The 50 best NHL free agents still available after a wild opening day

The NHL free agency frenzy kicked off on Wednesday with a record-setting day of spending, but as the dust settles, a surprising number of notable players remain without a new home. The opening day saw a staggering 164 contracts signed across the league, with 141 of those involving unrestricted free agents. In total, roughly $947.4 million was committed throughout the NHL in a single day.

By the second day, the pace slowed dramatically. Only a handful of previously available players found new teams, including goaltender David Rittich (Devils), defensemen Erik Gudbranson (Blue Jackets) and Alex Petrovic (Panthers), and forward Maxim Shabanov (Wild).

Still, the list of unsigned talent heading into day three is eye-catching.

Among the goaltenders still looking for work are Petr Mrazek, Cam Talbot, Alex Nedeljkovic, Matt Murray, James Reimer, Brandon Halverson, and Connor Ingram.

The defensive market features names like John Klingberg, Jeff Petry, Carson Soucy, Matt Grzelcyk, Adam Boqvist, Nick Leddy, and Andrew Peeke, among others.

The forward group is where things get particularly interesting. Patrick Kane, Claude Giroux, Michael Bunting, Evander Kane, David Perron, Vladimir Tarasenko, Jamie Benn, Jeff Skinner, Patrik Laine, Reilly Smith, Jonathan Drouin, and Kevin Hayes are all still available. That is a remarkable collection of veteran talent sitting on the open market.

On Friday, the Stars re-signed their captain Jamie Benn to a one-year deal at a 850K AAV (plus potentially $1.15M in bonuses), for his 18th season in Dallas.

One name to watch closely is Giroux. Multiple insiders reportedly indicate that the Canadiens have shown interest in the veteran forward. Whether Kent Hughes moves aggressively to bring him to Montreal remains to be seen.

The sheer volume of quality players still unsigned suggests the market could shift quickly as teams reassess their rosters and available cap space.

The summer is just getting started...