Colorado has signed Alex Barre-Boulet to a one-year, two-way contract.
NHL Signings & Free Agents
Carolina has signed Noel Gunler to a one-year, two-way contract extension.
Montreal has signed William Trudeau to a one-year, two-way contract.
Trudeau turned pro in 2023 and has played three straight seasons with the Laval Rocket. Most recently, the 22-year-old defenseman had five goals and 14 assists (19 points) in 68 games. With a loaded blueline in Montreal, Trudeau's path to NHL games is difficult.
Florida has signed Mackenzie Entwistle to a two-year, two-way contract extension.
Entwistle only appeared in seven total games in 2024-25, all with Charlotte (AHL), where he had one goal and one assist. Expect the 25-year-old winger to start the 2025-26 season with Charlotte again.
Washington has signed Milton Gastrin to a three-year, entry-level contract.
Gastrin was selected No.37 overall in this summer's NHL draft. The Swedish centre spent most of the 2024-25 season in the Sweden's top junior league, where he was tied for the team-lead with 18 goals and second on MoDo Jr. in points with 42 in 40 games. He's expected to make the full-time jump to the SHL this season.
Winnipeg has signed Mason Shaw to a one-year, two-way contract extension.
After a succesful season in Manitoba (AHL) as an assistant captain, Mason Shaw will return to the Winnipeg organization as forward depth after signing a one-year, two-way contract extension on Thursday. The 26-year-old has 82 career NHL games played to his name (20 Pts) but spent the entire 2024-25 campaign in the minors with Manitoba, where he had 17 goals, 37 points and 114 PIMs in 72 games played.
Washington has signed Anthony Beauvillier to a two-year contract extension worth $2.75 million AAV ($5.5M total)
After being acquired at last year's trade deadline, Anthony Beauvillier will remain a member of the Capitals' organization after signing a two-year contract extension worth $2.75 million AAV ($5.5M total). The 28-year-old had joined five organizations in the last two years, but has found a home in Washington after scoring two goals and five points in 18 games after being acquired. Across the full 2024-25 season, he had 15 goals and 25 points in 81 games between Pittsburgh and Washington.
Carolina has signed Nikolaj Ehlers to a six-year contract worth $8.5 million AAV ($51M total).
The biggest free agent target is off the board after Carolina agreed to a six-year, $51 million contract ($8.5 million AAV) with Nikolaj Ehlers on Thursday. The 29-year-old star winger leaves Winnipeg after 10 up-and-down seasons and a 24-goal, 63-point campaign in 2024-25. He is expected to take a top-six and top power-play role in Carolina.
New York has signed Trey Fix-Wolansky to a one-year, two way contract.
New York added to it's offensive depth down the wing on Thursday after signing three-year NHL veteran Trey Fix-Wolansky to a one-year, two-way contract. The 26-year-old is expected to start the 2025-26 season in Hartford (AHL) after putting up 26 goals and 60 points in 65 games with Cleveland (AHL) in 2024-25.
The Sharks have signed Dmitry Orlov to a two-year deal worth $6.5M AAV ($13.0M total)
After two seasons in Carolina, Orlov inks a two-year pact with a young Sharks term. Orlov brings 13-years of NHL experience and is coming off of a 28-point season (6G / 22A) in 76 games. The veteran is a solid two-way blueliner, who will join other veterans like Mario Ferraro, John Klingberg and Nick Leddy in San Jose.
Colorado has signed Brent Burns to a one-year contract worth $1 million AAV (potential for $3 million off bonuses).
The NHL's current iron man (925 consecutive games) has found a new home on Wednesday as Colorado signed Brent Burns to a one-year contract. The 40-year-old veteran is entering his 22nd NHL season with his fourth team. Despite his age, he has managed to stay effective, putting up six goals and 29 points last season alongside a +7 plus/minus across 82 games played.
The New York Islanders have signed Maxim Shabanov to a one-year, entry-level contract worth $975,000.
The biggest KHL target of the offseason is off the board after New York announced Wednesday that they have come to a one-year, entry-level agreement with Maxim Shabanov. The 24-year-old Russian forward is coming off a sensational season with Traktor Chelyabinsk (KHL) where he had 23 goals and 67 points in 65 games played. He is expected to make an impact with the Islanders right away.
Calgary has signed Morgan Frost to a two-year contract extension worth $4.375 million AAV ($8.75M total).
After being acquired mid-way through the 2024-25 season by Calgary, Morgan Frost seems to have found a new home after signing a two-year contract extension worth $4.375 million AAV ($8.75M total) to remain with the Flames on Wednesday. The 26-year-old saw his average ice time increase by 1:20 after joining Calgary and ended his 2024-25 campaign with 14 goals and 37 points in 81 games played.
Winnipeg has signed Gustav Nyquist to a one-year, $3.25 million contract.
Nyquist split the 2024-25 season between the Predators and Wild, finishing with 28 points (11G / 17A) in 79 games. With the Jets, Nyquist will likely serve as a middle-6 winger, who will see PP2 time. He's one-year removed from a 75-point season, so there's bounce-back potential in Winnipeg, although he'll be 36-years-old in September.
St. Louis has signed Pius Suter to a two-year contract worth $4.125 million AAV ($8.25M total).
One of the biggest offseason targets is off the board after St. Louis announced they signed Pius Suter to a two-year contract worth $4.125 million AAV ($8.25M total). The 29-year-old Swiss center leaves Vancouver after a career season where he posted highs in goals (25), points (46) and PIMs (18) across 81 games played. He is expected to take on a role as St. Louis' 2nd or 3rd center this upcoming season.
Vegas has signed Jeremy Davies to a two-year, two-way contract.
Davies spent the entire 2024-25 season with the Belleville Senators (AHL), where he had 48 points (11G / 37A) in 72 games. Davies provides organizational depth on the blueline, but he'll likely start the season with Henderson (AHL).
Vegas has signed Kaedan Korczak to a four-year contract extension worth $3.25 million AAV ($13M total).
Korczak was a full-time NHLer in 2024-25 but served as the Golden Knights' No.7 defenseman, appearing in just 40 games. He finished the season with 10 points (0G / 10A), 34 SO and 59 hits in 40 games. With Alex Pietrangelo expected to miss all of 2025-26 (and maybe retiring), Korczak should be an everyday player for Vegas this season.
The Islanders have signed Emil Heineman to a two-year contract extension worth $1.1 million AAV ($2.2 million total).
Heineman was acquired as part of the Noah Dobson trade and signed a two-year extension with the Islanders. Heineman adds a little bit of offence to New York's bottom-6, but more than anything, brings physicality and penalty killing prowess. Heineman was on pace for 13 goals, 11 assists and 229 hits over 82 games last season.
Detroit has signed Mason Appleton to a two-year contract worth $2.9 million AAV ($5.8M total).
Appleton has spent the last 3.5 season in Winnipeg, where he was an important part of their third line and penalty kill. He'll fill a similar role in Detroit and will try to help a Red Wings' PK that ranked last in the NHL last season (70.1%). Appleton doesn't bring a ton of offence with him, averaging 13 goals and 18 assists (31 points) per 82 games over the last two seasons.
The Devils have signed Cody Glass to a two-year extension worth $2.5M AAV.
The Devils initially didn't plan on qualifying Glass, but ended up keeping the 26-year-old centre and signing him to a two-year deal. After being acquired from the Penguins, Glass tallied seven points (2G / 5A) in 14 games with the Devils and figures to start the 2025-26 season as a bottom-6 centre.
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.