Recent trends suggest that several of the most intriguing members of 2027’s UFA class may reup before the calendar strikes July 1. But, boy, are there some game-changers playing out their walk years right now.
While a slew of cornerstones already put pen to paper — Cale Makar, Alex DeBrincat, Drake Batherson, Mark Stone, Jordan Staal, William Karlsson, and John Marino among them — a bunch of established and emerging talent is still trending toward joblessness on Canada Day.
Future first-ballot Hall of Famers, Stanley Cup champions, team captains, top-four blue-liners, and game-breaking wingers may all be available to eager GMs.
And with the salary cap projected to rise by another $9.5 million — to $113.5 million in 2027-28 — those general managers should have even more budget to splash the pot on the next all-star who makes himself available on the open market.
Here’s a rundown and ranking of hockey’s best impending unrestricted free agents, plus the latest buzz circulating about their future.
Happy contract year, gentlemen. Get that bag.
1. Quinn Hughes
Age on July 1: 27
Position: Defence
2026-27 salary cap hit: $7.85 million
The latest: Far and away the most compelling unsettled UFA file belongs to the Norris-winning Olympic gold medalist, who has positioned himself to make Makar-like money if he chooses to sign long-term with the Minnesota Wild — or any team of his choosing for that matter.
No doubt, Wild owner Craig Leipold would open the coffers to retain Hughes, as he did for Kirill Kaprizov. Heck, Minnesota already traded four pieces to Vancouver for one and a half seasons of the defenceman’s services and no guarantee of more.
The confident Hughes holds all the cards here, and he knows it.
“I just feel at peace. I feel like there’s a lot to look forward to this year. And as far as the noise, if someone wants to ask me a question, I’m not basing decisions because I don’t want to answer questions. But I'm gonna take my time, and Billy's gonna take his time, and I'm sure it’ll work out,” Hughes told 32 Thoughts in September.
“At the end of the day, I got to do what’s best for myself. I think I've earned that right. You play seven, eight years to get to UFA and decide what you want to do. And I do love it in Minnesota.”
Communication between GM Bill Guerin and Hughes’s agent, Pat Brisson, remains open. Looming over Hughes’s decision are his twin desires to play for a Stanley Cup and to one day play on the same team as his younger brothers, both New Jersey Devils.
“These things take time,” Guerin said, “and different things are important to different players.”
Age on July 1: 34
Position: Right wing
2026-27 salary cap hit: $9.5 million
The latest: Knowing the Tampa Bay Lightning’s pattern of locking up core talent before those players start to play out their walk years, the Kucherov stalemate begs attention.
“Both parties, I know, would have preferred to have the deal done today to be able to put that behind us. We haven’t been able to do that. I’m still in touch with his agent (Dan Milstein). We’re going to keep the lines of communication open with the goal remaining to be to get Nikita assigned to a contract that’s going to keep him in Tampa for many years to come,” GM Julien BriseBois said at the outset of training camp.
The belief is that the two-time and reigning Hart Trophy champ would prefer to stay with the club that he helped hoist two Stanley Cups. But as recently as 2024, BriseBois drew a hard financial line with another all-time Bolt (Steven Stamkos) and refused to budge.
The going rate for impact forwards, even those in their mid-30s, has essentially doubled since Kucherov signed his current contract eight years ago.
“What’s in my mind? My mind is trying to help the team this year,” the winger said.
“I control what I can control, and I’ll do my best with what I can on the ice, and that's what I'm focusing on right now and not much more I can say.”
BriseBois is willing to negotiate in-season and is not putting a deadline on negotiations with Milstein.
“I say the sooner the better, obviously,” BriseBois said. “There's no timeline. If you want to get technical, he won't be a free agent until July 1 of next year. Hopefully it won’t get to that point.”
Age on July 1: 27
Position: Left wing
2026-27 salary cap hit: $12 million
The latest: Testy RFA contract negotiations, the threat of arbitration, and botched sign-and-trade attempts to Seattle and St. Louis led Robertson and the Dallas Stars to settle last summer on a one-year, $12-million contract that potentially walks him out of Texas.
