Free Agent Focus: Winnipeg Jets
Free agency is now just hours away, and teams are looking ahead to when it opens. Even with the UFA crop being thinned out in recent months, there will be some quality veterans set to hit the open market in July, while many teams also have key restricted free agents to re-sign. We wrap up our look around the NHL with an overview of the free agent situation for the Jets.
Key Restricted Free Agent
F Cole Perfetti – Perfetti’s bridge deal has expired with the same questions existing as there were before his contract was signed. He has shown flashes of legitimate top-six skill, evidenced by a 50-point showing in 2024-25. However, he hasn’t cracked the 40-point mark in his other three years, including a 32-point platform year last season. As a 50-point player, he could plausibly push for an AAV in the $7MM range on a long-term contract. But are the Jets willing to pay him at that level when he has only reached that mark once? If not, they might want to do another short-term deal. But with only two years left before Perfetti becomes UFA-eligible, that type of agreement would likely need to be a one-year pact (in the $4.5MM to $5MM range) which carries its own risk. This could be a tricky situation for GM Kevin Cheveldayoff to navigate.
Other RFAs: D Tyrel Bauer, F Rasmus Kupari (signed in Switzerland)
Key Unrestricted Free Agents
G Eric Comrie – Comrie has had two very different years since rejoining the Jets. The first season went quite well with him putting up an above-average performance, leading to some calls to try to get him a bit more playing time to take some pressure off Connor Hellebuyck. That opportunity came last season with Hellebuyck injured and it did not go well. The 30-year-old struggled considerably with the higher expectations and wound up finishing with a below-average year statistically with a .890 SV% and a 3.13 GAA. If there is a team that wants him as a backup, he could still get a boost to the $1.5MM range, up from the $1MM he made the last two seasons. But if that doesn’t materialize and he’s viewed as more of a third-string option, he may have to settle for something around his old deal.
D Ville Heinola – Once viewed as one of Winnipeg’s better prospects, Heinola hasn’t lived up to that level of expectation. He cleared waivers last season, spending most of the year in AHL Manitoba which has qualified him for Group Six free agency. But he’s listed here as it’s likely that he’ll be one of the more sought-after players out of that class of players. There will be teams that think they can turn him into a capable third-pairing puck-mover and if that’s the case, he could command a contract worth more than the minimum salary. That doesn’t happen too often with Group Six players.
F Gustav Nyquist – The 36-year-old is technically only two years removed from a career year that saw him record 75 points. That’s one side of the coin. The other side is that the two seasons since then haven’t remotely gone as well. After putting up 28 points in 2024-25, Winnipeg thought that Nyquist would still be able to provide some secondary offense. That didn’t happen as he had all of one goal and 11 assists in 51 games last season while playing less than 13 minutes per night. There may be teams that think he will fit better in their system but after making $3.25MM with the Jets, he’s probably going to have to settle for closer to half of that this summer. He’s eligible for bonuses on a one-year contract and that might be his best path to take.
Other UFAs: F Jaret Anderson-Dolan, D Jacob Bryson, D Kale Clague, F Phillip Di Giuseppe, F Samuel Fagemo, D Colin Miller (signed in Switzerland), F Mason Shaw
Projected Cap Space
The Jets enter the day with a little more than $19MM of salary cap flexibility. A fair-sized chunk of that will go to Perfetti whenever his deal gets done but Cheveldayoff will still have ample cap space to try to add to his roster. How much budget room he has remains to be seen but Winnipeg should still be able to add a second netminder and another couple of players at least over the coming weeks.
Photos courtesy of Terrence Lee and Eric Canha – Imagn Images. Contract information courtesy of PuckPedia.
Free Agent Focus: Washington Capitals
Free agency is now less than a week away, and teams are looking ahead to when it opens. Even with the UFA crop being thinned out in recent months, there will be some quality veterans set to hit the open market in July, while many teams also have key restricted free agents to re-sign. We continue our look around the NHL with an overview of the free agent situation for the Capitals.
Key Restricted Free Agents
In less than 72 hours, Washington has moved on from both of their key free agent forwards leading up to the draft. On Tuesday, the Capitals sent Connor McMichael in a package to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for Jordan Kyrou. This morning, Washington moved on from bottom-six forward Hendrix Lapierre, dealing him to the Pittsburgh Penguins for a pair of draft selections. Now, the Capitals will only be concerned with retaining some of their goaltending depth for AHL Hershey and ECHL South Carolina for next season.
Other RFAs: F Ryan Hofer, G Jesper Vikman, G Garin Bjorklund
Key Unrestricted Free Agents
F Alex Ovechkin – If Ovechkin, the all-time greatest goal-scorer, intends to return to the Capitals for a 22nd season, Washington won’t know about it before the start of free agency. Yesterday, TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reported that Ovechkin plans to make his retirement decision, or stay with Washington, after July 1st. To be clear, those are the only two options. Ovechkin may effectively retire from the NHL and play a year or two in the KHL, but there’s no chance he plays for any team other than the Capitals if he stays in the NHL. The 40-year-old Russian has slowed down, there’s no question, but he remained more than effective this past season, scoring 32 goals and 64 points in 82 games with 134 hits.
F Brandon Duhaime – The Capitals got two different versions of Duhaime over this two-year contract. In 2024-25, Duhaime scored nine goals and 21 points in 82 games, averaging 13:21 of ice time per game. This past season, he took a major step back offensively, finishing with four goals and nine points in 82 games, averaging 11:04 of ice time. If he had any hopes of remaining with the Capitals, those were likely nixed given the team’s moves over the past few days. Still, Duhaime remains a highly physical and defensively sound bottom-six forward, so he should garner some interest on the open market.
