Players who can become unrestricted free agents next summer became eligible to sign contract extensions on July 1. But lost in the shuffle over this year's UFA signings is the fact that the big names who can opt to re-up with their current team or opt for a new employer after the 2025-26 season haven't exactly rushed to make a decision.
Nor have their teams.
In fact, three of the seven players with the highest average annual value (AAV) contracts in '25-26 can become UFAs next July 1. One of the three is Artemi Panarin , who has led the New York Rangers in scoring in each of his six seasons since signing a seven-year contract with an AAV of $11.64 million with the Blueshirts on July 1, 2019. Panarin turns 34 on Oct. 30, and Rangers ' general manager Chris Drury has made no move to sign him this summer.
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Of course, the biggest name who can become available next summer is Connor McDavid, who will play his 11th season with the Edmonton Oilers since they took him with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 NHL Draft. McDavid was frustrated after the Oilers lost to the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final for the second straight season, and he's made no indication one way or the other whether he wants to stay with the only team he's ever played for.
Here's a look at 10 position players who can become free agents next summer and should interest the Rangers if they and their respective teams can't reach agreement on a new contract (we'll exclude goalies because the Rangers already have an elite netminder in Igor Shesterkin ).
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McDavid has made it clear after the Oilers twice came up short in the Final that his objective is to win the Stanley Cup — nothing else matters.
That could be a problem. Edmonton has made no move to improve its goaltending duo after Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard were no match for Florida's Sergei Bobrovsky in the Final. They've already changed goalie coaches but have made no personnel moves, meaning they're likely to begin the season with the same twosome.
How much money will McDavid want? He'll make $12.5 million this season and figures to get more on his next contract than fellow Oilers superstar Leon Draisaitl , the NHL's top-paid player for 2025-26, whose eight-year, $14 million AAV contract begins this season. If No. 97 decides to look elsewhere, the Rangers could be a possibility — they have a two-time Cup-winning coach in Mike Sullivan, a premier goaltender in Shesterkin and a desperate need for a No. 1 center. But the Blueshirts would have a lot of competition.
The Rangers have less than $780,000 in salary cap space available for this season, according to PuckPedia. But if they opt not to keep Panarin, that freed-up money and the $8.5 million jump in the cap for the 2026-27 season would give them more than $30 million in cap space — enough to sign McDavid (or another premium UFA).
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The Boston-area native was taken by the Buffalo Sabres with the No. 2 overall pick in 2015, but Eichel didn't come into his own until he was traded to the Golden Knights in November 2021. He was instrumental in their Stanley Cup championship in 2023, leading all scorers with 26 points, and is coming off his best offensive season, setting franchise records with 66 assists and 94 points in 77 games.
Injuries have plagued Eichel throughout his 10 NHL seasons. But when he's healthy, Eichel is an elite playmaking center who can rise to the occasion in big-game moments, especially in the postseason. Teams seeking a first-line scoring center who doesn't shirk his defensive responsibilities will pursue Eichel if the Golden Knights can't re-sign him first.
He figures to get a healthy raise from his current $10 million AAV, and the Golden Knights reportedly are trying to lock him up. But if he hits the market, expect the Rangers to be near the front of the line.
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"Kirill the Thrill" is the most exciting player in Wild history. He was on target to break his own single-season franchise record for points (108 in 2021-22) last season until injuries cost him all but seven games after Christmas due to injuries. Before he was hurt, Kaprizov was among the NHL leaders in goals and points; he still finished with 25 goals and 56 points in 41 games.
Kaprizov also has 15 goals in 25 playoff games, though the Wild has yet to win a playoff series with him in the lineup.
There's no reason to expect that, if healthy, the 28-year-old left wing won't be among the NHL's elite scorers – and that he'll get a big bump from his current $9 million AAV. Kaprizov (1.21 points per game) would give the Rangers a younger version of Panarin (1.28 ppg in six seasons in New York); he's not as good a playmaker but a better goal scorer and more exciting to boot.
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If the Rangers think Panarin is too old and they can't/won't go after Kaprizov, they might decide to make a push for Connor, a big reason Winnipeg won the Presidents' Trophy last season.
Since 2019-20, Connor leads the Jets in goals (217, sixth in the NHL during that period), points (454) and game-winning goals (47). He's coming off a 41-goal, 97-point season; his assist total (56) and points were career highs.
