Updated Ranking of 2026 NHL Free Agents After Connor McDavid Extension

Editor's Note: Jack Eichel signed an eight-year extension with the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday

Even though seeing Connor McDavid and Kirill Kaprizov sign new contract extensions is great news for those players and their teams, it somewhat dampens our collective fun when it comes to potential free agent speculation.

The summer of 2026 free-agent frenzy was shaping up to be one of the biggest and most star-studded offseasons ever, if those players had gone to market. However, there are still many other top names who could be out there.

Surely there will be other players opting to sign extensions, but with the NHL season officially underway, contract talks may pause for the time being.

Still, even with McDavid and Kaprizov off the board, there are many big names still looking to cash in next summer. Jack Eichel, Artemi Panarin, and Adrian Kempe are just a few of the leading players we'll be ranking as the top potential free agents for 2026.

For the record, Kyle Connor was originally on the list until news broke Monday that he was closing in on an eight-year extension with the Winnipeg Jets.

With that in mind, who comes out on top? Let's find out.

10. Patrik Laine, Montréal Canadiens

David Kirouac/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

The Canadiens have a very exciting situation about to unfold with their horde of young talent.

From Cole Caufield to Lane Hutson to Ivan Demidov to Juraj Slafkovský, it feels inevitable that the Habs will be a menace for years to come. Patrik Laine was a big part of their breakout last season as a weapon on the power play, though, and his legacy as an offensive spark plug could make him a hotly pursued player next summer.

Laine's elite shot makes him a threat to score any time he's on the ice, and many contending teams love to have specialists like that in the lineup to make teams pay, especially for taking penalties.

Are there questions about his commitment to defensive play? Yes, there are.

However, Laine is 27 years old, which, when it comes to unrestricted free agency, would make him one of the younger players available to sign.

Sure, names such as Evgeni Malkin, Mats Zuccarello, Claude Giroux and Alex Ovechkin make our heads spin at the possibility of them signing somewhere else for a year or two for juicy money, but the likelihood of those guys changing addresses seems really, really low.

Laine would come with a "buyer beware" advisory, but former 30-to-40-goal scorers offer the tantalization of maybe being able to do it again.

9. Sergei Bobrovsky, Florida Panthers

Megan Briggs/Getty Images

Remember when Sergei Bobrovsky signed his seven-year, $70 million contract in 2019 to join the Florida Panthers and how hard we all dunked on it because who in the world pays a goalie like that?

Then he helped turn the Panthers into a perennial contender and back-to-back Stanley Cup champions, and we've been eating some amount of crow since then.

Bobrovsky can be a free agent next summer if Florida decides it doesn't want to have him retire as a Panther. He's 37 years old, and his legacy as one of the great goaltenders of this era is cemented.

It doesn't seem like he's slowing down at all. He hasn't been a Vezina-level goalie in the regular season for years, but he's been great in the playoffs, particularly in the Stanley Cup Final.

While Bobrovsky surely wouldn't land another super long-term deal on the open market, there's zero doubt he would have a boatload of value on the open market for any contender in need of answering their own goaltending questions (Carolina, Edmonton, Toronto, for example).

It would be hard to believe Florida would allow it to get there, especially with how eager it's been to re-sign its key players, but it's also spent a pile of money to do that.

8. John Carlson, Washington Capitals

John McCreary/NHLI via Getty Images

As much as Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Bäckström have been fixtures for the Washington Capitals, John Carlson has been just as well for them on defense.

Carlson is the franchise's highest scoring defenseman by a long stretch and arguably the top blueliner in team history (Rod Langway, Calle Johansson, Sergei Gonchar, and Kevin Hatcher in there too).

If the Capitals allowed Carlson to leave in free agency, it would be a brutal controversy, but until he signs an extension with them, the possibility exists, even if only in thought.

At 35 years old, you know what you're getting with Carlson. He's a puck-moving, point-producing blueliner who can quarterback a power play extremely well. As a right-handed shot, he'd be in high demand, particularly as a veteran, and it's not as if we haven't seen similar players throughout history become travelers late in their careers. Remember when Brian Leetch was a Boston Bruin or Toronto Maple Leaf?

