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NHL Signings & Free Agents

Petteri Lindbohm(D)|FA
Signing
Signing
The Panthers have signed Petteri Lindbohm to a one-year contract worth $750K.

Lindbohm was originally drafted by the Blues in the sixth round back in 2012 and played in 40 career NHL games. He's been back in Europe since 2019 and just won gold with Finland at the Olympics. Lindbohm had been with Jokerit, who just pulled out of the KHL following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, opening him up for a possible NHL return.

Source:
PuckPedia 2022-02-28T20:40:48.735Z
Petteri Lindbohm
Jonny Brodzinski(C)|NYR
Signing
Signing
The Rangers have signed Jonny Brodzinski to a two-year contract extension.

Brodzinski has spent most of the season with Hartford (AHL), where he has scored 18 goals with 21 assists, to lead the team with 39 points in 36 games. He's appeared in five NHL games this season and 67 games with the Kings, Sharks and Kings since being a fifth-round pick in 2013.

Source:
New York Rangers 2022-02-28T15:24:48.575Z
Jonny Brodzinski
Joseph Woll(G)|PHI
Signing
Signing
The Maple Leafs have signed Joseph Woll to a three-year extension worth $2.298 million ($766K AAV).

Woll is in his third season with the Toronto Marlies (AHL) and has gone 5-2-0 with a 3.32 GAA and .911 SV% in eight games. He has appeared in four NHL games this season, going 3-1-0 with a 2.76 GAA and .911 SV%. The first year of his new deal is two-way and the last two years is one-way.

Source:
Frank Seravalli 2022-02-11T20:05:44.456Z
Joseph Woll
Alexey Toropchenko(RW)|STL
Signing
Signing
The Blues have signed Alexei Toropchenko to a one-year, two way contract (NHL $750K | AHL $100K)

Toropchenko made his NHL debut on December 14th in Dallas and has played in five games for the Blues this season. The 2017 fourth-round pick has spent most of the season in the AHL, where he has seven goals and five assists (12 points) in 32 games for Springfield.

Source:
St. Louis Blues 2022-02-09T16:25:16.894Z
Alexey Toropchenko
Pat Maroon(LW)|FA
Signing
Signing
The Lightning have signed Pat Maroon to a two-year contract extension worth $2.0 million ($1.0M AAV).

Maroon's new deal will keep him in Tampa through the 2023-24 season. The 33-year-old winger has scored seven goals with six assists (13 points) and 83 hits in 45 games this season.

Source:
Bryan Burns 2022-02-08T15:36:47.228Z
Pat Maroon
Logan Brown(C)|FA
Signing
Signing
The Blues have signed Logan Brown to a one-year contract worth $750K.

Brown was the No.11 overall pick in 2016 but had a tough time finding a permanent spot in the Senators' lineup. He was traded to St. Louis for Zach Sanford in late September and has six points (3G / 3A) in 17 games with the Blues. During his time in the AHL, he registered 17 points (6G / 111A) in 19 games.

Source:
Andy Strickland 2022-02-08T15:04:55.905Z
Logan Brown
Robert Bortuzzo(D)|FA
Signing
Signing
The Blues are reportedly signing Robert Bortuzzo to a two-year contract extension worth $1.9 million ($950K AAV).

Bortuzzo was set to become a UFA at the end of the season but gets $950K AAV on his new two-year contract. Bortuzzo doesn't provide a lot of offence but is a rugged, penalty-killing defenseman for the Blues. Bortuzzo leads the team in Hits/60 (7.91) and is second in Blk/60 (5.04) in 37 games this season.

Source:
Frank Seravalli 2022-02-08T14:33:55.498Z
Robert Bortuzzo
Jordan Greenway(LW)|CHI
Signing
Signing
The Wild have signed Jordan Greenway to a three-year contract extension worth $9.0 million ($3.0M AAV).

Greenway's offensive numbers have fallen off a little bit this season after posting a career-high 32 points (6G / 26A) in 56 games last season. So far, he has 13 points (4G / 9A) in 33 games while adding 82 hits and 47 shots on goal. Greenway was set to become an RFA at the end of the season.

Source:
Minnesota Wild 2022-01-31T19:16:31.097Z
Jordan Greenway

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.