It’s a good thing John Carlson will be there so that July 1 won’t be a total bust

Charles-Alexis Brisebois
It’s a good thing John Carlson will be there so that July 1 won’t be a total bust
Credit: Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images

July 1, 2026, may not be the most exciting day in terms of unrestricted free agent signings.

Note: That doesn't mean nothing will happen. Surprises can still happen (Juraj Slafkovsky's contract in 2024 is a good example).

But when it comes to unrestricted free agents, things will be slow.

I pulled up the list of players who had a salary cap hit of at least $5M in 2025–2026 and who will be UFAs in a few weeks. And it's not exactly a sea of talent.

Darren Raddysh wasn't on the initial list, since he'll be making peanuts in 2025–2026… but seeing Carey Price, Patrik Laine, and Shea Weber on the list reminds us that this isn't the most exciting group for a GM looking to build a team in 2026.

(Credit: Spotrac)

Evander Kane… Anze Kopitar (retired)… guys like Alex Ovechkin or even Sergei Bobrovsky who won't have 15 teams chasing after them this summer…

Let's just say it's going to be a strange free-agent market.

One name to watch? John Carlson. The defenseman, who won't be returning to Anaheim (he wants to go back to the East), will be in high demand in the NHL. In my opinion, he'll be THE big name to watch.

And for good reason: he racked up 60 points this season.

(Credit: Hockey DB)

Despite being 36 years old, he's still very productive. And Darren Raddysh's $68 million contract will clearly allow him to command a huge payday—in the short term, of course.

Pierre LeBrun thinks he'll get at least $10 million per year on a two-year deal. And Greg Wyshynski agrees with the TSN and The Athletic insider.

Recently, the Lightning have been mentioned as a potential destination to replace Raddysh. It's an attractive market (both the city and the team), and it's in the East.

Why not?


In a nutshell

– Note this.

– Good question.

– What does the future hold for Alex DeBrincat?

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