Holy restricted free agent drama.
The 2026 RFA class got rocked with a pair of offer sheets in early July: a one-year steal attempt of Utah’s Barrett Hayton by New Jersey and a ground-shifting, $90-million whopper lobbed at Leo Carlsson by Philadelphia.
Both were matched.
Both show a heightened desperation from talent-starved clubs now getting creative and aggressive in attempt to secure young players.
As we near mid-July, plenty of intriguing twentysomethings remain unsigned for 2026-27.
As these RFAs look to bank off their platform campaigns and managers wonder how to spend their spiking salary-cap dollars, several tense negotiations (or trades? or offer sheets? or arbitration hearings?) are on deck.
Salary arbitration hearings will be held from July 20 to Aug. 1, and those who have filed are no longer eligible to sign an offer sheet.
Here’s where things stand with the top 12 unsigned RFAs of 2026.
Age: 20
Position: Centre
2025-26 salary cap hit: $950,000
Arbitration rights: No
Bargaining chips: First-overall draft pick. Two-time world junior gold medallist. Calder Trophy champ. Hot off first point-per-game season. Whole point of the rebuild.
The latest: The way Bedard turned his platform campaign into his best yet, all pressure shifts to the Chicago Blackhawks to lock up the unique talent — and likely next captain — for as long as possible.
“I kind of just wanted to play the year and I’m not worried for a second,” Bedard told reporters after the season ended. “Honestly, I haven’t thought about it once this year. I know I want to be here, and we’ll get it done soon. I don’t think (that) if it’s not done in a month, there’s any worry or anything. It’ll just get done when it gets done.”
GM Kyle Davidson must try to find a salary that the player can agree to for the duration of his prime. Anything from $12.5 million to $16 million had been tossed out early, but does Carlsson’s record-setting $18 million AAV change the landscape?
Bedard, of course, could opt to double-dip — the way a young Auston Matthews did as an RFA — and attempt to return to the negotiating table in his mid-20s. Try to leverage the Blackhawks into buying RFA years only. Such a risk could maximize career earnings.
“I don’t know, I’m not smart enough to be doing numbers or anything like that,” Bedard said. “Frankie (Nazar) was the first young guy to sign long-term, Vlasy (Alex Vlasic) as well. So, you think about that. But at the end of the day, it’s just seeing what fits the team best, what fits me best and just going from there. I’m very open to however they see it and what they have to say.”
The player has been steadfast in professing his love for Chicago, despite individual and collective disappointment in missing the postseason for all three seasons.
Davidson has said the line of communication between Bedard’s agent, Newport’s Greg Landry, is open. But surely the spiking cap and shifting landscape is giving Bedard reason to take a breath and be calculated here.
And with the crummy news that Bedard’s shoulder surgery will keep him out for months, he’ll be out until November anyway.
The newly extended Davidson would’ve loved to take care of this file way back in July, but he still believes Bedard’s extension is a matter of when, not if.
“There’s only so many dollars to go around. You want to build a deep team. You want to build a team you feel is a championship roster, which is why we do this. So, we want to get it right,” Davidson said.
“Certainly, we want to make sure we’re more than fair, while also understanding that there is a finite amount of money to go around to spend on our roster, again, while being fair to a very good, elite young player.”
Age: 26
Position: Left wing
2025-26 salary cap hit: $7.75 million
Arbitration rights: Yes — and filed
Bargaining chips: World junior and world championships medallist. Three-time 40-goal man. Reached 109 points. Prime threat for a team in Cup-winning mode.
The latest: While it makes sense for both sides to continue the relationship, Robertson’s price tag is on the rise. The Dallas Stars’ offer of $12 million annually on a long-term deal was turned down by the player, RG reported.
The winger’s standout showing in the post-season (five goals and eight points in six games) only makes him more valuable.
That Robertson spoke of his Dallas tenure in the past tense during locker cleanout has worried some Stars fans.
He’s only one year from UFA status, and a one-year arbitration award could walk him out the door.
“When anyone thinks of top teams in the NHL, they think of Dallas. So, it’s been great,” Robertson told reporters. “It’s been great being a part of that for so long, and you get so used to it, so you don't really understand the dark sides of hockey not being at that peak. So, yeah, it’s big.”