On one hand, you could easily see the relationship between player and team being extended long term once Dallas gains more cap flexibility in the 2027-28 season.
On the other, Dallas GM Jim Nill publicly acknowledged the Stars had a deal in place with the Seattle Kraken to acquire the seventh-overall pick in the 2026 draft in exchange for Robertson. What sewered the transaction was Robertson’s refusal to sign a big extension in Seattle.
Twentysomethings with 100-point campaigns on their résumés seldom hit the open market, which explains Nill’s urgency to extend his all-star as early as Jan. 1, when he’s eligible to put pen to paper.
“I’m going to wait until probably around the first of December,” Nill said on Oct. 17, regarding his next round of negotiations with Robertson’s new agent, Andy Scott.
“I don’t want any distraction. Just get off to a good start, and I’ll sit down with his representatives around the first of December, see if we can get something done.”
Robertson says he wants to focus on playing well through the first 20 games of the season before spending time on his future.
The winger has already tied teammate Mikko Rantanen for highest salary on the Stars. With the cap spiking, Robertson’s next deal — if he stays with the Stars — would blow Nill’s internal cap out of the water.
“Dallas, obviously, it’s where I started,” Robertson said in July. “I've built a great career out here and obviously throughout the summer you see where the league is going, see what happens and everything. Obviously, if anything was going to work for me, just to keep reevaluating because things were happening so quickly and things are changing that going this route and seeing what happens, see what’s going to happen and reevaluate and have the time and everything, it helps along the way.”
4. Pavel Zacha
Age on July 1: 30
Position: Centre / Left wing
2026-27 salary cap hit: $4.75 million
The latest: With Fraser Minten joining Elias Lindholm as Boston centres making $7.2 million plus next season, we wonder what this means for Zacha.
The Bruins’ top pivot is hot off his first 30-goal, 65-point campaign and is far and away the best centreman under 30 on pace for UFA status this summer. In other words, Zacha has serious leverage. He could double his AAV.
“It’s the era, right? We say we should have come into the league 10 years later,” Zacha said, smiling as he spoke with The Athletic in late September. “There was so much escrow when I came into the league. It was always bridge deals, two or three years. You get two or three years, prove it, then you’re 25 and then you sign your contracts. It’s crazy to see sometimes, guys after their first year, second year. But on the other hand, it’s good. We had the same cap for so long.”
GM Don Sweeney says ongoing communication with Zacha’s agent, Paul Capizzano, has been positive — but a gap remains.
“We know the importance of what Pav is to our hockey club, and we would like to be able to have him come back. We’ll continue to talk,” Sweeney said. “Pav is a big part of what we’re trying to accomplish as an organization and commitment to winning.
“Hopefully we get to a landing spot.”
We don’t see an imminent extension here. Where the Bruins sit in the standings at the trade deadline could play a major factor in Zacha’s future. The forward can only block a trade to eight teams, and top-six rental forwards fetch juicy returns.
Heck, according to The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun, Zacha’s name popped up in trade conversations with the Blue Jackets about Kirill Marchenko before the Maple Leafs stepped to the plate.
Age on July 1: 39
Position: Centre
2026-27 salary cap hit: $8.7 million
The latest: Unlike Alex Ovechkin, Crosby fully expects to be reporting to training camp in 2027. At age 40.
The NHL’s seventh all-time scorer has already begun contract extension talks with Pittsburgh Penguins GM Kyle Dubas via longtime agent Pat Brisson. And he’s fine with Brisson and Dubas working on his file in-season.
With NHL superstars jacking up the prices, will Crosby re-sign again for his lucky $8.7 million, the team-friendly AAV the future Hall of Famer has maintained since wrapping his entry-level contract way back in 2008?
“I have no idea. But if history is any proof of that, we’ll see,” Crosby told 32 Thoughts at the NHL’s Player Media Tour. “But Pat and Kyle are talking and hopefully get something done.”
The age-defying Crosby has posted an unprecedented 21 consecutive point-per-game seasons and has shown little sign of regression despite being one of the game’s oldest skaters.
