The NHL’s free-agency period is fast approaching, so it’s time to break down the key free agents who will soon be on the open market. We began the process by looking at the top seven looming UFA defensemen [https://thehockeynews.com/news/latest-news/nhl-free-agency-top-eight-pending-ufa-defenseman]. And today, we’re turning our attention to the league’s top-six soon-to-be UFA wingers. 1. MITCH MARNER, RW, TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS Far and away the most high-profile UFA, Marner is heavily rumoured not to be returning to the Maple Leafs [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs], his hometown team and only employer in his nine-year NHL career. Marner set new personal bests on offense in 2024-25, including 75 assists and 102 points in 81 games. He’s going to get a significant raise on the $10.9 million he made last season [https://puckpedia.com/player/mitchell-marner], and the only question is which new team he’ll be playing for next year. Will Mitch Marner be the top UFA of the decade? At 28 years old, Marner is in his prime, and he’s likely to choose a team close to winning a Stanley Cup. That could be the Carolina Hurricanes [http://thn.com/carolina], Los Angeles Kings [http://thn.com/la], Vegas Golden Knights [http://thn.com/vegas] or a different team. But regardless of where he goes, Marner is going to be earning north of $12 million, and there will be plenty of teams willing to pony up that amount for him. 2. BRAD MARCHAND, LW, FLORIDA PANTHERS Few NHLers earned themselves more of a raise in the 2025 post-season than Marchand, who posted 10 goals and 20 points in 23 playoff games. Marchand was always likely to get some sort of raise heading into the playoffs, but his dominance when games matter most is what will be driving his asking price well beyond the $6.125 million he earned in 2024-25 [https://puckpedia.com/player/brad-marchand]. The 37-year-old Marchand may be looking at his final NHL contract, so contract length could be the difference between him choosing one team over another. But there’s no question teams including the Panthers [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers], Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins [http://thn.com/boston] will be highly motivated to add his championship pedigree and dogged-determination-to-win to the table. Marchand did all the right things this year, and his salary is going to get a giant boost because of it. 3. BROCK BOESER, RW, VANCOUVER CANUCKS In eight full NHL seasons, Boeser has posted six seasons in which he’s had at least 23 goals, and while the 2024-25 campaign was a down year for him, in 2023-24, he put up a career-best 40 goals and 73 points in 81 games. Staying healthy has been an issue for the 28-year-old, but that’s not going to stop many teams from offering Boeser much more than the $6.65 million [https://puckpedia.com/player/brock-boeser] he earned last season. At the end of last year, Boeser talked like his days as a Canuck are over. And the Minnesota native may well want to play closer to home. But a number of teams will be jostling to employ him, and he ultimately may choose a team he sees as being closest to winning a Cup. Could that be the New York Rangers [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-rangers]? Maybe the Bruins or Maple Leafs? Time will tell, but it’s clear Boeser will be one of the first UFAs snapped up once July 1 arrives. Brock Boeser (Jeff Curry-Imagn Images) [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/b2667619-8688-433c-be5c-981f3959fe1a.jpeg] Brock Boeser (Jeff Curry-Imagn Images) 4. NIKOLAJ EHLERS, LW, WINNIPEG JETS The 29-year-old Ehlers tied his career-high in assists (39) this season, and with 63 points in 69 games, he came within one point of matching his career best in points. It couldn’t have come at a better time for the lifelong Jet, and now, he’s assured of being the subject of a bidding war for his services. Ehlers’ 2024-25 salary of $6 million [https://puckpedia.com/player/nikolaj-ehlers] will be dwarfed by his next contract, which is likely to be for seven or eight seasons in length. Winnipeg has done well when it comes to retaining its free agents, so there’s a chance Ehlers remains a Jet. But if his asking price gets too high, Winnipeg may part ways with him. And a team like the Detroit Red Wings [http://thn.com/detroit] or Chicago Blackhawks [http://thn.com/chicago] could turn out to be his new employer. 5. PATRICK KANE, RW, DETROIT RED WINGS When he left the Blackhawks in 2023, Kane had his longevity as an elite winger questioned by some. But since then, mostly as part of a young Wings team, Kane has shown he has lots left in his competitive tank, posting two years of at least 20 goals and 47 points. Now, Kane has a different choice before him: sticking with Detroit and trying to get the Red Wings into the post-season for the first time since 2016, or going in another direction, and signing with a team like the Leafs, Rangers, Minnesota Wild [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/minnesota-wild] or Kings. The 36-year-old is likely looking for a two or three-year contract, but so long as his average annual salary is in the area of $4 million, Kane will have his choice of several potential employers. 6. CLAUDE GIROUX, RW, OTTAWA SENATORS When he went home to play for the Senators in 2022, Giroux was coming off a year in which he put up 21 goals and 65 points in a season split between the Panthers and Philadelphia Flyers [http://thn.com/philadelphia]. But after his first season in Ottawa, where he posted 35 goals and 79 points, Giroux’s productivity has fallen off in successive seasons, dropping to 15 goals and 50 points last season. Thus, Giroux’s asking price for his next contract will probably be for a maximum of the $6.5 million he made in 2024-25 [https://puckpedia.com/player/claude-giroux]. Surely, the Sens will be interested in bringing him back, but Giroux could choose to sign with a different team. Ottawa isn’t flush with cap space [https://puckpedia.com/team/ottawa-senators], so perhaps another team – say, the Montreal Canadiens [http://thn.com/montreal] – could swoop in and scoop him up. In any case, teams that lose out on one of the aforementioned UFA wingers could make Giroux a priority, and that should keep his salary around the same number as it was last year. 7. JAMIE BENN, LW, DALLAS STARS Benn has spent the entirety of his 16-season NHL career with the Stars, and while Dallas GM Jim Nill is on record as saying he wants Benn to finish his career as a Star [https://x.com/BruceLeVinePuck/status/1836437401285104081?t=MJPFin2T8hCME0P0WUbxCw&s=19], the reality is the Stars have limited cap space [https://puckpedia.com/team/dallas-stars] after signing center Matt Duchene. Needless to say, while Benn was always going to have to sign for far less than the $9.5 million he earned in each of the past eight seasons [https://puckpedia.com/player/jamie-benn], the Stars are going to have to move money around to even have a hope of retaining Benn’s services. Another potential issue for Benn is that his offensive numbers took a serious hit in 2024-25, as he generated only 16 goals and 49 points in 80 regular-season games. And in 18 playoff games, Benn produced only one goal and three points. Teams will value Benn’s experience and grit, but the 35-year-old may have a tough choice to make this summer: take the biggest payday he can find, regardless of where it is, or accept a gigantic pay cut to sign with a true Cup contender. 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.
