The 2026 free-agent class has been whittled down by stars signing extensions with their current teams. Instead of Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel and Kirill Kaprizov — players the New York Rangers would have been interested in pursuing with their ample cap space (a projected $26.57 million, per PuckPedia) — the class is headlined by Alex Tuch, Rasmus Andersson and John Carlson. Others have come off the board in recent days: Darren Raddysh signed an eight-year, sign-and-trade deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs after a breakout year in Tampa Bay, and Bobby McMann worked out an extension Sunday with the Seattle Kraken.McMann in particular would have made sense for the Rangers, who want speed and scoring on the wing. He can skate and has shown an ability to play with top players, including Auston Matthews in Toronto. But that possibility is off the board for New York.Any team that finishes in the bottom three of the league standings, as the Rangers did last season, has plenty of holes to fill. New York coach Mike Sullivan said going into the summer that he wants the team to add puck-moving defensemen and bolster the bottom six. New York could also use speed and scoring on the wing, and the team might have to replace potential trade candidates like Vincent Trocheck and Braden Schneider.Looking through the pending unrestricted free agents, here are the players who could make sense for the Rangers.Why is Vincent Trocheck still on the Rangers?Hailey Salvian and Vince MercoglianoTop line or middle-six wingsAlex Tuch, Buffalo Sabres: If Tuch makes it to market — and it hasn’t felt like an extension with Buffalo is close — he could get the biggest UFA contract this summer. Tuch has 30-plus goals in three of the past four seasons, and he’s 6-foot-4, so he adds size to any lineup he joins. The question for the Rangers is if now is the time to make a long-term commitment to a player who turned 30 in May. Would Tuch make the Rangers enough of a contender for that to be wise? Will continued cap increases make a big-money cap hit easier to swallow if Tuch’s production dips toward the end of a long-term contract? The Rangers front office will have to consider those questions while evaluating Tuch.Mason Marchment, Columbus Blue Jackets: Marchment had a strong stretch of production after getting traded to Columbus in the middle of the season. Buoyed by a 20.5 percent shooting percentage, he had 15 goals and 32 points in 39 games. Combined with his numbers from Seattle, he finished with 19 goals in 68 games, a slight tick down from back-to-back 22-goal seasons. He plays with some snarl, too, which fits how the Rangers want to play.Michael Bunting, Dallas Stars: Bunting went from Nashville to Dallas at the trade deadline, but he only appeared in one playoff game with the Stars. The winger, who plays with an edge, has bounced around in recent years after breaking in as a consistent NHLer with Toronto, where he had back-to-back 23-goal seasons in 2021-22 and 2022-23.Mats Zuccarello, Minnesota Wild: Would the Rangers have interest in reuniting with a former fan favorite? Zuccarello is 38 but still can produce, evidenced by his 54 points in 59 games last season. Potentially, New York could pitch him on a one-year deal and would have the cap flexibility to pay him.Other options: Oliver Bjorkstrand (Tampa Bay Lightning), Victor Olofsson (Calgary Flames), Jaden Schwartz (Seattle), Eeli Tolvanen (Seattle)Versatile forwards who can play centerErik Haula, Nashville Predators: Haula, who had 38 points last season and picked up a bronze medal at the Olympics, can play center or wing. That positional flexibility could be useful for the Rangers, especially if they trade Trocheck. Since Haula is 35, New York would aim to sign him to a shorter deal.Boone Jenner, Columbus: The longtime captain of the Blue Jackets, Jenner is a responsible center capable of playing against difficult competition. He had 13 goals and 38 points in 67 games last season — perfectly solid middle-six center numbers. Jenner is 33 and Haula is 35, so pursuing either versatile veteran would likely make the Rangers’ roster older.Scott Laughton, Los Angeles Kings: The 32-year-old Laughton is well-liked by teammates and scored 13 goals in each of the past three seasons. He’s a capable third-line center who has changed teams at each of the past two deadlines. The Rangers had interest in him at the 2024 trade deadline.Bottom-six optionsA.J. Greer, Florida Panthers: Greer went from a journeyman to a key cog in Florida’s bottom six during the Panthers’ 2025 Stanley Cup run. Injuries opened up some added ice time for him last season, and he had a career-high 17 goals and 32 points. He’s unlikely to replicate those numbers, but Greer has shown how much he can help a bottom-six group, and Sullivan said going into the summer that he’d like to improve the Rangers’ bottom six.Beck Malenstyn, Buffalo: At 28, Malenstyn is younger than many of the other UFAs on the market. He also has many of the qualities the Rangers covet in a bottom-six player. He brings speed and is willing to play with physicality.Joel Kiviranta, Colorado Avalanche: The Finnish winger, who won bronze at the 2026 Winter Olympics, has been a contributing bottom-six player on two strong teams (the Stars and Avalanche) and is up to 56 games of postseason experience. The 30-year-old didn’t bring much scoring this year (nine points in 51 games) but had a 16-goal season in 2024-25.Kevin Stenlund, Utah Mammoth: Stenlund, a fourth-line center, won a Stanley Cup with Florida in 2024 and is coming off a two-year deal with the Mammoth, with whom he returned to the playoffs this year. His goal-scoring dipped this season (four in 80 games), but he had 14 and 11, respectively, in the previous two years.Brandon Duhaime, Washington Capitals: Duhaime, 29, played all 82 games in both 2024-25 and 2025-26 for Washington, tallying 21 and nine points, respectively. He’s a strong skater and unafraid of playing with physicality.Nick Cousins, Ottawa Senators: Cousins gets under opponents’ skin and can chip in some bottom-six offense. He’s had nine goals in three of the past five seasons and has plenty of playoff experience, having won the Stanley Cup with the Panthers in 2024.Other options: Lars Eller (Ottawa), Noel Acciari (Pittsburgh Penguins), Teddy Blueger (Vancouver Canucks), Tomáš Nosek (Florida), Cole Smith (Vegas Golden Knights), Oskar Sundqvist (St. Louis Blues), Alexander Kerfoot (Utah) Goal-scoring fliersPatrik Laine, Montreal Canadiens: Laine, 28, is coming off an injury-riddled season in which he played only five games. When healthy, however, he can do one of the hardest things in the sport: Put the puck in the net. He scored 44 goals in 2017-18 and, when on the ice, has shown scoring ability since. In 2024-25, his first year in Montreal, he had 20 goals in 52 games. That’s a 31.5-goal pace over 82 games. There are flaws in his game, especially on defense, but perhaps he could be a buy-low, high-ceiling option for the Rangers.Anthony Mantha, Pittsburgh: Mantha had an excellent contract year, scoring a career-high 33 goals in the regular season. That scoring touch didn’t continue into the playoffs, during which he had only one assist in six games. He’ll be 32 at the start of next season, and whichever team signs him will have to decide how much they trust his 2025-26 production compared to the years before. In five seasons between 2021 and 2025, he averaged 49 games played, 12.4 goals and 26 points.Andrei Kuzmenko, Los Angeles: Kuzmenko had 39 goals in 2022-23, his first year in the NHL. He was traded at least once in each of the next two seasons, then spent all of 2025-26 with Los Angeles, where he had 13 goals and 25 points in 52 games. His first NHL season might be an outlier, but he has shown scoring ability in the right situation.Ryan Shea averaged nearly 19 minutes per game and scored six goals this season. (Photo: Michael Reaves / Getty Images)DefensemenRyan Shea, Pittsburgh: Sullivan — who wants a puck-moving D — coached Shea in the defenseman’s first two NHL seasons. Shea took off under Dan Muse in 2025-26, playing nearly 19 minutes per game and scoring six goals with 35 points. Perhaps Sullivan could explore a reunion. Shea is smart with the puck and could contribute secondary offense.Mario Ferraro, San Jose Sharks: Ferraro is 27 and already has nearly 500 games of NHL experience. He’s viewed as a high-character player who is loved by teammates and likely looking for a long-term contract. He can kill penalties and has a bit of puck-moving ability. That’s all appealing to the Rangers, but the front office will have to decide if a multiyear commitment is wise.Brett Kulak, Colorado: Kulak is a steady defender who went to the Stanley Cup Final with Edmonton in 2024 and 2025, then the Western Conference final with the Avalanche this year. He doesn’t fit the puck-moving description Sullivan cited, but he is a top-four option on the left side.Ville Heinola, Winnipeg Jets: Heinola has only 58 games of NHL experience, but he’s the type of player the Rangers would be wise to take a chance on. He’s only 25, was a first-round pick in 2019 and has some of the puck-moving skills that Sullivan craves. A change of scenery could do him well. He spent most of 2025-26 in the AHL, posting 21 points in 44 games for the Manitoba Moose, but he was productive for Finland at the World Championships. He had three goals and six points in 10 games, helping the Finns to a gold medal.Jeremy Lauzon, Vegas: Lauzon has been a bottom-four defenseman on playoff teams throughout his career, most recently chipping in to the Golden Knights’ run to the 2026 Stanley Cup Final. He’s not a big point producer — he had just one goal and 13 points in 68 games last season — but he can play 17 or 18 minutes a night and is only 29, younger than some of the other defensemen on the market.Matt Grzelcyk, Chicago Blackhawks: Colleague Chris Johnston mentioned Grzelcyk’s ability to make a breakout pass on his free agency board. Given Sullivan’s wishlist, the Rangers could be interested.John Klingberg, San Jose: The 33-year-old signed a one-year, $4 million deal with the Sharks last summer and showed he can still bring offense from the back end, finishing with 10 goals and 27 points in 56 games. New York presumably wouldn’t want to give multiple years to a defenseman his age, but if Klingberg is open to another short-term deal, he could fit New York’s needs.Other options: Nick Blankenburg (Colorado), Ian Cole (Utah), Nick Jensen (Ottawa), Jamie Oleksiak (Seattle)