A maximum-length extension for the winger would need to exceed teammate Mikko Rantanen’s $12 million and make Robertson the highest-paid Star. Robertson’s new agent, Octagon’s Andy Scott, knows it.
Maybe the tax situation in Texas can help GM Jim Nill out?
Nill lined up a blockbuster trade with the Seattle Kraken that would’ve included a monster extension ($15 million AAV). Robertson turned it down, Elliotte Friedman reports.
The St. Louis Blues also made an offer to Dallas that included multiple first-round picks, according to Jeff Marek. Robertson didn’t want to sign there either.
The Pittsburgh Penguins, who acquired brother Nick Robertson, are interested as well.
Dallas has been circled as a desired landing spot for Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin, so Nill might need to pivot and land another impact forward to replace Robertson.
Nill maintains that that his preference is to sign his player, but Robertson is wielding power.
“Can we make it work?” Nill asked.
Age: 22
Position: Left wing
2025-26 salary cap hit: $950,000
Arbitration rights: No
Bargaining chips: Fifth-overall draft pick. World junior and world championships gold medallist. 41-goal sniper. Anaheim traded a star to obtain him. The Ducks’ internal cap ceiling just got jacked up.
The latest: Rejuvenated by his trade west from Philadelphia, Gauthier is filling the net and playing a major role in the Ducks’ rapid rise to relevance. His age aligns perfectly with a contention window that appears to be opening soon.
Despite the fine fit, GM Pat Verbeek treated the Gauthier negotiations like Carlsson’s. Which is to say, talks were pushed off until Anaheim’s encouraging run through two playoff rounds.
“We got a handful of months before camp starts up again,” said Gauthier, sounding unworried. “I don’t think it’ll be an issue, but you never know. So, we’ll see what happens.”
Gauthier cruised through his first 41-goal, 69-point campaign and made an immediate impact in his first playoffs. Nice.
The winger may not be worth Carlsson’s $18-million AAV, but he has every right to ask for more than the $9 million the Ducks currently have available on their cap sheet.
“The intention is to get Cutter signed. Wherever Cutter comes in, I’m going to have some work to do to make sure we can fit everyone in. I’ve got two and a half months to figure that out,” Verbeek said on July 9.
“With RFAs, I think the increased cap space has led to different circumstances. This offer sheet is going to be felt around the rest of the league. Certainly, we are going to have to do business in a different manner moving forward.”
Worth noting: As a 10.2(c) player, Gauthier is the only RFA on this list not eligible for an offer sheet.
Age: 21
Position: Centre
2025-26 salary cap hit: $950,000
Arbitration rights: No
Bargaining chips: Third-overall pick. World junior and world championships gold medallist. Broke out with a 31-goal, 54-point, 82-game performance as a sophomore.
The latest: Columbus Blue Jackets GM Don Waddell and Fantilli’s agent, Pat Brisson, engaged in initial discussions in 2025 but let this situation simmer all season long.
Waddell had struck a cautious tone regarding his No. 1 centre during a late-October appearance on Real Kyper & Bourne, noting that while point totals are important for this wave of platform players, earning the coaches’ trust and contributing to winning is imperative to the franchise about to cut the cheque.
A plus player in 2024-25, Fantilli dipped to a minus-13 in 2025-26, but he rebounded to be a 24-goal, 59-point contributor after a sluggish start.
The price for young, gifted centremen isn’t coming down. Fantilli is Waddell’s top re-signing priority — even if a bridge is the easiest play.
Safe to say, the Blue Jackets can ill afford to mishandle a talent of Fantilli’s calibre if they want to increase their relevancy in the sporting landscape.
Zach Werenski and Kirill Marchenko are both question marks to re-sign long-term and could be dealt this summer. And Fantilli is an offer-sheet candidate. Yikes.
“I’ve been on both sides of (an offer sheet),” Waddell told reporters June 25. “You’re making the offer because you can get the player, not to force the other team to pay the player.
“We’ve got Fantilli, who I believe is going to get a raise. Greaves is going to get a raise. (Cole) Sillinger is going to get some raise, too.”
