On your mark…get set…sign!
Despite the fact that, wink wink, NHL teams were prohibited from negotiating with unrestricted free agents before noon ET on July 1, the contracts came fast and furious as always. Even with a cluster of the best UFAs signing before the market opened, Day 1 of free agency featured plenty of activity, as GMs were liberated to throw money around with the salary cap rising from $95.5 million to $104 million for 2026-27.
As the opening hours of the spending spree wind down, 145 contracts have been doled out, totalling $911,088,330 so far, according to our partners at PuckPedia.
Who remains in the market? Here’s a list of the best remaining 2026 NHL UFAs, including their rankings on our board as of July 1.
Rank2025-26 Cap HitNameAgePositionGames PlayedGoals (Wins)Assists (GAA)Points (SV%)2$8,000,000John Carlson36D821446604$9,500,000Alex Ovechkin40LW823232649$2,500,000Anthony Mantha31LW8133316411$3,000,000Patrick Kane37RW6716415712$2,000,000Claude Giroux38RW8214354914$8,700,000Patrik Laine28RW501119$1,250,000Logan Stanley28D769172624$4,750,000Vladimir Tarasenko34RW7523244725$4,500,000Michael Bunting30LW7414191326$3,475,000Eeli Tolvanen27LW7812143633$2,500,000Cam Talbot38G34123.19.88334$4,000,000John Klingberg33D5610172736$2,750,000Andrew Peeke28D77591437$775,000Nick Blankenburg28D618162443$1,000,000James van Riemsdyk37LW7215163144$1,000,000Jamie Benn36LW6015213647$1,950,000Connor Ingram29G32162.60.89949$4,000,000David Perron38LW65131528
On the bubble
David Rittich
Carson Soucy
James Reimer
Adam Henrique
Calle Jarnkrok
David Kampf
David Rittich
Jesse Puljujarvi
Reilly Smith
Danton Heinen
Matt Grzelcyk
Mike Reilly
Jeff Petry
Pavol Regenda
Philipp Kurashev
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