Top 50 NHL UFAs of 2026: There's no way Alex Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin ever change teams...right?

The NHL trade deadline has passed. We won’t see significant roster movement for several months now. That gives us some time for reflection on how the UFA market has shifted — especially since several re-signed in the days leading up to the Trade Deadline after so many of the top-drawer free agents re-upped with their teams earlier this season.

How does the market shape up for 2026, with the salary cap projected to rise from $95.5 million to $104 million? And how did the trade deadline change the outlook for several of the best players available?

Here’s the latest look at our top 50 UFAs. Ages as of July 1, 2026; salary information courtesy of our friends at PuckPedia.

1. Alex Tuch, RW, Buffalo Sabres

Age: 30
2025-26 cap hit: $4,750,000

Go ahead and yell it out: first-place Buffalo Sabres. When they took down the Tampa Bay Lighting on Sunday in one of the century’s best regular-season games, an 8-7 thriller at KeyBank Center, the Sabres seized first place in their division for the first time in 16 years. They’ve gone an incredible 29-5-2- over their last 36 games, a run that started less than a week before they fired GM Kevyn Adams. Each win, and each inch of daylight north of the playoff bubble, made the decision to keep Alex Tuch easier, even if he’s an own rental. But now the Sabres have, hopefully, many more months to win Tuch’s heart. He had already expressed a strong desire to stay in Buffalo before the season started; if he can do so knowing he’s part of a Stanley Cup contender, his odds of re-signing skyrocket. All Buffalo has to do is meet what should be a significant asking price in the $10 million to $11 million range. Will GM Jarmo Kekalainen do it?

2. Sergei Bobrovsky, G, Florida Panthers

Age: 37
2025-26 cap hit: $10,000,000

Remember when ‘Bob’ had one of the NHL’s worst contracts a few years back? Now he’s a two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Panthers, a certified stud clutch goaltender, a 400-game winner and, having won two Vezina Trophies before signing with the Cats, a surefire Hall of Famer. Who would’ve expected he could ever flirt with another $10-million AAV on a contract? A goaltending-starved wannabe contender might pay him almost that much on a short-term deal next year. But if Florida continues keeping the band together and inking players to team-friendly pacts that break the game, we can expect Bob to re-sign for considerably less. Could we see two or three years at a $7-million AAV? What about a “long-term” contract similar to Brad Marchand’s, guaranteed to land ‘Bob’ on LTIR halfway through? As coach Paul Maurice said a few months back, “The future of the Florida Panthers is Sergei Bobrovsky.” They made that pretty clear when they traded Spencer Knight. Bobrovsky generated some interest around the Trade Deadline with the Panthers looking like they’ll miss the playoffs, but GM Bill Zito has since reaffirmed the team’s desire to keep Bobrovsky aboard as their starter.

3. Alex Ovechkin, LW, Washington Capitals

Age: 40
2025-26 cap hit: $9,500,000

I was so confident in Ovi’s fate – retirement from the NHL or re-signing with the Caps, no other options – that I declined to even list him on my previous 2026 UFA board in the fall. But Washington ripped his heart out by trading John Carlson, who sits second only to ‘Alexander the GR8’ on the franchise games list. Ovechkin called the move last week the saddest moment of his career, and he expressed some uncertainty over his future. Could he stay in the NHL for his age-41 season but play on another team? I certainly wouldn’t bet on it, but the odds went from zero percent to one percent, and that warrants placing the goal-scoring G.O.A.T. on this list.

4. Darren Raddysh, D, Tampa Bay Lightning

Age: 30
2025-26 cap hit: $975,000

What a remarkably odd career trajectory. Raddysh didn’t play a full NHL campaign until he was 27. He brought secondary offense to the Bolts for a couple years, but his role exploded this season with Victor Hedman struggling to stay healthy. Three quarters of the way through the year, Raddysh still averages more than a point per game. He’ll likely receive down-ballot Norris Trophy votes at this point. The Bolts have interest in re-signing him, but Raddysh has never even earned $1 million in a season. His next contract will be a true life-changer, so Tampa’s offer will have to be significant in dollars and term to keep him from going to market. Why wouldn’t you if you were Raddysh?

