Seattle has signed Jordan Eberle to a two-year extension worth $5.5 million AAV ($11 Million total).
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NHL Signings & Free Agents
San Jose has signed Alex Nedeljkovic to a two-year contract extension wroth $3.0M AAV ($6.0M total).
The Sharks' goalie-of-the-future, Yaroslav Askarov, has struggled at times this season, and the team has been pleased with the support provided by counterpart Alex Nedeljkovic, who has been rewarded with a two-year contract extension. The 30-year-old Nedeljkovic is boasting his most consistent campaign in several seasons, with a serviceable 2.83 GAA and .902 SV% in 26 appearances (11-9-2).
The Ducks signed Poehling to a four-year contract extension on Thursday.
Poehling has impressed since being acquired by the Ducks in the Trevor Zegras trade in the off-season, tallying seven goals and 17 assists across 54 games. The contract carries a $3.75-million AAV, totaling $15-million over the four year deal.
Philadelphia has signed Garett Wilson to a one-year, two-way contract.
Wilson was a fourth-round pick of the Florida Panthers in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft that has spent most of his career in the AHL. The 34-year-old forward has 16 points (4G / 12A) and 99 penalty minutes in 51 games this season with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms (AHL).
Florida has signed Louis Domingue to a one-year, two-way contract.
Domingue has spent most of his career in the AHL, but is no stranger to NHL competition, with a 3.02 GAA and .906 SV% in 144 career games (61-60-10). The 33-year-old goalie is currently playing in the AHL with the Charlotte Checkers, where he has a 3.20 GAA and .831 SV% in seven games (3-3-0).
Nashville has signed Viggo Gustafsson to a three-year, entry-level contract.
Gustafsson was drafted by the Predators in the third round of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft and has yet to make his professional hockey debut in North America. The 19-year-old Swedish defenseman scored seven points (0G / 7A) in 38 games with AIK (Swe-1) this season.
Washington has signed Ethan Frank to a two-year, $2 million AAV contract extension ($4 million total).
Frank has been impressive in his first full season at the NHL level and has earned himself a two-year contract extension with the Capitals. The 28-year-old forward is averaging 12:44 time-on-ice and has 23 points (11G / 12A) in 52 games this season.
Seattle has signed Gustav Olofsson to a one-year, $775,000 contract extension.
Olofsson was drafted by the Minnesota Wild in the second round of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, but has not been able to establish himself at the NHL level, playing only 63 total games. The 31-year-old defenseman has 16 points (2G / 14A) in 29 games with the Coachella Valley Firebirds (AHL) this season.
New Jersey has signed Matyas Melovsky to a two-year, entry-level contract.
The Devils drafted Melovsky in the sixth round of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft. The 21-year-old Czech forward is in his first professional season in North America, where he has 13 points (3G / 10A) through 35 games with the Utica Comets (AHL).
Seattle has signed Ryden Evers to a three-year, entry-level contract.
Vegas has signed Alex Weiermair to a three-year, entry-level contract.
Nashville has signed Jake Lucchini to a one-year, two-way contract extension worth $850,000.
Lucchini has spent the entire 2025-26 season in the AHL but has impressed, earning himself a one-year, two-way contract extension after scoring 38 points (13G / 25A) in 48 games with the Milwaukee Admirals. The undrafted 30-year-old forward played three games with the Predators last season and has six points (3G / 3A) in 54 career NHL games.
Chicago has signed Olivier Rodrigue to a one-year, $775,000 AAV.
Chicago was in need of some goaltending depth and signed 25-year-old Olivier Rodrigue on Saturday to a one-year, two-way contract. The goaltender has two NHL appearances under hit belt and last appeared with Bakersfield (AHL) in 2024-25, posting a 18-16-8 record, .897 SV% and 3.12 GAA. He is expected to report to Rockford (AHL).
Washington has signed Mitchell Gibson to a two-year, two-way contract.
Washington added to their goaltending depth on Tuesday after signing 26-year-old Mitchell Gibson to a two-year, two-way contract. The Capitals 2018 4th round pick has spent the season bouncing between the South Carolina Stingrays (ECHL) and the Hershey Bears (AHL). Gibson will have to pass through waivers before he can be loaned back to Hershey (AHL) and is expected to do so today.
Carolina has signed Brandon Bussi to a three-year, $1.9 million extension ($5.7 million total).
Bussi has been one of the NHL's best stories in 2025-26 after being claimed off waivers by Carolina from Boston in the offseason and has earned himself a three-year, $1.9 million contract extension ($5.7 million total). The 27-year-old holds a ridiculous 23-3-1 record this season to go alongside his 2.16 GAA and .908 SV%. He is expected to be apart of Carolina's future in tandem with Pyotr Kochetkov.
Los Angeles has signed Artemi Panarin to a two-year contract extension worth $11 million AAV ($22M total).
Panarin has not played since January 26th, being held out of the lineup with the New York Rangers, who tried to facilitate a trade for the impending UFA, which came to fruition on Wednesday in a deal that will see him sent to the Los Angeles Kings. The 34-year-old Panarin had a poor start to the 2025-26 season, with just seven points (2G / 5A) in his first 14 games, but has since returned to his elite form and proven he is still one of the top offensive players in the NHL, scoring 50 points (17G / 33A) in his last 38 games. The trade to Los Angeles was quickly accompanied by a two-year, $11 million contract extension.
Edmonton has signed Atro Leppanen to a one-year, two-way contract extension.
Leppanen is an undrafted 27-year-old Finnish defenseman playing his first professional season in North America. He has impressed with 20 points (3G/17A) in 28 games with the Bakersfield Condors (AHL).
Dries has been signed to a two-year, two-way contract extension.
The Red Wings have signed Ben Chiarot to a three-year contract extension worth $3.85M AAV ($11.55M total).
Chiarot, in his fourth season with the Red Wings, has been a serviceable top-four defenseman and has earned himself a three-year contract extension. The 34-year-old is averaging 21:07 time-on-ice, recording 11 points (4G / 7A), 109 hits, and 113 blocks in 54 games this season.
Colorado has signed Sam Malinski to a four-year contract extension worth $4.75M AAV ($19.5M total).
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.