Most of the splashy NHL free-agent business is already done, but the board still has a few names that can move a roster. The market has settled into its quieter phase, yet several unsigned veterans and prime-aged players remain available for teams looking for help before training camp.
Patrick Kane is still the biggest name left out there. He put up 16 goals and 41 assists for 57 points last season, and at 37, he’s still the kind of player who can tilt a power play and add real offense.
Chicago Blackhawks legend Chris Chelios said Kane’s choice seems to have come down to two familiar options: a return to the Blackhawks or a deal with his hometown Buffalo Sabres. Chicago would bring him back to the franchise where he won three Stanley Cups, while Buffalo would let him play closer to family.
For a player at this stage, the decision sounds tied more to legacy than to chasing another title.
Logan Stanley is another unsigned name drawing attention. The 6-foot-7 defenseman turned in a breakout season, finishing with career highs of nine goals and 26 points while bringing the physical edge that has always made him interesting.
The Winnipeg Jets could still try to bring him back after moving him to Buffalo at the trade deadline, and there’s also another opening around the league for a big shutdown defender now that Jamie Oleksiak is no longer in Seattle. Stanley is reportedly looking for a four- or five-year deal worth as much as $25 million, though that number may need to soften as the market drags on.
Eeli Tolvanen may be the most intriguing long-term bet still available. He’s only 27, which matters in a market where age can separate a useful pickup from a short-term stopgap.
The Finnish winger followed a 23-goal season with a tougher year in which he scored 12, but his scoring touch, defensive work, and age still make him a sensible target for teams seeking middle-six help. The Boston Bruins stand out as a natural fit, especially with their search for secondary scoring.
Tolvanen could fit into a structured system and get power-play looks, and he may be one of the few remaining UFAs with a real shot at a multi-year contract.
Vladimir Tarasenko is still on the board too, and he remains one of the better pure finishers available. He scored 23 goals in 75 games with the Minnesota Wild last season, and the Edmonton Oilers have been connected to veteran forwards all summer.
They had interest in Claude Giroux before he re-signed in Ottawa, and with that option gone, Tarasenko looks like a logical fallback. Edmonton is still hunting for wing scoring, and a short-term deal beside Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl could give Tarasenko a chance to unlock another gear.
John Klingberg rounds out the list as a defenseman whose offense still keeps him in the conversation. The 33-year-old scored 10 goals in 56 games with the San Jose Sharks last season, which was his best offensive output in years.
His defensive issues are part of the package, but teams needing power-play help and puck movement may still see value in taking the gamble. The Boston Bruins and Philadelphia Flyers have both been mentioned as possible fits, and each is looking to improve the right side of its defense.
The rest of the market still has room to shift. Salary-cap pressure and injuries that show up during training camp tend to create openings, and that could give these players a path to the right deal. Kane, Stanley, Tolvanen, Tarasenko, and Klingberg are all still available, and some of the most useful signings of the offseason may still be waiting to happen.
In Other News...
Bruins Trade Buzz Keeps Building Around Two Familiar Names
The Bruins have stayed quiet through most of the offseason, but that has not stopped the trade chatter from circling two familiar names. Boston still looks like a team that could try to improve through a deal rather than wait for the market to sort itself out, and center Pavel Zacha and defenseman Mason Lohrei keep coming up as players worth watching.
Zachas name keeps surfacing because of the contract math around his future in Boston, while Lohrei is being discussed more as a player who might benefit from a change of scenery. The timing matters, too, because the possibility around Lohrei could stretch into the preseason and even the opening of training camp, which leaves the Bruins with another decision point if they want to reshape the roster before the season gets too close. [Read more 🡒]
Where Bruins Departures Ended Up Could Sting Fans Most
The Bruins roster churn has not just thinned out the depth chart, it has scattered a few familiar names to places that will keep Boston fans paying attention. Johnny Beecher landed with the Florida Panthers after earlier being lost on waivers to Calgary, Jeffrey Viel is headed to Tampa Bay, Vladislav Kolyachonok signed with New Jersey, and Victor Soderstrom is taking his next step in Switzerland with EHC Biel-Bienne. Even Michael Callahan found a new home in Tampa Bay, a reminder that the list of departures has stretched well beyond the obvious headline moves.
What makes the list sting is how many of those exits landed with teams Bruins fans already know they will see again, or in Soderstroms case, pushed a player well outside the NHL picture for now. Viktor Arvidsson is staying in the division with Detroit, and the Bruins also sent Joonas Korpisalo to the Rangers, leaving Boston with less margin for error as it sorts through the consequences of all this turnover. The broader question is not just who left, but how much of a hit the Bruins took by letting so many useful pieces find new places to settle. [Read more 🡒]
Bruins Camp Could Force A Roster Squeeze Fans Know Too Well
With training camp still less than two months away, the Bruins are already staring at the kind of roster math that usually makes September feel longer than it should. The club has a full 84-game schedule ahead, and after a summer in which several NHL teams have reshaped their own depth charts, Bostons attention is turning inward to how many forwards and defensemen can realistically fit once camp opens and the lineup picture starts to sharpen.
Marco Sturm and Don Sweeney are going to have some hard cuts to make by late September, because the Bruins look to have more NHL-caliber skaters than clean openings. A recent look at the opening-night group trimmed the depth chart down to four lines, three pairs and the extra skaters, which only underscores how crowded things could get if everyone arrives healthy and pushes for a job. The one area that appears relatively settled is in goal, but the bigger question for Boston is how the rest of the roster sorts itself out before the season gets here. [Read more 🡒]