Ranking the 10 Best 2026 NHL Restricted Free Agents
The opening of the NHL's annual free-agent market usually focuses attention on where the top unrestricted free agents end up signing.
A restricted free agent rarely changes teams during the offseason unless they're traded or are successfully signed by a rival club through the offer-sheet process.
Most end up inking lucrative long-term deals, especially those coming off their second NHL contract, as they hold arbitration rights.
Some restricted free agents file for salary arbitration, creating the possibility they'll become UFAs if their teams disagree with the arbitrator's decision. However, that seldom occurs because arbitration is often used to create an artificial deadline for the player and team to agree to a new contract.
Nevertheless, one of next year's top restricted free agents might end up on a different club at some point during the summer of 2026. Here's our ranking of next year's top-10 RFAs.
10. Simon Edvinsson, Detroit Red Wings
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The 2024-25 season was a disappointment for the Detroit Red Wings. Expected to finally emerge as a playoff team following several years of rebuilding, they fell short down the stretch for the second straight year, finishing five points out of a wild-card berth.
One bright spot was Simon Edvinsson. Appearing in his first full NHL campaign, the left-shot defenseman earned a full-time position on their second blue-line pairing, finishing with 31 points and sitting third among their skaters with 21:01 of ice time per game.
His size and skills also earned the 6'6", 209-pound blueliner some playing time on the top pairing alongside Moritz Seider. The duo provided a tantalizing preview of what could become the Wings' top defense line for years.
Should Edvisson, 22, continue his development as expected, he'll put himself in line for a big raise coming out of his entry-level contract. Wings management will want to keep his annual cap hit below Seider's $8.55 million. Depending on his play, he could get an AAV of around $6.5 million.
9. Leo Carlsson, Anaheim Ducks
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The second overall pick in the 2023 draft, Leo Carlsson, showed promise with 29 points in 55 games during his rookie campaign.
The 20-year-old followed up with a solid sophomore season, scoring 20 goals and 45 points in 76 games to finish fourth among the Ducks' scorers.
A gifted offensive player, the 6'3", 203-pound Carlsson centered the top line for the rebuilding Ducks last season, flanked by wingers Cutter Gauthier and Troy Terry. While the club missed the playoffs, that line helped them reach their first 80-point season since 2018-19.
The Ducks could push for a wild-card berth this season. A strong performance by Carlsson that exceeds his 2024-25 stats could not only help them achieve that goal but also prove he's ready for a big raise coming out of his entry-level contract.
Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek has a reputation as a tough negotiator. However, he could loosen his club's wallet to pay Carlsson up to $7.5 million annually if he establishes himself as a reliable first-line center.
8. Dylan Holloway, St. Louis Blues
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The St. Louis Blues surprised the hockey world last August by successfully signing Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg from the Edmonton Oilers.
They went on to become key players with their new club last season, thriving in expanded roles as the Blues clinched a playoff berth.
Both players are slated to become restricted free agents with arbitration rights next July. Of the duo, Holloway could become the more expensive to re-sign.
The right winger earned top-six minutes with the Blues. He finished third among their scorers with a career-high 26 goals, 37 assists and 63 points. They missed his production in the playoffs when he suffered a season-ending injury in April.
Another performance like last season will put Holloway in line for a lucrative new contract. The Blues already have three forwards (Robert Thomas, Jordan Kyrou and Pavel Buchnevich) earning $8 million per season. General manager Doug Armstrong could try to keep Holloway's new salary closer to $7 million.
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7. Dustin Wolf, Calgary Flames
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The retooled Calgary Flames came within a whisker of qualifying for the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs. And rookie goaltender Dustin Wolf played a major role in their surprising improvement last season.
In his first full NHL season, the 24-year-old goaltender made 53 starts, finishing with a record of 29 wins, 16 losses, and eight overtime losses, a 2.65 goals-against average, a .910 save percentage and three shutouts. That performance made him a finalist for the Calder Memorial Trophy.
Wolf will be under considerable pressure in 2025-26 to build on last season's promise as the Flames attempt to take the next step toward playoff contention. If he succeeds, he should move up among the NHL's elite netminders.
An improved effort will also put Wolf in line for a big raise over his current annual cap hit of $865,000. He also has arbitration rights, which he could use to leverage a three- or four-year deal worth around $6 million.
6. Adam Fantilli, Columbus Blue Jackets
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The Columbus Blue Jackets entered last season dealing with the death of star forward Johnny Gaudreau. Expected to finish near the foot of the standings, they rallied as a team, overcoming injuries to key players to battle for a playoff berth until the final week of the regular season.
Adam Fantilli played a big role in the Blue Jackets' inspiring effort. Filling in for sidelined first-line center Sean Monahan, the 20-year-old sophomore tied Kirill Marchenko as their goal-scoring leader (31) and was fifth in points in 54.
Chosen third overall in the 2023 draft, Fantilli is now in the final year of his entry-level contract. Last season's performance is enough to merit a substantial raise on his next deal. Any improvement this season could push that raise even higher.
