9 NHL Unrestricted Free Agents Still Available Your Team Should Sign
We might only be through two days of NHL free agency, but the pool of talent is starting to get a bit low already. From players who re-signed with teams before July 1 to the ones who've signed since, there aren't too many unrestricted free agents out there to help a team.
Fortunately, there still are a few players of note available to help make any team a little better, and a couple of them probably won't be available too much longer.
We've assembled a hit list of sorts identifying the best of the rest out of the free-agent pool to snap up. Who knows, these guys could be the one who scores the big goal or makes the biggest play in a team's season to spur them onto the playoffs or even the Stanley Cup.
Let's go shopping.
Nikolaj Ehlers
1 of 9
Let's get the best player remaining, Nikolaj Ehlers, out of the way first because he's probably not going to be available too much longer.
Any team that's able to land the 29-year-old as a free agent is going to get, arguably, the best scorer on the open market. He had 24 goals and 63 points this season and was a key member of the Winnipeg Jets and helped them win the Presidents' Trophy.
Ehlers has been a lifetime member of the Jets, but now he's out on the open market, it's time for him to cash in. Winnipeg tried hard to sway him and bring him back on an extension, but the lure of free agency was strong, especially with so much money out there.
According to various reports, the teams hottest in the running for the Dane are the Carolina Hurricanes and Washington Capitals.
Even if it's another team out of the blue, though, the chances are good they'll be a Stanley Cup contender as well.
Hold onto your hats, because his contract will likely be a whopper.
Dmitry Orlov
2 of 9
(Editor's note: Orlov signed on Thursday with the Sharks.)
Although there are a few catchy names out there among free-agent forwards, defensemen are at a bit of a premium right now and Dmitry Orlov may be the best blueliner available.
The Russian had a strong season with Carolina putting up six goals and 22 assists (28 points) and averaged 20 minutes per game in ice time, something he hadn't done in two seasons.
The point total may not "wow" anyone, but playing steady defense, being strong in puck possession and also stepping up physically more often have helped him stand out more as a two-way defender.
Orlov has been part of many successful teams and was part of the Washington Capitals' Stanley Cup title team in 2018, and his past couple of seasons with the Hurricanes showed how he's broadened his game as he's gotten older.
At age 33 (soon to be 34) he's a true veteran player, but a team in need of a quality defenseman to fill out their top six could benefit by bringing in Orlov.
Matt Grzelcyk
3 of 9
If Dmitry Orlov wasn't to your team's liking on defense, then maybe Matt Grzelcyk would be instead.
Fun fact about Grzelcyk: He's the highest scoring defenseman left on the market. He spent this past season with the Pittsburgh Penguins and factored into a lot of roles, including on the power play. With one goal and 39 assists, his 40 points are 12 more than Orlov, who had second-most among defensemen.
The 31-year-old had strong advanced stats given the state of the Penguins and he's always been a steady, strong player on the blue line. If he was a right-handed shooter, he'd probably already be signed to a multi-year deal, but the way he's been able to produce and his level play would make him a strong depth addition for any team in need.
He's not a physical defenseman, his hit numbers aren't going to grab anyone's attention, but he'll block shots on occasion. If a team can pair him with a more defensive-minded partner, that would be for the best.
Jack Roslovic
4 of 9
Speed is a huge factor in the NHL these days and one player who deals in it specifically is Jack Roslovic.
The 28-year-old uses his quickness to be a force on the forecheck, and that specific ability made him especially dangerous with the Hurricanes last season.
Roslovic tied his career high in goals with 22, and he was a menace on the third and fourth lines in Carolina by getting in opponents' faces and passing lanes up the ice. Making life difficult for teams to even get out of their zone is a talent unto itself and when he's playing at his best, it's what he does well.
Although he's not a classic fourth liner in that he doesn't throw the body, he does provide the energy teams are looking for from that line.
When used in the right ways and with a little good shooting luck, getting 20 goals would be the high point bonus, although he's generally been good for around 10-15 goals the past few years.
