With Marco Rossi now re-signed in Minnesota, only a few remaining RFAs have yet to be signed for the coming season. Since we're nearing September with training camp less than a month away, let's bring up the fantasy-relevant RFAs and what their potential absences could mean from a fantasy perspective.

Mason McTavish

McTavish is arguably the most prominent name here, as he led all players on this list with 52 points in 2024-25. That total was good for second on the Ducks, as was his 40 even-strength points. At age 22, McTavish fits in perfectly with Anaheim's rebuild plan, and he is already projected to center one of the top two lines. Without McTavish, Ryan Strome would likely grab a spot in the top 6.

Yet for some reason, McTavish and the Ducks have not come to terms on an extension. His name seems to come up often in trade rumors, yet the price to get a young second-line center from a team is high enough for teams to eventually walk away from a deal. The Ducks are also carrying just over $20 million in cap space with only McTavish to sign, so fitting him in for this season won't be a problem. The salary cap could become an issue next season, however, as Cutter Gauthier, Leo Carlsson, Jackson LaCombe, Pavel Mintyukov, and Olen Zellweger are all set to become RFAs.

I would assume that McTavish is signed before training camp, but the above situation might be a reason it is taking longer than expected and why it just doesn't "get done."

Luke Hughes

One of the burning questions surrounding the Devils will be whether Hughes or Dougie Hamilton will be on the top power play. Hamilton could be back in that spot again even though Hughes seems like the better option with a much higher PP IPP (84.2%) than Hamilton (41.7%). Contract could be the reason for that. Although Hughes is set to earn a big raise from his sub-$1 million entry-level contract, he won't likely hit the $9 million cap hit that Hamilton is receiving.

The latest on this situation has the Devils looking for either a bridge deal of around three years or the max eight years, with Hughes looking for five years to match with brother Jack Hughes (NJ.com). Coming to terms on term is one hurdle, but maybe not the only one.  

The Devils have less cap room to play with ($6.13 million) than the aforementioned Ducks, which makes signing Hughes a tighter squeeze. Fellow defenseman Johnathan Kovacevic isn't expected to be ready for opening night due to a knee injury, so there's a chance the Devils could move his $4 million cap hit onto LTIR. The Devils may even need to make a minor roster move or two to make room for Hughes. Beyond Hughes, they also have to think about captain Nico Hischier, whose contract expires in two years.

New Jersey might have its eye on reuniting all three Hughes brothers one day, especially with Quinn Hughes' contract expiring in two years. However, the Devils need to worry about the present first, which involves locking up Luke Hughes. Ondrej Palat and Brenden Dillon, among others, are projected to come off the books in two seasons, which could help facilitate the move.

Should Hughes miss any time during the season, Simon Nemec would instantly become a player to watch. Kovacevic's injury should be another reason that Nemec makes the opening-night roster.

Connor Zary

In two NHL seasons, Zary has scored at a 40-45-point pace, which could lead to bigger and better things down the road. However, the nearly 24-year-old Zary is now a Band-Aid Boy Trainee, having missed 28 games in 2024-25 due to various injuries. Zary is versatile enough to play at both center and on the wing, a fact that is not missed by Yahoo in that he is eligible at all three forward positions.

The Flames have $15 million in cap space with a mix of younger and older players, so fitting Zary in doesn't seem to be an issue. In addition, it sounds like Rasmus Andersson will be dealt sooner rather than later, which would free up an additional $4.5 million depending on what Calgary receives in return. The Flames may simply want to view a larger sample size before committing to Zary long term.  

From the Fantasy Guide, "Zary missed time on a couple of occasions and that benefitted Yegor Sharangovich the most. Sharang-a-tang had 20 points in 27 games that Zary missed. He had 12 points in 46 games when Zary was in the lineup." Both Zary and Sharangovich are listed as left wingers in the Fantasy Guide, so Sharangovich might be one player to target if Zary ends up holding out.

Luke Evangelista

Evangelista's second full NHL season was very similar to his first: A scoring pace slightly below 0.5 PTS/GP and an average of about two shots per game. One stat that did not work out in his favor was his time spent on the power play, which dropped from 40% in 2023-24 to 29% last season. The free agent signings of Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault probably had something to do with that, as Evangelista had even been a borderline PP1 option for the Preds right before their 2024 offseason splash.

Prior to the offseason that saw them sign Stamkos, Marchessault, and Brady Skjei, the Predators seemed to operate on a tight budget. They currently have just under $10 million to play with, which is more than enough to sign Evangelista. The Preds have a bunch of expiring contracts at the end of the season, but no big names among the group (Michael Bunting is probably the most prominent). GM Barry Trotz has stated that he would like to sign Evangelista to a longer term than the player wants, which is what could be holding this up.

If Evangelista's contract situation drags into the season, former first-round picks Matthew Wood or Joakim Kemell could not only crack the Predators' opening-night roster, but they could also play a prominent role. Both were up for a cup of coffee last season and could play more NHL games this coming season.

The other currently unsigned RFAs: Alexander Holtz, Rasmus Kupari, Wyatt Kaiser, and Donovan Sebrango.

–

If you're looking for a new fantasy hockey challenge, try the DobberHockey Tiered Invitational League. For more information, click on the link.

–

Remembering Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Gaudreau and how their lives were tragically cut short.

–

Follow me on X @Ian_Gooding and Bluesky @goodsfantasyhockey.bsky.social