Come July 1, general managers turn to unrestricted free agency in search of roster upgrades. It’s also the time of year when overspending becomes an annual tradition, with teams too often locking themselves into contracts they end up regretting down the road.
The 2026 free‑agent class is shaping up as one of the thinnest groups in recent memory. Yes, there are marquee names on the board — Alex Tuch, Alex Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin, John Carlson — but most of the true top‑end talent is widely expected to re‑up with their current clubs. In other words, the star power looks better on paper than it will on July 1.
The Bruins will have a hard time upgrading their top‑six from this year’s free‑agent pool. The help they’re more likely to find is on the back end — and shoring up the blue line could, in turn, give them the leverage they need to chase a top‑six forward on the trade market. With free agency expected to take a back seat to trades this summer, that may be the more realistic path to real improvement.
Given the way the goaltending market is shaping up, you can’t help but wonder — and maybe even quietly hope — that there could be a path to moving Joonas Korpisalo if the Bruins decide to explore it and if they feel they can hand the backup role over to Michael DiPietro.
The following is a look at what’s widely viewed as the top 50 unrestricted free agents on the market. Included are their ages, current salaries as listed by PuckPedia, and the latest contract and term projections from AFP Analytics.
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