Late last week, we published an early look at the 2026 free-agent class by looking at an absolutely loaded group of UFAs. Today, we’ll look at an upcoming RFA class that’s equally as talented as the UFAs. Generally, RFAs tend to stick with their current teams, but a rising salary cap means paydays are coming, and it could change the market for what RFAs get paid in the coming years.
Robertson Leads Star-Studded 2026 RFAs
It would be remiss of me not to lead off this article talking about Jason Robertson. His name was in the rumor mill earlier this offseason, and while the noise around a potential trade has died down as we approach August, the Dallas Stars have a bit of a dilemma brewing.
Robertson is set to earn around $11-12 million per year under a new contract. The problem for the Stars is that they recently signed Mikko Rantanen to an extension worth $12 million per year, and Robertson is not the only RFA they have to worry about next offseason. Thomas Harley is also a year away from becoming an RFA, and he’s also likely heading for a payday that comes with an eight-figure cap hit or close to it.
The Stars can go into this coming season with both players on their roster and no problems. However, they might not be able to afford both players a year from now, and based on the rumors around Robertson this summer, they might prefer to deal him instead of Harley since they already have Rantanen locked up long-term.
Robertson and Harley are far from the only high-profile RFAs due for big contracts next summer, though. Connor Bedard, the first overall pick in the 2023 draft, will be coming off his ELC and could also command a payday that comes with an AAV just north of $10 million. As most of us remember, that 2023 draft was one of the best in recent years, so Bedard might not be the only draft pick heading for a payday.
Jason Robertson, Dallas Stars (Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)
Leo Carlsson and Adam Fantilli, the second and third overall picks in 2023, will likely be next in line after Bedard to get pricey long-term contracts. While I don’t think either player will break the $10 million mark with their AAVs, it wouldn’t shock me if both sign contracts worth $8-9 million per year, especially if they break out this coming season.
The RFA class doesn’t end with these players, either. Logan Cooley, Lane Hutson, Simon Edvinsson, Jackson LaCombe, Dustin Wolf, Connor McMichael, Cutter Gauthier, Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway are among the many RFAs who had breakout seasons in 2024-25 and are likely heading for significant pay raises.
With a new CBA beginning in September 2026, I’d expect many teams to try to get their RFAs signed to max eight-year deals since that will no longer be an option with the new CBA; term limits will be reduced to six and seven years instead of seven and eight years. Whether that’s something players want, since the salary cap is expected to continue rising for the next few years, remains to be seen. They may want to go shorter, i.e., Auston Matthews, so they don’t lock themselves into a fixed price for eight years, but that could still reshape RFA contracts for the foreseeable future.
An Intriguing Second Tier
We’ll see what happens with the Stars and Robertson, but of the RFAs we listed above, most will end up signing with their current teams. It’s usually the second tier where we could see some some movement, and there are plenty of notable second-tier RFAs in the 2026 class:
Cole Perfetti
Olen Zellweger
Pavel Mintyukov
Trevor Zegras
Mavrik Bourque
Brandt Clarke
Spencer Knight
Shane Pinto
Braden Schneider
Dorofeyev is one of the most interesting RFAs in 2026. He had one of the quietest 35-goal seasons in 2024-25 and will be heading for a significant pay raise that sees him earn somewhere close to $8 million per year on his next contract. The Golden Knights usually find a way to keep the players they like, but it could prove a bit more difficult next summer.
Jack Eichel is among the headliners of the UFA class, and I’m sure the Golden Knights would love to re-sign him, but that could cost close to $13-14 million per year on a new contract. With new LTIR rules set to take hold in the next CBA, the Golden Knights won’t get as much cap relief by having Alex Pietrangelo on LTIR. That could put them in a tough spot with Dorofeyev and Eichel, so that will be something to watch over the coming months.
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Not to bring this back to the Stars, but Bourque having a breakout season in 2025-26 will make their Robertson and Harley dilemma even more of a problem. Let’s say Bourque becomes a 50-60 point scorer; there likely won’t be enough money to go around for all three players. Perhaps it’s Bourque that the Stars decide to move, but general manager Jim Nill will have a decision on his hands because all three players could be costly.
Even with a rising salary cap, some teams will still feel a cap crunch, since wages will also rise with the cap. That could spur more trade activity as GMs decide which players they should pay and which they shouldn’t, but the RFA market is as loaded as the UFA class, so there will be moves, whether it’s trades or lucrative new contracts.
Offer Sheets?
We haven’t seen any offer sheets this summer, at least not yet. The St. Louis Blues didn’t sign Broberg and Holloway to offer sheets until Aug. 15 last offseason, so there’s still time. However, an offer sheet for an RFA seems more likely next summer with a stronger RFA class and potentially more money to work with for teams.
Let’s take Dorofeyev again, for example. If the Golden Knights re-sign Eichel for an AAV of $13 million or anything in that ballpark, Dorofeyev could be susceptible to an offer sheet. The same is true with Bourque with the Stars if he breaks out and they can’t find a way to fit him in with Robertson and Harley.
But overall, the 2026 RFA class could be as much of a game-changer as the UFA class. Robertson, Harley, Hutson and a few others will get AAVs north of $7 million, and some will crack the $10 million mark. It’s part of the ever-changing NHL world and how and when teams decide to pay players, and it could reshape how teams approach RFA dealings in future years.
