The Mitch Marner sweepstakes headline this summer’s pending unrestricted free agent class, with the Toronto star topping theScore’s rankings of available players when free agency opens July 1.
Age was factored into these rankings as of the July 1 opening date.
xGF% = five-on-five expected goals share
GSAx = goals saved above expected
1. Mitch Marner
Position: RW
Age: 28
Last team: Maple Leafs
2024-25 cap hit: $10.9M
| GP | G | A | ATOI | xGF% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 81 | 27 | 75 | 21:19 | 52.8 |
With a reunion in Toronto looking unlikely, there’s a good chance Marner becomes one of the most sought-after UFAs in years.
It’s not often that 100-point, Selke-caliber wingers who are in their prime hit the market.
2. Vladislav Gavrikov
Position: LD/RD
Age: 29
Last team: Kings
2024-25 cap hit: $5.875M
| GP | G | A | ATOI | xGF% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 82 | 5 | 25 | 23:05 | 57.19 |
Gavrikov being ranked this high may surprise some fans. But the 6-foot-3, 220-pound defenseman is one of the game’s top shutdown blue-liners.
3. Aaron Ekblad
Position: RD
Age: 29
Last team: Panthers
2024-25 cap hit: $7.5M
| GP | G | A | ATOI | xGF% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 56 | 3 | 30 | 23:31 | 52.66 |
There are some concerns with his five-on-five game. But Ekblad is a big, physical, right-shooting defenseman who contributes to both special teams units.
4. Sam Bennett
Position: C
Age: 29
Last team: Panthers
2024-25 cap hit: $4.425M
| GP | G | A | ATOI | xGF% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 76 | 25 | 26 | 17:27 | 53.44 |
A career-high 51 points isn’t remarkable on its own. But Bennett’s playoff experience and inclusion on Canada’s 4 Nations roster shows his ability in big games.
5. Nikolaj Ehlers
Position: LW/RW
Age: 29
Last team: Jets
2024-25 cap hit: $6M
| GP | G | A | ATOI | xGF% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 69 | 24 | 39 | 15:48 | 55.41 |
Ehlers is speedy, dynamic, and could thrive in an increased role. He averaged just 15:48 per game over the last three seasons.
6. Ivan Provorov
Position: LD/RD
Age: 28
Last team: Blue Jackets
2024-25 cap hit: $6.75M
| GP | G | A | ATOI | xGF% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 82 | 7 | 26 | 23:21 | 46.31 |
The best ability is availability. Provorov – a top-four defenseman – has missed just three games over his nine-year NHL career.
7. Brock Boeser
Position: RW
Age: 28
Last team: Canucks
2024-25 cap hit: $6.65M
| GP | G | A | ATOI | xGF% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 75 | 25 | 25 | 18:10 | 46.82 |
Boeser is a pure shooter, but the career-high 40-goal season he had in 2023-24 looks like an outlier. He’s never reached 30 goals in any other season.
8. Matt Duchene
Position: C/LW/RW
Age: 34
Last team: Stars
2024-25 cap hit: $3M
| GP | G | A | ATOI | xGF% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 82 | 30 | 52 | 17:09 | 53.02 |
Duchene proved he still has plenty left in the tank after producing the second-most points of his career in 2024-25.
He took a discount to stay in Dallas last offseason. Will he do so again?
9. John Tavares
Position: C
Age: 34
Last team: Maple Leafs
2024-25 cap hit: $11M
| GP | G | A | ATOI | xGF% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 75 | 38 | 36 | 18:14 | 49.15 |
Tavares bounced back from his worst year as a Maple Leaf with the second-most goals of his career. He could get a nice payday on the open market, though there are rumors of him taking a hometown discount in Toronto.
10. Brad Marchand
Position: LW/RW
Age: 37
Last team: Panthers
2024-25 cap hit: $6.125M
| GP | G | A | ATOI | xGF% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 71 | 23 | 28 | 18:19 | 48.07 |
He may not be the top-line player he was in his prime. But Marchand proved with the Panthers that he can still be effective in a middle-six role.
11. Dmitry Orlov
Position: LD/RD
Age: 33
Last team: Hurricanes
2024-25 cap hit: $7.75M
| GP | G | A | ATOI | xGF% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 76 | 6 | 22 | 19:60 | 54.96 |
Orlov remains a reliable, well-rounded second-pairing defenseman even as he approaches his mid-30s.
12. Mikael Granlund
Position: C/LW/RW
Age: 33
Last team: Stars
2024-25 cap hit: $5M
| GP | G | A | ATOI | xGF% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 83 | 22 | 44 | 19:27 | 42.95 |
While the versatile Finn has served as a top-six center in recent years, Granlund is best suited as a creative, offensive-minded winger at this point in his career.
