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Forums here and elsewhere, are speckled with posters advocating for their team leaving money available for the 2026 UFA class.
“The 2025 UFA class is bad”. “Marner’s weak in the playoffs, Tavares sucks in the playoffs and is old.”
Nelson, Giroux, Benn, are a combination of “old” “bad” “too expensive” and unlikely to leave their current team.Here’s the real problem for 2026, though:
The UFA class of 2025 was a lot bigger/better 12 months ago.Draisaitl signed an extension before the season started.
Rantanen made it to the trade deadline but still got extended.Some other potential 2025 free agents who got extended before reaching free agency:
Jake Oettinger*
Adin Hill*
Juuse Saros*
Linus Ullmark*
Igor Shesterkin*
Carter Verhaeghe*
Mackenzie Blackwood*
Logan Thompson* (I grouped the goalies to point out that the 2025 goalie UFA group didn’t always suck. It sucks now because most got extended)
Esa Lindell
Jake Guentzel (TBL paid a 3rd rounder to get their hands on him 1 day before free agency)
Victor Hedman
Neal Pionk
Shea Theodore
Jaccob Slavin
Jakob Chychrun
Pavel Buchnevich
Travis Konecny
I’m sure there are a few on this list that people will laugh about. It is not intended to be superstars only.
The point is, 12 months ago they were on the 2025 UFA list just like the 2026 UFA class are all listed now. Fans were hoping many would hit free agency. They didn’t.
Additional math for the 2026 UFA dreamers—
The 2026/27 salary cap, which is the one that matters for signing the 2026 UFAs, is expected to be $104 million.
That means teams have $16 million new cap money by then to sign their own UFAs. (+7.5 for 25/26, +8.5 for 26/27)
So even if McDavid gets $16 million/year, it can all be done with cap money that did not exist for the hockey season that just ended.
Kaprizov? More likely than McDavid, but Minnesota also has a ton of cap room coming free on July 1st from the Parise/Suter buyout reductions.
Will any of Eichel, Connor, Laine or Necas make it to 7/1/2026 without an extension? Or a trade > extension like Rantanen?I would expect that the currently dreamy looking UFA class will look similar to the current 2025 class on 5/31/2026.
Metalhead
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