NHL free agency is officially underway, and old faces will soon find new places as the game of musical chairs unfolds. The 2026 free agent class is underwhelming, to put it lightly, but there is still value to be found.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have been hunting for an upgrade in goal, and they may have found one, but it wasn't cheap. Two-time Stanley Cup champion Sergei Bobrovsky has signed with the Maple Leafs on a three-year contract worth a total of $21 million. Bobrovsky is one of the best goalies in the world at his best, but he's coming off one of the worst seasons of his career at the age of 37.
Due to the rising salary cap and teams' urgency to lock up their stars long-term before they hit the market, anyone looking for fireworks at forward on July 1 will have to look elsewhere. The biggest name on the market was Alexander Ovechkin, but he is returning to the Capitals for his 22nd season.
The No. 1 player in our rankings is Rasmus Andersson, and he has re-signed with the Vegas Golden Knights. In spite of a disappointing playoff run with the Golden Knights, he still got a hefty seven-year, $59.5 million contract. Vegas is banking on a bounce-back from Andersson, who slots into the top four on the blue line.
After acquiring the rights to Radko Gudas, the Florida Panthers signed him to a six-year contract worth just $9 million in order to minimize the AAV. The Carolina Hurricanes acquired the rights to John Carlson prior to Wednesday, but he wound up with the Tampa
Here are the top 30 NHL free agents as we track where each one lands.
| Rank | Player | POS | Last Team | New Team | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Rasmus Andersson
(29)
| D |  | | Seven years, $59.5 million |
| 2 |
John Carlson
(36)
| D |  |  | Two years, $17 million |
| 3 |
Sergei Bobrovsky
(37)
| G |  |  | Three years, $21 million |
| 4 |
Alex Ovechkin
(40)
| LW |  | | One year, $4.25 million |
| 5 |
Mason Marchment
(31)
| LW |  |  | Five years, $35 million |
| 6 |
Jacob Trouba
(32)
| D | | | Four years, $33 million |
| 7 |
Mats Zuccarello
(38)
| RW |  |  | One year, $1 million |
| 8 |
Anthony Mantha
(31)
| RW |  | ||
| 9 |
Viktor Arvidsson
(33)
| LW |  |  | Two years, $10 million |
| 10 |
Radko Gudas
(36)
| D | | | Six years, $9 million |
| 11 |
Frederik Andersen
(36)
| G |  |  | One year, $2.8 million |
| 12 |
Claude Giroux
(38)
| LW |  | ||
| 13 |
Stuart Skinner
(27)
| G | |  | Two years, $7.5 million |
| 14 |
Patrick Kane
(37)
| RW | | ||
| 15 |
Jack Roslovic
(29)
| C | | | Two years, $8 million |
| 16 |
Boone Jenner
(33)
| C | | | Four years, $23 million |
| 17 |
Jamie Benn
(36)
| LW |  | | One year, $850,000 |
| 18 |
Mario Ferraro
(27)
| D | | | Three years, $12 million |
| 19 |
Vladimir Tarasenko
(34)
| RW | | ||
| 20 |
Anders Lee
(36)
| LW |  |  | Three years, $16.2 million |
| 21 |
Erik Haula
(35)
| C |  | | Two years, $7.2 million |
| 22 |
Scott Laughton
(32)
| C | | | Three years, $10.5 million |
| 23 |
Jaden Schwartz
(34)
| LW |  |  | Three years, $9.75 million |
| 24 |
Eeli Tolvanen
(27)
| RW | | ||
| 25 |
Michael Bunting
(30)
| LW | | ||
| 26 |
Ilya Mikheyev
(31)
| RW |  | | Four years, $15.4 million |
| 27 |
Corey Perry
(41)
| LW | | | One year, $1 million |
| 28 |
Teddy Blueger
(31)
| C |  | | Two years, $5 million |
| 29 |
A.J. Greer
(29)
| LW | | | Four years, $17 million |
| 30 |
Victor Olofsson
(30)
| RW |  | | One year, $1.68 million |
