The biggest question as the NHL heads to free agency on July 1 is who will be left. Sam Bennett, the Conn Smythe Trophy winner as playoff MVP,was re-signed by the Florida Panthersbefore theNHL drafton an eight-year, $64 million deal.Toronto Maple Leafscenter John Tavares also left money on the table with a four-year deal averaging $4.38 million a year.Dallas Starscaptain Jamie Benn signed a bonus-laden one-year deal. Matt Duchene is alsoback with the Stars,trade deadline acquisition Trent Frederic re-signed with the Edmonton Oilers for eight years andChicago Blackhawksleading goal scorer Ryan Donato is sticking around. Jonathan Toews already decided on theWinnipeg Jetsfor hisNHL comeback. And nowreports out of Canadasay the Maple Leafs andVegas Golden Knightsare discussing the possibility of a sign-and-trade deal involving Toronto's Mitch Marner. If that happens, it would take the top free agent off the market. Panthers general manager Bill Zito is still hoping he can bring back Brad Marchand and Aaron Ekblad. Here are the NHL's top pending unrestricted free agents with thesalary cap going up: The team that signs him will get a prolific scorer. He had a career-best 102 points last season and three other 90-point seasons, all with Toronto. The postseason is another story. The Maple Leafs have been to the second round only twice during his nine years with the team. The Leafs aren't likely to want to lose him for nothing so look for them to trade his rights. He was shockingly traded to the Panthers in March, then put together a playoff to remember with 10 goals. Six of those were in the Stanley Cup Final as he made somespectacular moves. The speedster is a consistent 20-goal scorer and could get more in a place that plays him more than 16 minutes a game. Ekblad is the franchise's top-scoring defenseman after being drafted No. 1 overall in 2014. He led Panthers defensemen in playoff scoring despite missing four games withsuspensions, including two at the tail end of a20-game PED ban. He has expressed an interest in returning. He was a 40-goal scorer in 2023-24. He, like the team, dropped off last season, but he still scored 25 goals, his sixth season of 20 or more. Granlund played well on Dallas' all-Finland line after arriving in a trade from the Sharks. He plays on the power play and penalty kill and had a hat trick in the second round. The shutdown defenseman averaged more than 23 minutes a game, had a career-best plus-26 rating and scored 30 points (second best in career). He's no longer the prolific scorer he was earlier in his career, but he has topped 20 goals in the two seasons since he returned from hip surgery. His numbers have dropped in his past two seasons in Ottawa. But Giroux, 37, still got 50 points and is a former captain. He'll draw interest after a 25-goal season, 10 more than his prior career best. He averages 23 minutes a game, kills penalties and gets power play time. There aren't a lot of free agent goalies out there. Allen had a steady 2.66 goals-against average and .906 save percentage in 29 starts while serving as Jacob Markstrom's backup. He had been bought out by the Winnipeg Jets and rejoined former coach Paul Maurice in Florida. He was a key contributor in the Panthers' run with three goals in their first two playoff games. He showed in Edmonton that he can move up and down the lineup. Teams will appreciate that type of versatility. Kuzmenko bounced around a lot after scoring 39 goals in his first NHL season in 2022-23. He played for three teams this past season and finished strong with the Kings. He's coming off a career-best 39 assists and 40 points. He had 93 points in his two seasons with Colorado, but missed nearly half the season in 2024-25 with injuries. He's 40 and his scoring numbers have dropped, but he still can play a lot of minutes. He hasn't missed a game since the 2013-14 season. He's also 40 but still had 10 playoff goals this season. Even though he has come up short in five recent trips to the Stanley Cup Final, he does get to the championship round. He won in 2007. He scored 20 goals but had diminished ice time in the playoffs, including some scratches. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:NHL free agents rankings 2025: Best players available to sign