NHL Free Agency: Top 5 Pending UFA Goalies Feature Bobrovsky, Andersen
NHL free agency kicks off on July 1, and arguably the most important area some teams will be addressing is their goaltending.
The league's goalie market could be significantly impacted by a few veteran netminders who surfaced in trade speculation – including Adin Hill of the Vegas Golden Knights, Jordan Binnington of the St. Louis Blues and Jacob Markstrom of the New Jersey Devils – but the free-agent goalies currently available will not cost teams any assets other than salary cap space.
Here are the top five UFA goalies as they appeared on The Hockey News' top 50 UFAs list.
Top 50 NHL UFAs: Andersson, Carlson, Bobrovsky Lead 2026 Free Agency Class
The 2026 UFA class isn't the strongest, but make no mistake – there are needle-moving players who will reach NHL free agency.
3. Stuart Skinner, G, Pittsburgh Penguins
Age: 27
Previous cap hit: $2.6 million
2025-26 stats: 23-17-9, 2.92 GAA, .888 SP
The Penguins are in transition, and they've got Arturs Silovs in place as their projected starter for the foreseeable future.
Skinner could return to Pittsburgh as Silovs' tandem mate again, but we don't see that happening, even if Skinner's asking price is low. Pens GM Kyle Dubas has been slowly cultivating his goaltending situation, and Skinner probably isn't part of it.
That said, Skinner could be a worthy gamble for teams seeking experience in net and someone to serve as a backup or 1B goalie. At 27 years old, Skinner has life left in his game. And if there's a team willing to give Skinner a 'show me' contract that could lead to an eventual longer-term deal, Skinner's NHL career will continue.
4. Connor Ingram, G, Edmonton Oilers
Age: 29
Previous cap hit: $1.95 million
2025-26 stats: 16-10-3, 2.60 GAA, .899 SP
Ingram had a rollercoaster 2025-26 season with the Oilers, but his statistics this year were better than his .882 SP and 3.27 GAA with the Utah Mammoth in 2024-25.
He'll be an affordable option on a short-term contract. Maybe that comes from Edmonton GM Stan Bowman, or perhaps it comes from a team like the Ottawa Senators or the Panthers.
Ingram can give a team 30 to 40 solid games as part of a 50/50 goalie tandem. So Ingram won't be unemployed for long.
5. Cam Talbot, G, Detroit Red Wings
Age: 38
Previous cap hit: $2.5 million
2025-26 stats: 12-9-6, 3.19 GAA, .883 SP
Despite playing 13 fewer games than he played in 2024-25, Talbot's individual numbers took a dive. Some of that is due to the Red Wings' stunning late-season collapse, but Talbot has to own his role in that development.
Talbot will be 39 in July, and his numbers have steadily worsened in the past two seasons. If he accepts a contract close to the league minimum, we can see one team taking a chance on him.
Talbot is one of the NHL's older players, but in the right situation, he might still have something positive to offer a playoff-bound team.
See more of The Hockey News on Google and save us as a preferred source. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
Copyright The Hockey News, Roustan Media Ltd.
This story was originally published June 25, 2026 at 1:25 PM.