NHL Free Agent Frenzy Tracker 2022 Offseason

Anthony Scultore |

May 13, 2022

Apr 5, 2022; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers right wing Claude Giroux (28) takes his position on the ice for a face-off during the second period against the Toronto Maple Leafs at FLA Live Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

The opening bell for NHL Free Agent Frenzy will sound on July 13 at Noon Eastern. This offseason will boast an incredible free agent class with plenty of excellent unrestricted players available.

At forward, Evgeni Malkin, Claude Giroux, and Phil Kessel are some of the more intriguing names. On defense, P.K. Subban, Kris Letang, and Mark Giordano are great options. And among goalies, Marc-André Fleury is the clear cut top choice.

In preparation for the summer, we’ve listed the Top UFA’s separated by Forwards, Defensemen, and Goaltenders. They are sorted by their expiring cap hit from highest to lowest.

Note: All cap data from CapFriendly.

NHL Free Agent Frenzy: Top Forwards

evgeni malkin — May 24, 2021; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin (71) reacts after scoring a power play goal against the New York Islanders during the first period in game five of the first round of the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Below are the Top 35 unrestricted free agent forwards available.

PLAYER	TEAM	AGE	POS	EXPIRING CAP HIT
Evgeni Malkin	PIT	35	C	$9,500,000
Claude Giroux	FLA	34	C	$8,275,000
Phil Kessel	ARI	34	RW	$8,000,000
Patrice Bergeron	BOS	36	C	$6,875,000
Johnny Gaudreau	CGY	28	LW	$6,750,000
Alexander Radulov	DAL	35	RW	$6,250,000
Filip Forsberg	NSH	27	LW	$6,000,000
Dustin Brown	LAK	37	F	$5,875,000
Max Domi	CAR	27	F	$5,300,000
Ondrej Palat	TBL	31	F	$5,300,000
Nino Niederreiter	CAR	29	F	$5,250,000
Reilly Smith	VGK	31	F	$5,000,000
André Burakovsky	COL	27	F	$4,900,000
Vincent Trocheck	CAR	28	F	$4,750,000
Ryan Strome	NYR	28	C	$4,500,000
Nazem Kadri	COL	31	C	$4,500,000
Victor Rask	SEA	29	C	$4,000,000
David Perron	STL	34	F	$4,000,000
Rickard Rakell	PIT	29	F	$3,789,444
Paul Stastny	WPG	36	F	$3,750,000
Andrew Copp	NYR	27	F	$3,640,000
Bryan Rust	PIT	30	F	$3,500,000
Chris Tierney	OTT	28	C	$3,500,000
Andreas Athanasiou	LAK	27	F	$2,700,000
Frank Vatrano	NYR	28	F	$2,533,333
Valeri Nichushkin	COL	27	F	$2,500,000
Cody Eakin	BUF	31	C	$2,250,000
Evander Kane	EDM	30	F	$2,108,696
Vladislav Namestnikov	DAL	29	F	$2,000,000
Zachary Sanford	WPG	27	F	$2,000,000
Calle Järnkrok	CGY	30	F	$2,000,000
Mattias Janmark	VGK	29	F	$2,000,000
Tyler Pitlick	MTL	30	F	$1,750,000
Zach Aston-Reese	ANA	27	F	$1,725,000
1 Noel Acciari	FLA	30	F	$1,666,667

2022 NHL Top UFA Forwards

NHL Free Agent Frenzy: Top Defensemen

nhl rumors pk subban — Feb 28, 2022; Newark, New Jersey, USA; New Jersey Devils defenseman P.K. Subban (76) warms up while wearing a jersey, which he designed, paying tribute to Devils Black players and coaches before the game at Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

Below are the Top 25 unrestricted free agent defensemen available.

PLAYER	TEAM	AGE	POS	EXPIRING CAP HIT
P.K. Subban	NJD	33	D	$9,000,000
Kris Letang	PIT	35	D	$7,250,000
Mark Giordano	TOR	38	D	$6,750,000
Anton Strålman	ARI	35	D	$5,500,000
Nick Leddy	STL	31	D	$5,500,000
Danny DeKeyser	DET	32	D	$5,000,000
Calvin De Haan	CHI	31	D	$4,550,000
John Klingberg	DAL	29	D	$4,250,000
Josh Manson	COL	30	D	$4,100,000
Olli Määttä	LAK	27	D	$4,083,333
Justin Schultz	WSH	31	D	$4,000,000
Colin Miller	BUF	29	D	$3,875,000
Nikita Zadorov	CGY	27	D	$3,750,000
Will Butcher	BUF	27	D	$3,733,333
Alexander Edler	LAK	36	D	$3,500,000
Ben Chiarot	FLA	31	D	$3,500,000
Ian Cole	CAR	33	D	$2,900,000
Markus Nutivaara	FLA	28	D	$2,700,000
Michal Kempný	WSH	31	D	$2,500,000
Thomas Hickey	NYI	33	D	$2,500,000
Ryan Murray	COL	28	D	$2,000,000
Marc Staal	DET	35	D	$2,000,000
Erik Gudbranson	CGY	30	D	$1,950,000
Brett Kulak	EDM	28	D	$1,850,000
Justin Braun	NYR	35	D	$1,800,000

2022 NHL Top UFA Defensemen

NHL Free Agent Frenzy: Top Goalies

marc-andre fleury — Mar 21, 2022; Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Wild goalie Marc-Andre Fleury (29) warms up before the game against the Vegas Golden Knights at Xcel Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

Below are the Top 10 unrestricted free agent goalies available.

PLAYER	TEAM	AGE	POS	EXPIRING CAP HIT
Marc-André Fleury	MIN	37	G	$7,000,000
Darcy Kuemper	COL	32	G	$4,500,000
Mikko Koskinen	EDM	33	G	$4,500,000
Thomas Greiss	DET	36	G	$3,600,000
Joonas Korpisalo	CBJ	28	G	$2,800,000
Martin Jones	PHI	32	G	$2,000,000
Braden Holtby	DAL	32	G	$2,000,000
Jack Campbell	TOR	30	G	$1,650,000
Jaro Halak	VAN	37	G	$1,500,000
Casey DeSmith	PIT	30	G	$1,250,000

2022 NHL Top UFA Goalies