The free agent market is already dwindling

For NHL fans, there was a time when the summer of 2026 seemed like it would be a whole lot of fun. There really was. Multiple megastars were set to hit unrestricted free agenct after this season, creating bidding wars and seismic signings that would drastically alter the NHL’s landscape.

Unfortunately, that time has passed, as nearly all of those stars have re-signed with their current teams. Connor McDavid signed a two-year deal to stay with the Edmonton Oilers. Jack Eichel agreed to an eight-year deal with the Vegas Golden Knights. Kirill Kaprizov re-upped with the Minnesota Wild on an eight-year deal. On Thursday, Martin Necas inked an eight-year deal with the Colorado Avalanche. Out of Matt Larkin’s top-ten 2026 UFAs list from last summer, only five remain. But don’t worry, we can still get excited about the… Alex Tuch sweepstakes?

On Friday’s episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Tyler Yaremchuk and former NHL goaltender Carter Hutton discussed the current complexion of the impending UFA class, and which could players could be the big fish next summer.

Yaremchuk: “You take a look at the top UFAs on the board here. (Artemi) Panarin, that’s maybe the one guy who could headline this class. But (Adrian) Kempe, fully expect him to re-sign in L.A. at some point this season. Nick Schmaltz, we just talked about Utah the other day, they have a ton of money. If they want to bring back Nick Schmaltz, they’ll bring back Nick Schmaltz. This UFA class is weak.”

Hutton: “It is. And again, it just keeps getting weaker. What I find is going to be interesting is what guy holds out the longest and goes to free agency where now all of a sudden that value that you were getting, yes you lose maybe that year in your deal, which I think teams are using for leverage right now to sign these guys with that extra eighth year. But that being said if you’re Panarin, or if you’re Kempe or someone who can make it all the way to free agency, I think it makes a difference on the money that’s going to be available with the cap going up. And some of these teams are going to be sitting there trying to spend a little more because they have it. If you’re in the market where there’s three teams competing for one superstar, maybe that’s the piece that puts you over the top for some of these teams that are borderline making the playoffs. And now all of a sudden if your number is $10 million, but if you can wait until free agency maybe it becomes $12 million.”

You can catch the rest of the segment and the full episode here….