Free agent stock watch: How the NHL playoffs helped or hindered 10 players' outlooks

As much as a player can make an impact in the regular season, the playoffs are where legends are built.

Players who thrive in the intensity and pressure of the Stanley Cup Playoffs often can write their ticket after, and those who wilt under the spotlight face questions until they prove otherwise.

Sometimes a players stock doesnt change based on the playoffs.

Corey Perrys next contract probably wont be influenced by what he is doing in Edmonton; realistically, most general managers interested in signing him will seek a low-risk, inexpensive contract with bonuses at this point in his career.

Mikael Granlunds glow-up in San Jose and regular-season play in Dallas probably hold more weight than his playoffs, too.

Advertisement But with free agency taking place just a couple of weeks after the postseason, recency bias can creep into player evaluations.

It will likely fuel interest in Sam Bennett and raise more red flags for Mitch Marner.

So with the playoffs winding down and the offseason approaching, heres a look at 10 pending unrestricted free agents who may have seen their stock change this postseason.

Mitch Marner, Toronto Maple Leafs Stock down The spotlight was always going to be on Marner this postseason.

It comes with the territory of playing in Toronto, where the pressure is mounting for the team to turn regular-season success into a deep playoff run.

It also comes with a $10.9 million cap hit, an expiring contract and a history of wilting under playoff pressure.

While Marner had standout flashes this postseason, he didnt meet the moment enough.

Despite some highs, the lasting impression is what happened in some losing efforts: defensive lapses in Game 5, which pushed the Leafs to the brink of elimination, and a disappointing Game 7, where he was held scoreless and earned a minus-0.32 Game Score.

THAT'S THREE UNANSWERED !! Jesper Boqvist finishes off a Sam Reinhart feed to give the Panthers a 3-0 lead in Game 5 pic.twitter.com/3zab7M2Cg7 Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 15, 2025 The Maple Leafs elimination doesnt fall solely on his shoulders.

Other stars faded and the scoring depth seriously lacked.

Still, as much as he contributed, Marner didnt rise to the occasion enough when it mattered most.

That might stop some contenders from handing him a blank check, despite being one of the few elite players to reach free agency in a rising cap world.

But there will be teams desperate for a player of his caliber, willing to spend $13 million-plus with those playoff demons.

And there might be some hope that he can be clutch outside of Toronto, like he was for Team Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off.

Advertisement Nikolaj Ehlers, Winnipeg Jets Stock up There have been two prevailing narratives throughout Ehlers career: he is underutilized in the regular season and doesnt make enough of an impact in the playoffs.

At his best, Ehlers is one of the Jets top offensive threats between his play-driving and creativity in transition despite his usage.

At his worst, he struggles in a playoff environment, which knocked him down to 5A in this years Player Tiers , with team executives raising red flags about his postseason play.

That finally changed this year, as Ehlers raised his game when the pressure was the highest.

Just take his gutsy cross-ice pass in the dying moments of Game 7 that helped keep the Jets season alive.

Or his two multi-goal games against the Stars to help the Jets make a Round 2 push.

After missing the first five games with injury, Ehlers ended the postseason with five goals and seven points in eight games, after only netting four goals and 14 points in his previous 37 playoff games.

There was always going to be interest in Ehlers this summer, as one of the few first-line-caliber forwards set to hit free agency.

But his postseason improvement, after another strong regular season, should pump up his value even more.

Sam Bennett, Florida Panthers Stock up Bennetts regular-season resume isnt anything special hes only hit the 50-point mark once in his career but his clutch play in high-stakes games, divisive physicality and championship pedigree are perfectly built for playoff hockey.

The hard-nosed 28-year-old center leads all players with 14 playoff goals this year, not to mention his strong showing for Team Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off.

Bennetts net-front scoring and gray-area shenanigans have drawn the most attention, but his hands and playmaking are an underrated part of his game, too.

Hes led crafty zone entries and made skilled passes off the rush in high-traffic areas.

The Panthers have controlled over 57 percent of scoring chances and goals during Bennetts five-on-five shifts during these playoffs.

