Carolina has signed Juuso Valimaki to a one-year, $900,000 contract extension.
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NHL Signings & Free Agents
Buffalo has signed Zach Benson to a seven-year contract extension worth $7.5 million AAV ($52.5 million total).
Winnipeg has signed Isak Rosen to a two-year, $925,000 AAV contract extension ($1.85M total).
The Capitals have signed Alex Tuch to an eight-year deal worth $10.5M AAV ($84.0M total).
San Jose has signed Nolan Allan to a two-year contract extension.
San Jose solidified their defensive depth on Tuesday after they announced the signing of Nolan Allan to a two-year contract extension. The 23-year-old defensemen was acquired from Chicago in a multi player deal last January and succeeded with the Barracuda (AHL) across 35 games played, picking up two goals, 14 points and 28 PIMs. He is expected to compete for one of San Jose's final defensive spots in training camp but should be another key member of the Barracuda's back line.
Boston has signed Simon Zajicek to a one-year, two-way contract extension.
After a successful first season in North America with Providence (AHL), Simon Zajicek has earned himself a one-year, two-way contract extension to remain in Boston's organization. The 24-year-old thrived as a backup in Providence through 21 appearances last season as shown by his 14-6-1 record, .915 SV% and 2.44 GAA.
New York has signed Dylan Garand to a two-year contract extension.
After 36 appearances with Hartford (AHL) in 2025-26, Dylan Garand has earned himself a two-year contract extension to remain with the Rangers. The 24-year-old will be given a chance to compete for New York's back up role after an impressive three game appearance last season where he posted a 2-0-1 record with a 1.62 GAA and .948 SV%>
Edmonton has signed Connor Murphy to a five-year contract extension worth $4.1 million AAV ($20.5 million total).
After being acquired from Chicago at last season's trade deadline, Connor Murphy will remain an Edmonton Oiler for the next five seasons after he signed a five-year, $4.1 million AAV ($20.5 million total) contract extension on Monday. The 33-year-old is entering his 14th NHL season after appearing in 80 games in 2025-26 between the Blackhawks and Oilers, with five goals, 17 points and 71 PIMs.
Seattle has signed Bobby McMann to a six-year, $5.75 million AAV contract extension ($34.5M total).
After an incredibly successful 18-game stint in Seattle last season, Bobby McMann will remain a member of the Kraken after signing a six-year contract extension worth $5.75 million AAV ($34.5M total) on Sunday. The 30-year-old winger was acquired from Toronto at last year's Trade Deadline for a 2027 2nd round pick and a 2026 4th round pick and immediately made an instant impact, becoming a key member of the Kraken's top-six and putting up 10 goals, 14 points and 58 SOG in 18 games played.
Edmonton has signed Jason Dickinson to a five-year, $4 million AAV contract extension ($20M total).
Edmonton has locked up some offensive depth when the team announced Sunday that it had signed Jason Dickinson to a five-year, $4 million AAV contract extension ($20M total). The 30-year-old forward is entering his 12th NHL season and first full season in Edmonton after being acquired from Chicago at last year's Trade Deadline. Dickinson will look to reach the 20 point plateau for the first time since 2023-24 after finishing last season with seven goals and 17 points in 64 games played.
Columbus has signed Corson Ceulemans to a one-year, two-way contract.
Columbus has locked up former 1st round pick, Corson Ceulemans to a one-year, two-way contract extension after it was announced the 23-year-old would be remaining with the Blue Jackets for at least one more season. Ceulemans is expected to compete for one of Columbus' final roster spots out of training camp after a successful 2025-26 season in Cleveland (AHL) which saw him put up eight goals and 24 points in 64 games played.
Carolina has signed Nicolas Deslauriers to a two-year contract extension worth $875,000 AAV ($1.75 Million total).
Deslauriers' announcement of his two-year extension will go down in the history books after the 35-year-old announced his two-year, $875,000 AAV ($1.75 Million total) contract during Carolina's Stanley Cup Parade. The bruising forward only appeared in seven games with Carolina after being acquired at the trade deadline but still managed to finish his 2025-26 season with two assists, 38 PIMs and a -3 plus/minus across 31 games played.
The Maple leafs have signed Darren Raddysh to an eight-year contract worth $68.0 million ($8.5M AAV).
Toronto immediately signed Radddysh to an eight-year contract worth $68.0 million ($8.5M AAV) after acquiring him from Tampa Bay for a 2026 5th round pick on Friday. The 30-year-old joins Toronto after four seasons in Tampa Bay and a career year in 2025-26 which saw him finish third in goals amongst defensemen (22) and seventh in points (70). He is expected to join Toronto's top powerplay and defensive pairing for the start of the 2026-27 season.
The Penguins signed Oliver Okuliar to a one-year, two-way contract.
The Bruins signed Attilio Biasca to a two-year, entry-level contract.
The Blue Jackets signed James Malatesta to a one-year, two-way contract.
The Canucks signed Jack Thompson to a one-year, two-way contract.
The Panthers signed Cooper Black to a two-year deal worth $1.75M ($875K AAV).
The Mammoth signed Vadim Moroz to a two-year, entry-level contract.
The Penguins have signed Taylor Gauthier to a one-year, two-way contract.