5. Rasmus Andersson, D, Vegas Golden Knights

Age: 29
2025-26 cap hit: $4,550,000

It seemed like Andersson was upping his value just in time for free agency, posting nice offensive numbers in Calgary before it traded him to a Stanley Cup contender. He has struggled since joining Vegas in January, however; only Jeremy Lauzon has a worse on-ice expected goal share among Vegas D-men since the trade, and Andersson has barely seen power-play work with Vegas. He’s been a break-even defensive player at best, and his offense has cratered. Still, he’s only played 16 games with Vegas and has experienced a turbulent year with a trip to the Olympics factored in, so there’s still time for him to find his role with the Golden Knights and re-establish his value.

6. John Carlson, D, Anaheim Ducks

Age: 36
2025-26 cap hit: $8,000,000

I’m still in shock that the Caps moved the most productive, longest-tenured defenseman in their history for a pick when they were four points out of a Wildcard spot and while he and legend Ovechkin were in the final seasons of their deals. I get planning for the future but, sheesh, the juju element of the trade was tough to stomach. Is there a scenario in which Carlson, a family man entrenched in the community across his 17 seasons, returns to D.C. at a discount in the summer, or did the trade sever the bond for good? Even at 36, he’s enough of an impact maker offensively, especially on the power play, that he’ll attract plenty of offers.

7. Boone Jenner, C, Columbus Blue Jackets

Age: 33
2025-26 cap hit: $3,750,000

Jenner’s situation was similar to Tuch’s: possible trade chip if team bombed out of playoff race, must-keep as an own rental if team stayed in playoff race. No one has suited up for more games in a Blue Jackets jersey. Whether he stays could depend on whether the Blue Jackets make the playoffs. It would be weird to see him in another jersey, but he’s through his prime years and might want to chase a championship at some point.

8. Evgeni Malkin, C, Pittsburgh Penguins

Age: 39
2025-26 cap hit: $6,100,000

Malkin wants to keep playing. He wants to keep playing for the Penguins. He’s been quite vocal about that, and it’s created a bit of friction between his camp and GM Kyle Dubas. That tells us it’s not a lock that we see ‘Geno’ back with the only club he’s ever known, but it’s also far likelier than not that the two sides hammer something out. Helping Malkin’s chances: his resurgent season and the fact Pittsburgh is a playoff contender.

9. Charlie Coyle, C, Columbus Blue Jackets

Age: 34
2025-26 cap hit: $5,250,000

“Bringing size, playoff experience and penalty-killing acumen, he’s a quintessential third-line center who can play higher up someone’s lineup if injuries strike”…is what I wrote about Coyle in November. He’s since scored at the highest per-game pace of his career while playing heavy defensive minutes. You could make a case that Coyle is having his best all-around season at 34, so he might earn himself a No. 2 center contract. It’s a risky proposition given his age, despite his exemplary work in 2025-26.

10. Mario Ferraro, D, San Jose Sharks

Age: 27
2025-26 cap hit: $3,250,000

Ferraro plays a simple, grinding game and can log 20-plus minutes a night in his sleep. His under-the-hood defensive metrics typically aren’t pretty, but it’s hard to evaluate them given he’s played on a bottom-dwelling Sharks team most of the time. Ferraro might flourish in a depth role on a higher-end team, but he’s also a key leader for a Sharks team on the rise, and he’s relatively young, so the Sharks have to consider paying market value to keep him.

11. Jacob Trouba, D, Anaheim Ducks

Age: 32
2025-26 cap hit: $8,000,000

The bruising hitter has revived his career at an opportune moment with the Ducks surging into competitiveness just in time for his contract year. The Joel Quenneville effect? It’s going to get Trouba a nice multi-year deal, whether it’s in Anaheim or elsewhere.

