Veteran forwards Patrick Kane and Vladimir Tarasenko are among the biggest names still on the unrestricted free agent market as the calendar inches towards August.
Kane, who will be 38 in November, was productive last season with the Detroit Red Wings, scoring 16 goals with 57 points in 67 games, including 19 points on the power play.
The Buffalo native is the most accomplished UFA still available with three Stanley Cup titles, as well as a Hart Trophy, Ted Lindsay Award, Calder Memorial Trophy and Conn Smythe Trophy on his resume.
Kane spent 16 seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks after being drafted first overall in 2007 before a short stint with the New York Rangers. He spent the past three seasons in Detroit. He has skated in 1,369 career NHL games, scoring 508 goals with 1,400 points.
After spending the first 11 years of his NHL career with the St. Louis Blues, Tarasenko has bounced around the league the past few years.
Since being dealt by the Blues at the 2023 trade deadline, the Yaroslavl, Russia native has suited up for five different teams: the Rangers, Ottawa Senators, Florida Panthers, Red Wings and Minnesota Wild.
Tarasenko played the 2025-26 campaign in Minnesota, scoring 23 goals with 47 points in 75 games while averaging 14:56 of ice time.
Set to turn 35 on Dec. 13, Tarasenko has won two Stanley Cup championships, helping the Blues (2019) and Panthers (2024) win their first titles.
While many of the free agents available are veterans in their mid-to-late 30s, there are several players in their late 20s who still have plenty of runway left in their NHL careers.
Winger Eeli Tolvanen is coming off a 12-goal, 36-point season with the Seattle Kraken in 2025-26. A first-round pick (30th overall) by the Nashville Predators in 2017, the 27-year-old has scored 92 goals with 190 points in 423 career NHL games.
Defenceman Nick Blankenburg spent last season split between the Predators and Colorado Avalanche. The 28-year-old was having a career year with Nashville, scoring six goals with 21 points in 49 games before he was dealt at the trade deadline to the Avalanche. He skated in 12 regular-season games and five postseason contests as Colorado made it to the Western Conference Finals before being swept by the Vegas Golden Knights.
Defenceman Logan Stanley is coming off a career year offensively as he split the season between Winnipeg and Buffalo. In 76 games, the 28-year-old had a combined nine goals with 26 points and skated in eight playoff games with Buffalo.
The highest-paid UFA from last season is winger Patrik Laine, who skated in just five games with the Montreal Canadiens in 2025-26.
A core muscle injury took Laine out of the lineup early in the season and it later required surgery. With a three-to-four-month recovery timeline, Laine returned to practice but didn’t draw into the lineup for the rest of the season as the Canadiens made it all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Laine confirmed on June 1 that the medical staff cleared him to play and still believes he has a long NHL career ahead of him.
“I know I’ll be playing in this league for a long time,” said Laine during Montreal’s locker cleanout. “That’s not a question. Never something I’ve doubted. Just going to need an opportunity. In great shape, feel good. Still got a lot of time before next season. That’s definitely something I’m not worried about.
“But I think this year was especially hard since I didn’t play a lot of games and all that, but learned things about myself this year I probably wouldn’t have otherwise, and learned how to handle tough situations that will last me for a lifetime way beyond hockey.”
Laine hasn’t played more than 60 games in a season since skating in 68 in 2019-20 with the Jets. In 2024-25 with the Canadiens, he appeared in 55 games, scoring 20 goals with 33 points.
The 28-year-old is eligible to sign a bonus-laden contract with a low base salary.
