The Rangers have signed Adam Fox to a seven-year, $66.5 million contract extension.
NHL Hockey Player News
The Maple Leafs have signed Morgan Rielly to an eight-year contract extension worth $60.0 million ($7.5M AAV).
Rielly was set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season but the extension now carries him through the 2029-30 NHL season. It's been a tough start to the season for Rielly, who is 30th among defensemen in points (66) since the start of the 2019-20 season.
The Golden Knights have signed Ben Hutton to a one-year, $750k contract.
The Golden Knights have signed Zach Whitecloud to a six-year contract extension worth $16.5 million ($2.75M AAV).
The Islanders have signed Ross Johnston to a four-year contract extension.
The Bruins have signed Charlie McAvoy to an eight-year contract extension worth $76.0 million ($9.5M AAV).
McAvoy is in the final year of his three-year, $14.7M deal that he signed in September of 2019. His new deal kicks in next year and carries him through the 2030 campaign and represents a $4.6M AAV raise.
The Islanders have signed Ryan Pulock to an eight-year deal worth $49.2 million ($6.15M AAV).
Pulock is one half of one of the most underrated D-pairings in the NHL. Pulock has an absolutely cannon for a shot but his offensive numbers have been limited by playing a shutdown role next to Adam Pelech. Pulock has averaged nine goals and 27 assists (36 points) per 82 games over the last four seasons.
The Senators have signed Brady Tkachuk to a seven-year deal worth $57.5 million ($8.214M AAV).
Tkachuk and the Senators have agreed to terms on a seven-year deal on the day of their first game of the season. Tkachuk is a fantasy force, combining for 80 points (38G / 42A), 479 shots and 551 hits in 127 games over the last two seasons--that extrapolates to 25 goals, 27 assists, 309 shots and 355 hits over 82 games.
The Coyotes have signed Anson Thornton to a three-year, entry-level contract.
The Oilers have signed Colton Sceviour to a one-year deal worth $750K.
Sceviour was in Oilers’ training camp on a PTO but earned a one-year deal and could be in the opening night lineup on Wednesday. Sceviour had five goals and five assists (10 points) in 46 games with the Penguins in 2020-21.
The Predators have signed Mattias Ekholm to a four-year contract extension worth $25.0 million ($6.25M AAV).
The Jets have signed Evgeny Svechnikov to a one-year deal worth $750K.
Svechnikov was in Jets' training camp on a PTO and earned a one-year deal. Svechnikov is a former first-round pick (No.19 overall) of the Detroit Red Wings but injuries stunted his development over the years. In 41 career NHL games with Detroit, the 24-year-old had five goals and seven assists (12 points).
The Canucks have signed Alex Chiasson to a one-year contract worth $750K.
Chiasson turned his PTO into a one-year deal, picking up one assist in three preseason games. Chiasson was skating on the top line with Elias Pettersson in Tuesday's practice, so he'll play a big role while Brock Boeser is out.
The Senators have signed Parker Kelly to a two-year contract extension worth $1.55 million ($775K AAV).
Kelley is a 22-year-old undrafted free agent, who scored a goal in his NHL debut with the Senators last season. He spent almost the entire season in the AHL, scoring 10 goals with eight assists (18 points) in 33 games with Belleville.
The Canadiens have signed Nick Suzuki to an eight-year contract extension worth $63.0 million ($7.875M AAV).
Suzuki is entering the final year of his entry-level contract and will get a huge raise next season, going from $863.3K AAV to $7.875M AAV. With Philip Danault now in Los Angeles, Suzuki will be tasked with playing major minutes in 2021-22, as he looks to build on his 60-point pace from a season ago.
The Predators have signed Jack Matier to a three-year, entry-level contract.
The Predators selected Matier with the No.124 overall pick in this year's NHL Entry Draft. The 18-year-old defenseman had nine assists in 56 games with the Ottawa 67's in his draft year.
The Penguins have signed Brian Boyle to a one-year contract.
Boyle was in Penguins' camp on a PTO and earned a roster spot for at least the early part of the season. With both Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin out, the Penguins are in serious need of centres and Boyle figures to open the season as their fourth-line centre.
The Blackhawks signed Erik Gustafsson to a one-year deal worth $800K.
With both Wyatt Kalynuk and Caleb Jones going down with injuries late in training camp, Gustafsson has been signed to play on the third pair and second power-play unit early the season. After a breakout 60-point (17G / 43A) season in 2019, Gustafsson has struggled to find a stable home. In 95 games since, Gustafsson has tallied just nine goals and 34 assists (41 points) with the Blackhawks, Flames, Flyers and Canadiens.
The Devils have signed Jimmy Vesey to a one-year contract.
Vesey went into Devils training camp on a PTO and came out with a one-year deal after scoring two goals in three preseason games. Most recently, Vesey was in Vancouver, where he had just three assists in 20 games in 2021.
The Rangers have signed Mika Zibanejad to an eight-year contract extension.
Zibanejad is entering the final year of a five-year, $26.75M contract and is now signed through the 2030 season. The $8.5M AAV cap-hit represents a $3.15M AAV raise for the 28-year-old centre, who has registered 199 points (95G / 104A) in 195 games over the last three seasons.
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.