Our list of top 50 UFAs saw many of its top names land a “re-signed” designation before the 2025-26 league year even began. Now, 10 days into free agency, 44 of those players have signed new contracts, leaving just six without deals:
20. C Jack Roslovic
22. D Matt Grzelcyk
27. LW Victor Olofsson
42. G Ilya Samsonov
46. LW Jeff Skinner
48. G Alexandar Georgiev
Roslovic still being on the market isn’t particularly surprising. It seems there’s always an odd man out in the top 20 range that lingers well into week two, particularly with the depth of this year’s class being as thin as it is.
His ongoing availability likely isn’t a knock on how teams perceive his value, either. Many clubs have already solidified their middle-six group with UFA pickups like Andrew Mangiapane and Pius Suter, and the ones that haven’t likely have interest in Roslovic as a backup option if they can’t land more of a needle-moving, first-line caliber player in a trade. That’s the case with the Maple Leafs, one of the few teams that have been linked to Roslovic in the last few days.
While far from being a bang-and-crash forward, Roslovic holds value in his positional versatility and has emerged as one of the more consistent depth scorers in the league. A third-line piece, ideally, he tied his career-high in goals last season with 22 in 81 games with the Hurricanes, adding 17 assists for 39 points. He’s scored between 30 and 45 points in each of the last five seasons.
Roslovic was projected to receive a three-year contract worth $4.09MM per season by AFP Analytics, while we forecasted a more conservative $3.5MM cap hit on a three-year deal. Either way, with most teams having filled out their rosters, only 11 teams have under $3.5MM in cap space and should likely be considered out of the running. Teams in need of added middle-six depth, like the Avalanche, Wild, and Red Wings, might be names to watch in the coming days.
The lack of capped-out teams this deep into July, a direct result of the quickly rising cap, likely means that players who were left without contracts after the first week of free agency may not need to take as steep a discount on their initial market value as they have in years past. That principle should at least apply to players like Roslovic and Grzelcyk, who at least have interest but are likely at the mercy of teams preferring trade options before they circle back with a firm offer. For someone like the offensively gifted but defensively challenged Olofsson, though, he’s likely abandoning hope of cashing in on his resurgent season with the Golden Knights.
Nonetheless, Olofsson is arguably the highest-ceiling name left on the market. He’s a three-time 20-goal scorer with the Sabres, with whom he spent the first six seasons of his career, but became a free agent in 2024 on the heels of a seven-goal, 15-point showing in 51 games.
Vegas took a flyer on him, and he settled quickly for a one-year, $1.075MM deal on July 2 last year. Injuries again limited him to less than 60 games, but he did get a few reps in the Knights’ top six, putting together a 15-14–29 scoring line in 56 outings. That was a 43-point pace – still the second-worst of his career behind his disastrous 2023-24.
He needs sheltered even-strength minutes and power-play deployment to be effective, but he’s a relatively safe bet for 20 goals and 40 points if he stays healthy. Only he and Roslovic can realistically provide that production among the remaining UFAs.
Grzelcyk is the only defenseman left on the board among our top 50, and he actually had the most points among any remaining UFA last season with 40. That was a career-high for the 31-year-old, who departed Boston for Pittsburgh last summer on a one-year deal and saw considerably more power-play deployment than he had in the past.
The Sharks looked like a potential fit for Grzelcyk at the start of free agency, but their slew of other additions has now led to a logjam of blue-liners, so they’re out of the market. Grzelcyk may have to expect a reduction in minutes on the 20 per game he saw last season, and look for another one-year commitment on a team looking for power-play help.
The most likely outcome for the ’tenders, Samsonov and Georgiev, may be contracts in Europe at this point. There’s no team with a glaring hole at the No. 1 or No. 2 positions, and teams looking for an upgrade are likely looking for a more consistent option than the roller-coaster play those two have provided over the last couple of seasons.
Some other names still available include wingers Joel Kiviranta, Luke Kunin, Craig Smith, and Michael Carcone. Nikolai Kovalenko leads the way among intriguing non-tendered forwards, assuming he doesn’t sign in the KHL. The top defenseman outside of Grzelcyk, both in terms of name value and scoring last season, is Ryan Suter.
Image courtesy of Perry Nelson-Imagn Images.
Surprised that Griz hasn’t signed yet, but I have read that he is basically pricing himself out of deals at this point.
That wouldn’t surprise me. Probably feels he should be getting better offers after a 40-point year.
These guys should take whatever is offered to stay in the league.
As a Canes fan, I don’t see why the organization doesn’t like Roslovic. He played well last season when paired with skilled players and was good on our putrid power play. He’s a better option than KK.
Carcone to the Penguins if/when Rust or Rakell are dealt.