Friday Four: Which superstar is most likely to be on a new team next season?

If you were disappointed with how quiet this summer was for transactions, you weren’t alone. A thin free agency class kicked things off, and then there weren’t any significant deals in July or August, making it a fairly underwhelming off-season overall.

The good news is, though, the summer of 2026 could be a much different story. Currently, there are several elite talents that will become free agents when their contracts expire on July 1. Some will likely sign extensions long before then, but in theory, players like Connor McDavid, Kirill Kaprizov, Jack Eichel, Artemi Panarin, Kyle Connor and others could all hit the open market. Not only that, but it is possible another superstar or two gets moved in a trade depending on how things shake out with their current teams this season.

Let’s take a look at four who could be playing on a different team in 2026, starting with the least likely to move to the most likely.   

Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins

Other than some recent comments from his agent Pat Brisson, where he noted a trade is always a possibility, Sidney Crosby and his camp have remained steadfast that he wants to stay with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Crosby also has two years left on his current deal, so he won’t even be a UFA at season’s end. With a no-move clause, Crosby would be in control of the entire process anyway, and right now, he’s given no indication he wants to be moved.

So, why do people keep speculating that Crosby will eventually be traded? It’s probably because it makes sense on a lot of levels and for all parties involved. The Penguins are headed for a rebuild, whether they like it or not, and have missed the playoffs for three straight seasons even with Crosby still playing at a high level. They also haven’t won a playoff series since 2018. Pittsburgh could get a massive haul in return for Crosby, who is still a 90-point player and a top-six centre that so many teams are searching for. The pieces coming back could really put the Penguins in a better spot to turn the team around over the next few seasons.

Plus, subtracting Crosby from their roster would immediately make them much worse, which might not be a bad thing at the moment. There’s a lot of talent in the 2026 draft, and Gavin McKenna is right at the top of the list. If Crosby were to be dealt this season, and that’s a big if, it would put Pittsburgh in a much better position to obtain the first-overall pick. Crosby is good enough on his own to help keep the Penguins out of the bottom five, so with him on the team, it would be considerably more difficult for Pittsburgh to bottom out. They could be stuck in the mushy middle for another season, which is the last place you want to be.

For Crosby, he’d get to go to a contender and be able to chase another Stanley Cup over the final few years of his career. How important that is to him remains to be seen. He could simply decide to finish his career with one franchise and scratch his competitive itch with the Olympics and World Cup of Hockey, much like he did at the Four Nations last February. That said, if it’s another really rough season in Pittsburgh without looking like things are going to get better anytime soon, perhaps Crosby’s line of thinking will change. As it stands today, though, Crosby still seems very much committed to the Penguins.

Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers

If Crosby has been crystal clear about his intentions, Connor McDavid has been a little less definitive. The three-time Hart winner has been careful not to address too much regarding the Edmonton Oilers beyond the 2025-26 season, leading some to believe he could be considering a move next summer when his contract expires.

McDavid has noted he believes in the Oilers this season, and why wouldn’t he? They’ve been to back-to-back finals and have come up just short of the Cup that McDavid appears to be consumed by winning. However, beyond that, it would be fair for McDavid to have some concerns. Zach Hyman and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins are rapidly approaching their mid-thirties and Mattias Ekholm will be 36 next May. Not to mention Ekholm, Jake Walman and Brett Kulak are not signed beyond this season. It was also a big blow losing Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg to offer sheets last summer, as both could’ve been significant contributors to the Oilers lineup and made the team younger. Then of course there’s the goaltending, as Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard combined for an .888 save percentage in last year’s playoffs. That’s not championship material and the Oilers have yet to upgrade the position.

These are all reasons why McDavid may be feeling some trepidation about signing with Edmonton long-term, but a shorter-term deal still makes some sense. The Pacific division is arguably the weakest in the NHL at the moment, and the Oilers’ path back to a Cup Final would likely be much easier than a team from the Central or the Atlantic. Leon Draisaitl is also a clutch playoff performer, and there are few better options for McDavid to play with in order to achieve his goal of a championship.