D Trevor van Riemsdyk – Like Duhaime, van Riemsdyk will likely be looking for a new team next week. He didn’t have a horrible season, scoring three goals and 14 points in 68 games with 97 blocked shots, but the Capitals’ existing defensive depth is more than capable of covering for the loss of van Riemsdyk. As a bottom-pairing option, he likely won’t have the most robust market on the free agent market, but some teams will have interest in adding a right-handed veteran as a depth option.
Other UFAs: F Brett Leason, F Henrik Rybinski, F Wyatt Bongiovanni, D Corey Schueneman
Projected Cap Space
Washington’s salary cap situation has significantly changed over the past few days. After acquiring Kyrou, the Capitals also acquired Alex Tuch with a sign-and-trade with the Buffalo Sabres. In these two trades alone, Washington added nearly $19MM to their salary cap table for next season. Still, despite those moves, the Capitals have approximately $12.7MM remaining to improve the roster. If he stays, it’s difficult to determine what Ovechkin will command, but it’s likely to come with a lower base salary with high incentives. Washington already has 12 forwards, eight defensemen, and two goalies signed through next season, so they don’t have many holes to address. Regardless, it’s clear they’re pushing their chips in for the end of the Ovechkin era, and are looking to get back into the gauntlet of the Eastern Conference.
Photos courtesy of James Carey Lauder of Imagn Images. Contract information courtesy of PuckPedia.
Free Agent Focus: Vegas Golden Knights
Free agency is now a week away, and teams are looking ahead to when it opens. Even with the UFA crop being thinned out in recent months, there will be some quality veterans set to hit the open market in July, while many teams also have key restricted free agents to re-sign. We continue our look around the NHL with an overview of the free agent situation for the Golden Knights.
Key Restricted Free Agents
F Pavel Dorofeyev – The Golden Knights’ breakout sniper has picked the perfect time to cash in. Dorofeyev, a 25-year-old Russian winger and former third-round pick, established himself as one of the league’s premier finishers in 2025-26, setting a career high with 37 goals to go with 64 points in 81 games, more than half of those goals (20) coming on a power play he anchored from the top unit alongside Jack Eichel and Mitch Marner. An RFA with arbitration rights coming off a bargain $1.835MM cap hit, he is in line for an enormous raise, and the offer-sheet chatter that swirled around him in the spring only underscored his value. AFP Analytics projects a long-term pact in the range of six years at $8.465MM annually, or a two-year bridge near $5.649MM; either way, locking up their leading goal scorer is the clear top priority for GM Kelly McCrimmon, with the only real question being how a cap-strapped Vegas team fits the number in.
G Akira Schmid – Pressed into heavy duty by a goaltending carousel, Schmid emerged as the most dependable option Vegas had in net. With Carter Hart sidelined for months by a lower-body injury and Adin Hill enduring an uneven year, the 25-year-old Swiss netminder shouldered a sizable workload and delivered, going 16-10-6 with a 2.59 GAA, a .893 save percentage and two shutouts across 34 appearances, leading all Vegas goalies in each of those rate categories. An RFA who also represented Switzerland at the 2026 Olympics, Schmid is young, cost-controlled and coming off the most extensive NHL action of his career, exactly the kind of asset a cap-strapped team should want to keep. Re-signing him is a straightforward priority, and he could enter next season with a real chance to claim a larger share of the crease.
Key Unrestricted Free Agents
D Rasmus Andersson – The prize of Vegas’ deadline maneuvering, Andersson now headlines its list of difficult decisions. The 29-year-old right-shot defenseman was acquired from Calgary in January at a steep price, a package built around a conditional 2027 first-round pick, and he delivered, posting a career-best 17 goals and 46 points across 80 games between the two clubs while logging more than 21 minutes a night on a second pair alongside former Flames teammate Noah Hanifin. Widely regarded as the top defenseman available should he reach the open market, Andersson will command a hefty multiyear raise on his expiring $4.55MM cap hit. Vegas surrendered too much to treat him as a pure rental, but as Pierre LeBrun reported, the Knights will need to clear significant cap space to get a deal done, making him the franchise’s defining storyline of the summer.
F Reilly Smith – One of the last links to the franchise’s origins, Smith again faces an uncertain future in Vegas. An original Golden Knight and a key piece of the 2023 Stanley Cup team, the 35-year-old winger returned via trade a year ago and gave the Knights 26 points (16 goals, 10 assists) in 69 games, though he found himself a healthy scratch at times as the season wore on. He remains a useful two-way veteran with a championship pedigree, but at his age and with Vegas pressed hard against the cap, a sentimental reunion may be a luxury the Knights can’t afford. A move elsewhere on a cheaper deal looks like the likelier outcome.
F Colton Sissons – Acquired from Nashville last summer, Sissons gave Vegas exactly the kind of dependable bottom-six presence it sought, chipping in 11 points in 66 games while drawing the tough defensive matchups John Tortorella trusts him to handle. The 32-year-old center brings a long track record of playoff reliability dating back to his run to the 2017 Final with the Predators, and that steadiness has value for a team built to win now. Still, with so many bigger contracts to sort out, the pending UFA is the type of complementary piece Vegas may have to let walk and replace internally, barring a cheap re-sign.
F Brandon Saad – A year that began with Stanley Cup aspirations turned into a frustrating one for the veteran winger. Saad, a two-time champion and once a dependable 20-goal scorer, struggled to make an impact in a bottom-six role, managing just three goals and nine points in 49 games while bouncing in and out of the lineup, frequently rotating with Reilly Smith for playing time and losing a stretch to injury. The 33-year-old still brings size and sound two-way habits, but coming off comfortably the least productive full season of his career and with Vegas squeezed against the cap, a return is no certainty. If he is back, it would likely be on another inexpensive one-year deal; otherwise, he profiles as a candidate to seek a fresh start elsewhere.