12. Bobby McMann, LW, Seattle Kraken

Age: 30
2025-26 cap hit: $1,350,000

Before the Toronto Maple Leafs traded him at the deadline last week, reports indicated McMann was seeking a contract in the range of five years at $5 million per. Would a deal like that represent a trap for anyone looking to sign him? He possesses a tantalizing mix of speed and size, but he bloomed so late that he’ll already turn 30 before signing his next deal. He was also invisible during the playoffs last year, failing to score a goal in 13 games. A successful playoff run with the Kraken – assuming they get in – would do wonders for McMann’s value.

13. Connor Murphy, D, Edmonton Oilers

Age: 33
2025-26 cap hit: $4,400,000

Murphy opened the year looking like a complete afterthought in Chicago, barely getting 14 minutes a night, to the point I surmised GM Kyle Davidson had missed the selling window. But Murphy found a groove working on the NHL’s top-ranked penalty kill unit, his minutes rose, and he wound up garnering a second-round pick in a trade to Edmonton. Murphy has immediately stepped into top-four minutes with the Oilers and suddenly looks like a player who could match his previous AAV on his next deal, even at 33. He brings size, veteran leadership and right handedness, after all.

14. Logan Stanley, D, Buffalo Sabres

Age: 28
2025-26 cap hit: $1,250,000

Stanley has a wide range of outcomes following his trade to Buffalo. He’s a towering, mean defenseman with a heavy shot and could establish himself as a difference maker on a team with sleeper potential to make a deep playoff run. On the other hand: Stanley is a below-average defender and could be exposed or given limited minutes during the stretch run and postseason if he struggles. The next few months are crucial for his wallet.

15. Anders Lee, LW, New York Islanders

Age: 35
2025-26 cap hit: $7,000,000

The Isles’ captain is classy, consistent and relatively durable. But with Bo Horvat signed long-term, this team has another ready-made captain, and it could make sense to turn the roster over as it transitions to the Matthew Schaefer era. Isles GM Mathieu Darche expressed little urgency to re-up Lee before the season, and that remains the case. If Lee is willing to sign a team-friendly deal in term and/or AVV, however, there’s little reason not to bring him back and keep his veteran presence around.

16. Patrick Kane, RW, Detroit Red Wings

Age: 37
2025-26 cap hit: $3,000,000

When healthy, Kane can still be a power-play asset at this stage of his career.

I asked Kane point-blank before the season: when you only have so many years left in the NHL, why do you place your faith in a Detroit team that hasn’t made the playoffs in nine years?

“It’s a good situation for me, it really is,” he said, “especially coming into this year with Todd McLellan as a coach. It got a lot better under him last year when we made the switch. The team got a little bit more aggressive, and we started playing better as a team as well. But playing in the top six, playing on the top power play, I think as you get older, you really want to win, and I think we can do that there…And we haven’t been in the playoffs the past couple of years, but we really feel like we’re on the verge and we should do it this year.”

The Wings have proven Kane right so far this season. He sees Detroit as somewhere he can win, but will that still be the case if they slump at the wrong time in the next six weeks and the drought reaches 10 years?

17. Mason Marchment, LW, Seattle Kraken

Age: 31
2025-26 cap hit: $4,500,000

He functions best as a disruptive middle-sixer who can chip in offensively and get in opponents’ heads. That worked well when he was a cog in the Dallas Stars machine. Asked to do a bit more on a weaker Kraken team and playing the most minutes of his career, Marchment struggled, but he’s been fantastic as a Blue Jacket since the midseason trade, flirting with point-per-game production.

18. Claude Giroux, RW, Ottawa Senators

Age: 38
2025-26 cap hit: $2,000,000

Re-signing was an easy decision for Giroux a year ago. He was playing for the city in which he lives with his family in the offseason, and the club was on the rise, offering a chance to chase a championship. A year later? The Sens have regressed, putting Giroux in a pickle as he nears the end of his career. If he wants to play another year, does he stay where he’s comfortable or aim for more of a surefire contender in hopes of winning his first Stanley Cup?

19. Mats Zuccarello, RW, Minnesota Wild

Age: 38
2025-26 cap hit: $4,125,000

Even if he’s pushing 40 and his body is breaking down, Zuccarello is handy as a power-play specialist, and his chemistry with Kirill Kaprizov in Minnesota tells us Zuccarello can still keep up with elite players.

