As of tomorrow, the NHL contracts of 361 players will expire and they will walk to unrestricted free agency. Among them are many former QMJHL stars who will look to find a new home come September. Here are the top five QMJHL affiliated NHL free agents and a list of the remaining ex-QMJHL UFAs and RFAs.

Top 5 QMJHL Affiliated UFAs

LW Jonathan Marchessault

NHL teams really didn't know what they had in Jonathan Marchessault until the Vegas Golden Knights selected him in the 2017 Expansion Draft from the Florida Panthers, but fans in Rimouski knew the small winger was something special. He scored 239 points across 254 games with Rimouski across four seasons -- peaking in his final QMJHL season, scoring 40 goals and 95 points and 33 points over 18 playoff games. This led to his first pro contract with the AHL's Connecticut Whale, which is now the Hartford Wolf Pack. Several years later, and now a veteran 638 games with a ring and a Conn Smythe, Marchessault is entering the free agent market for the first time since leaving the Tampa Bay Lighting in 2015 for Florida. The 33-year old is coming off a 42-goal (2nd most in UFA class), 69-point (4th in class) season and should be looking for a potential pay raise.

LW Jonathan Drouin

Jonathan Drouin has had an up-and-down career thus far. Starting in the QMJHL with the Halifax Mooseheads, he was electric. He netted 242 points across only 128 games in the QMJHL, winning both a QMJHL championship and the Memorial Cup. Drouin's unstoppable play ended up getting him selected third overall by the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2013. Since breaking into the NHL, he's been inconsistent. He'd look like  a superstar some games, and look absent in others. After his time with the Montreal Canadiens came to a disappointing end, he signed an 825k deal with the Colorado Avalanche, the smallest contract of his entire career. Re-uniting with fellow Moosehead linemate Nathan MacKinnon, he would return to the Drouin of old. Despite averaging only 14 minutes a night, Drouin's 56 points this year is a career high and is good for ninth best in the 2024 free agent class. One thing is certain, he'll be making a lot more than league minimum come September.

LW David Perron

David Perron has had a remarkable career thus far. At 16, Perron was playing Midget C level hockey. By 17, he would go undrafted after a full season still playing AAA hockey. He would then walk on with the Lewiston MAINEiacs of the QMJHL, leading them with 83 points in 70 games to win a QMJHL championship. The St. Louis Blues would take a swing on the draft re-entry with the 26th pick and Perron would prove to be a one-and-done in juniors, immediately turning pro. Now a veteran of over 1100 games and having won a Stanley Cup in 2019, the grizzled vet will look to provide leadership, depth scoring and peskiness to whatever team requires his services.

RW Anthony Mantha

Anthony Mantha is looking to get paid. The former Val D'Or Foreur is coming off a 20+ goal, 44-point season -- the power forward's best numbers since leaving Detroit. While he's a good utility player at the NHL level, he was a monster in the QMJHL. He scored 269 points over 189 games, all with Val D'Or, and even won a championship in his final season in juniors. Mantha has yet to win at the NHL level, but his hard and heavy playstyle should attract Cup contending suitors this off-season who are looking to add beef to their lineup.

RW Daniel Sprong

Dale Weise may be nicknamed "Dutch Gretzky," but Daniel Sprong may soon steal that moniker as he may be on the precipice of a breakout season. Sprong, 27, is coming off a strong 43-point campaign, just under his 46-points as a member of the Capitals. What is shocking isn't that he was able to nearly replicate his breakthrough year, but that he was able to do so while only averaging around 10 minutes a night. He was able to nearly score 20-goals and 50-points, playing third-to-fourth line minutes. If Sprong gets an opportunity with a team with less depth -- San Jose maybe -- Sprong may become a true second, if not, first line producing forward at the NHL level. To Charlottetown Islanders fans, this may not be surprising as he was a dynamo with the team scoring 269 points in 199 games. The Amsterdam-born sniper will likely get a raise from his $2-million dollar prove-it deal, but it'll be well worth it for whichever team should they give him bigger minutes.

RFAs (min. 1 NHL game played last year)

• undefined
• undefined
• undefined
• undefined
• undefined
• undefined
• undefined
• undefined
• undefined
• undefined
• undefined

Other UFAs (min. 1 NHL game played last year)

• undefined
• undefined
• undefined
• undefined
• undefined
• undefined
• undefined
• undefined
• undefined
• undefined
• undefined
• undefined
• undefined
• undefined
• undefined
• undefined
• undefined
• undefined