Seven players to re-enter 2026 NHL Draft after having rights expire
The June 1 deadline has come and passed – and for a handful of previously drafted players, it means their NHL rights have ceased.
As tracked by PuckPedia, a handful of players from the CHL and Europe selected in either the 2022 or 2024 NHL Drafts have had their rights expire after not having their entry-level deals in place by the 5:00 PM ET deadline today.
Of them, seven players from the CHL will re-enter the draft this June. The criteria include North American draftees who played in the CHL until they were 20 years old, but did not have a college commitment. It also includes others outside of the CHL without an NCAA deal. Since NCAA players can not sign pro contracts and remain in college, their rights expire at a later date.
All the other players who were left unsigned were Europeans drafted from European pro or junior leagues who did not sign from either the 2022 NHL Draft (if selected before age 20) or the 2024 NHL Draft (if drafted at age 20).
Here is a full list of players whom no longer belong to an NHL club, with players in bold set to re-enter the draft:
| Team | Player | Position | Draft |
| Buffalo Sabres | Joel Ratkovic Berndtsson | LW | 2022 |
| Buffalo Sabres | Gustav Karlsson | C | 2022 |
| Buffalo Sabres | Ryerson Leenders | G | 2024 |
| Calgary Flames | Hunter Laing | C | 2024 |
| Carolina Hurricanes | Simon Forsmark | LHD | 2022 |
| Carolina Hurricanes | Nils Juntorp | RW | 2022 |
| Carolina Hurricanes | Jakub Vondras | G | 2022 |
| Chicago Blackhawks | Riku Tohila | C | 2022 |
| Detroit Red Wings | Maximilian Kilpinen | LW | 2022 |
| Detroit Red Wings | Landon Miller | G | 2024 |
| Edmonton Oilers | Petr Hauser | RW | 2022 |
| Edmonton Oilers | Albin Sundin | RHD | 2024* |
| Nashville Predators | Kasper Kulonummi | RHD | 2022 |
| Philadelphia Flyers | Santeri Sulku | LW | 2022 |
| Pittsburgh Penguins | Max Graham | C | 2024 |
| Tampa Bay Lightning | Kaden Pitre | C | 2024 |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | Nathan Mayes | LHD | 2024 |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | Matthew Hlacar | LW | 2025 |
| Utah Mammoth | Ales Cech | LHD | 2024* |
*All players listed above selected in 2024 and 2025, except Sundin and Cech, are eligible to be drafted again in 2026. All 2022-drafted prospects have become UFAs.