Advertisement Overall, Bennett has scored 26 goals and 48 points in 59 playoff games over the last three years.

In other words, the sample size of his elevating in big moments is large enough that it cant be chalked up to a fluke or coincidence hes earned his label as a clutch playoff performer.

Couple that with how weak the free-agent center pool is, and Bennett is in a prime position to command the contract of his life if he decides to hit the July 1 market.

John Tavares, Toronto Maple Leafs Stock neutral Its easy to argue that Tavares value should be lower after his postseason.

There is a death-by-association element of being a part of the Maple Leafs Core Four that once again fell short.

And there is the fact that he underwhelmed on the scoresheet after a resurgent regular season.

Tavares scored at a rate of 3.25 points per 60 in the regular season, which instilled some confidence in Toronto having more secondary scoring in the playoffs.

But his pace slowed to 1.74 points per 60 in 13 playoff games, mostly due to dips at five-on-five.

All of that could tank his value.

But there are a few reasons why his stock stayed neutral after another disappointing finish.

The reality is that the Leafs problems are bigger than just Tavares, and more of the focus is on Marner and Matthews, who are expected to be The Guys, unlike the veteran at this point in his career.

Plus, those 13 games dont wipe out an impressive regular season for the 34-year-old, who is aging gracefully (and has encouraging comparables like Sidney Crosby and Joe Pavelski at this point in his career).

Pair all of that with a shallow center market behind Bennett, and it neutralizes the bad with good to steady his value.

Aaron Ekblad, Florida Panthers Stock neutral In slightly different circumstances, Ekblad would easily be considered a stock-up player.

After all, the 6-foot-4 right-shot defender has soaked up nearly 24 minutes per game and handled tough defensive matchups en route to his third consecutive Stanley Cup Final appearance.

Advertisement Ekblad has scored 12 points in 16 games, and the Panthers have controlled 57 percent of shot attempts and owned a plus-four goal differential during his five-on-five minutes.

He hasnt been perfect hell occasionally get caught out of position up the ice because of his slow foot speed but hes again excelled playing in a high-leverage top-four role on an elite team.

Another valuable playoff performance like this reinforces that Ekblad is worth a lucrative contract if he reaches free agency, but his market value likely isnt inflating by a massive degree for a couple of reasons.

Ekblads positive test for a performance-enhancing substance in March, which landed him a 20-game suspension, could give some teams a reason to pause.

The 29-year-olds durability must also be a concern he has missed nearly 30 percent of Floridas regular-season games over the last five years.

Brad Marchand, Florida Panthers Stock up Marchands days as a top offensive driver seemed numbered before the playoffs started.

He scored just 51 points in the regular season, his lowest output in a decade.

It would have been easy to look at that decline, his age (37) and his slow start with the Panthers down the stretch as signs of caution.

The diminutive, scrappy left winger has poured cold water on those potential concerns with an excellent playoff run.

Marchand has scored eight goals and 18 points in 20 games, which is very impressive considering he doesnt get top power-play time.

The 14 points hes scored at five-on-five are third-best in the playoffs behind only Connor McDavid and teammate Eetu Luostarinen.

Hes looked rejuvenated on the Panthers elite third line with Luostarinen and Anton Lundell.

Theyre relentless on the forecheck, using their pace, energy and competitiveness to win battles, control play and drive offense.

GUESS WHO BRAD MARCHAND OPENS THE SCORING IN GAME 3! #StanleyCup : @NHL_On_TNT & @SportsonMax https://t.co/4TuyIATi3T : @Sportsnet or stream on Sportsnet+ https://t.co/4KjbdjVctF pic.twitter.com/FhBUVhcxFn NHL (@NHL) June 10, 2025 With Marchand on the ice, the Panthers have controlled 58.3 percent of expected goals and outscored teams by a ridiculous 18-5 margin at five-on-five.

Hes been excellent on Floridas penalty kill, too.

Marchand is proving that hes still got plenty of game left in his late 30s.

Matt Duchene, Dallas Stars Stock down Expectations were high for Duchene heading into the playoffs.

