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LCK
LoL esports works on a single deadline. Every contract registered in Riot's Global Contract Database (GCD) for the 2026 season ends on 16 November at 23:59 UTC, and until that moment a team may only re-sign its own players, release them or let them talk to rivals. Anything else counts as tampering, which is why the official news so far has been extensions rather than signings. The scale this year is significant. Counting only main-roster players, more than half of the league's 50 starting spots are tied to a contract that ends on Monday — and two entire lineups, BNK FEARX and Nongshim RedForce, will be free agents if nobody re-signs. The LCK's luxury tax should keep the frenzy in check, though: only a handful of teams have the room to pull off a marquee signing.
The lists below come from the GCD as last updated on 3 November, cross-checked against roster changes since. Academy players and staff are left out.
Every LCK free agent can also be followed on the new DPM Esports Offseason Tracker, where you can put together your own 2027 rosters as the market unfolds.
Gen.G
Expiring:
Under contract: Jeong "Chovy" Ji-hoon, Park "Ruler" Jae-hyuk and Joo "Duro" Min-kyu (all 2027)
Gen.G will play the biggest match in the organisation's recent history with two starters whose deals expire 48 hours later. The LCK Cup and LCK champions face BLG in Brooklyn on 14 November, their first Worlds final under the Gen.G name.
Kiin's case is the more delicate one. The 27-year-old became the first toplaner to reach 500 LCK wins in August, but he is expected to begin his mandatory military service soon, and his omission from Korea's Asian Games squad — publicly questioned by Gen.G's CEO in May — closed one route to an exemption. Canyon already went through this last year: Gen.G announced his free agency on 18 November 2025, then re-signed him on a one-year deal within a day despite interest from Hanwha Life Esports. He finished 2026 as LCK Cup MVP and on the All-LCK Third Team.
Hanwha Life Esports
Expiring:
Under contract: Kim "Zeka" Geon-woo, Lee "Gumayusi" Min-hyeong and Yoo "Delight" Hwan-joong (all 2027)
HLE won MSI in Daejeon and reached a third straight LCK final, then fell apart at Worlds. BLG eliminated them 2-0 in the Swiss Stage on 1 November, before the quarterfinals had even started.
The offseason opened with a problem. According to Korean reports, Zeus turned down HLE's renewal offer before Worlds after changing agents and wants to test his value on the open market. The organisation says talks are ongoing, and the contract leaves room for an agreement until Monday. If he does reach free agency, the two-time world champion and All-LCK First Team toplaner will be the most sought-after name of the window. Kanavi is in the same contractual position after a first LCK season that also earned him First Team honours.
T1
Expiring:
- Choi "Doran" Hyeon-joon (top)
Under contract: Mun "Oner" Hyeon-jun (2028), Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok (2029), Kim "Peyz" Su-hwan (2028), Ryu "Keria" Min-seok (2029)
T1's run of three consecutive world titles ended in the semifinals, where BLG beat them 3-1 — the first time an LPL team has knocked T1 out of a Worlds best-of-five. With four starters locked in until 2028 or later, Doran is the only player whose future is open.
He joined in 2025 on a 1+1 deal and T1 activated the option last November. With the rest of the lineup tied down for at least two more years, the top lane is the only position where T1 can make a change this winter — and the most decorated toplaner on the market won his two world titles in T1 colours. If T1 do go down that road, Doran should not be short of suitors.
Dplus KIA
Expiring:
Under contract: Jeon "Siwoo" Si-woo, Choi "Lucid" Yong-hyeok and Oh "Career" Hyeong-seok (all 2027)
DK's year was the most volatile in the league. They won the Esports World Cup in Paris with a 3-0 final over Karmine Corp, grabbed the LCK's fourth Worlds seed by beating KT Rolster, then went 3-0 in the Swiss Stage before BLG swept them in the quarterfinals.
The three-year extension ShowMaker signed in late 2023 runs out now. At the time, he presented it as a commitment for the rest of his career, which makes a departure unlikely but not impossible. Smash is the bigger market question: the 2026 Rookie of the Year was on a one-year deal after leaving T1's academy system, though a renewal with DK looks the likeliest outcome.
