Who are the most interesting goalies on the free agent market?
A lot has been made about how underwhelming the 2026 class of unrestricted free agents looks to be. While that may be true, the upcoming class of available goaltenders is pretty intriguing. Two-time Stanley Cup champion Sergei Bobrovsky will be the biggest name on the market, assuming he and the Florida Panthers don’t agree on an extension ahead of July 1st.
Beyond Bobrovsky, veterans like Freddie Andersen of the Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes or David Rittich of the New York Islanders could be solid candidates as backups or members of a goaltending tandem. There’s probably not a proven number-one starter in the class other than Bobrovsky, but teams looking for part-time help between the pipes have some decent options to choose from.
On Thursday’s episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, hosts Tyler Yaremchuk and former NHL goaltender Carter Hutton discussed which of the goaltenders about to hit free agency is most interesting.
Tyler Yaremchuk: When you look at this class, and I’ll rattle off a few names here; Bobrovsky, Andersen, (Stuart) Skinner, (Cam) Talbot, (Connor) Ingram, (Vitek) Vanecek, that’s kind of the key crop of UFA goalies. Who’s the next best one of that group? If Bobrovsky doesn’t make it, who becomes the belle of the ball?
Carter Hutton: I think a guy that you’ve really got to kick tires on, obviously, is Freddie Andersen, but at his age I just don’t know how much tread is left his tires. He’s been very injury prone throughout his career. I think Brandon Bussi really protected him to have a great playoff run, and then all of a sudden we had to see Bussi again. The one for me that I think is going to draw a ton of attention is going to be Stuart Skinner. Based on his resume, based on his age and his winning pedigree with what he’s done. Obviously the Flyers series wasn’t great, but I think that’s a player where I think people are going to kick tires on him. What number is he at? Can he come in and help? I think teams like Ottawa, who I don’t think runs it back with Leevi Merilainen, so if you had a tandem with Skinner and Ullmark, I think that’s potential.
The other big guy for me is Connor Ingram. I just don’t know he’s played enough yet to say he’s a 1A of 1B guy that’s going to bring you to the promised land. Playing in Edmonton helps, I know he had a good playoffs, he had a great run there. That’s the interesting two for me.
You can catch the full discussion and the rest of Thursday’s episode here…