The 10 Best NHL Players Slated for Free Agency in 2027
We sure do love free agency, don't we? Players finding new teams, teams changing up their rosters, and the hope that things can improve for all of them. The first day of 2026 free agency saw plenty of action and it's got us fiending for more next year in what could be an exciting offseason in 2027.
There are more than a few superstar players whose contracts expire next summer and, for now, hopes and dreams of seeing those star players potentially working the market and cashing in while potentially landing somewhere new lives. Sure, most star players find ways to sign extensions but let's not think about that now! Let's think big and bold and let our imaginations run wild.
We'll take a look at the biggest names who could hit the market a year from now and dream big about what they could pull in as unrestricted free agents. From future Hall of Famers to other star players, we'll hit the biggest names and dream about what it would be like if they decided to take their talents to the open market.
Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay Lightning
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We watched the Tampa Bay Lightning go off on the first day of free agency including signing defenseman John Carlson to show they're ready to try and win the Stanley Cup again. The 2026 MVP Nikita Kucherov will be vital to making that happen and with it being a contract year, he might go off even bigger.
Wait, a contract year? Scary to think what he could do with something else to prove and even scarier to think what it would be like if he hit the free agent market. The chances of that happening would seem to be extremely low because MVPs just don't get away that easily.
For our exercise though, indulge the thought for a moment what it would be like to see Kucherov on the open market and how teams would twist themselves in knots to find ways to create the cap space needed to try and woo him.
Quinn Hughes, Minnesota Wild
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The Minnesota Wild went hard to land Quinn Hughes last season in a trade and knowing full well they'd have to get him extended was part of the challenge. He was brilliant in leading them to the playoffs and showed why he's GM Bill Guerin's priority to get a deal done with him.
Guerin said he'll get it done and we don't doubt that, but... players only get to hit the open market so many times to cash in big and if Hughes entered free agency, the sky would be the limit for what he could get.
The 2024 Norris Trophy winner would be one of the most prized free agents available of all-time if he went to market. His skill and playmaking ability as well as his ability to control games makes him one of the best defensemen in the game. If the Wild somehow found a way to let him escape, it would be a colossal misstep. It's not one we're expecting to happen, but with the kind of money that could be had, getting those negotiations squared away is vital for Minnesota.
Cale Makar, Colorado Avalanche
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Cale Makar's greatness on the blue line goes without saying and while he's been a fixture in Colorado and a key reason why they're perennial Stanley Cup contenders, the possibility of him going to free agency next summer is enough for GM Joe Sakic to all but say that it won't happen.
Yes, the odds are very long that Makar would hit the open market and, as of right now, that possibility does still exist. Will it in another day or two? Doubtful, so while we've got time let's consider what free agency would be like next July 1 if Makar was available.
No matter how many excellent defensemen a team would have, there would be room to add Makar to the mix because he's such a dominating all-around weapon when he's on the ice. Whether it's a 5-on-5 or on the power play, the chances of your team scoring a goal skyrockets if he's out there controlling the puck and the pace of play.
Makar will undoubtedly get a massive extension from the Avalanche because it would be madness to let him get away. But imagine what the offseason would be like if he hit the open market and marvel at what a circus it would be.
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.jpg?w=256 "NHL Trade Grades")
Alex DeBrincat, Detroit Red Wings
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While a few of the players we're discussing here very likely won't make it to free agency, we can't really say that about Detroit's Alex DeBrincat.
The seemingly awkward spot the Red Wings are in with Dylan Larkin's trade request comes at a tough time with DeBrincat entering a contract season. It would be difficult for the Michigan native DeBrincat to commit to staying in Detroit if their leader and top player goes elsewhere. That is, of course, if DeBrincat stays in Detroit himself.
DeBrincat's ability to score goals would be in high demand on the open market as well as his ability to contribute to the power play. At 29 years old, he'd be in prime position to cash in well and after seeing other players around that age already score big contracts, it wouldn't be any different for him. After scoring 41 goals this season, another 40-goal season would make him one of the jewels on the free agent market next summer.
John Gibson, Detroit Red Wings
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The goaltending market next summer could get really interesting and while goalies don't usually get a lot of attention (unless your name is Sergei Bobrovsky anyway), the possibility of John Gibson getting there would be enough to make teams in need take notice.
Gibson showed last season with Detroit how good he can be when he's healthy. His performance for the Red Wings confirmed why they traded for him even though the season finished without the postseason again. In December and January, Gibson went 17-4-1 with a .923 save percentage and three shutouts. While the end of the season cooled off for him and the rest of the team, that kind of play showed he can get the job done.
