We are just about 24 hours away from 2026 NHL free agency. Then again, after last week’s chaos, it already feels like it started.
Draft week was extremely eventful on the trade front, in a way that felt free-agency-esque.
Welcome to the NHL in 2026. Everyone is adjusting to the new CBA, the cap keeps rising, and suddenly the term “no-movement clause” means a whole lot more.
Now more than ever, big-name players such as Brady Tkachuk are using the no-movement clauses given to them in their contracts to end up where they want to be. Instead of hitting the free-agent market, players with leverage are giving teams lists of suitable trade partners, and teams are squeezing everything they can out of those partners (which sometimes isn’t much).
This means the look and feel of the first day of free agency has changed. Instead of looking at a list of available players and wondering which teams will sign them to massive contracts, we’re seeing more trades leak out.
While this changes what free agency looks like, it doesn’t make the surrounding weeks any less fun. If anything, it’s less predictable. Anyone can be traded, not everyone is a free agent.
Did we already see the biggest trades of the offseason last week, or are there more to come this week? Will the biggest names reportedly requesting trades get what they want?
Here are some bold predictions for 2026 NHL free agency.
