Best players available in NHL free agency after Vegas lands Mitch Marner in sign-and-trade
The New York Rangers aren’t expected to wade into the deep end of the free-agent pool, but they’re sure to be eagerly looking at everyone who becomes available when NHL free agency begins at noon ET on Tuesday.
But the ranks of the top free agents continued to thin as the witching hour approached.
The latest to go was Mitch Marner, the biggest name on the board, who was acquired by the Vegas Golden Knights from the Toronto Maple Leafs early Tuesday in a sign-and-trade deal. The Leafs received forward Nicholas Roy. Marner signed an eight-year, $96 million contract (average annual value $12 million) that will keep him with Vegas through 2032-33.
The 28-year-old right wing is coming off a season that saw him post career highs in assists (75) and points (102) this past season, finishing fifth in the League scoring race. The two-time NHL First-Team All-Star is a better playmaker than goal-scorer. The Maple Leafs didn’t make much of a push to sign him, and his market was likely limited because teams like the Rangers probably don’t have the cap space.
Shortly after, the Florida Panthers signed 37-year-old forward Brad Marchand to a six-year contract with an AAV of $5.125 million, according to PuckPedia — likely much less than he might have gotten by switching teams. The longtime Boston Bruins forward came to Florida just before the NHL Trade Deadline in March, used the remainder of the regular season to get healthy and excelled on the Panthers third line in the playoffs, putting up 20 points (10 goals, 10 assists), including six goals in the Final.
It was the third big “keep” for the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions in five days. On Monday, they re-upped defenseman Aaron Ekblad, who agreed to an eight-year, $48.8 million contract extension. The $6.1 million average annual value, as reported by PuckPedia, represents a big hometown discount for the defending Stanley Cup champs. It’s also a drop from the $7.5 million AAV on his previous eight-year contract.
On Friday, they inked Conn Smythe Trophy winner Sam Bennett to an eight-year, $64 million ($8 million AAV) contract on Friday. The veteran center led all playoff scorers with 15 goals, including an NHL-record 13 on the road.
Future Hall of Famer Patrick Kane is also staying put after signing a one-year, $3 million contract with the Detroit Red Wings on Monday. The 36-year-old was fourth on the Wings last season with 21 goals and 59 points. A healthy Kane is still a productive Kane, and he showed in Detroit last season that he’s far removed from the injury-plagued player Rangers fans saw at the tail end of 2022-23.
Two other big names came off the board in the past few days. Claude Giroux signed a one-year contract on Sunday to remain with the Ottawa Senators. The contract has a base salary of $2 million, with another $2.75 million in potential bonuses. The Toronto Maple Leafs re-signed center John Tavares on Friday to a four-year contract with an AAV of $4.38 million.
The Rangers, who have about $12.2 million in cap space and need to sign unrestricted free agent forward Will Cuylle or face the possibility he could get an offer sheet, will likely do more looking than shopping unless they make a trade to free up more money. RFA defenseman K’Andre Miller has been mentioned as a trade possibility.
Here are some of the top players still set to hit unrestricted free agency.
Related: Why Rangers draft history since 2000 not pretty without 1st-round pick
Vladislav Gavrikov, D (Los Angeles Kings)
The Rangers have been linked to Gavrikov, who’s coming off an excellent season with the Los Angeles Kings and would fill a big hole on the left side of New York’s No. 1 defense pairing. But Los Angeles would like to keep him if the money works – the reported asking price is seven years at $8 million per. He averaged 23 minutes a game in 2024-25, had a career-high 30 points (five goals, 25 assists) and finished plus-26, by far the best mark of his career.
Brock Boeser, LW (Vancouver Canucks)
The Rangers and most of the rest of the NHL could use a player like Boeser, a six-time 20-goal scorer who had 40 in 2023-24. Vancouver did try to trade him during this past season as free agency approached but felt making the playoffs was a better plan, though they failed to do so anyway. Published reports say Boeser, who’s coming off a three-year contract with an AAV of $6.65 million, could be in line for a six-year deal worth more than $8 million. His scoring touch could help the Rangers, but not at that price.
Nikolaj Ehlers, LW (Winnipeg Jets)
Ehlers is coming off his eighth 20-goal season, and his 63 points were one short of his career high. At age 29, he should still have several productive years remaining. The Jets are hoping the recent addition of center Jonathan Toews might induce Ehlers to re-up with the team that won the Presidents’ Trophy as regular-season champion. The Jets still have to extend top-line left wing Kyle Connor, so Ehlers could wind up playing elsewhere in 2025-26.
Ivan Provorov, D (Columbus Blue Jackets)
Provorov reportedly is closing in on a seven-year, $59.5 million contract ($8.5 million AAV) that would keep him in Columbus through his age-35 season. He’s coming off a solid 33-point season (seven goals, 26 assists), finished plus-11 and averaged 23:21 of ice time while playing all 82 games for the third straight season.
Dmitry Orlov, D (Carolina Hurricanes)
At 33, Orlov can still be an effective second- or third-pair defenseman who contributes offensively and defensively while playing 17-20 minutes per game. The Russian veteran was plus-16 in 2024-25, the 10th consecutive season he’s been a plus player. Orlov won’t get anywhere near the $7.8 million AAV contract he got from Carolina a couple of years ago, but he’s still capable of being a solid contributor for a few more years.
Jake Allen, G (New Jersey Devils)
The goalie market is a thin one, so the Rangers are more than happy to have Igor Shesterkin and Jonathan Quick manning the crease for the third straight season. Allen isn’t going to carry a No. 1 load, but he’s a dependable second banana who can step into the top job if the starter goes down (as Jacob Markstrom did last season for the Devils). His 13-16-1 record this past season was belied by a 2.66 goals-against average and .908 save percentage.
Mikael Granlund, C (Dallas Stars)
The 33-year-old is a center who can also play wing and is coming off a solid season (22 goals, 66 points in 83 games) divided between the woeful San Jose Sharks and the Dallas Stars, who acquired him in a trade on Feb. 1. Though Granlund won’t drive play, he’s a useful mid-level scorer (at least 60 points in three of the past four seasons. He fit well on Dallas’ all-Finn line after arriving from the Sharks, playing on the power play and penalty kill and contributing a hat trick in the second round of the playoffs.
Pius Suter, C (Vancouver Canucks)
The 29-year-old center from Switzerland is in line for a major bump from his 2024-25 salary of $1.6 million after finishing with career highs in goals (25) and points (46). Suter reportedly thinks he can get $4.5 million per season. But that’s a number the Canucks don’t appear to be interested in giving him after acquiring forward Evander Kane and his $5.125 million AAV contract from the Edmonton Oilers last week. They have just over $7 million remaining, according to PuckPedia, so expect Suter to be somewhere else next season.
