NHL Signings & Free Agents

Damien Riat(C)|FA
Signing
Signing
The Capitals have signed Damien Riat to a two-year entry-level contract.

Riat was a fourth-round pick of the Capitals (No.117 overall) in 2016 and has remained in the Swiss-A league since. This season the 6-foot, 172 lbs. winger has scored 11 goals with 11 assists (22 points) in 36 games with Biel HC.

Source:
Washington Capitals 2020-03-05T15:33:45.016Z
Damien Riat
Nick Holden(LD)|FA
Signing
Signing
The Golden Knights have signed Nick Holden to a two-year contract extension worth $3.4 million ($1.7M AAV).

Holden was set to become an unrestricted free agent after the season but is now locked up through the 2022 season. Holden has scored five goals with six assists (11 points) in 54 games this season while ranking third among Vegas defensemen in PK TOI (1:56/gm).

Source:
David Schoen 2020-02-25T00:51:39.612Z
Nick Holden
Jake Muzzin(LD)|TOR
Signing
Signing
The Maple Leafs have signed Jake Muzzin to a four-year contract extension worth $22.5 million ($5.625M AAV).

Muzzin was set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season but will now be with the Maple Leafs through the 2024 season. The 6-foot-3, 213 lbs. defenseman has scored five goals with 17 assists (22 points) while averaging 2.1 blocks and 2.1 hits per game in 52 games this season.

Source:
Toronto Maple Leafs 2020-02-25T00:13:04.896Z
Jake Muzzin
Chris Kreider(LW)|ANA
Signing
Signing
The Rangers have signed Chris Kreider to a seven-year deal worth $45.5 million ($6.5M AAV).

Kreider was set to become a UFA on July 1, and was long expected to be traded ahead of today's deadline. The seven-year deal will pay Kreider through his age-36 season. Kreider has 24 goals and 21 assists in 60 games this season after posting a career-high 52 points a year ago.

Source:
Bob McKenzie 2020-02-24T16:32:18.611Z
Chris Kreider
Julian Melchiori(D)|FA
Signing
Signing
The Devils have signed Julian Melchiori to a one-year contract worth $700K.

Melchiori has been with the Binghamton Devils (AHL) throughout the season but signs an NHL deal that takes him through the rest of the season. During his time with Binghamton, Melchiori has five goals and eight assists (13 points) in 54 games. He has two assists in 30 career NHL games, all with the Winnipeg Jets.

Source:
NHL.com 2020-02-23T17:14:20.786Z
Julian Melchiori
Pierre Engvall(LW)|NYI
Signing
Signing
The Maple Leafs have signed Pierre Engvall to a two-year contract extension worth $2.5 million ($1.25M AAV).

Engvall has made a splash in his first NHL season, scoring seven goals with seven assists (14 points) in 35 games. The former seventh-round pick was over a point-per-game during his time in AHL this season and his two-year extension suggests that he's in Toronto's bottom-6 plans for 2021.

Source:
Jonas Siegel 2020-02-12T17:29:24.370Z
Pierre Engvall
Joakim Nygard(LW)|FA
Signing
Signing
The Oilers have signed Joakim Nygard to a one-year contract extension.

Nygard has scored three goals with six assists (nine points) in 33 games in his first season in North America. The 27-year-old speedster is currently sidelined with a broken bone is his hand but is obviously in the Oilers plans for 2021.

Source:
@EdmontonOilers 2020-02-11T23:08:33.631Z
Joakim Nygard
Niko Mikkola(D)|FLA
Signing
Signing
The Blues signed Niko Mikkola to a two-year contract extension worth $1.575 million ($787.5K AAV).

Mikkola has one assist in his first five career NHL games this season. He has spent most of the year in the AHL, where he has collected 11 points (2G / 9A) in 33 games. The 23-year-old could be a full-time member of the St. Louis blueline in 2021.

Source:
Lou Korac 2020-01-31T15:26:21.749Z
Niko Mikkola
Ville Husso(G)|ANA
Signing
Signing
The Blues signed Ville Husso to a two-year contract extension worth $1.5 million ($750K AAV).

Husso has spent the entire season with San Antonio (AHL), going 10-12-8 with a 2.93 GAA and .898 SV% in 30 games. Husso projects to be the future backup to Jordan Binnington, but Jake Allen has one year left on his deal, so Husso's time likely isn't until 2022.

Source:
Lou Korac 2020-01-31T15:26:31.522Z
Ville Husso

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.