Waddell is letting UFAs Boone Jenner, Mason Marchment, and Erik Gudbranson walk to focus his resources on younger players like Fantilli.
Does the Carlsson offer sheet ramp urgency to finish this deal?
Age: 25
Position: Left wing / Centre
2025-26 salary cap hit: $5.75 million
Arbitration rights: Yes — and filed
Bargaining chips: Top-10 draft pick. World junior gold medallist. Flyers paid a hefty price to acquire the player. Three-time 60-point player. NHL 23 cover athlete. Shootout maestro.
The latest: Zegras is loving life in Philadelphia since being traded out of Anaheim. He is productive, happy and feels he has a new zest for the sport.
“I just feel more comfortable on the ice,” Zegras told Sportsnet when we visited his new barn in October. “The Xfinity is home!”
Zegras, who has good friends on the Flyers and respects coach Rick Tocchet, certainly sounds like a free agent who’d prefer to stay put — and GM Danny Briere has a solid relationship with Pat Brisson, Zegras’s agent.
Considering the winger’s superb performance (career-best 26 goals and 67 points) and management’s understanding of arbitration rights at the time of the trade, there was no rush to put pen to paper — and no concern that things will fall apart.
The Flyers have cap space.
“I expect Trevor to be with the Flyers for a long time,” Briere told The Philadelphia Inquirer in March.
Zegras told The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz in January that he “can only hope” for an extension. That is guaranteed now that the player has filed for arbitration.
“Some of this contract stuff in the past has been tough. Obviously, the last contract I went through was a little hairy. So, I try not to put expectations on it,” Zegras said.
“If they want me here for a long time, I would love that. I love this city. I love this team. Definitely feel at home here, for sure.”
Comfort between player and organization has only spiked with the Flyers’ surprise qualification for the playoffs and first-round victory over Pittsburgh.
“It’s a great option to have him be able to play either (wing or centre),” Briere told The Inquirer on June 9. “I’m not worried about the contract with him and Jamie Drysdale. They’re players that we want back, and I feel they want to be part of the future for the Flyers, so my expectation is they will be there in September when camp opens.”
Age: 23
Position: Defence
2025-26 salary cap hit: $894,167
Arbitration rights: No
Bargaining chips: Top-pair defenceman on one of the NHL’s best duos. Wonderful complement to franchise stud Moritz Seider. Sixth-overall pick. World juniors and world championships medallist.
The latest: Early in the season, when the Detroit Red Wings explored a potential trade for Quinn Hughes out of Vancouver, the Canucks’ asked for a package that included Edvinsson in return, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.
That Wings GM Steve Yzerman said no should tell you all you need to know about how highly the organization thinks of the big Swede.
Logging 22-plus minutes a night while contributing at both ends of the ice, tilting it against matchups against the league’s top forward lines, Edvinsson has positioned himself worthy of a max-term, life-changing contract extension.
Think LaCombe in Anaheim (eight years, $78 million) or Luke Hughes in New Jersey (seven years, $63 million).
When the season ended, Edvinsson said “of course” he’d sign a long-term pact.
“It’s where I got drafted. I felt like ever since I came here, it’s been great. All the people around, teammates, fans around, it’s been great,” he told reporters on April 17.
“So, yeah, it would be an honour.”
Yzerman would be wise not to mess around with a bridge — nor Edvinsson’s chemistry with Seider.
“We’re two big bodies. We cover a lot of space out there. He’s a great skater,” Seider said. “Puts his body on the line every single night. Blocks a lot of shots. Rarely gets out of position.
“We’ve been clicking, obviously. Very effective for us. And, yeah, just feel good out there with him.”
The Cup-winning Hurricanes, who failed to lock up John Carlson (Tampa Bay), are rumoured to be entertaining an offer sheet for Edvinsson as they seek to tweak their blueline.
7. Jet Greaves
Age: 25
Position: Goaltender
2025-26 salary cap hit: $812,500
Arbitration rights: Yes — and filed
Bargaining chips: Dedicated and driven. Preparing in the Blue Jackets system since 2021-22. Winner at all three pro levels. Stole No. 1 goaltending job when no one was looking. Starter for Team Canada’s 2026 world championship squad.
