2026 NHL Free Agency Preview, Top Targets and Rumours

Jordan Ramsay
Last Updated: June 30, 2026

It’s Christmas in July for hockey fans as free agency officially gets underway at 12 p.m. ET on Canada Day.

With all the talk about how the 2026 July 1 free agency class is weaker than in recent years, there are still some massive names available, including Sergei Bobrovsky, Alex Ovechkin and John Carlson.

And with the salary cap skyrocketing next season and into the future, you can be sure NHL general managers will be cutting some sizeable cheques on Wednesday.

Here’s our one-sentence summaries of the top 2026 pending unrestricted free agents (in alphabetical order).

Make sure to check out Sports Interaction’s complete list of NHL futures.

Jamie Benn

All the discourse around Dallas this off-season has surrounded Jason Robertson, but the team’s captain and career-long Star, Jamie Benn, also needs a new deal.

Sergei Bobrovsky

Florida effectively moved off last year’s goaltending tandem with the additions of Jacob Markstrom and Akira Schmid, making those Sergei Bobrovsky to Toronto rumours only grow louder.

John Carlson

The defending Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes took a gamble, acquiring John Carlson’s rights from Anaheim without a deal in place because he reportedly wants to go back to the Eastern Conference.

Claude Giroux

Calude Giroux already crossed off playing for his hometown Senators from his bucket list, so now does he want to go Stanley Cup hunting with a contender?

Patrick Kane

The smoke is growing around three-time Stanley Cup winner Patrick Kane possibly joining his fourth Original Six franchise in Toronto.

Patrik Laine

Patrik Laine, a former 44-goal scorer, could provide a cash-strapped contender with a low risk, high reward option on a league-minimum contract.

Anders Lee

Another captain bites the dust as Anders Lee has reportedly told the Islanders he will test free agency.

Alex Ovechkin

Washington made some big moves over the last week, trading for Alex Tuch and Jordan Kyrou, so the question is, are the Caps loading up for one last run with future Hall-of-Famer Alex Ovechkin, or planning for a future without their longtime captain?