Victor Olofsson
5 of 9
When we're at this point of free agency, specialists can be found who can make a huge difference in the right situation. Victor Olofsson is one of those guys.
The near-30-year-old possesses one of the best shots in the NHL and is a three-time 20-goal scorer. This past season with Vegas, he had 15 goals and 14 assists with six goals on the power play. Throughout his career, 41 of his 105 career goals have come on the man advantage thanks to his shot.
Despite his scoring ability, he's a player who would do well down in the lineup and deployed specifically on the power play on a deep team (like Vegas). He's had struggles scoring at 5-on-5 through his career and while he's not a defensive liability, he's not someone who's going to get out there on the PK, either.
However, if a team is in need of a weapon on the power play and lack a true shooter, Olofsson is the guy worth going for because he will get goals.
Jeff Skinner
6 of 9
How bad does your favorite team need offense? If they're in need of a guy who will go all-out to try to generate scoring chances, then Jeff Skinner is the man they're looking for.
The 33-year-old put up 16 goals and 13 assists with the Edmonton Oilers last season and famously ended his own playoff drought as part of their run to the Stanley Cup Final. Although he was a bit of an awkward fit in Edmonton, he still scored goals and ticked off opponents with his chirping on the ice.
Make no mistake, Skinner is not a player to bank on to play strong defense in his own end of the ice. However, he will get up the ice on the forecheck and try to force turnovers to generate sudden scoring chances from close in.
But if you can surround him with solid defensive forwards and be patient with his less-than-eager defensive skill, the offense he'll provide can help out.
Ilya Samsonov
7 of 9
Heading into free agency this year, goalies were already at a premium because there were so few of them available.
Those who were most desired were signed quickly, and if there are teams still looking for goalie depth, the best of the bunch remaining is Ilya Samsonov.
Last season with Vegas, the 28-year-old had an .890 save percentage and two shutouts. He sported a 16-9-4 record on what was a very good Golden Knights team, but he was in a support role behind starter Adin Hill.
Samsonov spent the two previous seasons with Toronto before he landed in Vegas, but now in free agency again he's looking to recapture what he did in 2022-2023 with Toronto when he had a career-high .919 save percentage with four shutouts.
Goaltending is often unpredictable, but if Samsonov was able to even get a bit of that mojo back with a new team, it would make him the sneaky best pickup of the summer. The question there is: Does a team trust it to happen?
Michael Carcone
8 of 9
If there's one player out there who might be an intriguing "buy low, cash in" kind of guy, it's Michael Carcone.
Carcone is an interesting case because, two years ago, he scored 21 goals almost out of nowhere for Arizona at 27 years old. Last season with Utah, his shooting luck cooled dramatically, going from 18.9 percent to 9.3 percent and his goal total dipped to seven in 53 games.
For a guy who plays fewer than 13 minutes per game, you have to look really deep into his numbers to get a feel for the kind of player he can be. His possession numbers were decent last season with Utah (53.8 percent shot attempts for) and throughout his time in previous seasons in the AHL, he's filled the net there.
Carcone could be a found lottery ticket for a team looking to add offensive depth to the roster, because if his shooting percentage takes off again, it would be an instant boon.
Ryan Suter
9 of 9
When it comes to Ryan Suter's free agency, it all comes down to whether there are Stanley Cup contenders in need of a veteran defenseman who can still eat minutes and handle the game well.
Suter is 40 years old and isn't going to sign up with just any team just to keep playing at this point. He's been a remarkable player throughout his career in that he's just never gotten hurt and always kept producing.
Although he's not the 40- or 50-point producer he was in his prime, being tasked with playing a more defensive role on the blue line and still chipping in 15 points for the St. Louis Blues last season is just fine. Even more impressive is he averaged over 19 minutes of ice time per game.
Obviously there would be concerns for teams interested in Suter because of his age, but he's missed fewer than 50 games over his 20 years in the league.
Clearly, he would like to win a Stanley Cup before hanging it up, but it will require the right situation for Suter to sign on for one more year.
.jpg?w=480 "Bills Broncos Football")
