NHL free agency is now less than two weeks away, which means it’s high time to chronicle the key free agents who will be available to the highest bidder. For the sake of avoiding a very long and diverse list of NHLers who’ll soon come on the open market, we’re going to break things down by position. With that in mind, here are the top eight pending UFA defensemen who could hit the market on July 1. 1. AARON EKBLAD, FLORIDA PANTHERS Ekblad is the top defensive asset on the market. Although he’s been a lifelong Panther, the reality is that Florida will be extremely tight to the salary cap ceiling, especially if they re-sign left winger Brad Marchand and center Sam Bennett. But that doesn’t take away from the fact that Ekblad is now a two-time Stanley Cup winner who is still in his prime at age 29. Although he hasn’t played a full 82-game season since 2018-19, he would’ve played up to 76 games this year were it not for his 20-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs. Ekblad isn’t going to take a cut on his $7.5 million salary [https://puckpedia.com/player/aaron-ekblad], so teams will have to fork over at least $8 million to pry him away from Florida. 2. VLADISLAV GAVRIKOV, LOS ANGELES KINGS The 6-foot-3 Gavrikov is the type of big-bodied, defense-minded blueliner teams crave, and he’s also capable of chipping in a few points, as he produced 30 points for the Kings this season. With L.A. falling once again in the first round of the playoffs, Gavrikov may be looking for a new team capable of going farther in the playoffs. However, it’s still plausible that he chooses to return to the Kings if the money is right. While Los Angeles has $21.71 million in cap space [https://puckpedia.com/team/los-angeles-kings], Gavrikov is bound to get a raise on the $5.87 million he made last season [https://puckpedia.com/player/vladislav-gavrikov]. At 29 years old, the Russian is in his prime, and he can slot in as a top-four D-man on any roster in the league. Brent Burns and Aaron Ekblad (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images) [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/a33a9cf2-4bf6-46c2-a34a-4c96395a6946.jpeg] Brent Burns and Aaron Ekblad (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images) 3. BRENT BURNS, CAROLINA HURRICANES Burns would’ve been at the top of this list a few years ago, but the 40-year-old, who was the second-oldest skater in the league this season, will be 41 in March. His offensive production dropped off from 33 assists and 43 points in 2023-24 to 23 assists and 29 points in 2024-25. So there’s a danger his effectiveness continues to wane. Regardless, while Burns has a lot of miles on his competitive odometer, he’s still got the size and snarl teams are looking for in a defenseman. Burns made $8 million last season [https://puckpedia.com/player/brent-burns], and while he will almost certainly take less money, the competition for blueliners is such that Burns could still be one of the higher-paid D-men on the market. 4. IVAN PROVOROV, COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS Not all that long ago, Provorov was seen as one of the up-and-coming D-men in the game, posting 17 goals and 41 points in his rookie season with the Philadelphia Flyers [http://thn.com/philadelphia] in 2017-18. He hasn’t replicated those numbers since then, although he still managed to produce 26 assists and 33 points in 82 games with Columbus this past season. Thus, the 28-year-old Provorov will still get a big payday. The Russian earned $6.75 million last season [https://puckpedia.com/player/ivan-provorov], so his new contract may not pay him much more per year than that. The Blue Jackets have plenty of cap space to re-sign him, but Provorov may choose to join a team that’s more of a lock to make the playoffs. He’s played only 22 career playoff games, so that could be a motivating factor in his choice of teams in free agency. 5. DMITRY ORLOV, CAROLINA HURRICANES Orlov was one of the premier D-men in the game when he signed with the Hurricanes in 2023, but the 33-year-old’s reputation has taken a bit of a hit since then. He’s still put up a decent amount of points – 22 assists and 28 points – but Orlov looked terrible in this year’s playoffs. Orlov earned $7.75 million in 2024-25 [https://puckpedia.com/player/dmitry-orlov], but the lack of above-average defenders means his cap hit won’t go down in a huge way. There will likely be enough interest to give him a three- to four-year deal, and whichever team signs him will be hoping for a bounce-back year from him. That could come in Carolina, which has plenty of cap space. 6. MATT GRZELCYK, PITTSBURGH PENGUINS The Penguins [http://thn.com/pittsburgh] were one of the biggest disappointments in the league last year, but you can’t lay that at the feet of Grzelcyk, who is a second-tier defender. Grzelcyk averaged 20:37 of ice time for the Pens, and he put up 39 assists and 40 points for Pittsburgh. Before that, his career high was 22 assists and 26 points, so teams will rightfully be wary about giving him a raise on the $2.75 million he made last season [https://puckpedia.com/player/matt-grzelcyk]. 7. DANTE FABBRO, COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS Not that long ago, Fabbro was a can’t-miss prospect taken 17th overall in 2016. But he never developed into a needle-mover in seven years with the Nashville Predators, and he was claimed off waivers by Columbus early last season. However, Fabbro found his game with the Blue Jackets, posting 17 assists and 26 points in 62 games, while averaging 21:39 of ice time. He could be a second- or third-pair blueliner for many teams, but imagining he’ll make much more than the $2.5 million he made in 2024-25 [https://puckpedia.com/player/dante-fabbro] is a stretch. Is Aaron Ekblad Playing His Final Shifts With The Florida Panthers? [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/fcf73176-a971-4158-b9ea-26abfb22b2e8.webp] Is Aaron Ekblad Playing His Final Shifts With The Florida Panthers? As the Florida Panthers try and close out the Stanley Cup final Tuesday night and claim their second straight championship, there’s a mountainous task for GM Bill Zito after this week. [https://thehockeynews.com/news/latest-news/is-aaron-ekblad-playing-his-final-shifts-with-the-florida-panthers] 8. RYAN LINDGREN, COLORADO AVALANCHE Lindgren bounced between the New York Rangers [http://thn.com/nyrangers] and the Avalanche [http://thn.com/colorado] last season, eventually playing third-pair minutes for the Avs and averaging 19:00 of ice time in Denver. The 27-year-old made a significant amount of money last year – $4.5 million [https://puckpedia.com/player/ryan-lindgren] – and he still may wind up getting close to that number on his next deal. If you’re looking for Lindgren to provide a wealth of offense, you’re looking at the wrong player. But he’s a solid shot-blocker and a stay-at-home blueliner, and teams still value that type of defenseman. Correction: Brent Burns was the second-oldest skater in the league in 2024-25. Get the latest news and trending stories by following The Hockey News on Google News [https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMK-q0gsw7sXpAw?hl=en-CA&gl=CA&ceid=CA%3Aen] and by subscribing to The Hockey News newsletter here [http://eepurl.com/i7OC4I]. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com.