KT Rolster
Expiring:
Under contract: Lee "PerfecT" Seung-min and Gwak "Bdd" Bo-seong (2028), Moon "Cuzz" Woo-chan (2027), Park "FenRir" Kang-jun (2027)
KT got ahead of the window on 8 October, extending PerfecT and Bdd through 2028. The bot lane is the open question. KT cycled through three ADCs and three supports this year — Aiming was benched and then traded to Kiwoom DRX in July after internal conflict — and neither Jiwoo nor Effort has a deal beyond Monday.
Cuzz is signed until 2027, yet his place in the project looks far from guaranteed, with Raptor's name entering the conversation in the jungle. In the bot lane, KT are said to be very keen on Taeyoon and Kellin, the FEARX duo that has just lifted the Demacia Cup and becomes available on the same day. KT finished fifth, lost their playoff decider to DK and went out in the semifinals of that same Demacia Cup.
BNK FEARX
Expiring:
- Song "Clear" Hyeon-min (top)
- Jeon "Raptor" Eo-jin (jungle)
- Lee "VicLa" Dae-kwang (mid)
- Yoo "Daystar" Ji-myeong (mid)
- Kim "Taeyoon" Tae-yoon (bot)
- Kim "Kellin" Hyeong-gyu (support)
FEARX's best season in years could be followed by a full reset. They reached the LCK Cup final, came through the play-ins to finish sixth and won the Demacia Cup Global Invitational in October — their first international title.
Every player on the roster is out of contract on Monday, from Clear in the top lane to the two-man mid rotation of VicLa and Daystar. Taeyoon only arrived in April, when FEARX traded Diable to Nongshim RedForce after benching him for missing a fan meeting.
HANJIN BRION
Expiring: no starter
Under contract: Shin "Casting" Min-je, Kim "GIDEON" Min-seong, Cho "Roamer" Woo-jin, Park "Teddy" Jin-seong and Namgung "Namgung" Seong-hoon (all 2027)
BRION are the only LCK team with nothing to settle. All five starters had deals ending this year, and the organisation announced on 24 October that the whole lineup would stay for 2027. A seventh-place finish and a Demacia Cup semifinal were enough to justify continuity.
Nongshim RedForce
Expiring:
- Hwang "Kingen" Seong-hoon (top)
- Bae "Sponge" Young-jun (jungle)
- Lee "Scout" Ye-chan (mid)
- Seon "Calix" Hyeon-bin (mid, substitute)
- Nam "Diable" Dae-geun (bot)
- Son "Lehends" Si-woo (support)
Under contract: none
Nongshim are in the same position as FEARX, with no player signed beyond Monday. Diable, who came over in that April trade, finished the year as the starting ADC, while Calix spent the season behind Scout in the mid lane. In the bot lane, everything points to Kim "Deft" Hyuk-kyu: the 2022 world champion completes his military service on 18 November, two days after the deadline.
Scout's first season back from China ended in the play-ins, where FEARX beat NS 3-1. Kingen, Sponge and Lehends are all on the market for the first time since joining.
Kiwoom DRX
Expiring:
- Lee "Frog" Min-ho (top)
- Lee "Rich" Jae-won (top)
- Kim "Willer" Jeong-hyeon (jungle)
- Ha "Vincenzo" Seung-min (jungle)
- Son "Ucal" Woo-hyeon (mid)
- Kim "Aiming" Ha-ram (bot)
- Moon "Andil" Gwan-bin (support)
Under contract: Trần "LazyFeel" Bảo Minh (bot, 2028)
KRX finished ninth and changed more than anyone in the second half of the season. Frog replaced Rich in the top lane, and Aiming arrived from KT in the Jiwoo trade to end a season-long rotation between Jiwoo and LazyFeel.