The latest: The undrafted Greaves is the best underdog story on this list, having grinded his way up from the ECHL to be the most dependable netminder in Columbus’s surprising run to playoff contention.
The Cambridge, Ont., native thrived in this, his first 50-start, 25-win NHL campaign, and has earned himself a monster raise from his modest six-figure salary.
Greaves’ veteran backup, Elvis Merzlikins, is still on the books for $5.4 million in 2026-27. But neither that nor Charlie Coyle’s big extension should prevent Waddell from compensating Greaves this off-season.
There aren’t enough great, young goaltenders to go around a 32-team league. If you have one, you keep him happy.
Now, considering Greaves’s inexperience in the show — his career appearances total will still be under 80 — an extension shouldn’t break the bank.
“All the free agents want to come back,” Waddell said on April 22. “But it doesn’t mean they’re all gonna come back. We do have some decisions to make. The salary cap is going up, but it’s amazing how fast you get there when you start talking about young players and some of the contracts they’re gonna get. You can’t just look at next year because you’re signing guys for six, seven, eight years.”
Kudos to Greaves for accepting Team Canada’s invitation to represent his nation at the 2026 world championships even without a contract in place.
Could three years and $15 million get it done?
Greaves filed for arbitration, which goes July 23. But Waddell can request a one-year ruling, which would return the goalie to RFA status next summer.
Negotiations on a long-term pact can continue to avoid a hearing. Fun fact: Columbus has never gone to arbitration with a player.
Age: 24
Position: Defence
2025-26 salary cap hit: $2.3 million
Arbitration rights: Yes — and filed
Bargaining chips: Sixth-overall draft pick. World junior gold medallist. Skilled, puck-moving right shot. Increasingly taking on harder matchups.
The latest: Much like Zegras, Drysdale’s change-of-scenery trade from Anaheim to Philadelphia has served all parties well.
Under Tocchet, the puck mover enjoyed his best season offensively (eight goals, 32 points) while logging 20-plus minutes per night and assuming more responsibility in his own end.
“We have to give him a lot of credit for the season that he had after — it’s admitted — a little bit of a rough start in Philadelphia,” Briere said. “Defencemen, you have to be patient with them. They take a long time, and it was definitely a good sign to see Jamie take a step forward.”
A case to commit long-term should be made here, and Drysdale told beat reporter Kevin Kurz he would be open to that.
“One hundred per cent. I absolutely love it here,” Drydale said in March. “It’s been amazing. How they’ve treated me has been amazing. The guys are awesome. Personally, I just love it here. It’s been great.”
Deals for young, emerging defencemen like LaCombe’s in Anaheim and Hughes’ in New Jersey provide a blueprint for locking in talent early and betting on improvement.
“I don’t expect too many issues,” Briere said, regarding Drysdale’s extension.
The Flyers have been rumoured to be entertaining trade offers for veterans like Rasmus Ristolainen and Owen Tippett as they plan to accommodate raises for younger talent this summer.
"Hopefully something will get done sooner than later,” Drysdale said. “I love it here. I’ve made that very clear kind of the second that I got here.”
With arbitration looming, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports that Drysdale is pushing for a richer deal than the four years at $6.25 million being suggested by Philly.
Age: 24
Position: Defence
2025-26 salary cap hit: $925,000
Arbitration rights: No
Bargaining chips: Stanley Cup champion. 2022 Olympic silver medallist. Played 81 of 82 games for 2025-26’s best squad. Made the 2026 All-Rookie Team and finished seventh in Calder voting. Drafted 69th overall. Nice.
The latest: Nikishin has been on the trade block for weeks, as the Carolina Hurricanes believe the defenceman’s asking price on his next deal is too rich.
That’s why the champs attempted a (failed) trade-and-sign with pending UFA John Carlson last month and are believed to have interest in Detroit Simon Edvinsson. The Canes are already looking for a Nikishin replacement.
The Rangers and Blues expressed some interest in trading for Nikishin, but the holdup with any trade partner will be the player’s willingness to sign with his new team.
In a perfect world, Carolina would love to dump Jesperi Kotkaniemi’s contract as part of a Nikishin package; the underperforming Finnish centre has become a buyout candidate with a contract that stretches through 2029-30 at a $4.82-million cap hit.
