Top 10 NHL UFAs Ranked For Summer of 2025 (With Contract Projections)

While many teams around the NHL have the upcoming Stanley Cup Playoffs as their main focus right now, front offices for all 32 teams are also planning for next year. And with that, they are perusing the list of the top pending UFAs for this summer.

Daily Faceoff Insider Frank Seravalli has released his first list of the top pending unrestricted free agents that could be on the market.

Some of these will be re-signed to extensions by their current teams, but assuming they're all available league-wide on July 1st, here's a list of the Top 10 UFAs who could be up for grabs, along with their contract projections made at midseason by AFP Analytics (these numbers will be updated next month taking into account the newly-soaring salary cap).

1. Mitch Marner, F, Toronto Maple Leafs (8 years, $12.6M AAV)

2. Brock Boeser, F, Vancouver Canucks (7 years, 9.1M AAV)

3. John Tavares, C, Toronto Maple Leafs (3 years, $8M)

4. Matt Duchene, C, Dallas Stars (3 years, $6.4M)

5. Neal Pionk, D, Winnipeg Jets (6 years, $7M)

6. Sam Bennett, C, Florida Panthers (6 years, $6.3M)

7. Nikolaj Ehlers, F, Winnipeg Jets (6 years, $7.5M)

8. Brad Marchand, C, Florida Panthers (3 years, $7.8M)

9. Ivan Provorov, D, Columbus Blue Jackets (5 years, $6.4M)

10. Aaron Ekblad, D, Florida Panthers (7 years, $6.9M)

Three teams, Toronto, Florida and Winnipeg dominate this list, with seven of the 10 top pending UFAs.

Another thing that seems to stand out here, is that many of the 'midseason' contract projections, which were created in January, could already be outdated due to the rising cap.

For instance, as Seravalli notes, "It’s not difficult to envision a world where Marner earns closer to a $14 million AAV if he makes it to market."

Bennett and Tavares are the two names on this list that seem most likely to re-sign with their current teams.

And of course, any clubs that aren't able to land one of the big fish on the UFA market could also look at potential offer sheets for the slew of top young players on the rise on the RFA market.

Several other big names who came into the 2024-25 season as potential UFAs this summer have since re-signed big extensions with their current clubs. Namely, in order of signing, Carter Verhaeghe, Linus Ullmark, Igor Shesterkin, Mikko Rantanen (after a wild rollercoaster season in which he was traded twice), and Jakob Chychrun.

Seravalli's full list of the top 50 UFAs can be found here.