Ranking the NHL’s Top 5 Free Agents

The NHL’s 2026 Free Agent pool took a big hit this year when a few big names signed contract extensions, namely Jack Eichel with the Vegas Golden Knights and Kirill Kaprizov of the Minnesota Wild. 

Despite that, here is Draft Nation’s ranking of the top unrestricted and restricted free agents, respectively.

Top Unrestricted Free Agents

Alex Tuch – Right Wing

So far, Tuch will be the gold standard of this year’s class. Tuch, 29, finished the regular season with 33 goals and 66 points for the Buffalo Sabres, and has performed well so far in the playoffs. The Sabres are projecting to have around $13 million in cap space, and with Tuch expected to nearly double his salary ($8 million range), the Sabres are likely to be priced out of the Tuch sweepstakes.

Darren Raddysh – Defense

Raddysh, 30, had a fantastic year scoring 70 points in 73 games for the Tampa Bay Lightning. The right-shot defenseman should cash in this July as his current salary is $975,000.

Sergei Bobrovsky - Goaltender 

Bobrovsky will be 37 next year, but with two Stanley Cups to his name, he is the only “true” starting goaltender on the open market. So, for a team that desperately needs better goaltending now and doesn’t have to trade future assets to sign him, he makes the top 5 on this list. 

John Carlson - Defense 

Carlson, 36, put up 60 points last season playing for the Washington Capitals and the Anaheim Ducks, respectively. In his 16 games with Anaheim, after being acquired at the trade deadline, Carlson put up 14 points (4 goals and 10 assists) and proved that he’s got gas left in the tank.

Anthony Mantha – Right Wing

There are offensive options like Boone Jenner or Bobby McMann, depending on team needs, but Mantha, 31, had the best year of his career last season for the Pittsburgh Penguins, shattering his previous highs in goals, assists, points, and games played (33 goals, 31 assists, totaling 64 points with 81 games played). His talent finally broke through during the regular season, but was quiet in the Penguins’ first round loss to the Flyers. As Penguins General Manager Kyle Dubas looks to get younger, combined with Mantha’s career year, that may have spoiled a reunion for next year and beyond.

But where are Evgeni Malkin and Alex Ovechkin on this list? It appears that the Penguins and Capitals will re-sign their aging legends. Ironically, both players had some interesting comments at the end of their respective seasons. Malkin clearly wants to remain in Pittsburgh but stated he will play for another team if the Penguins decide to move on. Ovechkin, on the other hand, didn’t rule out a return to the Capitals, but seemingly alluded to how the team’s situation unfolds that could impact his decision to return.

Top Restricted Free Agents

This is where things get interesting. Signing and or trading for RFAs is rarely done. It’s tricky, with lots of compensation involved via draft picks, qualifying offers, the right to match offer sheets, potential arbitration, and more.

And Draft Nation doesn’t consider Conor Bedard of the Chicago Blackhawks as a true RFA as there is no way Chicago doesn’t get him resigned.

Yegor Chinakhov, and Arturs Silovs, also fall into this category for the Penguins. Chinakhov is the type of young talent that Dubas is looking for, so he will be re-signed, despite a very quiet postseason. The same can be said for goaltented Arturs Silovs. Even though the Penguins have Sergei Murashov tapped to compete for the starting netminder job next season, Silovs brings a lot of playoff experience to the Penguins, and will provide a formidable “1-2 punch” moving forward.

So here are the serious RFA candidates to consider:

Jason Robertson - Left Wing 

Robertson (26) is probably the top free agent on this entire list, both unrestricted and restricted. The reason Robertson is even on this list is because of the salary cap situation the Dallas Stars are in. Robertson finished the regular season with 45 goals and 51 assists, for a total of 96 points. Robertson has been linked to many different teams via trade, so many pundits wonder what it would take to pry him away before free agency begins. A team like the Penguins with lots of money and lots of draft picks could get the job done.

Mavrik Bourque - Center

Bourque (24) is another RFA on the Dallas Stars team, ironically, on the same line as Jason Robertson. Dallas has a bit of a problem on their hands, albeit a good problem to have. 

Jet Greaves - Goaltender

Greaves (25) had a wonderful year for the Columbus Blue Jackets. He’s getting signed, but there may be a team out there desperate enough to sign an offer sheet.