Other UFAs: F Cole Smith, D Jeremy Lauzon, D Ben Hutton, D Dylan Coghlan
Projected Cap Space
The Golden Knights enter the offseason in their customary spot: right up against the cap, with hard choices to make. Fresh off a run to the Stanley Cup Final, where they fell to Carolina in six games, Vegas must decide how much of that roster it can keep together, and the math is unforgiving. Per PuckPedia, the Knights project to have only about $4.6MM in space beneath the $104MM ceiling, nowhere near enough to comfortably re-sign Dorofeyev, let alone retain pending UFA Andersson on top of him. That makes salary shedding all but inevitable; McCrimmon will almost certainly have to move money out to fit Dorofeyev’s raise, and keeping Andersson likely hinges on clearing even more. Complicating matters, Vegas holds no picks in the first two rounds of either the 2026 or 2027 drafts, the cost of years of aggressive trades, which leaves the front office short on cheap, controllable reinforcements. As ever with this group, expect McCrimmon to find a way to stay competitive, but something, or someone, will have to give.
Salary cap information via PuckPedia.
Free Agent Focus: Vancouver Canucks
Free agency is just a week away, and teams are looking ahead to when it opens. Even with the UFA crop being thinned out in recent months, there will be some quality veterans set to hit the open market in July, while many teams also have key restricted free agents to re-sign. We continue our look around the NHL with an overview of the free agent situation for the Canucks.
Key Restricted Free Agents
D Pierre-Olivier Joseph – Brought in to add cost-controlled depth to the blue line, Joseph never found his footing in his first season with Vancouver. The 26-year-old left-shot defenseman was limited to 31 games by injuries and inconsistency, managing just six points and a minus-16 rating while averaging a touch over 13 minutes a night. He retains some appeal as a mobile depth option on a cheap ticket, but with the Canucks turning the page and prioritizing younger players, he is no better than a borderline qualifying-offer candidate, and the team could just as easily let him walk.
Other RFAs: F Nils Aman, F Chase Stillman, F Jayden Grubbe, F Danila Klimovich
Key Unrestricted Free Agents
F Evander Kane – A year that began with the storyline of a hometown return ended in disappointment for both player and team. The Vancouver native, acquired from Edmonton for a fourth-round pick, was supposed to bring scoring and snarl to the middle six but instead posted his fewest goals in a full season since 2014-15, finishing with 13 goals, 31 points, and a minus-20 rating across 71 games for a club that cratered around him. The 34-year-old still brings physicality and a veteran edge, and was floated as a trade candidate before injuries intervened, but on an expiring contract and with the Canucks committed to youth, a reunion looks highly unlikely. Expect Kane to test the market.
F Teddy Blueger – One of the few veterans to hold his value through a lost season, Blueger remained a quietly effective two-way center even as injuries cost him most of the year. The 31-year-old Latvian was limited to 35 games but tied his career high with nine goals and added eight assists, a near-40-point pace, while continuing to anchor what had been one of the league’s better penalty kills before the roster was gutted. He has said he would like to stay, and was valued enough my the Canucks that they couldn’t find a worthwhile deadline return for him, but with the club ready to hand bottom-six minutes to younger players, his future is uncertain. A cheap, short-term re-sign is possible, though he may well find a better opportunity elsewhere.
D Derek Forbort – Forbort’s second season in Vancouver was essentially a write-off, as a hip injury limited the veteran to just two games. When healthy the year before, the 34-year-old left-shot defenseman had been a genuine asset, almost single-handedly lifting the Canucks’ penalty kill into a top-three unit, but a lost campaign at this stage of his career makes a return to a rebuilding team hard to envision. Coming off an expiring $2MM deal and reportedly set to test free agency, Forbort will likely move on.
Other UFAs: F Curtis Douglas, F Joe Labate, D Guillaume Brisebois
Projected Cap Space
The Canucks enter the summer in unfamiliar territory: at the start of a full rebuild. After a dismal 58-point season, the worst record in the NHL and a League-worst minus-100 goal differential, Vancouver tore the operation down to the studs. The watershed move came in December, when the club traded captain and former Norris Trophy winner Quinn Hughes to Minnesota for Marco Rossi, Liam Ohgren, Zeev Buium, and a 2026 first-round pick, and the selloff continued with Conor Garland, Tyler Myers and Kiefer Sherwood all shipped out for futures. The front office was overhauled just as thoroughly: GM Patrik Allvin and coach Adam Foote were fired, president Jim Rutherford is stepping aside after this month’s draft, and franchise icons Daniel Sedin and Henrik Sedin were installed as co-presidents, with Ryan Johnson hired as general manager and Manny Malhotra promoted from the AHL as the new head coach. Per PuckPedia, the Canucks project to carry roughly $21MM in space against the $104MM ceiling, but Johnson has been explicit that this rebuild will be built through the draft and trades rather than free-agent splashes; the room is more useful as a tool to absorb salary and pry assets from cap-strapped clubs than to chase July 1 names. The bigger prize comes at the draft, where Vancouver holds the No. 3 overall pick and a franchise-record haul of selections, and where Malhotra’s son Caleb, a top-ranked center, looms as a possibility. With veterans such as Brock Boeser, Elias Pettersson, Filip Hronek, and Thatcher Demko still drawing interest, the front office’s reshaping of the roster is only getting started.
Salary cap information via PuckPedia.