He had been a dynamic, play-driving beast all year, scoring a team-high 82 points in the regular season.

Duchenes line was flat-out one of the best second lines in the NHL.

Advertisement However, for a second consecutive year, Duchene was a major letdown in the playoffs, slumping to just a single goal and five assists in 18 games.

Remarkably, he didnt register a single even-strength point.

Duchenes individual shot rate at five-on-five fell by around 33 percent compared to the regular season.

He was involved in some defensive breakdowns, with the Stars outscored 8-3 during his five-on-five minutes in the postseason.

Bad luck is part of the story Duchenes line generated a healthy 3.54 expected goals per 60 and scored on less than 3 percent of their shots but there isnt a lot of solace to be taken from that considering he produced just two goals and six points in 19 games during last years run to the Western Conference final as well.

Duchene is still well-positioned to cash in on a lucrative contract because of his tremendous regular-season success and the weak UFA center market, but a second consecutive playoff failure raises questions about how well his play translates to the postseason when time and space are harder to come by.

Jamie Benn, Dallas Stars Stock down In 18 playoff games, Benn only netted one goal and three points and scored at an all-situations rate of 0.76 points per 60.

That is a major drop from his regular-season production (2.4 points per 60) and his last two postseasons (2.76 in 2024, 2.38 in 2023).

The Stars only shot 4.71 percent at five-on-five in Benns minutes, which explains the difference between expectations (3.23 xGF/60) and reality (1.10 GF/60).

But he was one of the driving forces behind those finishing woes.

His defense in tough minutes was lacking and contributed to the team getting outscored 13-4 with him deployed.

After revitalizing his game as a reliable third-line contributor over the last couple of years, the Benn-aissance seems to be over in Dallas.

He was always in for a pay cut after his $9.5 million cap hit expired, but it could be more severe after this postseason.

Evolving-Hockey projects a two-year, $4.44 million extension, but that could be a little too rich for someone who looks like a bottom-six staple at this point in his career.

Connor Brown, Edmonton Oilers Stock up Heading into the playoffs, the Oilers had a glaring weakness: secondary scoring.

Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl both hit the 100-point mark, but no other forward hit the 50-point threshold.

While those two are still (unsurprisingly) leading the way this postseason, they have depth support.

Advertisement That was especially clear in Round 1, when players like Brown stepped up with three goals and five points in six games.

While hes only notched another three points since, he has been valuable.

Brown has added an element of speed to the bottom six, disrupted opponents and helped limit opponents like Tomas Hertl along the way.

Brown realistically isnt in for a massive raise this summer from his current $1 million cap hit.

But his postseason play is a reminder of what he can bring to a lineup as a utility forward when he is fully back up to speed.

It was just last year that Brown took 55 games to notch a single goal after returning from a torn ACL.

Now he is providing much-needed support in the Stanley Cup Final on a budget, which should attract general managers.

John Klingberg, Edmonton Oilers Stock up It was fair to wonder how effective Klingberg would be when the Oilers signed him to a one-year deal in January.

Klingberg hadnt played an NHL game in 14 months after undergoing a serious resurfacing surgery on both of his hips.

His play, especially defensively, had rapidly deteriorated in recent seasons.

He was borderline unplayable in 14 games for the Leafs in 2023-24 before the surgery, and his 2022-23 campaign, split between the Anaheim Ducks and Minnesota Wild, was a disappointment too.

With all that in mind, it would have been a win if Klingberg were simply a helpful No.

6 defenseman.

Instead, hes shattered expectations by performing well in top-four usage.

Klingberg isnt as dynamic as his prime (four points in 18 games) and his defensive play can still be shaky at times, but his slick puck-moving has been a major asset.

Its very meaningful, and frankly surprising, that hes providing legitimate value in a high-leverage role rather than requiring sheltering.

Thats going to get him paid a nice sum in free agency, especially since right-handed puck movers are always in demand.

Data via Evolving-Hockey, Natural Stat Trick, HockeyStatCards and CapWages (Top photo of Connor Brown and Sam Bennett: Perry Nelson / Imagn Images).

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