Fantilli proved he can handle the first-line center role as a short-term replacement. If he outplays Monahan and takes over that spot on a full-time basis, he could put himself in line for a long-term deal with an average annual value around $8.5 million.
5. Logan Cooley, Utah Mammoth
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Chosen third overall in the 2022 draft, Logan Cooley finished fourth among rookie scorers in 2023-24 with 20 goals and 44 points. He also sat sixth among Arizona Coyotes scorers.
After the Coyotes relocated to Utah, the 21-year-old center made significant strides during his sophomore season. Playing on the first line alongside winger Clayton Keller and Dylan Guenther, he finished second in team scoring with 25 goals and 65 points.
Entering his third NHL campaign, Cooley remains entrenched in the role of the Mammoth's first-line center. Given his steady development, he could exceed 80 points this season. Coming off his entry-level contract, he will be in line for a hefty raise on a long-term deal.
Cooley is also playing for a club with an ownership willing to spend to build and maintain a competitive roster. With a projected $38.7 million in cap space for 2026-27 with 13 active roster players under contract, he could land a seven-year deal worth around $8.5 million annually.
4. Lane Hutson, Montreal Canadiens
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All eyes in Montreal were on the debut of Lane Hutson with the Canadiens last season.
A highly skilled college defenseman, he was passed over in the first round of the 2022 draft because of his small frame. Instead, the Habs chose him with the 30th pick in the second round.
The 5'9", 162-pound Hutson exceeded expectations, becoming the first Canadien to win the Calder Memorial Trophy since goaltender Ken Dryden in 1971-72. He set the franchise record for most points by a rookie defenseman (66) and tied Larry Murphy for most assists by an NHL rookie blueliner (60).
Hutson played a significant role in the Canadiens qualifying for the playoffs for the first time in four years. The diminutive but durable puck-moving defenseman played all 82 regular-season games. He finished third among their regular-season scorers and led them in playoff scoring with five points.
The Canadiens tend to re-sign their best young players to long-term contracts, so it won't be surprising if they do the same for the 21-year-old. He could end up exceeding the $9.5 million annual average value Noah Dobson received after being acquired from the New York Islanders last month.
3. Thomas Harley, Dallas Stars
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Despite a solid 47-point performance in 2023-24, defenseman Thomas Harley was often overshadowed by fellow Dallas Stars blueliner Miro Heiskanen. However, he emerged from his shadow with an impressive effort last season.
Harley stepped up when Heiskanen suffered a knee injury in January that forced him to miss the final 32 games of the regular season and the first round of the playoffs. The 23-year-old logged a team-leading 24:53 of ice time per game in Heiskanen's absence, finishing the season with 50 points.
An emergency call-up for Canada to replace a sidelined Cale Makar during the 4 Nations Face Off, Harley impressed in his two-game appearance, garnering more attention from a wider North American audience. He also finished second among Stars scorers (14 points) in the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs.
Harley will be completing a two-year contract with an annual cap hit of $4 million next season. If he continues his upward trend, he'll be in line for a substantial raise on his next contract. What remains to be seen is whether the Stars will pay him more than Heiskanen's $8.45 million cap hit.
2. Connor Bedard, Chicago Blackhawks
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Chosen first overall in the 2023 draft by the Chicago Blackhawks, Connor Bedard has lived up to his billing as a franchise player.
During his first NHL season, he won the Calder Memorial Trophy, leading Chicago with 61 points, despite missing 14 games with a broken jaw.
Bedard was Chicago's leading scorer again last season with 67 points in 82 games. However, he managed limited improvement during a frustrating sophomore season as rival clubs put more attention on shutting him down.
Management's failure to provide him with a solid supporting cast didn't help matters.
Chicago general manager Kyle Davidson did little to improve the roster this offseason, putting his faith in Bedard and fellow youngsters Frank Nazar, Sam Rinzel, Artyom Levshunov and Alex Vlasic. That means the 19-year-old franchise center will again shoulder the offensive burden.
Bedard will be another year older and entering his third NHL campaign in 2025-26. Given his offensive skills and drive to succeed, he should raise his game to another level, putting him in line for a long-term deal with an AAV exceeding $10 million.
1. Jason Robertson, Dallas Stars
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As the most notable of the 2026 restricted free-agent class, Jason Robertson holds the most expensive current contract among this group. The Dallas Stars winger is in the final season of a four-year deal with an average annual value of $7.75 million.
The 25-year-old was an instant hit with the Stars following his full-time NHL debut in 2020-21, finishing second among their scorers with 45 points in 51 games during that COVID-shortened campaign. He made that season's All-Rookie Team and was runner-up for the Calder Memorial Trophy.
Since then, he has been the Stars' most consistent scorer, leading the club during that period with 168 goals and 225 assists for 393 points. That included a career-best 109-point performance in 2022-23.
Robertson will get extra scrutiny because he'll be UFA-eligible in 2027. He and teammate Thomas Harley are both RFA-eligible. The Stars have over $27 million in projected cap space for 2026-27, so they should be able to re-sign both, though Robertson could seek over $10 million annually.
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