- Patrik Laine, Vladimir Tarasenko and Connor Ingram headline the players still without contracts
- New CBA rules cap veterans at two preseason games, which shrinks the value of a tryout
- Read below for the full list of free agents left and the teams still tied to Laine
Patrik Laine still doesn’t have a team.
He has company. Camps open around the league over the next week and preseason games start Sept. 19, which leaves a shrinking window for a dozen players who were in NHL lineups last season.
Here is the group still sitting on the board:
Vladimir Tarasenko, Connor Ingram, Michael Bunting, John Klingberg and James van Riemsdyk are on it with Laine. So are Logan Stanley, Reilly Smith, David Perron, Evander Kane, Nick Blankenburg and Ryan Reaves.
The Senators talked themselves out of Laine at the start of the month, which leaves Toronto, Florida, Tampa Bay and Dallas as the clubs tied to him.
Laine played five games for Montreal last season and finished with one assist before core muscle surgery ended his year.
Tarasenko is the head-scratcher. He scored 23 goals and put up 47 points in 75 games for Minnesota, and he owns Cup rings from 2019 and 2024.
Ingram is right behind him. The goalie went 16-10-3 with a 2.60 goals-against average in 32 games for Edmonton and started all five of the Oilers’ playoff games.
Last season’s numbers on the names still left, per NHL.com:
| Player | Last Team | 2025-26 |
|---|---|---|
| Vladimir Tarasenko | Wild | 23G, 47P in 75 GP |
| Michael Bunting | Stars | 14G, 33P in 74 GP |
| James van Riemsdyk | Red Wings | 15G, 31P in 72 GP |
| John Klingberg | Sharks | 10G, 27P in 56 GP |
| Logan Stanley | Sabres | 9G, 26P in 76 GP |
| Patrik Laine | Canadiens | 1P in 5 GP |
| Connor Ingram | Oilers | 16-10-3, 2.60 GAA in 32 GP |
Deals are still getting done. They are just small. Eeli Tolvanen was on this list a week ago and signed a one-year contract with the Rangers reported at $1.5 million:
A tryout is a worse bet than it used to be. Teams are capped at four preseason games this fall, and any player with 100 or more NHL games is limited to two appearances. A veteran on a PTO now gets two nights to win a job.
Laine, Tarasenko and Ingram were all playing meaningful hockey five months ago. All three will watch camps open without a contract.
