{"id":804192,"date":"2026-08-06T03:44:10","date_gmt":"2026-08-06T03:44:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/804192\/"},"modified":"2026-08-06T03:44:10","modified_gmt":"2026-08-06T03:44:10","slug":"three-under-the-radar-free-agents-still-unsigned-pro-hockey-rumors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/804192\/","title":{"rendered":"Three Under The Radar Free Agents Still Unsigned \u2013 Pro Hockey Rumors"},"content":{"rendered":"

At this point in the off-season, with the dust mostly settled from a July which made two unlikely names both the highest paid defenseman<\/a>, and the highest paid player<\/a> period,\u00a0only to be outdone four weeks later<\/a>, many are looking ahead to the fall. Especially those with not a dime left to spare in cap space.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s not to say there\u2019s not still some quality players looking for their next home, however, and we continue our look into them. Yesterday we evaluated five of the best overall<\/a>, and now it\u2019s time to consider some younger free agents who are flying under the radar. Although unlikely any make an impact like last year\u2019s Justin Brazeau<\/a>, coming out of nowhere to score 17 goals for the Penguins, still, the names below offer some intrigue.<\/p>\n

Nick Blankenburg \u2013 Defense<\/p>\n

In a remaining defense class led by John Klingberg<\/a> and Logan Stanley<\/a>, teams would be pressed to find a more slick puck mover up for grabs than Nick Blankenburg<\/a>, 28, your typical highly skilled blueliner held back by his size (5\u20199\u2033).<\/p>\n

Undrafted out of Michigan, he immediately caught on with the Blue Jackets from 2021-24, skating in 55 games and recording 18 points. Landing in Nashville on July 1 two years ago, Blankenburg had to settle for a two-way deal, expected to lead the AHL\u2019s Milwaukee Admirals and put up some impressive numbers. Instead he became a regular in the Preds\u2019 lineup over the past two years, totaling 109 games and stepping up production to 21 points in 49 total appearances last season.<\/p>\n

Despite finding a home in Nashville and playing a valuable role on the third pairing capable of quarterbacking a second power-play unit, the Michigan native was traded<\/a> to Colorado at the deadline, fetching only a 2027 fifth rounder. Unable to capture the same role on a loaded Avs team, he played just 12 games in Colorado, recording three points.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s hard to tell exactly who has a fit for an undersized #7\/8 defender at this point, but Blankenburg\u2019s right-handedness certainly helps matters. Just as Colorado had a use for him to fill out their roster last spring, the Maple Leafs stand out as a team who could use another depth righty, and he\u2019d definitely not break the bank. Finding success in the form of Troy Stecher<\/a> last season, they might as well take a shot on some competition for Emil Andrae<\/a> whose offensive tools would mesh nicely with Toronto\u2019s skill up front, whenever he\u2019d find himself in the lineup. Even if he\u2019d have to accept an AHL demotion at least for a certain period, Blankenburg would be a weapon for the defending Calder Cup champions, the Marlies.<\/p>\n

Pavol Regenda \u2013 Forward<\/p>\n

With some of the more well-known forwards on the market capturing interest overseas<\/a> such as Brandon Saad<\/a>, it\u2019s a full indication of how dry things are here in August. Amidst not much to choose from, Slovakian winger Pavol Regenda<\/a>\u00a0stands out as having some intriguing production at just 26 years old.<\/p>\n

Undrafted, Regenda stood out at the 2022 Olympic Games as well as the IIHF World Championships later that year. He signed with the Ducks four years ago, getting into 14 games, notching his first career goal and adding two helpers. Facing the adjustment curve to North America, he spent the rest of the campaign in the AHL. Over the next two years, he gradually slipped into obscurity on the San Diego Gulls, not offering production to suggest he had any meaningful NHL future. Traded to San Jose in January 2025 for who was an older fringe NHLer in Justin Bailey<\/a>, Regenda turned the corner and immediately made an impact for the San Jose Barracuda. This season he managed to get into 24 games for the big club, unexpectedly scoring nine goals.<\/p>\n

It was a winter to remember for the 6\u20193\u2033 winger, finding the back of the net seven times in his first nine games as a Shark, including a hat trick against Tampa Bay on January 3. Naturally cooling off after that, he became a regular scratch into the spring. Another highlight of his past season was again performing well on the international stage, scoring three goals and five points in six Olympic contests this past February.<\/p>\n

A physical presence who might have to settle for a professional tryout agreement, any cash-strapped team needing to add some solid depth would do well in giving Regenda a shot. Montreal stands out with depth roles up for grabs this fall, as well as the Capitals, or even the Islanders if they don\u2019t go for a more shiny pickup like Patrik Laine<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Connor Ingram \u2013 Goaltender<\/p>\n

It may seem unlikely that any prominent figure from the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs could possibly grace this list, however that\u2019s the case with Connor Ingram<\/a>, 29. Being waived by Utah in September to land with the Oilers<\/a> for future considerations, the Saskatoon native found himself taking the crease five times against Anaheim, as Edmonton\u2019s hopes to go on a third straight deep run fell flat with a opening round defeat.<\/p>\n

Once a standout prospect in Tampa Bay, Ingram has faced a lot of adversity in his career, entering the Players Assistance program twice. His numbers across 32 regular season games as well as the postseason in Edmonton this past year weren\u2019t great, but he outperformed both Tristan Jarry<\/a> and Calvin Pickard<\/a>, coming out above water with a 1.7 goals saved above expected, according to Moneypuck<\/a>. Before that, Ingram made himself forever tied to the last season of the Arizona Coyotes, getting the bulk of work in 2023-24, playing in 50 games and offering a strong .907 save percentage. Based on his track record, the 6\u20191\u2033 netminder is definitely worthy of a contract.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s hard to say who could offer Ingram a full time seat as a #2 next season, but depending on possible injuries down the road, any club would be adding strong depth as a third option. Ingram would be excellent at the AHL level, hoping to find an opportunity where he could get into some NHL games when needed. Prospect Gabriel D\u2019Aigle<\/a> seems set to hold down a role for the Penguins in AHL Wilkes-Barre\/Scranton behind Joel Blomqvist<\/a>, but if general manager Kyle Dubas<\/a> wants an insurance policy in case Sergei Murashov<\/a> or Arturs Silovs<\/a> falter, Ingram would be a nice addition. His best bet is likely waiting closer to camp to see what spots may open up.<\/p>\n

Image Credit: Perry Nelson-Imagn Images via Reuters Connect (Ingram)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"At this point in the off-season, with the dust mostly settled from a July which made two unlikely…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":804193,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[66],"tags":[181502,385,5627,99],"class_list":["post-804192","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nhl","tag-2026-free-agency","tag-nhl","tag-pro-hockey-rumors-originals","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/804192","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=804192"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/804192\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/804193"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=804192"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=804192"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=804192"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}