The NHL's once hopeful free agent Class of 2026 has been met with a collective meh. One of the most highly anticipated collection of players in league history scheduled to break free - from superstar centers Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel to star-studded wingers Kirill Kaprizov, Martin Necas and Kyle Connor - all signed extensions as expected, whittling this free agent crop down to relative spare parts.
But that doesn't mean there aren't players available who can improve teams, or storylines worth watching.
Like, what if a Patrick Kane homecoming is part of the plan for the Buffalo Sabres to help replace Alex Tuch?
The Sabres made a pitch years ago to bring Showtime back to Western New York. They weren't then in a place to be taken seriously as a contender. Now, after three seasons in Hockeytown, Kane's hometown may be calling again - this time after whirring past the Winged Wheel in the Atlantic Division to advance to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Kane, now 37, collected 57 points in 61 games for the Red Wings last season. The Sabres traded Tuch's signing rights to Washington last week as the No. 1 free agent available and he subsequently signed an $84 million extension over eight years. Tuch, 30, scored double the number of goals as Kane but managed just nine more points than Kane in 19 more games. They are not the same style of players, of course, as Tuch can help drive play off the wing with his speed. Kane is more of a specialist at this point in his career, a patient playmaker, but the productivity numbers make for an interesting case - to say nothing of the price difference.
Can you imagine the storyline of an incredibly proud hockey market finally returning to glory and bringing home one of its most famous sons?
Stay tuned. The Sabres wouldn't be alone in their interest; another recent suitor, the Toronto Maple Leafs, could be in the mix to unite Gavin McKenna with his childhood hero.
With qualifying offers due on Monday, we've now updated our Top 50 Free Agent rankings - a blend of level of projected interest, impact and potential total dollars. Contract projections are courtesy of our friends at @AFPAnalytics and may even be on the light side of the ledger with the rapidly rising salary cap.
Top 50 Pending Free Agents
as of June 30, 2026
| Rank | Player | Pos | Age | GP | G | Pts | AFP Project |
| 1 | John Carlson | RD | 36 | 71 | 14 | 60 | 3x$7M |
| 2 | Sergei Bobrovsky | G | 37 | 52 | 3.07 | .877 | 2x$5.6M |
| 3 | Ras. Andersson | RD | 29 | 81 | 17 | 47 | 6x$8.7M |
| 4 | Mason Marchment | LW | 31 | 68 | 19 | 45 | 3x$5.7M |
| 5 | Jacob Trouba | RD | 32 | 81 | 10 | 35 | 4x$6.4M |
| 6 | Stuart Skinner | G | 27 | 50 | 2.92 | .888 | 2x$4.4M |
| 7 | Patrick Kane | RW | 37 | 67 | 16 | 57 | 1x$3.3M |
| 8 | Anders Lee | LW | 35 | 82 | 19 | 42 | 3x$6.6M |
| 9 | Patrik Laine | LW | 28 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1x$850K+ |
| 10 | Anthony Mantha | LW | 31 | 81 | 33 | 64 | 4x$6.3M |
| 11 | Viktor Arvidsson | RW | 33 | 69 | 25 | 54 | 2x$4.9M |
| 12 | Mario Ferraro | LD | 27 | 82 | 7 | 23 | 4x$5.1M |
| 13 | Boone Jenner | C | 33 | 67 | 13 | 38 | 3x$5.2M |
| 14 | Michael Bunting | LW | 30 | 74 | 14 | 33 | 4x$5.8M |
| 15 | Mats Zuccarello | RW | 39 | 59 | 15 | 54 | 1x$5.8M |
| 16 | Claude Giroux | RW | 38 | 82 | 14 | 49 | 1x$2.5M |
| 17 | Logan Stanley | LD | 28 | 76 | 9 | 26 | 2x$3M |
| 18 | Andrew Peeke | RD | 28 | 77 | 5 | 14 | 4x$4.1M |
| 19 | Jack Roslovic | RW | 29 | 69 | 21 | 36 | 3x$4.7M |
| 20 | Oliver Bjorkstrand | RW | 31 | 80 | 12 | 32 | 2x$2.8M |
| 21 | Jamie Oleksiak | RD | 33 | 78 | 5 | 15 | 2x$3M |
| 22 | Jaden Schwartz | LW | 34 | 50 | 11 | 26 | 2x$4.7M |
| 23 | Ryan Shea | LD | 29 | 80 | 6 | 35 | 4x$4.4M |
| 24 | A.J. Greer | RW | 29 | 78 | 17 | 32 | 3x$2.8M |
| 25 | Eeli Tolvanen | RW | 27 | 78 | 12 | 36 | 2x$3.7M |
| 26 | Erik Haula | C | 35 | 81 | 14 | 38 | 1x$3.3M |
| 27 | Matias Maccelli | LW | 25 | 71 | 14 | 39 | 2x$3.2M |
| 28 | Ilya Mikheyev | RW | 31 | 77 | 18 | 36 | 3x$3.5M |
| 29 | Bobby Brink | RW | 24 | 68 | 15 | 30 | 2x$3.8M |
| 30 | Scott Laughton | C | 32 | 64 | 13 | 20 | 3x$4.1M |
| 31 | David Perron | LW | 38 | 65 | 13 | 28 | 1x$3.3M |
| 32 | Radko Gudas | RD | 36 | 56 | 2 | 13 | 1x$2M |
| 33 | Corey Perry | RW | 41 | 72 | 17 | 37 | 1x$2.2M |
| 34 | J. van Riemsdyk | LW | 37 | 72 | 15 | 31 | 1x$2M |
| 35 | T. van Riemsdyk | RD | 34 | 68 | 3 | 14 | 2x$2.4M |
| 36 | Vladimir Tarasenko | RW | 34 | 75 | 23 | 47 | 1x$3.3M |
| 37 | Frederik Andersen | G | 37 | 35 | 3.05 | .874 | 1x$2.9M |
| 38 | Daniil Tarasov | G | 27 | 33 | 3.05 | .895 | 2x$1.5M |
| 39 | Carson Soucy | LD | 31 | 76 | 5 | 12 | 2x$2.1M |
| 40 | Nick Jensen | RD | 35 | 61 | 4 | 17 | 2x$3.3M |
| 41 | Connor Ingram | G | 29 | 32 | 2.60 | .899 | 2x$3M |
| 42 | John Klingberg | RD | 33 | 56 | 10 | 27 | 2x$5.1M |
| 43 | Andrew Kuzmenko | LW | 30 | 52 | 13 | 25 | 2x$4M |
| 44 | Kasperi Kapanen | RW | 29 | 41 | 8 | 17 | 3x$3.1M |
| 45 | Reilly Smith | LW | 35 | 69 | 16 | 26 | 1x$1.4M |
| 46 | Ian Cole | LD | 37 | 82 | 3 | 23 | 1x$3.1M |
| 47 | Noel Acciari | RW | 34 | 67 | 13 | 25 | 2x$2.1M |
| 48 | Nick Cousins | LW | 32 | 61 | 9 | 23 | 2x$2.1M |
| 49 | Luke Schenn | RD | 36 | 50 | 1 | 7 | 1x$1.1M |
| 50 | Pavol Regenda | LW | 26 | 24 | 9 | 10 | 2x$2M |