This year’s signing period starts on July 28 at 12 p.m. ET, and there is a lot of big fish to catch. The only question is whether they will be enticed to try new waters.
Although the league minimum has risen to $750,000 (from $700,000), the salary cap has remained unchanged at $81.5 million, which could imply the bait isn’t as big for most.
There are also a number of franchise talents — such as Elias Pettersson, Brady Tkachuk, and Rasmus Dahlin — who could be worth taking a gamble on with an offer sheet.
NHL free agency tracker: Full list of signings in 2021
Top 50 UFA players available
| Player | Pos. | 2021 team(s) | 2021-22 team |
| 1. Tuukka Rask | G | Bruins | |
| 2. Blake Coleman | C | Lightning | |
| 3. Philipp Grubauer | G | Avalanche | |
| 4. Dougie Hamilton | D | Hurricanes | |
| 5. Zach Hyman | LW | Maple Leafs | |
| 6. Phillip Danault | C | Canadiens | |
| 7. Tyson Barrie | D | Oilers | |
| 8. Petr Mrazek | G | Hurricanes | |
| 9. David Savard | D | Blue Jackets/Lightning | |
| 10. Alec Martinez | D | Golden Knights | |
| 11. Frederik Andersen | G | Maple Leafs | |
| 12. David Krejci | C | Bruins | |
| 13. Kyle Palmieri | RW | Devils/Islanders | |
| 14. Nick Foligno | LW | Blue Jackets/Maple Leafs | |
| 15. Brandon Saad | LW | Avalanche | |
| 16. Corey Perry | RW | Canadiens | |
| 17. Jaroslav Halak | G | Bruins | |
| 18. Keith Yandle* | D | Panthers | |
| 19. Mike Hoffman | C | Blues | |
| 20. Mike Reilly | D | Senators/Bruins | |
| 21. Mikael Granlund | C | Predators | |
| 22. Sami Vatanen | D | Devils/Stars | |
| 23. Eric Staal | LW | Oilers | |
| 24. Braden Holtby | C | Sabres/Canadiens | |
| 25. Erik Haula | LW | Predators | |
| 26. Zach Parise* | LW | Wild | |
| 27. James Neal* | LW | Oilers | |
| 28. Tomas Tatar | LW | Canadiens | |
| 29. Nick Bonino | C | Wild | |
| 30. Jaden Schwartz | LW | Blues | |
| 31. Linus Ullmark | G | Sabres | |
| 32. Antti Raanta | G | Coyotes | |
| 33. Ryan Suter* | D | Wild | |
| 34. Bobby Ryan | RW | Red Wings | |
| 35. Derek Ryan | C | Flames | |
| 36. Alex Galchenyuk | C | Senators/Maple Leafs | |
| 37. Alex Edler | D | Canucks | |
| 38. Michael Bunting | LW | Coyotes | |
| 39. Casey Cizikas | C | Islanders | |
| 40. Zdeno Chara | D | Capitals | |
| 41. Jujhar Khaira^ | LW | Oilers | |
| 42. Travis Zajac | C | Devils/Islanders | |
| 43. Travis Hamonic | D | Canucks | |
| 44. Joe Thornton | C | Maple Leafs | |
| 45. Alex Goligoski | D | Coyotes | |
| 46. Alexander Wennberg | C | Panthers | |
| 47. Derek Forbort | D | Jets | |
| 48. Jonathan Bernier | G | Red Wings/Hurricanes | |
| 49. Mattias Janmark | LW | Golden Knights | |
| 50. David Rittich | G | Flames/Maple Leafs |
Top 25 RFA players available
Note: These are only players that can be given an offer sheet. Kirill Kaprizov (Wild) and Quinn Hughes (Canucks) are not eligible for offer sheets as 10.2(c) RFAs.
| Player | Pos. | 2021 team(s) | 2021-22 team |
| 1. Elias Pettersson | C | Canucks | |
| 2. Rasmus Dahlin | D | Sabres | |
| 3. Brady Tkachuk | LW | Senators | |
| 4. Juuse Saros | G | Predators | |
| 5. Ilya Sorokin | G | Islanders | |
| 6. Igor Shesterkin | G | Rangers | |
| 7. Andrei Svechnikov | RW | Hurricanes | |
| 8. Carter Hart | G | Flyers | |
| 9. Dillon Dube | C | Flames | |
| 10. Jesperi Kotkaniemi | C | Canadiens | |
| 11. Neal Pionk | D | Jets | |
| 12. Ilya Samsonov | G | Capitals | |
| 13. Anthony Beauvillier | LW | Islanders | |
| 14. Filip Chytil | C | Rangers | |
| 15. Max Comtois | LW | Ducks | |
| 16. Eeli Tolvanen | RW | Predators | |
| 17. Tyler Bertuzzi | LW | Red Wings | |
| 18. Jason Dickinson | C | Stars/Canucks | |
| 19. Kailer Yamamoto | RW | Oilers | |
| 20. Andrew Copp | C | Jets |