The Sharks have signed Ivar Stenberg to a three-year, entry-level contract.
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NHL Signings & Free Agents
The Canadiens have signed Jakub Dobes to a there-year deal worth $5,357,575 AAV ($16.073M total).
Dobes' role has increased over the past two seasons for the Canadiens, culminating in a solid 2025-26 campaign, in which he posted a serviceable 2.78 GAA and .901 SV% in 43 appearances (29-10-4). That said, the 25-year-old Czech goalie made his real mark in the playoffs, guiding his team to the Eastern Conference Finals with a 2.66 GAA and .908 SV% in 19 games (9-10). Dobes is expected to share the Canadiens' crease this season with Jacob Fowler.
The Sharks signed Kyle Keyser to a one-year, two-way contract.
Keyser is an undrafted goalie that have bounced between the AHL and ECHL in recent seasons. The 27-year-old posted a solid 2.09 GAA and .922 SV% last season in 15 games (9-4-1) with the Colorado Eagles. He will provide some organization depth in 2026-27 for the San Jose Sharks.
The Senators have signed Leevi Meriläinen to a one-year deal worth $1.1M.
Merilainen faces some heavy competition for playing time in Ottawa this season as the team heads into 2026-27 with Linus Ullmark and Sam Ersson both under contract and ahead of him on the depth chart. The 23-year-old Merilainen, a third-round pick of the Senators in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, struggled in limited NHL action last season, posting a 3.51 GAA and .860 SV5 in 20 appearances (8-10-1).
The Sabres have signed Aidan McDonough to a one-year, two-way contract.
McDonough, a seventh-round pick of the Vancouver Canucks in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, is coming off an impressive 2025-26 season in the AHL, scoring 44 points (23G / 21A) in 65 games with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. The 26-year-old forward played six NHL games in 2022-23, but has exclusively played in the AHL since.
The Blue Jackets have signed Erik Gudbranson to a one-year deal worth $1.75M AAV.
Gudbranson battled injuries for most of the 2025-26 season, but his veteran presence will return to the Blue Jackets blueline in 2026-27 after signing a one-year contract extension. The 34-year-old averaged 17:46 time-on-ice, recording three points (1G / 2A), 64 blocks, and 45 hits in 37 games last season.
The Wild have signed Max Shabanov to a one-year deal worth $1.6M AAV.
After a couple of successful seasons with Chelyabinsk Traktor in the KHL, Shabanov made his NHL debut in 2025-26 and struggled to find his footing. Regularly a healthy scratch, the talented 25-year-old forward was limited to just 44 games (5G / 13A) while averaging 13:41 time-on-ice. The Minnesota Wild hope that Shabanov can find his scoring touch and gel alongside countryman Kirill Kaprizov in 2026-27.
The Canucks have signed Matthew Stienburg to a one-year, two-way contract.
The Sharks have signed Brett Leason to a one-year, two-way contract.
An NHL veteran of 226 games, Leason spent most of the 2025-26 season in the AHL, where he scored 44 points (14G / 30A) in 56 games with the Hershey Bears. The 27-year-old forward will likely provided similar organization depth for a young and exciting Sharks team.
The Rangers have signed Dennis Cholowski to a two-year contract worth $875K AAV ($1.75M total).
Cholowski, the 20th-overall pick of the Detroit Red Wings in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, once viewed as a potential powerplay quarterback, has fallen into more of a depth organizational piece in recent seasons. The 28-year-old defenseman played 17 games last season with the New Jersey Devils, recording two assists.
The Maple Leafs have signed Cole McWard to a two-year deal worth $875K AAV ($1.75M total).
McWard has only played nine NHL games in his career, but provided solid organizational depth on the blueline for the Toronto Maple Leafs. The undrafted 25-year-old defenseman spent most of the 2025-26 season in the AHL, where he scored 27 points (6G / 21A) in 63 games with the Bridgeport Islanders.
The Maple Leafs have signed Henry Rybinski to a two-year deal worth $875K AAV ($1.75M total).
Rybinski has yet to play an NHL game but has become an effective contributor in recent seasons in the AHL, which is likely what the Toronto Maple Leafs hope he can bring to their organization. The 25-year-old forward scored 30 points (10G / 20A) last season in 59 games with the Hershey Bears (AHL).
The Capitals have signed Alex Ovechkin to a one-year deal worth $4.25M.
When the 2025-26 season ended, so did Alex Ovechkin's contract, and there was some uncertainty surrounding his future. That said, the 40-year-old goal scorer will continue his NHL career for at least one more season, signing a one-year contract with the only team he has ever known, the Washington Capitals, who drafted him 1st overall in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft. Ovechkin remained productive last season, scoring 64 points (32G / 32A) in 82 games. The Capitals have had a busy offseason, bolstering their offence, which could allow them to be more situational and less reliant on Ovechkin in 2026-27.
The Sharks have signed Tye Felhaber to a one-year, two-way contract.
Felhaber spent the entire 2025-26 season in the AHL, where he had 15 goals and 16 assists (31 points) in 63 games. Expected him to play with the San Jose Barracuda this season.
The Sharks have signed Alex Barre-Boulet to a two-year, two-way contract.
Barre-Boulet spent almost all of 2025-26 in the AHL, where he was second in the league with 70 points (26G / 44A) in 70 games. Expect him to start 2026-27 in the AHL, but could be one of the first forwards called-up to the Sharks when injuries hit.
The Lightning have signed John Carlson to a two-year deal worth $8.5M AAV ($17.0M total).
The Carolina Hurricanes acquired John Carlson's rights from the Anaheim Ducks earlier in the offseason, but he decided to test the open marketing, ultimately opting two sign a two-year contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning. With Darren Raddysh's departure from Tampa Bay, Carlson could be an option to fill the void on the team's top powerplay unit. The 36-year-old Carlson had a terrific 2025-26 season, split between the Washington Capitals and Anaheim Ducks, scoring 60 points (14G / 46A) in 71 games.
Chicago has signed Dillon Boucher to a one-year, two-way contract.
Chicago has signed Connor Mylymok to a one-year, two-way contract.
New Jersey has signed Marc McLaughlin to a one-year, two-way contract.
Vegas has signed Antti Tuomisto to a two-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.