If McDavid’s number one priority is a Cup, it wouldn’t really be smart to sign anywhere for a lot of term, given it’s so difficult to predict the competitive landscape of the NHL year over year. Instead, a one or two-year deal that leaves him flexible would probably be a better path for McDavid, and right now, the Oilers should still be high on his list. At some point, that might no longer be the case and we could see a massive bidding war for McDavid’s services, but it just may not be next summer.

Kirill Kaprizov, Minnesota Wild

When you turn down an eight-year, $128-million contract, people are naturally going to assume you might not be interested in signing an extension with your current team. That may or may not be true where Kirill Kaprizov and the Minnesota Wild are concerned, but passing on $16 million per year to be the league’s highest-paid player certainly raises a lot of questions.

The Wild made it known they would pay Kaprizov more than anyone else, which probably wasn’t the best negotiating tactic in hindsight. It’s possible Kaprizov isn’t actually set on leaving Minnesota, but simply wants as much money as possible. Now the Wild will have to decide how far they are willing to go to keep the 28-year-old superstar, and extending past $16 million a season would be pretty steep. Keep in mind, Minnesota just spent a few years in a cap nightmare after buying out Zach Parise and Ryan Suter, so do they really want to tie up an obscene amount of money in one player, even if it’s for someone as good as Kaprizov? The cap is going up, so Minnesota could probably swing it, but let’s not forget Filip Gustavsson is also due for a fairly substantial raise, too. If the Wild aren’t careful, they could find themselves in a tight cap situation once again, sooner rather than later.

There’s also a chance Kaprizov just wants a shorter-term deal, though that seems unlikely given his age and the fact he’s battled injuries over the past few seasons. This is his best chance to maximize his earnings on an eight-year deal and secure the most guaranteed money possible. If the two sides can’t come to terms by the time the trade deadline approaches, do the Wild have to consider trading Kaprizov? They can’t risk letting him walk for nothing, and if he’s already turned down a massive contract, Minnesota can’t be confident in its chances to keep him if he reaches the open market.

Quinn Hughes, Vancouver Canucks

Despite Quinn Hughes still being under contract for two more years, he still tops this list as most likely to be on a new team for the 2026-27 campaign for a few reasons. The obvious one is that the Hughes brothers have been so vocal about playing with each other at some point and it’s hard to envision that happening in Vancouver. Jack is locked up for five more years with the New Jersey Devils, and it sounds like Luke and the team are working towards a long-term pact as well. Cap complications aside, the simplest way for the three brothers to unite would be for Quinn to eventually sign with the Devils.

The Canucks are going to want an answer from Hughes about his commitment to Vancouver long before his contract expires, though. That will likely come next summer when he’ll be able to sign an extension, because if Hughes ultimately decides he wants to move on, the Canucks may have little choice but to trade him. Everyone is aware of what just transpired with Mitch Marner and the Toronto Maple Leafs, and you can bet Vancouver will try to avoid a similar situation. The Canucks won’t want to lose Hughes for nothing, and trading one of the NHL’s best defencemen could bring them back a huge return, whether that’s to the Devils or another team as a rental.

It’s also not an ideal time to pitch Hughes on the idea of staying with Vancouver. Last year was a nightmare for the Canucks with some friction in the locker room that ultimately led to JT Miller being dealt out of town. Plus, head coach Rick Tocchet and the team parted ways following the season. They took a big step back from the 109-point team they were a couple of years ago. It’s a new campaign and it’s very possible the Canucks have a much better 2025-26, but it will be an uphill climb to create an environment and situation that will make Hughes want to stay so quickly. Patrik Allvin and Jim Rutherford have a monumental task in front of them to sell Hughes on a long-term partnership with the Canucks.

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