13. Patrick Kane
Position: RW
Age: 36
Last team: Red Wings
2024-25 cap hit: $4M
| GP | G | A | ATOI | xGF% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 72 | 21 | 38 | 17:59 | 45.52 |
Kane’s five-on-five play declined this past season, but he’s still a threat on the power play, where he tallied 29 of his 59 points.
14. Claude Giroux
Position: RW
Age: 37
Last team: Senators
2024-25 cap hit: $6.5M
| GP | G | A | ATOI | xGF% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 81 | 15 | 35 | 18:12 | 47.99 |
Giroux has served as a veteran presence for the young, ascending players on his hometown Senators.
With Ottawa finally making the playoffs, don’t be surprised if the two sides find common ground on a new deal.
15. Jamie Benn
Position: LW
Age: 35
Last team: Stars
2024-25 cap hit: $9.5M
| GP | G | A | ATOI | xGF% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 80 | 16 | 33 | 15:18 | 50.01 |
It’s hard to imagine Benn in another uniform, but anything’s possible with the Stars up against the cap.
Dallas’ heart and soul failed to step up in the playoffs, notching just three points in 18 games.
16. Brent Burns
Position: RD
Age: 40
Last team: Hurricanes
2024-25 cap hit: $8M
| GP | G | A | ATOI | xGF% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 82 | 6 | 23 | 20:57 | 54.73 |
Does Burns have another season in him? While he’s still an effective player, signs of decline started to show this past season.
17. Ryan Donato
Position: C/LW
Age: 29
Last team: Blackhawks
2024-25 cap hit: $2M
| GP | G | A | ATOI | xGF% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 80 | 31 | 31 | 16:19 | 45.04 |
Was Donato’s breakout season for real? His 62 points more than doubled his previous career high, and he shot 17 percent.
A reunion in Chicago would make sense considering the Blackhawks held onto him at the deadline.
18. Jonathan Drouin
Position: LW
Age: 30
Last team: Avalanche
2024-25 cap hit: $2.5M
| GP | G | A | ATOI | xGF% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 43 | 11 | 26 | 18:11 | 48.77 |
Drouin has found a nice home with the Avalanche. Will someone pay up to pry him out of Denver?
19. Pius Suter
Position: C/LW
Age: 29
Last team: Canucks
2024-25 cap hit: $1.6M
| GP | G | A | ATOI | xGF% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 81 | 25 | 21 | 17:21 | 50.39 |
Suter chose a great time to have a career year in a UFA market lacking center options.
20. Ryan Lindgren
Position: LD
Age: 27
Last team: Rangers
2024-25 cap hit: $4.5M
| GP | G | A | ATOI | xGF% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 72 | 4 | 18 | 19:42 | 46.95 |
It may feel like Lindgren’s been in the league forever, but he’ll be one of the youngest blue-liners in this year’s UFA class.
A shot-blocking machine, he can still be a solid No. 4 defenseman with the right partner.
21. Jake Allen
Position: G
Age: 34
Last team: Devils
2024-25 cap hit: $3.85M
| GP | GAA | SV% | SO | GSAx |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 | 2.66 | .906 | 4 | 19.07 |
Allen being the top goaltender on this list says everything about this year’s UFA goalie class. He can be the 1B in a tandem, but he’s best suited as a backup.
22. Andrew Mangiapane
Position: LW/RW
Age: 29
Last team: Capitals
2024-25 cap hit: $5.8M
| GP | G | A | ATOI | xGF% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 81 | 14 | 14 | 13:02 | 54.08 |
Mangiapane’s 35-goal season from 2021-22 is clearly an outlier, but he posted strong defensive numbers with the Capitals this past season.
23. Andrei Kuzmenko
Position: LW
Age: 29
Last team: Kings
2024-25 cap hit: $5.5M
| GP | G | A | ATOI | xGF% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 66 | 11 | 26 | 15:38 | 51.46 |
The right fit is everything for Kuzmenko, who struggled with the Flames but improved with the Kings. He tallied 23 points in 28 games, including the playoffs, during his time in Los Angeles.
24. Jack Roslovic
Position: C/RW
Age: 28
Last team: Hurricanes
2024-25 cap hit: $2.8M
| GP | G | A | ATOI | xGF% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 81 | 22 | 17 | 13:49 | 51.04 |
Roslovic can contribute offense in a depth role, though there are questions about his defensive game. He was a healthy scratch on multiple occasions during Carolina’s playoff run.
25. Trent Frederic
Position: LW/C
Age: 27
Last team: Bruins
2024-25 cap hit: $2.3M
| GP | G | A | ATOI | xGF% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 58 | 8 | 7 | 13:43 | 49.35 |
Frederic is coming off a tough season, but he scored 17 goals in 2022-23 and 18 goals in 2023-24.
As one of the younger UFAs with a 6-foot-3, 221-pound frame and 20-goal potential, Frederic should have plenty of suitors.
(Analytics source: Evolving-Hockey)