Free Agent Focus: Toronto Maple Leafs
Free agency is now less than two weeks away, and teams are looking ahead to when it opens. Even with the UFA crop being thinned out in recent months, there will be some quality veterans set to hit the open market in July, while many teams also have key restricted free agents to re-sign. We continue our look around the NHL with an overview of the free agent situation for the Maple Leafs.
Key Restricted Free Agents
F Nick Robertson – A perennial subject of trade chatter, Robertson finally delivered the offensive season Toronto had long hoped for, even as the team cratered around him. The 24-year-old winger, a second-round pick in 2019 and the younger brother of Stars star Jason Robertson, set career highs with 16 goals and 32 points in 78 games, settling in as a useful secondary scorer in a middle-six role despite averaging under 13 minutes a night. His expiring $1.825MM contract makes him an obvious qualifying-offer candidate, with reporting pegging his next deal in the $2-3MM range on a short term. The wrinkle is the new front office: with John Chayka looking to reshape the roster, Robertson is exactly the kind of cost-controlled scorer who could either stick as a cheap middle-six piece or be folded into a larger trade.
F Matias Maccelli – Acquired from Utah a year ago to help soften the loss of Mitch Marner, Maccelli endured a bumpy first season in Toronto but quietly proved he belongs. The 25-year-old Finnish winger posted 14 goals and 39 points in 71 games and, notably, led all Maple Leafs forwards in expected-goals share despite the club’s woeful possession numbers, a sign his underlying game was better than either the box score or a lengthy December healthy-scratch streak suggested. He has been open about wanting to stay, and the playmaking he brings on the wing fills a genuine need. The complication is money: coming off a $3.425MM cap hit, his qualifying number could become awkward if Chayka lands another pricier top-six forward, leaving him both a re-sign candidate and a potential trade or offer-sheet target.
D Emil Andrae – One of two pieces coming back in the June 16 deal with Philadelphia, alongside goaltender Samuel Ersson, Andrae is the kind of young, cost-controlled defenseman a quckly retooling team can find a role for. The 24-year-old Swede, a second-round pick in 2020, locked down a regular spot on the Flyers’ blue line after an early-season shuttle to the minors, finishing with two goals and 13 points, a plus-15 rating, 68 hits, and 58 blocked shots across 61 games. Undersized at 5-foot-9 but a creative, mobile puck-mover with some power-play utility, he is exactly the type of young defenseman the new front office can try to grow into an everyday player, with a path to a third-pairing job and second-unit power-play time in Toronto. Coming off an expiring $903K cap hit and arbitration-eligible, he is a straightforward qualifying-offer candidate the Leafs should be glad to keep.
Other RFAs: G Samuel Ersson, F Jacob Quillan
Key Unrestricted Free Agents
F Calle Jarnkrok – A useful veteran in better times, Jarnkrok’s four-year run in Toronto appears to be ending on a sour note. The 34-year-old, who turns 35 early next season, managed just eight points in 56 games after a sports hernia limited him to 19 games the prior year, and he was often ineffective while absorbing minutes that might have gone to younger players. Reporting from David Pagnotta indicated he is unlikely to be back, and with Chayka explicitly aiming to get younger and faster, the expiring $2.1MM forward looks all but certain to move on, whether to another NHL club or back to Sweden.
D Troy Stecher – Claimed off waivers from Edmonton in mid-November, Stecher became one of the few feel-good stories of Toronto’s season, stabilizing an injury-ravaged blue line with the tenacity and shot-blocking that have defined his career. The 32-year-old right-shot defenseman skated in 58 games and chipped in three goals and 14 points, his best offensive output since 2019-20, while logging dependable minutes for next to nothing against the cap at $787.5K. He has made clear he hopes to re-sign, though he has also acknowledged that a return to Vancouver, where his career began, holds appeal if he reaches July 1 unsigned. For a rebuilding team that still needs bodies on the right side, another cheap deal to bring him back would be sensible business.
Other UFAs: F Travis Boyd, F Vinni Lettieri, D Matt Benning
Projected Cap Space
The Maple Leafs enter the summer with more flexibility than they have had in years and a brand-new management group eager to use it. After a disappointing 32-36-14 season that finished last in the Atlantic and out of the playoffs for the first time in nearly a decade, Toronto fired GM Brad Treliving and coach Craig Berube, handed the front office to former Coyotes GM John Chayka alongside senior adviser Mats Sundin, and hired Jim Hiller as head coach. The roster teardown is already underway: the June 16 trade of Woll and Benoit to Philadelphia cleared roughly $5MM, and Chayka moved quickly to add the offseason’s top available defenseman, Darren Raddysh, on a June 19 sign-and-trade. The Leafs have ample room for Chayka to chase top-six help on the wing and possibly down the middle, with a projected $18.8MM in cap space. The bigger swings figure to come on the trade market: Morgan Rielly and his full no-trade clause sit at the center of trade speculation, and power forward Matthew Knies, under contract for five more years with no trade protection until the final year of the deal, looms as the team’s most coveted chip. Add the No. 1 overall pick at this month’s draft, where Penn State’s Gavin McKenna is the consensus top selection, and Chayka has no shortage of avenues to reshape a roster and get back into the playoffs.
Salary cap information via PuckPedia.
Free Agent Focus: Utah Mammoth
Free agency is now less than two weeks away, and teams are looking ahead to when it opens. Even with the UFA crop being thinned out in recent months, there will be some quality veterans set to hit the open market in July, while many teams also have key restricted free agents to re-sign. We continue our look around the NHL with an overview of the free agent situation for the Mammoth.
