The Wild have signed Jacob Middleton to a three-year, $7.35 million contract extension.
NHL Hockey Player News
The Senators have signed Dillon Heatherington to a two-year, two-way contract extension.
The Blue Jackets have signed Adam Boqvist to a three-year, $7.8 million contract extension.
The Avalanche have signed Andrew Cogliano to a one-year contract extension.
The Bruins have signed Nick Wolff to a one-year, two-way contract extension.
The Bruins have signed Kyle Keyser to a one-year, two-way contract extension.
The Panthers have signed Aleksi Heponiemi to a one-year, two-way contract extension.
The Penguins have signed Casey DeSmith to a two-year, $3.6 million contract extension.
The Rangers have signed Julien Gauthier to a one-year contract extension.
The Blue Jackets have signed Carson Meyer to a one-year, two-way contract extension.
Meyer was a sixth-round pick in the 2017 NHL draft and made his NHL debut during the 2022 season, scoring one goal with two assists (three points) in 13 games with the Blue Jackets. During his time in Cleveland (AHL), he was seventh on the team with 27 points (16G / 11A) in 57 games.
The Canucks have signed Brock Boeser to a three-year, $19.95 million contract extension.
Boeser was set to become an RFA after his three-year, $17.625M deal expired. His new-deal carries a $6.65M AAV cap-hit and carries him through the 2025 season. Boeser is coming off of his fourth 20-plus goal season and has at least 45 points in five straight seasons. His biggest issue has been health, missing 15 percent of the games since 2018.
The Kings have signed Frederic Allard to a one-year, two-way contract extension.
Allard was acquired from the Predators in March, registering 10 points (3G / 7A) in 15 games after joining the Kings' AHL affiliate in Ontario. Overall, he had four goals and 11 assists (15 points) in 51 AHL contests in 2022.
The Kings have signed Mat Villalta to a one-year, two-way contract extension.
Villalta was a third-round pick in 2017 and served as Ontario's (AHL) No.1 goalie in 2022. The 23-year-old went 28-10-7 with a 2.98 GAA and .903 SV% in 46 AHL games this season.
The Canucks have signed William Lockwood to a one-year, two-way contract extension.
Lockwood was a third-round pick in 2016 and appeared in a career-high 13 NHL games in 2022. The 24-year-old failed to record a point with the Canucks but had 25 points (9G / 16A) in 46 AHL games.
The Canucks have signed Noah Juulsen to a one-year, two-way contract extension.
Juulsen was traded to the Canucks in October 2021 and spent most of the season in the AHL. He scored three goals with 13 assists (16 points) in 50 games with Abbotsford (AHL). He had two assists in eight games with the Canucks, giving him 10 points (2G / 8A) in 56 career NHL games.
The Canucks have signed Jack Rathbone to a two-year contract extension.
Rathbone led all Abbotsford (AHL) defensemen with 40 points (10G / 30A) in 2022. He spent some time with the Canucks, failing to register a point in nine games. Rathbone will be in the mix to be a full-time NHL defenseman in 2022-23.
The Kraken have signed Gustav Olofsson to a one-year, two-way contract extension.
Olofsson signed with the Kraken last August, spending the entire season in the AHL. He had nine points (2G / 7A) in 41 games with Charlotte (AHL). Signing a two-way deal suggests he'll start 2022-23 in the AHL again.
The Blue Jackets have signed Josh Dunne to a one-year, two-way contract extension.
Dunne signed a two-year, entry-level contract in March 2021 and appeared in six NHL games with the Blue Jackets in 2022. His two-way contract suggests he'll be a fringe roster player for the Blue Jackets again in 2022-23.
The Lightning have signed Nick Paul to a seven-year, $22.05 million contract extension.
The Lightning acquired Paul from the Senators at the trade deadline and made an instant impact in Tampa. He had 23 points (10G / 13A) in 44 regular season and playoff games combined. The Lightning clearly liked what they had in Paul, making a seven-year commitment to him with a $3.15M AAV cap-hit.
The Stars have signed Scott Wedgewood to a two-year contract extension.
Wedgwood was a revelation for the Stars in 2022, going 3-1-3 with a .913 SV% in eight games after being acquired from the Coyotes. Braden Holtby is a UFA, Ben Bishop, who is not expected to play again, was traded to Buffalo and Anton Khudobin is out until at least September, so Wedgewood enters 2022-23 as the Stars' No.2 behind Jake Oettinger.
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.