20. Anthony Mantha, LW, Pittsburgh Penguins

Age: 31
2025-26 cap hit: $2,500,000

Mantha’s stat line elicits a double take if you haven’t been paying attention: he’s two goals and one point away from setting new career highs in both categories. He has always graded out well as a play-driving forward, and analytics-minded Pens GM Kyle Dubas clearly saw something he could unlock. The question now is: does Mantha seek to hit the market and cash in on the best season of his life, or will he embrace the best fit he’s found yet during a turbulent career that has bounced him to five different franchises?

21. Patrik Laine, RW, Montreal Canadiens

Age: 28
2025-26 cap hit: $8,700,000

Laine’s bank account badly needs him back in the Habs lineup. He’s played just five games this season due to an abdominal injury, which is brutal timing for his walk year. Laine needs a fresh start; he’s still young enough, and his shot is still deadly enough, that he could help someone as a power-play trigger man. Even this lesser version of Laine leads all NHL players in goals and shots per 60 on the power play since the start of 2023-24.

22. Jaden Schwartz, LW, Seattle Kraken

Age: 34
2025-26 cap hit: $5,500,000

It feels like Schwartz has toiled in obscurity out in the Pacific Northwest, playing for a franchise with one playoff appearance in its first four seasons. But Schwartz, who won a Stanley Cup with the 2018-19 St. Louis Blues, still has game. He’s coming off a 26-goal season but is showing signs of decline – or at least regression to his 2022-24 level after a resurgent 2024-25 season. He could sign on as a middle-six forward on an elite team or a top-six forward on a middling team as he is now.

23. Erik Haula, C, Nashville Predators

Age: 35
2025-26 cap hit: $3,150,000

“Upside” is a strange word to attach to a player who turns 35 in May, but Haula has more upside than other players in his archetype; he’s your classic bottom-six, penalty-killing center, but he’s delivered a double-digit goal total nine times and can play higher in a lineup in spurts. He still has plenty of value due to his versatility.

24. Scott Laughton, C, Los Angeles Kings

Age: 32
2025-26 cap hit: $3,000,000

Laughton found his game as a Leaf, particularly on the leadership side of things, this season, but they cashed him out as a pending UFA, dealing him to L.A. He plays with a ton of energy, wins faceoffs, kills penalties and can chip in a double-digit goal total. He makes for a fine No. 3 center or an excellent No. 4.

25. Jack Roslovic, C, Edmonton Oilers

Age: 29
2025-26 cap hit: $1,500,000

The speedy Roslovic has provided great value relative to his AAV. Will he parlay that into a multi-year commitment from the Oilers? He’s been pretty valuable to a team whose depth was decimated over the 2025 offseason.

26. Viktor Arvidsson, RW, Boston Bruins

Age: 33
2025-26 cap hit: $4,000,000

It felt like Arvidsson’s career was winding down after an injury-shortened 2023-24 and an unproductive 2024-25, but he’s bounced back with Boston and, if we zoom out, he’s only had one bad year. It looks like Arvidsson still has value as a feisty middle-six scoring threat.

27. Jason Dickinson, C, Edmonton Oilers

Age: 30
2025-26 cap hit: $4,250,000

On the trade market, Dickinson fetched a first-round pick even as a rental. That tells us he’s valued even if he isn’t flashy. Taking pride in shutting down the opposition and strong on the PK, Dickinson is one of the league’s most trusted checking centers, elite at smothering the opposition in 5-on-5 play.

28. Ilya Mikheyev, LW, Chicago Blackhawks

Age: 31
2025-26 cap hit: $4,750,000

He’s big, strong, defensively responsible and has enough skill to deliver a double-digit goal total every year. Mikheyev will never have trouble finding a job – and he also brings tools the Blackhawks may want to keep. They opted not to trade him last week after selling off other rental assets, and GM Kyle Davidson has expressed a desire to re-sign Mikheyev.