Carlson should be a Capital for life, but if he somehow isn't, he'd have plenty of teams eager to add his veteran know-how.

7. Anders Lee, New York Islanders

Ben Jackson/Getty Images

As wild and woolly as the times have been on Long Island over the past few years, the steadiest part of them has been the play of captain Anders Lee. He's embodied what it's been to be a New York Islander, and he's done all they could ask of him.

With new GM Mathieu Darche in place and some form of change going on there with the roster, thanks to landing defenseman Matthew Schaefer with the No. 1 pick in the 2025 draft, it's OK to wonder about what will happen with their veterans.

With Lee in a contract season, it's OK to wonder if he could be somewhere else next season.

Lee was once a 30-40-goal guy, but he can be banked on to have 20-to-25 per season now with 40-to-50 points per season.

At 35 years old, he'd be an outstanding veteran to add to a contending team's lineup in a depth role if the Islanders let him get away, and considering he was huge in the Islanders' run in the bubble playoffs in 2020, we know what he can do in those big situations.

6. Nick Schmaltz, Utah Mammoth

Aaron Baker/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

If you haven't kept up with how good a player Nick Schmaltz has been throughout his career, we understand.

His time started quietly with Chicago, and when he landed with the Arizona Coyotes, he exploded for them. Now they're the Utah Mammoth, he's entering a contract year in Salt Lake City, and with the team ready to emerge as playoff contenders, it couldn't come at a better time for him.

Schmaltz will offer an interesting new test for Utah ownership. It's eager to secure Logan Cooley's long-term commitment and has already locked up J-J Peterka after acquiring him from Buffalo. Schmaltz is older than those guys, but he's been an outstanding playmaker throughout his career with Arizona/Utah.

Utah is a significantly better team now than it was during Schmaltz's time in Glendale, but it hasn't yet developed its depth. Schmaltz is a very good player, but there's no doubt he would have a lot of attention paid to him on the open market. The Mammoth has the money to keep him, but if he wanted to pursue life beyond the organization, it would be easy enough to understand why.

5. Alex Tuch, Buffalo Sabres

Bill Wippert/NHLI via Getty Images

At the time of writing, Alex Tuch has not signed a long-term extension with the Buffalo Sabres, but it may not be long until he does.

Tuch is one of the Sabres' best forwards. He scores goals, sparks the offense, and he's become a very good defensive player, particularly on the penalty kill.

He loves playing in Buffalo, and that's something that counts for a lot with GM Kevyn Adams. The only surprise is that the two sides haven't hammered out an agreement yet, but it seems like it would be an easy thing to accomplish.

That said, if something were to happen that causes the two sides to not agree on an extension, it would be quite lucrative for Tuch because the 30-year-old winger would be hotly pursued on the open market.

Contending teams would be lined up to add Tuch as the missing piece to their lineup, and the chances of Sabres fans seeing another top player leaving town and winning a Stanley Cup elsewhere again would jump through the roof.

There's no doubt Tuch will get paid, and it should be in Buffalo. But if it's not there, it will be somewhere with an already dynamite core.

4. Martin Nečas, Colorado Avalanche

Jeff Bottari/NHLI via Getty Images

It's been wild to keep track of the contract ups and downs surrounding Martin Nečas the past few years.

From his time in Carolina to the almost-trade to the Buffalo Sabres that never happened because he allegedly wouldn't sign a long-term extension there to his eventual move to Colorado in the Mikko Rantanen trade after signing a two-year extension with the Hurricanes, it's been some kind of road to possible unrestricted free agency in July.

Nečas hasn't quite looked like the same player in Denver as he did in Carolina before the trade, but he's been very good, nonetheless. A big question for the Avalanche to answer is how much they should pay the Czech winger to keep him.

They've secured a significant deal for Nathan MacKinnon and have sizable ones in place with Cale Makar, Brock Nelson, Gabriel Landeskog, and Devon Toews as well.

Makar is due for a monster new deal in two years, and he'll get it, but figuring out Nečas' ultimate cost is difficult because even the Avalanche aren't totally sure what he is.

