The first day of the NHL's annual free-agent market is a frenzy of bidding in the opening hours as teams vie for the top available talent. Stars in their playing prime often land lucrative long-term deals as a result.

This year's crop of unrestricted free agents features such notable stars as New York Rangers winger Patrick Kane and Toronto Maple Leafs center Ryan O'Reilly. However, they are now in their 30s' and past their playing prime or getting close to it.

That will have an effect on the free-agent market. So will the possibility of another flattened cap if it only increases by $1 million as projected for 2023-24.

NHL

8 NHL Free Agents with Big Money on the Line in the 2023 Playoffs

Instead of rich deals stretching to the maximum of seven years, the best UFA talent could end up on short-term contracts with average annual salaries worth less than what they earned on their previous agreements.

Here is our look at this summer's top unrestricted free agents and what we project they'll get based on factors such as age and recent performance. We've excluded Chicago captain Jonathan Toews from our listing as he remains undecided over his future because of health issues.

 

Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci, Boston Bruins

The Boston Bruins dominated the 2022-23 season with a record-setting performance of 65 wins and 135 points. Centers Patrice Bergeron and David Krejcí played significant roles in their club's outstanding regular-season performance.

Bergeron, 37, helped out his cap-strapped club last August by signing a one-year contract with a $1.5 million base salary and $3.5 million in signing and performance bonuses. It was a considerable pay cut from the $6.9 million annually that he'd earned on his previous eight-year contract.

After spending last season playing in his native Czechia, the 36-year-old Krejcí agreed to a one-year deal with a $1 million base and $2 million in performance bonuses.

Bergeron stated last May that he'd either re-sign with the Bruins or retire. Krejcí , meanwhile, has given no indication that he'll want to play for a different NHL club. One or both could retire following this season, especially if the Bruins win the Stanley Cup.

The Bruins have $10.6 million in projected cap space for 2023-24 and 14 players under contract. If Bergeron and/or Krejci decide to return next season they'll likely receive one-year deals similar to those they signed for 2022-23.

Projected contracts: Both players sign one-year "35-plus" deals with the Bruins with each getting $1 million in base salary and $1.5 million in performance bonuses.