#2026-free-agency

#2026-free-agency

The 2025-26 season is just three weeks old, and there are more than six months until the start of free agency. But the small body of work on the court should not dissuade us from identifying 12 potential free agents who have stood out and what their future could hold with their respective teams. There are criteria to how we selected our lineup of contract-year All-Stars:

With a string of high-profile contract extensions over the past few weeks, there is now a clear-cut choice for the top free agent of 2026: Artemi Panarin, who has yet to extend his deal with the New York Rangers and is poised to become a UFA on July 1. Now, it's up to the Blueshirts to give him a reason to remain in New York instead of fetching his last big payday elsewhere next summer.

With the influx of players during this offseason, the Patriots have the bulk of the core group under contract for the next few seasons. In 2026, solid rotational pieces like Austin Hooper and Jaylinn Hawkins will be free agents, and a handful of players on one-year prove-it deals also will see the open market, like K'Lavon Chaisson and Jack Gibbens.