Key Restricted Free Agents
F Barrett Hayton – Once viewed as a potential top-six fixture, Hayton instead spent 2025-26 settling into the player he may simply be: a reliable, defensively sound middle-six center. The fifth overall pick from 2018 endured a frustrating, injury-interrupted year, managing 10 goals and 25 points in 67 games, roughly half of the career-best 46 points he posted the season before, as an upper-body injury cost him the end of the regular season and most of Utah’s first-round series. Even so, he won better than 52% of his faceoffs and remained one of the team’s best forecheckers, and with the center depth chart crowding behind Logan Cooley and Nick Schmaltz, his value lies in that steady two-way role. An arbitration-eligible RFA coming off a $2.65MM cap hit, Hayton has spent his entire career in the organization and has made clear he wants to stay. A short-term deal that lets both sides reassess feels like the logical outcome, with PuckPedia’s comparable tool pointing to something around the $4.375MM AAV of Morgan Frost‘s recent contract.
Other RFAs: F Michal Kunc, D Maksymilian Szuber, G Anson Thornton
Key Unrestricted Free Agents
F Kailer Yamamoto – Despite playing on a one-year, $775K contract for the 2025-26 season, Yamamoto was a quietly productive tertiary scorer for the Mammoth this season. In 59 games, Yamamoto registered 13 goals and 23 points, on pace for nearly a 20-goal campaign on an 82-game average. Utah didn’t have many struggles with offense this season, but Yamamoto shouldn’t be too expensive to keep, either. There will come a time when Yamamoto will likely lose his spot in the lineup in favor of a younger forward, but if the Mammoth can have that additional offensive weapon in their bottom-six, why not keep him for a year or two?
F Alexander Kerfoot – Brought back last summer for his veteran presence and bottom-six versatility, Kerfoot saw an injury-marred season undercut his on-ice impact. A core-muscle procedure wiped out the first 35 games before an upper-body injury cost him another month, limiting the alternate captain to 34 games and 13 points (seven goals, six assists), though a strong March showed he could still provide a jolt to the depth. The 31-year-old’s value extends well beyond the box score, as a back-to-back King Clancy nominee whose leadership and community work made him a cornerstone of the franchise’s early years in Utah. With the Mammoth’s prospect pipeline pushing for jobs, his return is no certainty, but he remains a useful, low-cost depth re-sign if both sides want to continue.
D Ian Cole – The veteran’s veteran, Cole quietly turned in one of his more productive seasons in years while serving as a steadying presence on Utah’s young blue line. The 37-year-old appeared in all 82 games, posting three goals and 23 points, his highest total since 2019-20, while mentoring rookies such as Dmitri Simashev through their first NHL action. A two-time Stanley Cup champion known for his honesty and leadership, Cole proved he can still handle a third-pairing role while shepherding the team’s prized young defensemen, exactly the kind of presence a club on the cusp of contention covets. With Utah ascending and Cole still effective on a cheap deal, a reunion that keeps that veteran voice in the room would make plenty of sense for both sides.
Other UFAs: F Kevin Stenlund, F Kevin Rooney, D Nick DeSimone, G Vitek Vanecek, F Andrew Agozzino, D Kevin Connauton, D Scott Perunovich, G Matt Villalta
Projected Cap Space
After two seasons finding their footing, the Mammoth arrive at this offseason as an ascending team rather than a rebuilding one. Utah reached the playoffs for the first time since relocating from Arizona and pushed Vegas to six competitive games in the opening round, powered by a young, deep core that produced 10 double-digit goal scorers and a breakout 30-goal season from Schmaltz. The Mammoth are projected to have roughly $13MM in cap space with a handful of mostly depth roster spots to fill. That is a manageable, if not lavish, situation for a club that doesn’t need to be a major player in free agency. GM Bill Armstrong‘s priorities are re-signing RFA center Hayton, deciding which of his veteran UFAs to keep, and sorting out the backup goaltending behind Karel Vejmelka, while a long-term extension for budding star Cooley, who becomes eligible to sign on July 1, looms as the franchise’s most consequential cap decision. With one of the league’s stronger prospect pipelines and a deep stockpile of mid-round picks to dangle, Armstrong has the flexibility to add complementary pieces while staying patient.
Photos courtesy of Wendell Cruz of Imagn Images. Contract information courtesy of PuckPedia.
Free Agent Focus: Tampa Bay Lightning
Free agency is now less than a month away, and teams are looking ahead to when it opens. Even with the UFA crop being thinned out in recent months, there will be some quality veterans set to hit the open market in July, while many teams also have key restricted free agents to re-sign. We continue our look around the NHL with an overview of the free agent situation for the Lightning.
Key Restricted Free Agents
Heading into the offseason, the Lightning won’t have any major restricted free agents to concern themselves with. The only player they would have had was defenseman J.J. Moser, but Tampa Bay signed him to an eight-year, $54MM extension during the Christmas season. For depth purposes, it would make sense for the Lightning to retain both RFAs they’ll have this summer, but neither of them is expected to factor into the NHL next season.
Other RFAs: D Ethan Samson, G Hugo Alnefelt
Key Unrestricted Free Agents
F Corey Perry – Regardless of whether the Lightning keep him or not, Perry has already stated that he intends to play a 22nd season in the NHL. Acquired from the Los Angeles Kings at the trade deadline, Perry performed relatively well throughout his second stint with the Bolts, registering six goals and nine points in 22 games to close out the regular season. However, Perry did nothing positive for Tampa Bay throughout their brief postseason run, going scoreless with a -2 rating across seven contests. Despite his veteran experience, his postseason performance may have killed any chance of the Lightning extending Perry an offer to stay with the team.
F Oliver Bjorkstrand – Like Perry, it’s highly unlikely that Bjorkstrand will be with Tampa Bay next season. Acquired alongside Yanni Gourde, the Lightning paid a hefty price in bringing both to the organization, and Bjorkstrand has not become what Tampa Bay hoped he would be. A quality secondary scorer earlier in his career, Bjorkstrand’s output fell to 12 goals and 32 points in 80 games for the Lightning this season, while also going scoreless in four postseason appearances. It’s apparent that he’s fallen out of favor in Tampa Bay, and the organization will likely choose to utilize its dollars elsewhere.
