NHL free agency 2026: 10 players teams should avoid this offseason

The New York Times has published an NHL free agency analysis identifying 10 overvalued players that teams should avoid signing in the 2026 offseason, based on projected contracts from AFP Analytics. The piece highlights that the biggest mistakes in NHL free agency typically occur on the first day, when bidding wars drive prices up. Among the players flagged are defenseman Jacob Trouba, who previously carried an $8 million cap hit, and Brett Kulak, described as trending toward a low-end third-pair option despite a strong playoff run with the Avalanche.