29. Radko Gudas, D, Anaheim Ducks

Age: 36
2025-26 cap hit: $4,000,000

Gudas’ ice time has cratered to the second-lowest mark of his career as he reaches his mid-30s. But he still brings game-changing nastiness, leadership as the Ducks captain and an ability to shut down opponents in relatively sheltered matchups.

30. Vladimir Tarasenko, RW, Minnesota Wild

Age: 34
2025-26 cap hit: $4,750,000

He’s no longer a marquee scorer, but he remains an efficient one. Tarasenko sits fourth on the Wild in even-strength goals despite playing south of 15 minutes a night. He likely doesn’t warrant a long-term deal at his age, but he can still offer valuable goal production in a middle-six deployment.

31. Michael Bunting, LW, Dallas Stars

Age: 30
2025-26 cap hit: $4,500,000

Bunting’s star, no pun intended, doesn’t burn as brightly as it did when he broke into the NHL, but maybe that’s because he was an old rookie who finished third in the Calder Trophy vote at 26. He may simply be past his prime now. But he’s still a solid agitating middle-six forward.

32. Eeli Tolvanen, LW, Seattle Kraken

Age: 27
2025-26 cap hit: $3,475,000

Tolvanen never reached the heights promised when he was an exciting KHL prospect. Nevertheless, he’s a physical forward whose shot power places him in the 92nd percentile and is dangerous enough to suit him for a PP2 unit. He’s still young enough that he may have a career season in him yet.

33. Tony DeAngelo, D, New York Islanders

Age: 30
2025-26 cap hit: $1,750,000

DeAngelo will never be confused with Jaccob Slavin. The whole “playing defense” thing will never be for Tony D. But he moves the puck and produces points like few others at his position. Over the past three seasons, he sits in the 91st percentile for primary assists per 60 among defensemen at 5-on-5.

34. Teddy Blueger, C, Vancouver Canucks

Age: 31
2025-26 cap hit: $1,800,000

I can’t imagine teams will pay extra for his random goal-scoring surge, buoyed by a shooting percentage roughly double his career average. Still Blueger makes for a perfectly reasonable fourth-line center option who is used to tough matchups and kills penalties.

35. Corey Perry, RW, Tampa Bay Lightning

Age: 41
2025-26 cap hit: $2,000,000

You’d think he’d retire one of these years, but we say that every offseason, don’t we? Perry is still making an impact with his agitation ability and clutch scoring. If wants to suit up in 2026-27, he’ll find a home.

36. Stuart Skinner, G, Pittsburgh Penguins

Age: 27
2025-26 cap hit: $2,600,000

He’s mostly been a disaster since his trade to the Pens, but he played on back-to-back runs to the Stanley Cup Final in the two seasons prior. He’s still young in goalie years and should catch on as a backup who, despite his extreme volatility, has undeniable upside when he’s on one of his heaters.

37. Marcus Johansson, LW, Minnesota Wild

Age: 35
2025-26 cap hit: $800,000

‘MoJo’ wowed with 32 points in his first 38 games this season, but puck luck was his friend; he scored 12 times thanks to an unsustainable shooting percentage of 20.7 percent. He’s since crashed back to Earth, but he’s at least proven he can still hang in the NHL as a middle-six two-way forward.

38. Jamie Oleksiak, D, Seattle Kraken

Age: 33
2025-26 cap hit: $4,600,000

Oleksiak makes very little happen offensively but remains effective as a second- or third-pair hammer who can win his minutes if not asked to do too much. General managers will always pay up for players with his size and reach.

39. Cam Talbot, G, Detroit Red Wings

Age: 38
2025-26 cap hit: $2,500,000

Talbot was quite good in five of his previous six seasons before this (bad) one. The Wings’ crease belongs to John Gibson and, soon, Sebastian Cossa, meaning Talbot almost certainly will go to market. But he turns 39 on July 5; there’s no guarantee his performance rebounds at his age, assuming he wants to keep playing.