“I want to play for a number of years, for sure. But you don’t know how you’re going to feel a year from now, two years from now. I can go based on how I feel now, and I feel pretty good. For playing as long as I have, I’m pretty happy with how I feel.”
Dubas told reporters on Sept. 28 that there is “always an open back-and-forth” with Crosby’s camp.
“And I don’t feel, from our end, that there’s any real pressure to have it done by a certain date,” the GM said. “We’ll just continue to talk.”
While rival teams (Montreal? Colorado?) can dream of the Penguins sliding down the standings and Crosby becoming available for trade, the player has always been loyal to Pittsburgh.
6. Vince Dunn
Age on July 1: 30
Position: Defence
2026-27 salary cap hit: $7.35 million
The latest: While sitting a rung below Hughes, the versatile and productive Dunn would certainly command a bidding war if the top-pair D-man were to hit the open market.
Fortunately for the Seattle Kraken, their power-play quarterback and highest-paid player prefers to stay in the Pacific Northwest.
In October, Dunn told Sound of Hockey’s Darren Brown: “My heart is with Seattle. I would love to retire as a Kraken.”
Due to a market spike, Dunn could command something in the ballpark of $9 million annually on a long-term deal. That he can block a trade to 16 teams increases his leverage this season.
Age on July 1: 34
Position: Defence
2026-27 salary cap hit: $3.2 million
The latest: One of four veteran Carolina Hurricanes defencemen skating toward unrestricted free agency, Gostisbehere’s value has at least doubled since his change of scenery.
The offensive blue-liner exploded for 50 points in 55 games last season, plus another 12 in 19 playoff contests en route to a Stanley Cup.
GM Eric Tulsky is facing more immediate pressure to deal with the disgruntled Alexander Nikishin’s file — the RFA has asked for a trade and will be ineligible to play in the NHL if not signed by Dec. 1 — and has plenty of cap space to accommodate a raise for Gostisbehere.
In the meantime, Carolina’s power-play QB has jumped off to a strong start and is poised to play an important role in the Canes’ bid to repeat.
Age on July 1: 31
Position: Left wing / Right wing
2026-27 salary cap hit: $4.5 million
The latest: Colorado’s two-way, top-six winger picked the perfect season to leap into his hottest start yet.
Lehkonen, a Cup champ with a reputation for elevating under high stakes, was described as the Avalanche’s “unsung hero” by goalie Mackenzie Blackwood.
GM Joe Sakic prioritized re-signing Makar and head coach Jared Bedar in the off-season, but now Lehkonen’s rising stock should have his attention.
“Both sides are comfortable. We’ll just see how the year plays out,” Sakic told reporters on Sept. 30.
The cap-crunched executive is taking a patient approach here, but with Makar’s $20.4-million AAV kicking in next season, a proper raise for Lehkonen may well require freeing up money elsewhere.
9. Ryan O’Reilly
Age on July 1: 36
Position: Centre
2026-27 salary cap hit: $4.5 million
The latest: Contenders are keeping an eye on the Nashville Predators, who may be tempted to deal some of their proven veterans — Stamkos? Jonathan Marchessault? Roman Josi — if they fall out of the playoff race.
O’Reilly, no stranger to trade rumours, would be the most obvious candidate, though. He plays a premium position, lacks trade protection, and is in the final year of his contract.
New GM Chris MacFarland has not been in any rush to extend O’Reilly, who told reporters that there hasn’t been dialogue on that front.
“The focus is being here and winning hockey games. It’s an amazing city, this team, the players in the room are great. But at the end of the day, it’s a business, and you’ve got to win,” O’Reilly said.
“My full focus has to be on that. And if that happens, then hopefully things will take care of themselves. You don’t win, changes happen. I want to stick around here, I want to have success here, and I want this group to have success. There are so many great things about here, but again it's a business, and we've got to perform here.”
10. Jared McCann
Age on July 1: 31
Position: Left wing
2026-27 salary cap hit: $5 million
The latest: Five consecutive 20-goal seasons have positioned the Seattle’s reliable top-line forward for a juicy raise this summer.