Only LazyFeel is signed beyond Monday, which clears the way for a full overhaul. Could KRX be preparing the boldest rebuild of the winter? Their name keeps coming up alongside Kanavi, Doran, Scout and Delight, and even next to a return home for BLG's Park "Viper" Do-hyeon. With the luxury tax in play, bringing even half of them together would already be a statement.
DN SOOPers
Expiring:
- Lee "DuDu" Dong-ju (top)
- Kim "Sharvel" Dan-woo (jungle)
- Hong "Pyosik" Chang-hyeon (jungle)
- Lee "Clozer" Ju-hyun (mid)
- Jeong "Peter" Yoon-su (support)
- Kim "Life" Jeong-min (support)
Under contract: Seo "deokdam" Dae-gil (bot, 2027)
Last in the LCK for a second year running, DN SOOPers still ended 2026 with silverware by winning the KeSPA Cup in August. In the jungle, Sharvel took over from Pyosik during the second half of the season.
deokdam is the only starter with a contract for 2027, which leaves the organisation facing another near-total rebuild. Experience may be the priority this time, with Cuzz and Ucal both said to be on DNS's radar.
The five free agents to watch
Four established starters and one academy player who has done enough in the LCK CL to force his way onto shortlists.
1. Choi "Zeus" Woo-je — top, Hanwha Life Esports
No one on the market can match his record. Zeus has two world titles from his T1 years, added MSI with HLE in July and closed 2026 on the All-LCK First Team, all at 22. His rejection of HLE's offer turned what looked like a routine renewal into the central story of the window. A return to T1, where the top lane is the one seat open, is not out of the question. Gen.G might also find themselves shopping for a toplaner if Kiin enlists.
2. Moon "Cloud" Hyeon-ho — support, T1 Esports Academy
They call him "baby Keria". Could he end up as the most sought-after player of the LCK winter? Cloud, 19, has no LCK start yet, but he was voted LCK CL Regular Season MVP in September after T1 Esports Academy led the table from the opening weeks, and he also made the All-LCK CL Team. He was part of the academy roster that won the 2025 Asia Masters with Smash and Vincenzo, both of whom stepped up to the LCK a year ago. With Keria signed until 2029, the road to T1's main roster is closed, so any LCK team rethinking its bot lane has reason to look at him — and Hanwha Life's name is the one that comes up most often.
His situation has not gone unnoticed among established players. Gumayusi, who spent years alongside Keria in T1's bot lane before joining Hanwha Life Esports, brought him up during a stream on CHZZK:
I'm curious where Cloud will go.
3. Kim "Canyon" Geon-bu — jungle, Gen.G
For the second November running, Canyon reaches the deadline without a deal. The 2026 LCK Cup MVP plays the Worlds final on Saturday, 48 hours before his contract ends, and a first title since 2020 would only raise his value. Twelve months ago he spent a few hours as a free agent, weighed HLE's interest and went back to Gen.G on a one-year extension. The same scenario is entirely possible again.
4. Kim "Sharvel" Dan-woo — jungle, DN SOOPers
The breakout of the second half. DN SOOPers promoted him from Dplus KIA Challengers at the end of June, and in his second LCK match he was named Player of the Match as DNS beat HANJIN BRION to end an 18-match losing run. The team had one win across Rounds 1–2; they collected five more in Rounds 3–4 with him and won the KeSPA Cup in August. His contract only ran until 16 November, so the 19-year-old hits the market less than five months after his LCK debut. Hanwha Life, Kiwoom DRX and Gen.G are all said to be interested, with Gen.G reportedly his preferred destination — a detail worth keeping in mind while Canyon's future remains open.
5. Seo "Kanavi" Jin-hyeok — jungle, Hanwha Life Esports
His return to Korea after six seasons in China went to plan domestically, with an MSI title and an All-LCK First Team selection. HLE's early Worlds exit changes the picture: with Zeus also out of contract, the organisation could lose its top-jungle pair in the same week, and Kiwoom DRX are among the teams circling. Kanavi's 2022 Asian Games gold settles his military obligation, so at 26 he can commit to a long deal without the enlistment question that weighs on most Korean players his age.
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