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NHL Signings & Free Agents

John Hayden(C)|SEA
Signing
Signing
Seattle has signed John Hayden to a two-year contract extension.

Hayden has spent the last three seasons in Seattle and will remain with the Kraken for two more years after signing a two-year, $1.55 million contract extension ($775,000 AAV) on Wednesday. The 30-year-old forward appeared in 20 games with the Kraken in 2024-25, picking up a goal and two points to go alongside 31 PIMs while averaging 8:31 TOI/GP.

Source:
Seattle Kraken 2025-05-28T23:51:13.300Z
John Hayden
Daniil But(LW)|UTA
Signing
Signing
Utah has signed Daniil But to a three-year, entry-level contract.

But was Utah's 2023 1st-round pick (12th overall) and has signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Mammoth on Wednesday. The 20-year-old left-winger is expected to head over to North America for the 2025-26 season after putting up nine goals and 28 points with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl (KHL) in 2024-25.

Source:
Utah Hockey Club 2025-05-28T17:24:07.343Z
Daniil But
Dmitri Simashev(D)|UTA
Signing
Signing
Utah has signed Dmitri Simashev to a three-year, entry-level contract.

Simashev was Utah's 2023 1st-round pick (6th overall) and has signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Mammoth on Wednesday. The 20-year-old Russian defenseman is expected to head to North America for the 2025-26 season after putting up a goal, six points and a +9 plus/minus in 56 games played with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl (KHL) in 2024-25.

Source:
Utah Mammoth 2025-05-28T17:46:08.916Z
Dmitri Simashev
Egor Afanasyev(LW)|FA
Signing
Signing
San Jose has signed Egor Afanasyev to a one-year contract extension worth $800,000.

Afanasyev was acquired from Nashville mid-season in 2024-25 in exchange for Ozzy Wiesblatt and has signed a one-year contract extension to remain with San Jose, worth $800,000. The 24-year-old Russian winger was once a 2019 2nd-round pick (45th overall) but spent 2024-25 with CSKA Moskva (KHL) where he picked up seven assists and 21 points in 53 games played.

Source:
San Jose Sharks PR 2025-05-19T17:05:01.436Z
Egor Afanasyev
Simon Zajicek(G)|BOS
Signing
Signing
Boston has signed Simon Zajicek to a one-year, entry-level contract worth $872,500.

Zajicek is an undrafted 23-year-old netminder who has spent the last six seasons with HC Litvinov (Czechia) and will join Boston on a one-year, entry-level contract worth $872,500. The 6'2" goalie opened eyes recently at the World Hockey Championships, where he was the definition of perfect, stopping all 40 shots he faced and posting two shutouts for Czechia in his only two starts. In 29 games with HC Litvinov as well in 2024-25, he posted an eye-popping .930 SV% and 15-13-0 record.

Source:
Boston Bruins 2025-05-19T16:57:02.258Z
Simon Zajicek
Oiva Keskinen(C)|CBJ
Signing
Signing
Columbus has signed Oiva Keskinen to a three-year, entry-level contract.

Keskinen is Columbus' 2023 7th-round pick (194th overall) and has signed a three-year, entry-level contract on Friday. The 21-year-old center represented Finland at the 2025 World Jr Championships and spent the entire 2024-25 season with Tappara (Liiga), where he scored 15 goals and 35 points in 59 games played in Finland's top league.

Source:
Columbus Blue Jackets PR 2025-05-16T16:42:48.633Z
Oiva Keskinen

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.