Connor is entering the final season of a seven-year, $7.1 AAV deal that has turned into a bargain. Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff retained center Mark Scheifele and Vezina Trophy-winning goalie Connor Hellebuyck to team-friendly deals before last season. Connor might be willing to do the same — but if not, expect Drury to be interested.
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Speaking of bargains … the Kings have one in Kempe, who's led them in scoring in each of the past two seasons and is entering the final season of a four-year deal with an AAV of $5.5 million.
Since his emergence as a scorer in 2021-22, the 28-year-old leads the Kings in goals (139), game-winners (22) and shorthanded goals (10); he is second in points (269) and plus-minus (plus-55). Kempe was tops on the Kings last season with 73 points and hit the 35-goal mark for the third time in the past four seasons. The only thing he hasn't been able to do in that span is help them win a playoff round.
According to PuckPedia, the Kings should have more than $37 million in cap space for the 2026-27 season, which would be more than enough to meet Kempe's recently disclosed asking price of $10 million AAV. Another chunk is likely to go to center Anze Kopitar , who also can become a free agent next summer but is all but certain to be re-signed and end his Hall of Fame career with the Kings – the only team he's ever played for.
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Only McDavid, Draisaitl and Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche have more points than Panarin since he arrived in New York for the 2019-20 season.
Panarin has been a First-Team All-Star twice and finished in the top five in Hart Trophy voting twice in his six seasons with the Rangers. His 89 points (37 goals, 52 assists) last season were 27 more than runner-up Mika Zibanejad . But his age could be a factor; he would turn 35 within the first few weeks of a new contract.
If the Rangers, who missed the playoffs last season, don't return to being a contender, would Panarin want to re-up? And would Drury want to take the risk of signing a player that old rather than spend his money on younger talent – or try to get a big haul at the NHL Trade Deadline in March?
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Necas reportedly wasn't happy with his role as a member of the Carolina Hurricanes before going to Colorado in the Mikko Rantanen trade. His puck skills are considerable and could likely produce a lot more points in the right setup. His scoring rate actually dipped quite a bit after the trade despite the fact he averaged 2:25 more ice time.
There are reports that the 27-year-old wasn't happy with the way he was being used in Colorado, and with a $6.5 million AAV, he might opt to play out his contract and seek big money ($9 million-plus AAV) in a new deal.
The Rangers have been looking for upgrades at right wing for several seasons. A big season for Necas would surely attract their interest.
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The Stanley Cup Playoffs are a distant memory in Buffalo, where the Sabres haven't qualified for the postseason since 2010-11. Despite that, Tuch stated publicly after last season that he loves being a Sabre and would be willing to re-sign.
But are the Sabres any closer to ending their NHL-record 14-year playoff drought? The case could be made that they've gotten worse, not better, especially after trading forward JJ Peterka to Utah. If the Sabres don't re-sign the 30-year-old (or he opts not to sign), Tuch would be a hot commodity at the trade deadline as a big-bodied, two-way player who's scored 36 goals in two of the past three seasons and is entering the last season of a contract with a $4.75 million AAV.
As with Necas, the Rangers would be upgrading themselves on right wing by adding Tuch – if the price were right.
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The Flames have been fielding offers for the righty-shooting defenseman for the past few weeks, and there's no question he would give the Rangers a boost on the blue line. One possible scenario for Drury to think about is a sign-and-trade that would keep him in New York for a while.
Also, Andersson ($4.55 million AAV this season) is coming off a relatively down year. If he has a good season in Calgary, he could fetch a major haul as a rental – unless the Flames are battling for a playoff berth, as they did last season.
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OK, this is the hockey free agent version of "Fantasy Island."
But imagine this: The NHL's all-time goal-scoring leader decides after his 21st NHL season, all with the Capitals, that he wants to try something new. New York has a big Russian community, and he'd be playing in the NHL's biggest market. Commissioner Gary Bettman and the League's marketing department would be beside themselves. So would Rangers fans.
And if last season is any indication, Ovechkin can still play – he had 44 goals in 65 games and enters 2025-26 three goals shy of 900 for his career.
Yes, it's hard to conceive of Ovi finishing his career in New York. But we can dream.
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