Ranking the Top 10 2026 NHL Restricted Free Agents
It's been over a month since the puck dropped on the 2025-26 NHL season, but several notable stars have already signed contract extensions with their respective teams.
NHL general managers already know the salary cap is projected to rise from the current rate of $95.5 million to $104 million for 2026-27 and $113 million for 2027-28. That foresight has enabled some of them to re-sign some of their best players to lucrative new deals.
That includes some of next summer's notable restricted free agents. Since publishing our ranking of the top 10 RFAs in July, Dustin Wolf of the Calgary Flames, Logan Cooley of the Utah Mammoth, Lane Hutson of the Montreal Canadiens, and Thomas Harley of the Dallas Stars have all been re-signed.
The latest noteworthy signing was on Nov. 13, when the Ottawa Senators signed center Shane Pinto to a four-year contract worth an average annual value of $7.5 million.
Several players from our previous list, such as Connor Bedard of the Chicago Blackhawks and Leo Carlsson of the Anaheim Ducks, remain unsigned. They are part of our revised ranking of the top-10 players slated to become restricted free agents in July.
10. Šimon Nemec, New Jersey Devils
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Chosen second overall by the New Jersey Devils in the 2022 draft, Šimon Nemec was projected to become a big-minute, puck-moving NHL defenseman.
Over the past two seasons, though, he bounced between the Devils and their AHL affiliate in Utica.
Nemec has occasionally surfaced in media trade rumors. However, the 21-year-old blueliner could be improving his value with the Devils with 12 points in 18 games, including a hat trick against the Chicago Blackhawks on Nov. 12.
It remains to be seen if he will maintain that level of production, especially when veteran Dougie Hamilton returns from a lower-body injury. Nevertheless, the youngster is showing signs that he can become a top-pairing right-shot blueliner.
Nemec, 21, is in the final season of his entry-level contract. He earns an average annual value of $950,000, with performance bonuses that could earn him up to $4.5 million. His lack of arbitration rights could result in a short-term bridge contract worth around $5 million annually, depending on his performance.
9. Brandt Clarke, Los Angeles Kings
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The Los Angeles Kings selected Brandt Clarke with the eighth overall pick in the 2021 draft. It took a couple of seasons for him to earn a full-time spot on their blueline, but he secured a berth last season with 33 points in 78 games.
A right-shot defenseman skating on the Kings' second defense pairing, the 22-year-old is a smooth-skating puck mover. He has nine points in 19 games this season, sitting third in puck possession with a shot attempt percentage of 59.0, and fourth in blocked shots with 24.
He is in the final season of his entry-level contract, with an average annual value of $863,334 and performance bonuses that could push his total to $1.7 million. He lacks arbitration rights.
Another 30-plus-point campaign could earn Clarke a long-term deal worth around $6 million annually. The better he plays, the more lucrative his next deal will become.
8. Pavel Dorofeyev, Vegas Golden Knights
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The 2024-25 season was a breakout campaign for Pavel Dorofeyev of the Vegas Golden Knights. After showing promise with 13 goals and 24 points in 47 games in 2023-24, he erupted for 35 goals and 52 points in 82 games.
The 25-year-old is in the final season of a two-year contract with an average annual value of $1.8 million. He has arbitration rights, giving him leverage to seek a substantial raise on his next contract.
A crafty scoring winger, the Russian leads the Golden Knights with 10 goals in 17 games. That puts him on pace for a 50-goal season, but it remains to be seen if he can maintain that level of production over the rest of the schedule.
Another 35-goal performance could put Dorofeyev in line to seek around $6.5 million annually on his next contract, and much more if he reaches the vaunted 50-goal plateau. For now, the Golden Knights appear comfortable waiting to see how this season shakes out.
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7. Trevor Zegras, Philadelphia Flyers
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After five inconsistent seasons with the Anaheim Ducks, Trevor Zegras was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers on June 23. The move has rejuvenated the versatile forward, as he's off to a good start with his new club.
Skating on the Flyers' second line, the 24-year-old is their leading scorer with 19 points in 18 games. That puts him on pace for a career-best 80 points.
It remains to be seen if he can maintain that output, but he is making the most of this opportunity with the Flyers. Kevin Kurz of The Athletic wondered whether the Flyers should sign the slick playmaker now or wait until the summer to see how this season unfolds.
Zegras is in the final season of a three-year contract with an average annual value of $5.8 million. He has arbitration rights this summer. Kurz believes the Flyers would have no problem inking him to a five-year deal worth around $7.8 million annually, though the Zegras camp could seek something closer to $9 million.
6. Simon Edvinsson, Detroit Red Wings
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The 2024-25 season was a disappointment for the Red Wings as they missed the playoffs for the ninth straight season. Simon Edvinsson's performance was among the few highlights, as the defenseman earned first-pairing minutes alongside top blueliner Moritz Seider, netting 31 points in 78 games.
Edvinsson is on pace for another 30-plus point campaign, with six points in 18 games. He's their leader in blocked shots (41), sits second among Red Wings skaters in ice time (21:13) per game, fifth in shorthanded ice (1:40), and sixth in puck possession (55.8 in shot attempt percentage).
This is the final season of the 22-year-old's entry-level contract. He's getting an average annual value of $894,167, with performance bonuses that could earn him up to $1.74 million. He lacks arbitration rights.