D Declan Carlile – Normally, Carlile wouldn’t be a key piece for the Lightning to think about retaining. However, given the amount of injuries the team dealt with on the blue line this past season, it would be prudent to keep him around for the next couple of years as insurance. He’s relatively physical and has good defensive metrics, but Carlile isn’t a defenseman who’s likely to find himself in the top four anytime soon. He finished the 2025-26 season with one goal and three points in 42 games with a +5 rating, averaging 14:47 of ice time per game.
Other UFAs: F Mitchell Chaffee, D Ian Mitchell, G Brandon Halverson, G Ryan Fanti
Projected Cap Space
For the first time in a while, the Lightning will enter the offseason with some flexibility. Knowing how much it was going to cost to retain him, Tampa Bay shipped off defenseman Darren Raddysh this morning, allowing him to sign an eight-year, $68MM extension with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Not being the ones to sign that extension, the Lightning will have approximately $13MM to use while already having 14 forwards, seven defensemen, and two goaltenders signed through next season. They’ll likely look for a veteran right-handed defenseman such as John Carlson or Jacob Trouba to replace Raddysh, but Tampa Bay should still have enough room to improve its depth after addressing that area of the roster.
Photos courtesy of Wendell Cruz of Imagn Images. Contract information courtesy of PuckPedia.
Free Agent Focus: Seattle Kraken
Free agency is now less than a month away, and teams are looking ahead to when it opens. Even with the UFA crop being thinned out in recent months, there will be some quality veterans set to hit the open market in July, while many teams also have key restricted free agents to re-sign. We continue our look around the NHL with an overview of the free agent situation for the Kraken.
Key Restricted Free Agents
F Jacob Melanson – Only one of Seattle’s restricted free agents spent the bulk of his time on the NHL roster. Melanson fought his way onto the Kraken fourth-line this season after making his NHL debut in March 2025. He totaled five points, 32 penalty minutes, and a team-leading 188 hits in just 36 games played. That physical role underlined Melanson’s impact, as did his ability to keep up with speed and play aggressive against any opponent. He also found his streak as a passer in the minor-leagues – netting 24 points in 39 games between the regular-season and playoffs this year. His NHL role could grow if that playmaking comes along in his second season. Melanson should have more-than-earned a stay in Seattle and should represent a nice bit of potential at a cheap price.
F Logan Morrison – Morrison will stand out in a shallow RFA poll after leading the Coachella Valley Firebirds in scoring with 29 goals and 61 points in 68 games. His ability to drive the puck with speed pushed Morrison into a feature role and career-year with the Firebirds. He is blocked on the depth chart by high-value prospects like Jagger Firkus, Jani Nyman, and Oscar Fisker Molgaard – but still provides immense value to the Coachella Valley lineup. A new deal would extend his stay on top of the Firebirds offense, while offering a glimmer of NHL-lineup upside. Morrison debuted in the NHL during the 2023-24 season but managed no scoring and a minus-one in four games.
Other RFAs: F Jon-Randall Avon, F Lleyton Roed, D Ville Ottavainen, D Peetro Seppala, G Victor Ostman
Key Unrestricted Free Agents
F Jaden Schwartz – The toughest question of Seattle’s off-season could focus on veteran winger Jaden Schwartz. The 33 year old sustained a lower-body injury that sidelined him for six weeks and 20 games in November. He then missed a chunk of games in March after taking a skate to the face from a tumbling Nick Cousins. That injury held Schwartz out of an additional 11 games, effectively limiting his season to just 50 appearances. He still turned in a strong year, netting 26 points and maintaining his role on the Kraken second-line. Schwartz’s hopes of returning could hinge on if other long-term pros, like Jordan Eberle and Bobby McMann, stick with the team through the 2026-27 season.
F Eeli Tolvanen – Seattle will also have to think through Tolvanen’s role coming off a two-year, $7MM contract. He scored 12 goals and 24 assists in 78 games this season, nearly an exact mirror of his 2024-25 campaign when he notched 23 goals and 12 assists. He also ranked second on the club with 187 hits. Tolvanen settled into an middle-six role and found his step as a puck-mover when his scoring dried up this season. He brings clear impacts to the lineup, though through hot-and-cold stretches. Seattle should be able to secure Tolvanen on a slight upgrade from his previous $3.5MM cap hit, though they could first search for a bigger spark on the open market.
F Bobby McMann – Rounding out Seattle’s names to consider on offense is McMann, who joined the Kraken in a Trade Deadline move that returned a second-round and fourth-round pick to the Toronto Maple Leafs. He brought an immediate spark, scoring 10 goals and 14 points in 18 games. McMann fit right into Seattle’s top-six. But he also recorded a 17.7 shooting percentage, over four percent higher than his career-average 13.1 percent. That could suggest a slowdown is due for the 30-year-old winger, coming off his second season cresting the 20-goal mark. Given his age and mere 218 games of NHL experience, McMann could end up with a short-term and affordable contract – which should be tempting to Seattle after dealing multiple assets for him.
D Jamie Oleksiak – The Kraken will face less of a head-scratcher on defense. Oleksiak continued to provide a shutdown role on Seattle’s blue line – though his spot fell down a rung, to the third-pair. He ended the year with just 15 points in 78 games. Oleksiak is an original Kraken and has offered year-over-year reliability since joining the team, typically rivaling 15 assists and top penalty-killing minutes. He also stands in the way of prospects Ryker Evans and Ty Nelson. Seattle could secure a reliable lineup piece, and their first expansion draft pick to retire with the club, by extending Oleksiak. They could also prioritize prospect development by leaving him on the open market. The chosen path could be a sign of Jason Botterill’s direction for the team.