40. Frederik Andersen, G, Carolina Hurricanes

Age: 36
2025-26 cap hit: $2,750,000

Is Andersen nearing the end? He hasn’t even been an average NHL goaltender for two years. He’s been usurped in Carolina’s net by breakout success story Brandon Bussi. Pyotr Kochetkov is under contract another season and will be healthy by this spring. If Andersen wants to continue his NHL career, it will almost certainly happen on a new team.

41. Oliver Bjorkstrand, RW, Tampa Bay Lightning

Age: 31
2025-26 cap hit: $5,400,000

The raw talent hasn’t gone anywhere, but Bjorkstrand has struggled to find his scoring touch in a diminished role since arriving in Tampa, with just 16 goals and 38 points in 80 games. Bjorkstrand may be entering the “mercenary contract” phase of his career, in which he catches on with a lower-end team that will place him on a scoring line and inflate his trade value.

42. John Klingberg, D, San Jose Sharks

Age: 33
2025-26 cap hit: $4,000,000

He’s stayed relatively healthy this season, enough that he’s already surpassed his combined game total of 2023-24 and 2024-25, and he’s made a splash as a puck-moving blueliner and shooter on an ascendant Sharks team. Klingberg has quietly played almost 21 minutes a game this season, his largest workload since his final season with the Dallas Stars. He’s mostly just good at one thing these days, but plenty of teams still need what he brings.

43. Victor Olofsson, RW, Calgary Flames

Age: 30
2025-26 cap hit: $1,575,000

The Colorado Avalanche tossed him overboard to balance the money in the Nazem Kadri trade last week. That’s…not the worst thing for Olofsson’s UFA value? The Flames have already installed him on their top power-play unit. His shooting percentage is way down this year and might positively regress in time for him to puff up his numbers over the final six weeks of the season.

44. Andrew Peeke, D, Boston Bruins

Age: 28
2025-26 cap hit: $2,750,000

Your classic meat-and-potatoes righty. Peeke defends at roughly a league-average level but adds size and strength and is in his prime.

45. Brett Kulak, D, Colorado Avalanche

Age: 32
2025-26 cap hit: $2,750,000

He’s not flashy, but he plays pretty mistake-free hockey as a bottom-pair guy and has quite a bit of playoff experience. He also grades out as above-average in foot speed even in his early 30s.

46. Timothy Liljegren, D, Washington Capitals

Age: 27
2025-26 cap hit: $3,000,000

Will anyone ever maximize Liljegren’s potential? He’s shown great skating and play-driving potential for most of his career and is more physical than he gets credit for. He just hasn’t shown the IQ to put it all together. Maybe rejoining former Leaf teammate Rasmus Sandin in Washington via trade last week will bring out the best in Liljegren before he goes to market?

47. Brent Burns, D, Colorado Avalanche

Age: 41
2025-26 cap hit: $1,000,000

Straight up: Burns has been legitimately excellent at both ends of the ice this season, and his minutes haven’t even been sheltered much by 41-year-old standards. Does he want to keep playing? It may depend on whether he wins a Stanley Cup with the powerhouse Avs this year.

48. Michael McCarron, C, Minnesota Wild

Age: 31
2025-26 cap hit: $900,000

McCarron is a more than just a bludgeoning behemoth. Those traits are big parts of his identity, sure, but he’s found himself as viable fourth-line checker and penalty killer with good faceoff acumen. He fetched a second-rounder last week for a reason.

49. Jeremy Lauzon, D, Vegas Golden Knights

Age: 29
2025-26 cap hit: $2,000,000

If you even breathe in Lauzon’s direction, you will be hit. No everyday NHL defenseman throws more bodychecks than Lauzon on a per-60 basis over the past three seasons. Lauzon’s punishing game gives him a semblance of value, but he struggles pretty badly to drive the play. He’s a throwback and not necessarily in a good way.

50. A.J. Greer, LW, Florida Panthers

Age: 29
2025-26 cap hit: $850,000

Greer brings momentum-changing physicality as a bottom-six forward, and he’s not a zero offensively, having scored 11 goals this season. If he doesn’t re-up with the Panthers, he’ll attract interest as a player who can grind down the opposition in tight games with his abrasive play.