Nečas had 11 goals and 17 assists in 30 games with Colorado last season after the trade, and considering he posted 55 points in 49 games with Carolina before that, he's kind of on target for similar production. He had five points in seven playoff games, but the Avs getting bounced in the first round by Dallas didn't help clear up the picture.

It's possible Nečas could be a trade candidate again, but you'd have to think other teams that want him would have similar questions about how big a producer he can be. Regardless of all that, if he hits the open market, he'd make big bank because there would be so few other forwards with his skill set available.

3. Adrian Kempe, Los Angeles Kings

Gary A. Vasquez/NHLI via Getty Images

If there's any kind of upside for the Los Angeles Kings in seeing captain Anze Kopitar retiring after this season, it's that it frees up the kind of money they'll need to sign winger Adrian Kempe to a long-term extension.

Then again, Kopitar's retirement could be the kind of thing that makes Kempe wonder what it might be like beyond Los Angeles.

Kempe has been a dynamic goal scorer in L.A. the past three seasons, posting totals of 41, 28, and 35 while riding shotgun on Kopitar's wing. As a strong two-way forward with a metric ton of offensive firepower, Kempe would be a monster free agent on the market if he gets there.

However, with things changing in Los Angeles following Kopitar's retirement and eventual enshrinement in the Hall of Fame, the dynamic with the Kings shifts accordingly.

Kempe being part of a forward core built around Quinton Byfield, Kevin Fiala, Alex Laferriere, and Alex Turcotte, with veterans Philip Danault and Trevor Moore in support, means they've got things in place to move seamlessly to the next generation. Extending Kempe is vital to that, though.

If Kempe gets to free agency, he'll have every team in the league trying to get him to join them.

2. Artemi Panarin, New York Rangers

Elsa/Getty Images

Since the start of the 2021-2022 season, there have been only five players who scored more points than Artemi Panarin.

The Rangers' offensive superstar ranks in the same stratosphere as Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, Leon Draisaitl, Nikita Kucherov, and David Pastrnak. And while most of those guys are locked up long-term, Panarin is staring at the possibility of being one of the biggest stars available in free agency after this season.

After the Rangers missed the playoffs last season, the team's future may hang in the balance this season, which could lead to Panarin becoming a potential trade candidate later this year if a new contract can't be worked out. His dynamic offensive play has been a key factor in making the Rangers a Cup contender in recent seasons.

While they've never been shy about extending their top players (Adam Fox, Igor Shesterkin), you could argue the only reason Panarin hasn't won MVP is because he's going up against the likes of McDavid, MacKinnon, and Draisaitl to do it.

The possibility of Panarin hitting the open market should terrify the Rangers and motivate them to sign him long-term as soon as possible, because there will be plenty of teams eager to do so otherwise.

If that's something the Rangers are endeavoring to do, time is of the essence.

1. Jack Eichel, Vegas Golden Knights

David Becker/NHLI via Getty Images

It may feel like a lifetime ago when Jack Eichel signed his eight-year, $80 million contract with the Buffalo Sabres, but only if you're a Sabres fan or even Eichel himself.

With that deal coming to an end and his career in a great place with the Vegas Golden Knights, the chances of him hitting the open market seem pretty slim.

Vegas loves Eichel, and he loves playing in Sin City, and it's been a mutually agreeable relationship. After all, he helped them win the Stanley Cup, and Vegas gave him a new place to call home after things in Buffalo went south.

The Golden Knights don't like to lose elite talent, and now with Mitch Marner joining Eichel in Las Vegas, it would be silly to let a little thing like money get in the way of that budding dynamic duo.

Still, if this partnership between Eichel and the Golden Knights manages to get wonky somehow, he would be the top player available in the free-agent market on July 1, 2026.

Not only has he consistently been a dynamic offensive player, but he has also become a top-tier player in his own end over the past couple of seasons.

Vegas won't let him get away, and the chances of him signing an extension and making this piece look like old news sooner than later are probably pretty high, but he'd be the best player available in free agency right now.