Ward made his NHL debut last season, scoring a goal in one game with the Los Angeles Kings and has earned himself a one-year, two-way contract extension. The undrafted 27-year-old forward spent most of the 2024-25 campaign in the AHL, tallying 27 points (12G / 15A) in 66 games with the Ontario Reign.
Brown was the 11th overall pick of the Ottawa Senators but has struggled to establish himself at the NHL level. The 27-year-old played 69 games across two seasons for the Blues from 2021-22 to 2022-23, scoring 17 points (6G / 11A), but has exclusively played in the AHL since. He scored 29 points (33G / 11A) in 33 games with the Syracuse Crunch (AHL) last season.
Jost was an effective depth player for the Hurricanes last season, scoring nine points (4G / 5A) in 39 games, and will return on a one-year, two-way contract. The 27-year-old NHL veteran has 149 points (61G / 88A) in 495 career games.
Ottawa has secured a myriad of goaltending depth this offseason, including the signing of 29-year-old Hunter Shepard. The undrafted Shedpard playing one NHL games with the Washington Capitals last season but spent most of the campaign in the AHL, posting a 2.80 GAA and .891 SV% in 39 games (23-11-4) with the Hershey Bears.
Hodgson is an undrafted 29-year-old winger who joined the Ottawa Senators organization last season and made enough of an impact to earn himself a two-year, two-way contract extension. He played two games with Ottawa but spent most of the 2024-25 campaign in the AHL, scoring 11 points (5G / 6A) in 43 games with Belleville.
After a promising 2022-23 season with the Los Angeles Kings, scoring 28 points (13G / 15A) in 56 games, Kaliyev had a tough time asserting himself as an NHL regular in the following two seasons. He spent portions of the 2024-25 campaign as a healthy scratch, as well as playing in the AHL. The 24-year-old winger has 75 points (38G / 37A) in 202 career NHL games.
Parsons is an undrafted goalie that played the previous four seasons in the OHL with the Kitchener Rangers. As a 20-year-old last season, Parsons shined, posting a stellar 2.24 GAA and .920 SV% in 52 games with Kitchener (37-12-3).
The towering 6'8 Soderblom has shown glimpses of being an effective power-forward, something the Red Wings hope he can do more consistently in the 2025-26 season. The 23-year-old Soderblom scored 11 points (4G / 7A) in 26 games with the Red Wings last season.
Injuries on Nashville's blueline last season helped Del Gaizo become a lineup-regular for the first time at the NHL level, scoring nine points (2G / 7A) in 46 games. The 25-year-old defenseman has primarily played in the AHL, including scoring 12 points (8G / 4A) in 30 games with the Milwaukee Admirals last season.
Farrell was Montreal's fourth-round pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. The 23-year-old played six games for the Canadiens in the 2022-23 season but has exclusively played in the AHL since. He scored 44 points (20G / 24A) in 67 games with the Laval Rocket (AHL) last season.
Lazar battled injuries throughout the 2024-25 season with the New Jersey Devils, limited to only 48 games, and will head to Edmonton for a change of scenery in 2025-26. The 30-year-old Lazar scored five points (2G / 3A) with last season, a sizeable decline from the career-high 25 points (7G / 18A) he set in 71 games in 2023-24.
After two AHL seasons, Bradley Marek has earned himself an NHL contract by signing a one-year, entry-level contract with Minnesota (AHL) on Wednesday. The 24-year-old left-winger appeared in 50 games with Iowa (AHL) in 2024-25, putting up eight goals, 13 points and 67 PIMs. He is expected to report to Iowa for the start of the 2025-26 season.
Los Angeles added to its defensive depth on Day 2 of Free Agency by signing Samuel Bolduc to a one-year, two-way contract. The 24-year-old has 52 career NHL games to his name, but spent the majority of the 2024-25 season with Bridgeport (AHL), where he had nine goals and 35 points in 69 games played. He is expected to compete for one of Los Angeles' final defensive spots to start the 2025-26 season.
Washington continued to add to its depth on Wednesday by adding Graeme Clarke on a one-year, two-way contract. The 24-year-old appeared in three games with New Jersey back in 2023-24, but failed to pick up a point. He spent the entire 2024-25 season with Iowa (AHL), where he had 16 goals and 37 points in 64 games played. He is expected to report to Hershey (AHL) for the start of the 2025-26 season.
After three seasons in Philadelphia's minor league system, Louie Belpedio has left to sign a one-year, two-way contract with the Washington Capitals. The 29-year-old has appeared in 16 career NHL games but spent the entire 2024-25 season wiith Lehigh Valley (AHL) and had five goals, 28 points and 88 PIMs in 66 games played.
Washington added to its defensive depth on Day 2 of Free Agency by signing six-year NHL veteran Calle Rosen to a one-year, two-way contract. The 31-year-old Swedish defenseman spent 2024-25 with the Colorado Eagles (AHL), where he had 10 goals and 34 points in 62 games played. He is expected to report to Hershey (AHL) for the start of the 2025-26 season.
Regenda spent 2024-25 split between San Diego (AHL) and San Jose (AHL), but has found a home in the Barracuda after signing a one-year, two-way contract to remain in San Jose on Wednesday. The 25-year-old is expected to return to San Jose (AHL) for the start of the 2025-26 season, where he had 13 goals and 41 points in 72 games played last season.
Bakersfield (AHL) lost one of its most reliable defensemen on Wednesday after it was announced that Pittsburgh had signed Phil Kemp to a one-year, two-way contract. The 26-year-old made his only NHL appearance with Edmonton in 2023-24 but has spent the last four years with Bakersfield (AHL), where he had seven goals and 12 points in 56 games in 2024-25. He is expected to report to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (AHL) to start 2025-26.
After four up-and-down seasons in Montreal, Rafael Harvey-Pinard will join his second NHL organization after signing a one-year, two-way contract with Pittsburgh. The 26-year-old only appeared in one game for the Canadiens in 2024-25, spending the majority of his season with Laval (AHL), where he had five goals and 19 points in 40 games played.
After a down season split between Buffalo and New York in 2024-25, Nicolas Aube-Kubel has earned himself a one-year, two-way contract with Minnesota. The 29-year-old right-winger is entering his eighth NHL season with his seventh organization after putting up just a goal and two points in 22 games in 2024-25. He is expected to compete for one of the final roster spots for the Wild when the 2025-26 season starts.
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.
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.