Other UFAs: G Matt Murray, F Mitchell Stephens, D Gustav Olofsson
Salary Cap Outlook
The Kraken will have plenty of cap space to build out their roster after a front office shakeup. They hold a projected $28.34MM in cap space per PuckPedia. They have enough space to re-sign each of their notable free agents while still having room to add. Seattle could be a prime location for impactful free agents like Alex Tuch, Jack Roslovic, or Andrei Kuzmenko. With four first-round picks across the 2026 and 2027 drafts, Seattle could also be a contender to pull of the brazen offer sheet in an attempt to land a true difference-maker.
Photo courtesy of Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports.
Free Agent Focus: San Jose Sharks
Free agency is now less than a month away, and teams are looking ahead to when it opens. Even with the UFA crop being thinned out in recent months, there will be some quality veterans set to hit the open market in July, while many teams also have key restricted free agents to re-sign. We continue our look around the NHL with an overview of the free agent situation for the Sharks.
Key Restricted Free Agents
F Collin Graf – Although Macklin Celebrini stole the show, Graf was quietly one of the Sharks’ best secondary contributors this season. The undrafted free agent out of Quinnipiac University finished sixth on the team in scoring with 21 goals and 46 points in 81 games, averaging 16:27 of ice time per game. Despite the high goal totals, Graf’s possession metrics were subpar, indicating he is unlikely to develop into a player who can drive a line. However, given the wealth of talent San Jose has coming up the forward ranks, and those already on the roster, Graf could conceivably develop into a 30-goal scorer next to the right playmaker. The Sharks will have to be prudent with the contracts they give out this summer, but Graf may be one they’ll want to sign long-term.
F Philipp Kurashev – After losing his spot with the Chicago Blackhawks, Kurashev landed with San Jose last offseason as a potentially low-risk, high-reward addition. Unfortunately, injuries derailed his season, causing Kurashev to finish with seven goals and 20 points in 43 games. However, his point-per-game average, as well as his possession and defensive metrics, all improved with the Sharks. Depending on how San Jose wants to shape their roster next season, Kurashev may stick around as a placeholder. Still, his playstyle doesn’t fit well into the bottom six, so the Sharks should only retain him if they have a spot for him in the middle six of the forward corps.
D Shakir Mukhamadullin – The former first-round pick played relatively well throughout his first full season in San Jose. Like Kurashev, Mukhamadullin lost some of his season due to injury, finishing with five give goals and 12 points in 50 games, averaging 17:09 of ice time with a -3 rating. It’s unlikely that he’ll ever develop into a scoring threat, but San Jose trusts him, starting 57.1% of his shifts in the defensive zone. Most of the Sharks’ summer will be spent on redeveloping the defensive corps, and Mukhamadullin is the type of defenseman any team would want on their bottom-pairing as a shutdown threat.
Other RFAs: F Zack Ostapchuk, F Martin Kaut, F Ethan Cardwell, D Noah Beck, D Nolan Allan, G Gabriel Carriere
Key Unrestricted Free Agents
D John Klingberg – Klingberg, 33, was one of the several defensemen San Jose brought in last offseason to help stabilize the defensive corps. He finished as the team’s second-highest scoring defenseman with 10 goals and 27 points in 56 games with a -13 rating. As much as his play on the defensive side of the puck was lacking, the Sharks don’t have any right-handed defenseman signed through next season, unless they’re willing to give Mattias Havelid a shot on the NHL roster. To help with continuity as they transition to a younger blue line, Klingberg may be one of the few unrestricted free agents the Sharks keep around on a one- to two-year deal.
D Mario Ferraro – One defenseman the Sharks won’t be retaining is Ferraro. The subject of trade rumors for several years, San Jose was reportedly holding out for a first-round pick and some, but ultimately didn’t land what they were looking for. Now, they’ll lose Ferraro for nothing. Given his desire for a multi-year deal and the relatively thin options on the free agent market this summer, Ferraro has likely priced himself out of the Bay Area. He’s coming off the best performance of his career, registering seven goals and 23 points in 82 games with a -1 rating, averaging 21:02 of ice time per game.
Other UFAs: F Ryan Reaves, F Pavol Regenda, D Nick Leddy, D Vincent Desharnais, F Colin White, F Samuel Laberge, F Shane Bowers, F Egor Afanasyev, D Lucas Carlsson, D Jett Woo, G Laurent Brossoit, G Jakub Skarek
Projected Cap Space
The Sharks will enter the offseason with the most cap space of any team at $40.56MM. As stated previously, San Jose is relatively set in their forward corps, and should use most of their available dollars to build up the defense. Given their cap space, there’s nobody off-limits to the Sharks, as they could conceivably sign multiple of the top defensemen available. However, the likes of Celebrini, Will Smith, and Yaroslav Askarov are all eligible for extensions this summer, which should eat up a decent chunk of San Jose’s future cap space if they’re all signed to long-term deals. To not only ensure that the team returns to the postseason but also retains their flexibility in the future, this summer will be a balancing act for General Manager Mike Grier.
Photos courtesy of Keito Newman (Graf) and David Gonzales (Klingberg) of Imagn Images. Contract information courtesy of PuckPedia.
Free Agent Focus: Pittsburgh Penguins
Free agency is under a month away, and teams are looking ahead to when it opens. Even with the UFA crop being thinned out in recent months, there will be some quality veterans set to hit the open market in July, while many teams also have key restricted free agents to re-sign. We continue our look around the NHL with an overview of the free agent situation for the Penguins.