NHL Free Agents: Best Available Players in 2025
Once the dust settles on the Stanley Cup Final, the NHL offseason officially commences as the latest wave of free agents hit the market as teams and players alike reevaluate their current situation and plot their next steps toward success.
With a plethora of talent up for grabs every summer, Stanley Cup contenders can be formed as well as broken up through free agency. With NHL signings going down at a breakneck pace throughout the opening days of free agency, we’ll keep you in the loop with our 2025 NHL free agency tracker. You can find all of the latest NHL signings of the free agency period as players switch teams, sign extensions, and change the outlook of the league with a single decision.
Whether you’re a diehard fan of your favourite team and are looking to stay up to date with every move made by the front office, or are an avid daily fantasy sports bettor that wants to prep for their wagers, our NHL free agency tracker is the best destination for all your free agent market news.
Types of Free Agent Markets
Each NHL free agent holds their own unique distinction when signing with a team. These distinctions are made based on a number of factors including age, NHL experience, as well as their current contract situation. NHL free agents are divided by restricted and unrestricted free agents, with each classification of player holding varying rights, including how teams are able to offer them contracts, and the results of receiving an offer.
Below, we take a deep dive into each type of NHL free agent so you can get a thorough understanding of each free agent market type, how they are able to sign with teams, and the possible outcomes from each offseason acquisition.
Restricted Free Agents
A restricted NHL free agent (RFA) is a player that is either under the age of 27 or has been in the NHL for less than seven seasons. Teams hold a form of protection over their restricted free agents, providing them with a sort of insurance if their RFA decides to sign with a new team.
While restricted free agents are technically eligible to sign a new contract with different teams, the process can become messy if a team other than their original squad makes them an offer and they accept. Restricted free agents are only able to sign a standard NHL contract with the team that currently owns the players rights, all other squads must submit an offer sheet if they want to lure away a player from their team. If an offer sheet is made to an RFA, the team who holds the players rights will be left with the option to either match the offer made to their player, or allow the player to sign with the team that made the offer sheet, in return receiving draft compensation depending on the value of the contract offered.
Qualifying Offers
In order for a team to retain a player’s rights heading into the free agency period, they must make a qualifying offer to the player. These offers are in the form of a one-year contract, with the amount offered being formulated depending on the value of their previous contract.
For any player who was on a deal worth $660,000 or less, the qualifying offer they receive must be worth 110% the amount of their previous season’s salary. For a player making between $660,000 and $1,000,000, they must be offered 105% their previous seasons salary. Finally, if a player was making more than $1 million in their previous year of duty, their team must offer them 100% of their previous season’s salary.
These offers are not final and players are eligible to receive greater or lesser valued contracts from the team that holds their rights once free agency begins. Players who reject qualifying offers remain restricted free agents.
Non-Qualified RFAs
If a team decides to not submit a qualifying offer to a restricted free agent on their roster, all non-qualified RFAs instantly become free agents and are welcome to sign contracts with any team come July 1st.
Unrestricted Free Agents
The other form of NHL free agent is the unrestricted free agent (UFA). UFAs have the right to sign their next deal with any team without restriction, as long as the offer they sign complies with league salary cap mandates and rules. Unrestricted free agents are truly what can shake up the free agent market, with many of the leagues top stars entering into the offseason as UFAs.
There are multiple forms of unrestricted free agents, each with their own unique classifications, but don’t necessarily affect the potential value of the contracts offered to them in the offseason. Below are two of the most common UFAs.
Group 3 UFAs
Common among NHL veterans, Group 3 comprises players entering free agency that are 27 or older, or have played in the NHL for more than seven accrued seasons. An accrued season is defined as a season in which a player has suited up for action on an NHL roster in at least 40 games (30 for goalies). Any player that fits this criteria will become an unrestricted free agent once their contract expires in the following offseason.
Group 6 UFAs
Another way that players can become an unrestricted free agent is by being 25 years of age or older and to have played three or more professional hockey seasons under an NHL contract (AHL, ECHL, Europe), but played in less than 80 NHL games (28 for goalies) in their career. Often, Group 6 unrestricted free agents are developing players that, for one reason or another, have not had the chance to crack into an NHL lineup, but still possess experience as a high-level player. There is no difference in the rights of Group 3 and Group 6 unrestricted free agents, but typically the latter will receive smaller contracts, both in terms of value as well as in duration.
Undrafted UFAs
The final way that a player may enter into free agency as an unrestricted free agent is by going undrafted in their three years of draft eligibility. If a player is not selected by an NHL franchise through the draft they are still eligible to crack into a final roster as a free agent.
NHL Free Agency FAQs
Who are the top NHL free agents in 2025?
Some of the top NHL free agents available this summer are Mitch Marner, Mikko Rantanen, Aaron Ekblad, Nikolaj Ehlers, John Tavares, Brock Boeser, Brad Marchand and Linus Ullmark.
This offseason will bring a stacked crop of free agents to the market that will shape the landscape of the 2025-26 NHL season. Not only will the final landing spots for each of the top 2025 NHL free agents shake up the framework of the league, but will also have major implications on the upcoming fantasy hockey season. Be sure to stay in the know in regard to the latest free agency updates with our NHL player news.
What time does free agency start?
On July 1st, 2025, at 12 PM EST, the 2025 NHL free agency period officially opens. While some players will have all but signed the dotted line up to this point, nothing can become official until noon on Canada Day.