On Oct. 7, Jake Tye of The Hockey News speculated that the Anaheim Ducks' signing of Jackson LaCombe to an eight-year, $72 million contract could affect what Edvinsson gets on his next deal. Another solid performance on his part could earn him a contract comparable to LaCombe's.
5. Adam Fantilli, Columbus Blue Jackets
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The 2024-25 season was a breakout performance for Adam Fantilli. After netting 27 points in 49 games during his injury-shortened 2023-24 NHL debut, he netted 31 goals and 54 points in 82 games, much of those spent filling in for sidelined first-line center Sean Monahan.
Fantilli is sitting fourth among Blue Jackets scorers with 12 points in 18 games. That puts the center on pace for a 60-point performance playing second-line minutes.
It's a slower-than-expected start to this season for the 21-year-old, who had six points in his first dozen games. However, he regained his scoring touch of late, with six points in his last five games. If those stats keep improving, he could be within range of an 80-point campaign.
Fantilli is in the final season of his entry-level contract. He earns an average annual value of $950,000, with bonuses that can bring his total to $4.2 million. He lacks arbitration rights, but the more he improves, the more it'll cost the Blue Jackets to re-sign him. An 80-point season could push his next AAV to over $9 million.
4. Cutter Gauthier, Anaheim Ducks
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On Jan. 8, 2024, the Anaheim Ducks traded defenseman Jamie Drysdale to the Philadelphia Flyers for Cutter Gauthier. That move has paid dividends thus far, as the young winger is developing into a scoring star.
Gauthier enjoyed a promising 20-goal, 44-point rookie performance in 82 games last season. After 18 games this season, he's well on his way to eclipsing those numbers. He's among the league leaders in goals with 12, and sits second in points (21) among the Ducks' leading scorers.
The 21-year-old is in the final season of his entry-level contract. He earns an average annual value of $950,000, with performance bonuses that take him up to $1.9 million. He also lacks arbitration rights.
Gauthier is on pace to reach 45 goals and 85 points this season. If he comes close to those stats, he could put himself in line for a big pay raise of over $10 million annually. Ducks GM Pat Verbeek is a tough negotiator with players coming off their entry-level deal, and he could try to keep it under that amount.
3. Jason Robertson, Dallas Stars
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Dallas Stars winger Jason Robertson sat atop our previous ranking based on his contract and performance during his NHL career.
The 27-year-old is in the final season of a four-year contract with an average annual value of $7.8 million. As of Nov. 16, he was second among the Stars this season with 23 points.
Robertson had 45 points in 51 games during his debut season in the COVID-shortened 2020-21 campaign. He followed up by becoming one of the Stars' top forwards, netting 79 or more points in each of the past four seasons, including a career-high 46 goals and 109 points in 2022-23.
What makes Robertson's contract situation unique is that he'll be eligible for unrestricted free agency in July 2027 if he goes to arbitration and receives a one-year contract. The Stars would prefer to avoid that possibility by signing him to a long-term deal.
Robertson was the subject of offseason trade rumors, but general manager Jim Nill dismissed the speculation, claiming he had no intention of moving him. So far, there's no sign they're close to a deal. It could cost the Stars over $11 million annually to sign him.
2. Leo Carlsson, Anaheim Ducks
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Entering this season, Leo Carlsson was coming off two promising campaigns with the Anaheim Ducks. He had a 29-point effort in 55 games as a rookie in 2023-24, followed by a 20-goal, 45-point performance in his sophomore season.
His game has taken a substantial leap forward through the early weeks of this season. With 26 points in 18 games, the 20-year-old center sat among the league's top 10 scorers. He's powered the Ducks' impressive rise in the standings as they jockey for first place in the Pacific Division.
At his current pace, Carlsson is on track to become the first Anaheim player to reach 100 points since Teemu Selanne and Paul Kariya in 1998-99. It will ensure that he earns a big raise on his next contract, but how much will depend on whether the Ducks use his lack of arbitration rights as leverage.
Carlsson is completing his entry-level contract. He earns an average annual value of $950,000, with bonuses that could earn him up to $4.2 million. He could seek $12 million annually on his next deal, but Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek is a tough negotiator and could try to keep that AAV to under $10 million.
1. Connor Bedard, Chicago Blackhawks
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Connor Bedard has been considered the Chicago Blackhawks' franchise player since being chosen first overall in the 2023 draft. He won the Calder Memorial Trophy in 2023-24 with a team-leading 61 points, but his 67-point performance last season was considered a disappointment.
It's a different story thus far in his third NHL season. The 20-year-old has taken his game to a higher level, leading Chicago with 26 points. As of Nov. 16, he's among the league's top-10 scorers, blossoming into the young superstar he was projected to become.
Bedard is in the final season of his entry-level contract. He earns an average annual value of $950,000, with performance bonuses that could earn him up to $4.5 million. At his current rate of production, he will exceed 100 points, which would make him the first Chicago player to do so since Patrick Kane in 2018-19.
Kane was earning an AAV of $10.5 million back then. Given the sharp rise in player salaries to match the rising salary cap, it could cost Chicago around $15 million to sign Bedard to a long-term deal, despite his lack of arbitration rights.
Stats (as of Nov. 16, 2025) via NHL.com. Contract info via PuckPedia. Additional info via Hockey-Reference.com.
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