Key Restricted Free Agents
F Egor Chinakhov – The polarizing forward immediately found new life in Pittsburgh after a December trade from Columbus, leaving him in a fascinating position this summer which already raises questions on what comes next. Shooting at 17%, there’s uncertainty on what is truly sustainable for the 25-year-old, who also went scoreless in the playoffs. Still, Chinakhov’s 18 tallies with the Penguins would rank seventh on the team, and he did so in just 43 games, with another 18 assists for 36 points. Best case for Pittsburgh is a one-year deal worth somewhere around the $3.5MM range, such that they’ll retain his restricted free agent status next year, by then able to make a safer bet on a long-term contract. It might not be that easy though, as the Russian has arbitration rights and will look for more security, and closer to $5MM, after rewarding the team with his play.
G Arturs Silovs – Another 25-year-old who made the most of a fresh start with the Penguins, the netminder played in 39 games, more than doubling his usage from 2022-25 combined with the Canucks. Silovs’ -11.9 goals saved-above-expected wasn’t glowing, paired with a 3.04 goals-against-average and .888 save percentage. A great stretch in the playoffs helped, proving his worth as a worthy pairing to the rising 22-year-old Sergei Murashov, with a nice balance of youth and untapped potential to fit in general manager Kyle Dubas‘ efforts to get younger. The Calder Cup champion would command a nice raise from his past $850k into a one-year deal worth around $1.8MM, which would allow them to put Stuart Skinner‘s hypothetical dollars elsewhere, but either way Dubas faces a decision between him or Silovs.
Other RFAs: F Ville Koivunen, D Alexander Alexeyev, G Joel Blomqvist, F Vasili Ponomarev, F Oliver Okuliar, G Filip Lindberg
Key Unrestricted Free Agents
F Anthony Mantha – It’s not often that a playoff team’s leading goal scorer walks away so decisively, but as things stand that might be the case with the 31-year-old whose 33 regular season tallies were best on the Pens. It was tremendous production considering his $2.5MM value, not expected to be much more than a middle-six depth scorer. Things weren’t so easy in the playoffs though, coming away with just one assist in six games which plays a part in his status today. Even with ample cap room, the power forward’s market value in one of the weakest free agent classes in recent memory is one that Dubas seems to be wary of. Another team could come calling with a deal taking him past age 35, worth over $6MM per season. It would be a big gamble, but Mantha has all the tools to put together a few more 25-goal campaigns, a player long thought to be capable of more than what he offered as a Red Wing or Capital.
G Stuart Skinner – Even if Dubas and the Penguins send Skinner on his way, walking for nothing in return, there’s little doubt who won the December trade with Edmonton, swapping him and Tristian Jarry. That wasn’t because the Edmonton native caught fire though; his stats regressed in Pittsburgh to a 2.99 goals-against-average and 8.3 goals saved-above-expected. As they have Murashov coming along, no long-term commitment makes sense, and as outlined above, Silovs’ slight edge in age could be favorable as well. Either way, veteran free agent counterparts such as Sergei Bobrovsky and Frederik Andersen have concerns of their own, while Skinner at 27-years-old stands out on the market. With his $2.6MM now off the books, the 6’4″ 2023 NHL All Star could get a deal similar to Petr Mrázek‘s past two-year, $4.25MM AAV agreement with Chicago, if not more term considering his younger age.
D Ryan Shea – Like many others preparing for July 1, the 29-year-old picked a great time to have a career year. In 80 games, Shea notched 35 points on 18:53 of usage. It’s production nobody would have expected from a player who had never played in more than 39 games in an NHL season, with six total points in his career prior to 2025-26. The 6’1″ lefty saw a nice jump of zone starts on the attack, up to 47.6%, an effective pairing alongside fellow UFA Connor Clifton. The duo’s efforts helped free up Erik Karlsson on his bounce back season. AFP Analytics predicts that Shea could command four years at $4.36MM per season, true top-four level. Already with fellow lefties Parker Wortherspoon and Samuel Girard in the mix, it won’t be easy, with Dubas wishing Ryan Graves‘ $4.5M AAV wasn’t a factor.
F Noel Acciari – The 34-year-old rounds out the group of “notables” over Shea’s sidekick outlined above, as he put together his second-best season as an 11-year-pro. In his third campaign with Pittsburgh, the Rhode Island native scored 13 goals with 12 helpers in 67 games. All of that came from starting an insane 84.9% of his work in his own end. Following Dubas along as a free agent from Toronto three years ago, with a three-year contract worth $2MM per, another two-year pact with around the same value is doable this summer. Pittsburgh could benefit from turning his role over to a younger player, and if so, any playoff contender would love to staple Acciari to their fourth line.
Other UFAs: D Connor Clifton, F Kevin Hayes, F Bokondji Imama, D Sebastian Aho (Sweden), F Rafael Harvey-Pinard, G Taylor Gauthier (Group 6), F Joona Koppanen
The Penguins have $37MM of cap room to work with this off-season, good for fifth-best in the NHL. Depending on what happens with Mantha and Shea, two key faces from 2025-26, there’s plenty of room to either retain them or explore upgrades who’d be less risky to hand a big ticket. A high-end top four defenseman would go a long way, as well as another top six center. There’s always the draw of going big for one last run with Sidney Crosby, Kris Letang, and Evgeni Malkin, who himself avoided making this list with his one-year extension inked in late May which very well could be the swan song. Regardless, Dubas has been disciplined in long-term interests for the Penguins, and that’ll remain the case in the coming weeks.
Image Credit: Philip G. Pavely-Imagn Images (Chinakhov), Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images (Skinner)