An original Kraken, McCann speaks highly of Seattle, a young NHL city that has struggled to attract stars.
“Everybody who plays here loves it,” McCann said (via SoundOfHockey.com). “Even guys that have moved on to other teams, they even say to us that this was an amazing place to play. Our fans are great. I mean, look at the facilities we have around, right?
“The team does whatever they can to make the players feel comfortable, make the families feel comfortable, and we added some pieces on the management side of it. I wish I had a straight answer for you when it comes to why guys don’t want to be here, but I don’t.”
General manager Jason Botterill is in the business of luring more talent, not letting it walk, so expect him to take a fair shot at keeping McCann in the fold.
The GM said he views both Dunn and McCann “as big parts of our group here moving forward.”
The player holds a 10-team no-trade list.
Age on July 1: 33
Position: Goaltender
2026-27 salary cap hit: $6 million
The latest: Binnington’s uncertain future in St. Louis has been exacerbated by a slip in performance and the rise of a younger, cheaper Joel Hoffer, who has taken his starter’s job for the Blues.
Still, Binnington has big-game pedigree, having backstopped St. Louis to its only championship as well as helping Team Canada to a 4 Nations crown and an Olympic silver medal.
Despite dustups of trade rumours, Binnington remains with his original NHL club, now managed by former teammate Alex Steen.
“I’m a competitive goaltender, right? I love St. Louis. I think for me, it’s just taking care of what’s in my control. It’s the same old story I give every time. I think if I can take care of what’s in my control, then the rest will unfold. I believe in myself and in my process. I’m excited to get to work,” Binnington told reporters after 2025-26’s elimination.
“I believe in what Steener has in mind for this group. I’m excited about that. And being a part of a good, winning, successful hockey team is where I want to be. That’s something you just handle as it comes.”
Considering his age and accomplishments, Binnington is the most intriguing pending UFA goalie. It would not be surprising to hear his name hit the rumour mill again, as he can only veto a trade to 10 teams.
12. Erik Karlsson
Age on July 1: 37
Position: Defence
2026-27 salary cap hit: $11.5 million
The latest: Despite his age, Karlsson ranked second among all 2025-26 Penguins in scoring (66 points) and has jumped off to another productive season, possibly his final one as a Penguin.
With future Hall of Famers Crosby, Evengi Malkin and Karlsson all on expiring deals, next summer should be one in which Pittsburgh gets younger. A new contract for Karlsson had not been discussed prior to puck drop.
“I think that the situation is pretty given on what it is and what it’s not,” Karlsson said on Sept. 17. “I’ve got one year left. You know, our team is in a weird stage, I think. So, we’ll see how it goes this year. All I can say is that I enjoyed myself. I like being here.”
Dubas maintains an open dialogue with the smooth-skating right-shot defenceman, who holds a full no-move clause but would surely garner interest as a playoff rental — if Pittsburgh can’t return to the dance.
“Those conversations with Erik have been very direct, and very open and great,” Dubas said. “When you’re a player of that calibre and you’ve achieved so much, everyone wants to handle it a different way. For us, it’s about being respectful, plus being open with them about where we see things going here so that they are comfortable with that.”
More notable UFAs in 2027: Josh Anderson, Ryan Hartman, Morgan Frost, Blake Coleman, Lawson Crouse, Evgeni Malkin, Paul Cotter, Logan Stanley, Jalen Chatfield, Andrew Copp, Nino Niederreiter, Samuel Girard, Barrett Hayton, Chris Kreider, Mats Zuccarello, Drew Doughty, Sean Kuraly, Jared Spurgeon, Ross Colton, John Gibson, Philipp Grubauer, Elvis Merzlikins, Sam Montembeault, Tyler Seguin, Jason Zucker, Cody Glass, Justin Brazeau, Drew O’Connor, Alex Killorn, Jamie Benn, Michael Amadio, Kirby Dach, Corey Perry, Claude Giroux, Victor Olofsson, Teuvo Teravainen, Oliver Bjorkstrand
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