The Athletic's Chris Johnston recently ranked [https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7352764/2026/06/16/nhl-free-agency-rankings-big-board-offseason/] the top 75 pending unrestricted free agents (UFAs) in the NHL with July 1 rapidly approaching. Two Chicago Blackhawks were among the players ranked, as Ilya Mikheyev and Matt Grzelcyk made the cut. Mikheyev was given the No. 31 spot on Johnston's pending UFA rankings. It is not difficult to understand why Mikheyev has made the cut, as he put together back-to-back strong seasons for the Blackhawks. The 31-year-old's solid secondary scoring ability and strong defensive play should make him a popular target if he decides to test the market this off-season. In 77 games this season, he had 18 goals and a career-high 36 points. As for Grzelcyk, he landed the No. 67 spot on Johnston's list. The 32-year-old blueliner recorded zero goals, 12 assists, and a minus-9 rating in 69 games this season for the Blackhawks. This was after he scored one goal and set career highs with 39 assists and 40 points in 2024-25 with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Teams looking for more defensive depth could consider taking a flier on the veteran defenseman if he reaches the market on July 1. It will be interesting to see what kind of deals these two Blackhawks end up landing from here.