Regardless, Nikishin is a nice talent, who posted 11 goals and 33 points as a rookie while committing to shot-blocking and physical play.
He’s getting a juicy raise somewhere.
10. Collin Graf
Age: 23
Position: Right wing / centre
2025-26 salary cap hit: $941,667
Arbitration rights: No
Bargaining chips: Late-blooming, 20-goal man. First-unit penalty killer. Age aligns nicely with Sharks young core. College star named 2024’s ECAC Hockey Player of the Year.
The latest: The Macklin Celebrini extension (he’s eligible to re-sign as early as July 1) tops GM Mike Grier’s to-do list this summer.
But the well-timed emergence of undrafted winger Graf — who surprised pleasantly with 21 goals and 46 points in 2025-26 — demands the front office’s attention.
The team holds leverage here, but if San Jose identifies Graf as a key piece of its intriguing forward corps, it would be wise to lock him up early and watch him outplay his deal.
Grier also has his hands full trying to fill out a blue line that will be losing bodies to free agency.
“It’s a time that we haven’t really been in this situation before to really try and push it forward and really make the team a lot better,” Grier said. “It’s probably the most interesting summer so far.”
Grier told reporters in July that the Sharks and Graf’s camp are not too far apart in terms of what the player’s next deal looks like.
11. Cole Perfetti
Age: 24
Position: Right wing / left wing
2025-26 salary cap hit: $3.25 million
Arbitration rights: Yes — and filed
Bargaining chips: Top-10 draft pick. World junior silver medallist. World championships gold medallist. 50-point threat.
The latest: Feels like just yesterday we were discussing Perfetti’s uncertain future in Winnipeg.
And shortly before signing that two-year bridge in 2024 that gives the Jets second-liner arbitration rights, he professed a desire to make Winnipeg his long-term NHL home.
“I love being in Canada. I love Winnipeg. I love the organization. I love playing there. So right now, I would love to be a staple in this organization and a key piece of the core for the years going forward. I would love that, and it would be an honour to be a part of that," Perfetti gushed in September ’24.
“I don’t determine what happens there. But I would love to be a part of this. I love this group of guys. I love this team. I love the city. So, if a deal gets done long term, that’d be great.”
GM Kevin Cheveldayoff kicked a more serious investment down the road, and that appears to be the prudent call.
Perfetti underwhelmed in 2025-26. His goals (12) and points (32) hit a three-year low and he missed games to injury.
There is still work to be done on his next deal, and Cheveldayoff would be right to delay a long-term commitment.
The GM has made re-signing Perfetti a priority and will continue to hammer away at something longer term, sounding unbothered by the forward’s filing for arbitration.
“It’s a natural process,” Cheveldayoff said. “Don’t get too excited. It’s part of the whole thing. It gives you guys something to talk about.”
12. Connor McMichael
Age: 25
Position: Centre / Left wing
2025-26 salary cap hit: $2.1 million
Arbitration rights: Yes — and filed
Bargaining chips: First-round draft pick. World junior gold and silver medallist. Durable. Capable of 26 goals and 57 points. Can play wing or centre.
The latest: Rare is it for a playoff-hungry team to trade away a high-upside centreman as he enters his prime years, but something was amiss with McMichael in Washington.
His year-over-year goal total dropped from 26 to 14 and his points from 57 to 46 in his contract season — and, hey, it’s not every day that a talent of Jordan Kyrou’s calibre becomes available.
Fresh starts all around.
Whereas the pricey Kyrou ($8.125 million through 2031) represents cost certainty, McMichael needs a new deal with his new club. And he has already filed for salary arbitration.
A speedy playmaker off the rush who needs to tidy up his defensive game, McMichael has a chance to thrive among a wave of twentysomething Blues forwards.
But new GM Alexander Steen should be wary of giving too much term to this inconsistent performer. Perhaps a second bridge deal is in order.
More notable pending RFAs: Nick Robertson*, Zach Bolduc, Kirby Dach*, Cole Sillinger*, Akira Schmid*, Nikita Grebenkin, Braden Schneider*, Arber Xhekaj
*Filed for arbitration.
All salary info via the excellent PuckPedia.com.
