NHL UFA guide: Which teams should add in free agency, which should sit it out

With NHL unrestricted free agency opening the following day, this guide evaluates every team's position heading into the offseason, categorizing them by contention tier and projected cap space. Defenseman John Carlson is identified as one of the top available free agents, with the Carolina Hurricanes and Tampa Bay Lightning highlighted as strong fits. The analysis uses AFP Analytics projections to estimate cap space for each team after accounting for restricted free agent signings.