NHL free agency, which opens Wednesday, is short on big names. When the top available player on the market is arguably defenceman Rasmus Andersson, the lack of buzz is understandable.
That does not mean, however, that there are not useful players out there. Here are five skaters who have a good shot at providing surplus value based on their projected contracts.
All projections are courtesy of AFP Analytics.
Viktor Arvidsson, forward
Age: 33
Previous team: Boston Bruins
2025-26 statistics: 25 goals, 54 points in 69 games (14:36 TOI per game)
Contract projection: Two years, $4.9 million cap hit
Previous contract: Two years, $4 million cap hit
Arvidsson has roamed the league in recent years; if he signs with a new team this week, it will be his fourth in as many seasons. As part of the Bruins’ second line, Arvidsson scored 25 goals for the fifth time in his 12-year career, 18 of which came at five-on-five. Arvidsson finished 10th in expected goals per 20 minutes at five-on-five out of 411 forwards who played at least 40 games. That placed him between 51-goal scorer Cole Caufield and Brady Tkachuk.
Only Anaheim’s Cutter Gauthier averaged more five-on-five shot attempts per 20 minutes than Arvidsson, who also ranked sixth in five-on-five scoring chances per 20 minutes. He does not need a lot of ice time to make an impact offensively.
The major concern for Arvidsson is availability. He has played at least 70 games just once in the past five seasons.
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Vincent Desharnais, defenceman
Age: 30
Previous team: San Jose Sharks
2025-26 statistics: Seven points in 53 games (18:11 TOI per game)
Contract projection: Two years, $2 million cap hit
Previous contract: Two years, $2 million cap hit
What you see is what you get with Desharnais, a six-foot-seven punisher on the back end. That size poses an obstacle for opponents. Desharnais ranked third among 201 qualified defencemen this past season (minimum 40 games) in defensive plays per 20 minutes, which includes blocked passes and stick checks. He also finished 34th in overall defensive-zone denial rate.
San Jose generated 51.5 per cent of the expected goals during Desharnais’ minutes at five-on-five, which led all Sharks defencemen. And he was one of the team’s top penalty killers, averaging 3:14 of short-handed ice time per game (fourth among qualified defencemen).
Desharnais is a stay-at-home defenceman in the truest sense of the term.
Ryan Shea, defenceman
Age: 29
Previous team: Pittsburgh Penguins
2025-26 statistics: Six goals, 35 points in 80 games (18:53 TOI per game)
Contract projection: Four years, $4.4 million cap hit
Previous contract: One year, $900,000 cap hit
The late-blooming Shea broke out in his age-28 season, putting up 35 points (33 at five-on-five) and helping Pittsburgh outscore opponents 77-56 during his five-on-five minutes.
Shea does a lot of little things well. His 75.5 completion rate on five-on-five outlet passes was 32nd out of the roughly 200 defencemen who played at least 40 games, and his 13 per cent turnover rate was 29th.
Teams are always in need of dependable, low-maintenance defencemen. Shea fits the bill.
Colton Sissons, forward
Age: 32
Previous team: Vegas Golden Knights
2025-26 statistics: Six goals, 11 points in 66 games (12:30 TOI per game)
Contract projection: Two years, $1.5 million cap hit
Previous contract: Seven years, $2.9 million cap hit
Sissons has amassed a nearly 800-game NHL career by being a solid and versatile defensive forward. In his first and perhaps only season with the Golden Knights, Sissons won a career-high 56.5 per cent of his total faceoffs, including 58.7 per cent of his defensive-zone draws.
A right-handed centre with extensive playoff experience, Sissons was seventh in defensive plays per 20 minutes among the 400-plus qualified forwards this past season. He practically lives on the penalty kill; over the past 10 seasons, Sissons has played the third-most short-handed minutes in the league (1,529:21).
Mats Zuccarello, forward
Age: 38
Previous team: Minnesota Wild
2025-26 statistics: 15 goals, 54 points in 59 games (18:39 TOI per game)
Contract projection: One year, $5.8 million cap hit
Previous contract: Two years, $4.125 million cap hit
For under $6 million, a player who has averaged 75 points per 82 games over the past five seasons should be considered a steal.
The Athletic recently reported that “it sure feels like the Wild have decided to move on from Zuccarello” after seven seasons in Minnesota. Zuccarello has been attached to Kirill Kaprizov’s hip for the past several years, which has allowed him to showcase his impressive playmaking ability. This past season, Zuccarello ranked 20th at his position in slot-pass completions and 29th in total offensive-zone pass completions per 20 minutes.
Even as he pushes 40, Zuccarello has enough skill left in the tank to complement another star forward.
All stats via Sportlogiq