Goaltending is always in need by teams and landing a veteran like Gibson to solidify a tandem or trio would be a solid piece of work for any team. If things in Detroit get dicey this season, he's someone that could find himself back in the trade market as well.
Jordan Binnington, St. Louis Blues
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If a team in need of goaltending next summer also wants to land one with a Stanley Cup under his belt, Jordan Binnington very well might be there to be had.
No goalie gets bar and online arguments stirred up more than Binnington and the possibility of him hitting free agency next July should only figure to keep those fires burning. His overall numbers haven't been impressive, but his reputation as a big-game goalie hasn't gone anywhere after watching him play for Canada in the Four Nations Face-Off and the Olympics on top of the memories of his play in helping the Blues win the Cup in 2019.
If Binnington goes to free agency, there's no doubt a team desperate for an experienced netminder would kick the tires on him and give him a shot to see if he can recapture that kind of magic again in a different situation. After all, things have been so up and down for the Blues in recent years that Binnington's results would be examined closer to see if he was the cause of or victim of those results. Still, Cup-winning goalies are hard to find and guys who play with his kind of competitive fire can get old-school minded teams excited.
Erik Karlsson, Pittsburgh Penguins
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The resurgence we saw from Erik Karlsson in Pittsburgh last season made us all remember how great he can be. We've seen him win the Norris Trophy in the past and the work he did helping lead the Penguins back to the playoffs was inspiring. It was also the kind of play that makes us wonder what he could get as a free agent next summer.
Karlsson will be 37 next summer so we're not talking about a long-term deal here. Well, unless the Florida Panthers get involved and want to toss six years at him like Radko Gudas.
Anyway, Karlsson's 66 points in 75 games last season with 15 goals makes you believe he can still get it done. Another season like that in 2026-2027, he'd be a prime player for a Stanley Cup contender to acquire to bolster their blue line in a way to make them that much more dangerous in the postseason.
Drew Doughty, Los Angeles Kings
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The Kings will be in an interesting position next summer with Drew Doughty. GM Ken Holland said they won't be extending him right now and want to revisit that next summer when he's set to be a free agent. If he gets there at age 37, he would undoubtedly be an option for a Cup contending team.
Doughty's offensive game and fiery competitiveness would make him an attractive depth option for top teams in need of a player who can still push for goals and help on the power play. What's worth watching this season is whether or not his numbers rebound.
Doughty had 23 points in 72 games last season and his 0.8 points per 60 rate was his lowest since his rookie season. That kind of play is no doubt why Holland said they weren't extending him but want him to finish his career with L.A., but if he rebounds substantively, you wonder if Doughty might want to see who else might want to bring him on board.
Mark Stone, Vegas Golden Knights
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No team creates intrigue the way Vegas does and as great as team captain Mark Stone has been for them over the years, the possibility of him hitting free agency next summer seems as likely as it does impossible to imagine.
At 35 years old and coming off a contract that comes with a $9.5 million cap hit, the Golden Knights freeing up that kind of money would seem to be really appealing to them in their never-ending pursuit of adding elite talent. Of course, Stone is also an elite talent and helped them win a Stanley Cup and those are two features that would also make him an attractive option in free agency across the league.
Stone's two-way play and leadership would make him highly desirable on the free agent market, particularly for any teams in need of one more piece to get over the hump to win a Stanley Cup of their own. Then again, Vegas might do well to have a player be one of their legacy players to finish their career there.
Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins
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All right, let's be real here, there's a 0% chance Sidney Crosby goes to free agency, but the fact is he's entering the final year of his current contract with the Penguins which means he could be a free agent next summer.
Crosby is a Penguin now and he'll be a Penguin forever and he'll go into the Hockey Hall of Fame as a Penguin. The only way he'd end his career as not-a-Penguin would be a dramatic change of mind and great misfortune next season for the Penguins' season and even then he probably wouldn't leave Pittsburgh.
We know the alleged rumors about Crosby going to Colorado a couple seasons ago were fun and all, but he can team up with his Cole Harbour mate Nathan MacKinnon when they play for Team Canada internationally.
.png?w=480 "NHL Free Agency Big Board")
.jpg?w=480 "NHL Trade Grades")
.jpg?w=480 "Markstrom-Rodrigues Trade Grades")
.png?w=600 "Latest Free-Agency Moves ✍️")
