The pending UFAs 2026 class just took another hit. Nick Schmaltz's eight-year, $64 million extension with the Utah Mammoth yanked arguably the most productive center off a free agent board that was already thinning faster than anyone expected. What was supposed to be one of the deepest UFA summers in recent memory has turned into a market where teams with cap space might be fighting over scraps — or massively overpaying the names that remain.
So who's actually left? And more importantly, who's worth the money they're about to command? Here's a breakdown of the top 10 pending UFAs 2026 still available heading into the offseason, ranked by a combination of on-ice impact, projected contract value, and how dramatically they could shift the balance of power for their next team.
Top 10 Pending UFAs 2026: The Complete Ranking
1. Adrian Kempe, RW — Los Angeles Kings
Age: 29 | Cap Hit: $4.5M | 2025-26 Stats: 25 G, 31 A, 56 P in 64 GP
Kempe is the crown jewel of the pending UFAs 2026 class. Five consecutive 25-goal seasons. Twenty-nine years old with prime years still ahead. And he's been doing it at a $4.5 million cap hit that's borderline criminal for his production. The Kings are working to lock him up, but if Kempe hits the open market, he's looking at $10-11 million AAV on a long-term deal. Every contender in the league would pick up the phone.
What makes Kempe especially dangerous is his versatility — he can play both wings, kill penalties, and has developed into a legitimate power-play weapon. The Kings can't afford to let him walk, but the salary cap gymnastics required to keep him alongside Kopitar's legacy deal and their defensive core won't be easy.
2. Alex Tuch, RW — Buffalo Sabres
Age: 30 | Cap Hit: $4.75M | 2025-26 Stats: 28 G, 29 A, 57 P in 64 GP
Tuch is the best power forward on this pending UFAs 2026 list. At 6-foot-4 and 217 pounds, he combines size, speed, and scoring touch in a package that doesn't exist elsewhere on the open market. His 28 goals pace him for a 36-goal season, and he's done it while being the emotional heartbeat of a Buffalo team that's actually made the playoffs for the first time in 14 years.
Contract talks were tabled during the season, making Tuch one of the most closely watched pending UFAs 2026. If Tuch lights it up in the postseason, he could command north of $9 million per year. One scout told The Hockey News, "If Tuch has a terrific Stanley Cup playoff performance with the Sabres this year, he's going to command significantly more than Schmaltz settled for."
3. Sergei Bobrovsky, G — Florida Panthers
Age: 37 | Cap Hit: $10M | 2025-26 Stats: Veteran presence behind a Panthers team chasing a three-peat
Among all pending UFAs 2026, Bob stands alone as a two-time Stanley Cup winner. He's a future Hall of Famer. And at 37, he's not chasing a massive payday — he's chasing legacy. The expectation is that Bobrovsky re-signs with Florida on a team-friendly deal, something in the $4-5 million range for two years. But if the Panthers can't get their cap situation sorted (they have over $25 million in injured salary right now), another contender could swoop in with a short-term offer that's hard to refuse.
4. John Carlson, D — Washington Capitals
Age: 36 | Cap Hit: $8M
Carlson is a franchise institution in Washington and one of the most polarizing pending UFAs 2026. He was there for the 2018 Cup run, he's been the quarterback of that power play for over a decade, and there's a sentimental argument for letting him retire as a Capital. But the Caps are adopting a wait-and-see approach, which tells you everything about how they view his declining foot speed. At $8 million, he's overpriced. At $5-6 million on a two-year deal? Still a top-four defenseman on most teams.
5. Charlie Coyle, C — Columbus Blue Jackets
Age: 34 | Cap Hit: $5.25M | 2025-26 Stats: 51 P in 65 GP
Here's where the pending UFAs 2026 center market gets interesting. With Schmaltz gone, Coyle is the best available pivot. And he knows it. Two years removed from a career-best 25-goal, 60-point season with Boston, the big centerman has revived his production in Columbus with 51 points through 65 games. He's almost certainly going to break the $6 million barrier on his next deal. The question is whether someone panics and overpays for a 34-year-old center just because the alternatives are so thin.
6. Evgeni Malkin, C — Pittsburgh Penguins
Age: 39 | Cap Hit: $6.1M
Malkin at 39 is still Malkin — and still one of the most intriguing pending UFAs 2026. He started the season hot, and even as the production has cooled, you're talking about one of the most gifted playmakers in NHL history. The Penguins reportedly earmarked the Olympic break for contract discussions. The realistic outcome? A one-year deal in the $3-4 million range, likely in Pittsburgh. But stranger things have happened — a contender looking for a second-line center rental could make a compelling pitch.
7. Mike Matheson, D — Montreal Canadiens
Age: 32 | Cap Hit: $4.875M
Matheson has quietly become one of the more versatile defensemen in the league. He skates like a forward, moves the puck efficiently, and plays heavy minutes for a Canadiens team in the middle of a rebuild. He also made headlines this week for a hit on Sharks prospect Igor Chernyshov that left the youngster hospitalized. The projected next deal sits around $7 million AAV, which represents a significant raise. Montreal might prefer to let him test the market rather than commit long-term dollars to a 32-year-old on a team that's building around younger talent.
