NHL Rumors: An Early Look at 2026 RFA Class

There are still some notable restricted free agents this summer in the NHL who have yet to sign, and in some cases, whose names are being bandied about on the trade market, like Marco Rossi (latest update here) and Mason McTavish. Are any offer sheets still to come? We can't say at this point.

But while this year's crop still has a lot of balls in the air, let's have an early look at what could be a stunning 2026 RFA Class.

Top 3 NHL RFAs for the Summer of 2026

Jason Robertson, Dallas Stars

His name has been front and center on the rumor mill this summer, as the Stars are still trying to figure out how they'll handle his future. With a $7.75 million cap hit set to expire after the coming season, it'll take at least a $10M AAV to get Robertson signed to a full long-term deal. Shayna Goldman in The Athletic suggests, however, that maybe the Stars could try something different:

"Maybe Dallas will take note of Nikolaj Ehlers’ six-year term (at $8.5M AAV with the Hurricanes) and push the cap hit (on Robertson) below the $10 million mark (on a slightly shorter-term deal)."

Lane Hutson, Montreal Canadiens

Nobody expects the Habs to come up short in a contract offer for their Rookie of the Year sensation. But just how much would it cost? The closest comp for a star defenseman of this magnitude coming off his entry-level deal, suggests Goldman, is when Cale Makar got a six-year contract with a $9M cap hit after his ELC. But yes, that was signed four years ago, and in today's rising cap, that translates to $11.5M. "Something in between Makar’s AAV and that ($11.5) number could be the sweet spot for Hutson," says Goldman.

Connor Bedard, Chicago Blackhawks

The phenom of the 2023 Rookie Class took a bit of a step back this past season—at least, he didn't progress the way he was expected to. A lot of that can be attributed to the poor performance and construction of the team around him. Whatever the cause, we can still expect the Blackhawks to pony up a long-term deal worth north of the $10M AAV mark next summer for the 20-year-old.

Three other notable RFAs in next year's class: