The Red Wings have signed Calvin Pickard to a one-year contract extension.
NHL Signings & Free Agents
The Golden Knights have signed Alec Martinez to a three-year contract extension worth $15.75 million ($5.25M AAV).
The Oilers have signed Tyson Barrie to a three-year contract extension worth $13.5 million ($4.5M AAV).
The Red Wings have signed Sam Gagner to a one-year contract extension worth $850K.
The Avalanche have signed Gabriel Landeskog to an eight-year contract extension worth $56.0 million ($7.0M AAV).
The Avalanche waited until the final moments to sign Landeskog to a max eight-year contract worth $7.0M AAV. Landeskog will turn 29 this year, so he will be 36-years-old when the deal wraps up. Landeskog has been outstanding during the two shortened campaigns, scoring at a 31-goal and 42-assist (73 points) per 82 game pace.
The Jets have signed Eric Comrie to a one-year contract extension.
The Panthers have agreed to terms with Brandon Montour on a three-year, $10.5 million contract.
The Bruins have re-signed Mike Reilly to a three-year deal worth $9.0 million ($3.0M AAV).
The Sabres have signed Drake Caggiula to a one-year contract worth $750K.
The Predators have signed Ben Harpur to a one-year, $800k contract extension.
Harpur has been around the NHL for a number of seasons, picking up seven assists in 34 games in his first season with the Predators. Harpur will likely be a reserve defenseman again in 2021-22 and is capable of stepping in when injuries occur.
The Predators have signed Jeremy Davies to a one-year, two-way contract extension.
Davies had nine assists in nine AHL games before being promoted to the Predators in 2021. He picked up just one assist in his first 16 career NHL games and should be a fringe NHL blueliner for the Predators in 2021-22.
Signing
The Wild have signed Kyle Rau to a one-year, two-way contract extension.
Rau has been an AHL regular with a little NHL experience in recent years. The 28-year-old has picked up just four assists in 23 NHL games with the Wild over the last three seasons. At the AHL level, Rau had 14 goals and 29 assists (43 points) in 51 games with Iowa.
The Wild have signed Dakota Mermis to a two-year, two-way contract extension.
Mermis has been primarily an AHL defenseman in recent years, picking up six goals and 37 assists (43 points) in 115 AHL games in 2019 and 2020 combined. In 2021, the 27-year-old failed to record a point in three games with the Wild.
The Canadiens have signed Joel Armia to a four-year, $13.4 million contract extension.
Armia has become a versatile part of the Canadiens' middle-6 in recent years and signs a nice $3.35M AAV extension the day before free agency. Armia's offence fell off a bit in 2021 but has averaged 19 goals and 16 assists (35 points) per 82-games in his three years in Montreal.
Laine has accepted his qualifying offer, signing a one-year deal worth $7.5M.
Things did not go well for Laine after he was traded to the Blue Jackets, scoring 10 goals with 11 assists (21 points) in 45 games--18-goal, 20-assist per 82 game pace. However, Laine should benefit from the Blue Jackets and John Tortorella parting ways and the one-year deal gives him an opportunity to have a bounce-back season and cash in next year.
The Lightning have signed Otto Somppi to a one-year, two-way contract.
Somppi was a seventh-round pick in 2016 and has spent the last three seasons in the AHL and ECHL. In 2021, Somppi had 12 goals and 14 assists (24 points) in 32 games with Syracuse (AHL). Look for him to start 2021-22 in the AHL.
The Red Wings have signed Taro Hirose to a one-year contract extension worth $850K.
Hirose spent almost all of 2021 in the AHL, where he was second on the Griffins with 28 points (5G / 23A) in 29 games. He played in six games with the Red Wings, giving him 16 points (3G / 13A) in 42 career NHL games. Hirose could fight for a spot with the Red Wings next season but he's likely headed for the AHL to start the season.
The Capitals have signed Alex Ovechkin to a five-year extension worth $47.5 million ($9.5M AAV).
Ovechkin's cap-hit doesn't change much, going from $9.539M AAV to $9.5M for the next five seasons. Ovechkin currently sits sixth on the all-time goal-scoring list, 164 goals behind Wayne Gretzky for first. A five-year contract will take Ovechkin to 40-years-old and he will need to average 32.8 goals per season to reach Gretzky's mark. He has averaged 52 goals per 82 games over the last three seasons.
The Blues have signed Pavel Buchnevich to a four-year contract worth $23.2 million ($5.8M AAV).
Buchnevich was acquired from the Rangers last week and the RFA quickly signed a four-year extension with his new team. In St. Louis, Buchnevich will play with either Ryan O'Reilly or Brayden Schenn and has averaged 25 goals and 33 assists (57 points) per 82 games over the last three seasons.
The Canucks have signed Conor Garland to a five-year contract worth $24.75 million ($4.95M AAV).
Garland was acquired from the Coyotes last week and the RFA quickly signed a five-year extension with his new team. In Vancouver, Garland will play with either Elias Pettersson or Bo Horvat and has averaged 24 goals and 31 assists (55 points) per 82 games over the last two 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.