The Red Wings have signed Tyler Bertuzzi to a one-year deal worth $3.5 million.
NHL Hockey Player News
The Jets have signed Jansen Harkins to a two-year deal worth $1.45 million ($725K AAV).
The Senators have signed Filip Chlapik to a one-year, two-way contract.
The Capitals have signed Hendrix Lapierre to a three-year, entry-level contract.
The Avalanche have signed Devon Toews to a four-year deal worth $16.4 million ($4.1M AAV).
The Islanders have signed Josh Ho-Sang to a one-year, two-way contract worth $700K/$225K.
The Senators have signed Chris Tierney to a two-year extension worth $7.0 million ($3.5M AAV).
Tierney is a solid two-way veteran that has averaged 13 goals and 31 assists (41 points) over the last three seasons. He's a valuable player for the Senators because he can play centre or the wing and can play up and down their lineup. The two-year deal will also allow the Senators to expose him in the Seattle expansion draft.
The Sabres have signed Linus Ullmark to a one-year deal worth $2.6 million.
Given Carter Hutton's struggles since signing with the Sabress, Ullmark has become their No.1 netminder over the last two seasons. He's coming off of a solid campaign in 2020 but ranks tied for 26th in SV% (.910) and tied for 35th in GAA (2.91) since the start of 2019. The Sabres have improved this offseason but Ullmark remains nothing more than a low-end No.2 fantasy netminder.
The Flames signed Josh Leivo to a one-year contract worth $875K.
Leivo appeared in just 36 games with the Canucks last season, picking up seven goals and 12 assists (19 points). The Leivo signing continues the Flames' trend of bringing in former Canucks this offseason. With Dominik Simon and Joakim Nordstrom also signing with the Flames, they have plenty of internal competition for bottom-6 roles this season.
The Sabres signed Sam Reinhart to a one-year deal worth $5.2 million.
In 2020, Reinhart was on-pace to set a new career-high in goals but when the season was paused he had 22 goals and 28 assists (50 points) in 69 games. Reinhart has not missed a game in three seasons, averaging 24 goals and 34 assists (58 points) per 82 games. With the addition of Taylor Hall, Reinhart could be pushed from the top-line in 2021 but should still finish with 20-plus goals and 30-plus assists.
The Hurricanes signed Gustav Forsling to a one-year, two-way contract ($700K/$200K).
Forsling had 26 points (8G / 16A) in 57 games with the Charlotte Checkers (AHL) during his first season in the Hurricanes' organization. He was acquired from the Blackhawks in the summer of 2019 in a deal that sent Calvin de Haan and Aleksi Saarela to Chicago. Given the fact that Carolina has such a deep blueline and Jake Bean is ahead of him on the AHL depth chart, Forsling likely won't be in the NHL in 2021.
The Stars signed Landon Bow to a one-year, two-way contract.
Bow was 12-11-3 with a 3.31 GAA and .895 SV% in 30 games with the Texas Stars (AHL) in 2020. Bow is fourth on the Stars goaltending depth chart, sitting behind Ben Bishop, Anton Khudobin and Jake Oettinger. Bow has two career NHL appearances.
The Wild have signed Marco Rossi to a three-year, entry-level contract.
Rossi was the No.9 overall pick in the latest NHL Draft after leading the OHL with 120 points (39G / 81A) in 56 games with the Ottawa 67's. With the OHL season in limbo, Rossi will probably get a chance to make the Wild out of training camp but he will likely go to the OHL once their season gets underway.
The Wild have signed Louis Belpedio to a one-year, two-way extension ($700K/$135K).
Belpedio spent the entire 2020 season with the Iowa Wild (AHL), collecting 20 points (5G / 15A) and 102 PIMS in 62 games. Since being drafted in the third round in 2014, the 24-year-old defenseman has appeared in three NHL games, picking up two assists.
The Flames signed Nikita Nesterov to a one-year deal worth $700K.
Nesterov was originally a fifth-round pick of the Lightning back in 2011. He spent four seasons in North America, including parts of three seasons in the NHL before returning to Russia and playing in the KHL from 2018-to-2020. Nesterov had 23 points (7G / 16A) in 53 games with CSKA Moscow in the most recent season and has 33 points (9G / 24A) in 132 career NHL games with Tampa Bay and Montreal.
The Maple Leafs have signed Travis Dermott to a one-year deal worth $874K.
Dermott was an RFA and gets a one-year, "show-me" deal as we head into the 2021 campaign. In 2020, Dermott matched his career-best of four goals but compiled just 11 points in 56 games. Dermott doesn't have a lot of offensive upside and will likely be a third-pairing defenseman in 2021.
The Devils have signed Dmitry Kulikov to a one-year deal worth $1.15 million.
Kulikov had two goals and eight assists (10 points) in 51 game with the Jets last season. Kulikov topped 100 huts for the sixth time in his 11-year career and will bring a physical element to the Devils blueline. His one-year deal buys Ty Smith an extra year of development before he likely becomes a full-time NHLer in 2022.
Signing
The Sabres have signed Casey Nelson to a one-year deal worth $700K.
Nelson spent all of 2020 in the AHL, picking up four goals and eight assists (12 points) in 48 games with the Rochester Americans. The 28-year-old has 18 points (4G / 14A) in 93 career NHL games (all with Buffalo) but will almost certainly start 2021 in the AHL again.
The Hurricanes have signed Antoine Bibeau to a one-year, two-way contract.
Bibeau has primarily served as a AHL netminder since being drafted in the sixth-round in 2013. He has played just four NHL games, allowing nine goals on 97 shots (.907 SV%). He will likely serve as Alex Nedeljkovic's backup in the AHL to start 2021.
The Stars have signed Denis Gurianov to a two-year contract worth $5.1 million ($2.55 M AAV).
Gurianov made the jump to the NHL in 2020 and used his great shot to score 20 goals with nine assists (29 points) in 64 regular seasons games. Once the NHL returned to play he flourished in the postseason, picking up 17 points (9G / 8A) in 27 games. He has a chance to become a 25-25 player in the Stars' top-6 in 2021.
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.