teams could do a lot worse than Henrique for a fourth-line center.

50. RW Reilly Smith / Tampa Bay Lightning / 1-year, $1MM

Brennan: Despite finishing with his lowest games played since the 2021-22 campaign, Smith still had a quality year for the Golden Knights, scoring 16 goals and 26 points in 69 games, averaging 13:41 of ice time. Garnering Lady Byng Trophy votes, Smith is a decent option for cap-strapped teams looking for additional scoring ability in their bottom six. Now at 35 years old and a veteran of 15 seasons, Smith shouldn’t be too expensive to be had.