8. Jaden Schwartz, LW — Seattle Kraken
Age: 33 | Cap Hit: $5.5M | 2025-26 Stats: 10 G, 11 A, 21 P in 42 GP
This is one of the more confusing pending UFAs 2026 situations. Schwartz dropped 26 goals last season and looked like a $7 million player. This year? Ten goals in 42 games. The 33-year-old's underlying numbers have cratered, and injuries have limited his availability. A team banking on a bounceback could get a bargain — think three years at $5-6 million. But paying for last year's production when this year's tape says otherwise is exactly how bad contracts get born.
9. Anders Lee, LW — New York Islanders
Age: 35 | Cap Hit: $7M
Lee rounds out the bottom of the pending UFAs 2026 forward group as captain of a sinking ship. The Islanders are in full rebuild mode, and GM Lou Lamoriello has expressed little urgency to bring back the 35-year-old winger. Lee still goes to the dirty areas and scores blue-collar goals, but he's lost a step. A contender needing a net-front presence on a one-year deal could make sense, but nobody's giving him term at this stage.
10. Mario Ferraro, D — San Jose Sharks
Age: 27 | Cap Hit: $3.25M
Ferraro is the sleeper of this entire pending UFAs 2026 class. At just 27, he's the youngest among all pending UFAs 2026 by a wide margin and the only one still firmly in his prime. He's a grinding, shutdown defenseman who eats minutes and blocks shots. The Sharks have him at a steal of $3.25 million, and he's been a popular name in trade discussions all season. If he hits free agency, expect a five-year deal north of $5 million from a team that needs a reliable top-four presence.
Pending UFAs 2026: Statistical Comparison
| Player | Pos | Age | Cap Hit | GP | P | Proj. AAV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adrian Kempe | RW | 29 | $4.5M | 64 | 56 | $10-11M |
| Alex Tuch | RW | 30 | $4.75M | 64 | 57 | $8-9M |
| S. Bobrovsky | G | 37 | $10M | — | — | $4-5M |
| John Carlson | D | 36 | $8M | — | — | $5-6M |
| Charlie Coyle | C | 34 | $5.25M | 65 | 51 | $6-7M |
| Evgeni Malkin | C | 39 | $6.1M | — | — | $3-4M |
| Mike Matheson | D | 32 | $4.875M | — | — | $6-7M |
| Jaden Schwartz | LW | 33 | $5.5M | 42 | 21 | $5-6M |
| Anders Lee | LW | 35 | $7M | — | — | $3-4M |
| Mario Ferraro | D | 27 | $3.25M | — | — | $5-6M |
The Bigger Picture: Why This UFA Class Fell Apart
Twelve months ago, this was shaping up to be one of the deepest UFA classes in a decade. Schmaltz, Kempe, Panarin, Andersson, Tuch — the names read like an All-Star ballot. Then the dominoes started falling. Panarin signed an extension and got dealt to the Kings. Andersson was traded to Vegas in January after refusing to commit long-term to any acquiring team. And now Schmaltz's $64 million extension has removed the best available center from the board entirely.
What's left is a market heavy on wingers and veterans, thin at center, and almost completely devoid of elite defensemen. For teams sitting on cap space this summer — Buffalo, Detroit, Chicago, Ottawa — the plan to spend big on pending UFAs 2026 in July might need a serious rethink. The pending UFAs 2026 class still has talent, but the kind of franchise-altering additions that shift a team from pretender to contender? Those opportunities are almost gone.
From my perspective, the real winners of this UFA cycle are the teams that locked up their guys early. Utah got Schmaltz at a fair price. Vegas grabbed Andersson via trade rather than competing on the open market. And the Kings are positioned to keep Kempe if they move money around. The losers? Anyone who waited, hoping July would deliver a bonanza. It won't.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who are the top pending UFAs in 2026?
The top pending UFAs 2026 include Adrian Kempe (Kings), Alex Tuch (Sabres), Sergei Bobrovsky (Panthers), John Carlson (Capitals), and Charlie Coyle (Blue Jackets). Kempe and Tuch are the most impactful skaters available, with both projected to command $8-11 million AAV on their next contracts.
Why did the 2026 UFA class get weaker?
Several marquee names signed extensions before hitting the open market. Nick Schmaltz signed an 8-year, $64 million deal with Utah. Artemi Panarin signed an extension and was traded to Los Angeles. Rasmus Andersson was dealt to Vegas in January. These moves removed three top-tier players from a class that was initially projected to be one of the deepest in years.
What did Nick Schmaltz sign for?
Nick Schmaltz signed an eight-year, $64 million contract extension with the Utah Mammoth on March 11, 2026. The deal carries an $8 million average annual value. Schmaltz, 30, was having a career-best season with 24 goals and 59 points in 66 games when he signed.
Is Alex Tuch going to re-sign with Buffalo?
Contract talks between Tuch and the Sabres were tabled during the season. The 30-year-old has 28 goals and 57 points in 64 games and is expected to command at least $8 million per year. If the Sabres make a deep playoff run, Tuch's price tag could climb even higher, potentially making him too expensive for Buffalo's cap structure.
Who is the best defenseman among the 2026 pending UFAs?
With Rasmus Andersson already traded to Vegas, the best remaining defensemen are John Carlson (Capitals, 36), Mike Matheson (Canadiens, 32), and Mario Ferraro (Sharks, 27). Ferraro offers the most long-term upside as the youngest at 27.
