NHL Signings & Free Agents

The Panthers signed Brian Boyle to a one-year, one-way contract.

Boyle has bounced around the NHL in recent years, playing for the Lightning, Maple Leafs, Devils and Rangers in the last three seasons. Boyle split last year between New Jersey and Nashville and finished the season with 18 goals and six assists (24 points) in 73 games. With Henrik Borgstrom going back to the AHL, Boyle figures to play a bottom-6 role with his new squad.

Brian Boyle
The Flyers have signed Chris Stewart to a one-year, one-way contract worth $750K.

Stewart last played in the NHL in 2017-18, where he had three points (1G / 2A) in seven games with the Flames. He spent last year playing with the Nottingham Panthers in England, scoring six goals with seven assists (13 points) in 23 games.

Chris Stewart
The Sharks have signed Patrick Marleau to a one-year deal worth $700K.

In his 21st NHL season, Marleau had 16 goals and 21 assists (37 points) in 82 games with the Maple Leafs. He ended up being traded to the Hurricanes and subsequently bought out this summer. He returns to San Jose, where he spent the first 19 years of his career and joins a team that is in need of wing depth.

Patrick Marleau
The Devils have signed Joe Morrow to a one-year, two-way contract.

Morrow spent the 2018-19 season with the Jets, where he had one goal and six assists (seven points) in 41 games. It was a career-high in games played for the former first-round pick, who is expected to head to Binghamton (AHL) should he clear waivers.

Joe Morrow
The Blues have signed Brayden Schenn to an eight-year extension worth $52.0 million ($6.5M AAV).

Schenn was set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season but the Blues have locked him up through the 2027-28 season. Schenn failed to record a point in the season opener but is coming off of a 54-point season (17G / 37A) in 2018-19.

Brayden Schenn
The Coyotes have signed Darcy Kuemper to a two-year extension worth $9.0 million ($4.5M AAV).

2018-19 was Kuemper's first full season in Arizona and it went very well. Kuemper went 27-20-8 with a 2.33 GAA and .925 SV% in 55 games while filling in for an injured Antti Raanta. Entering 2019-20, Kuemper will be the Coyotes No.2 but showed he’s capable of handling the starting gig should the oft-injured Raanta miss time again. Kuemper is signed through the 2021-22 campaign.

Darcy Kuemper
The Flames have signed Zac Rinaldo to a one-year contract.

Rinaldo spent the 2019 season with the Predators but only appeared in 23 games, posting three points (1G / 2A) and 20 PIMS. He also had one assist in three AHL contests. He is expected to start the season in Stockton (AHL) if he clears waivers.

Zac Rinaldo
The Jets have re-signed Kyle Connor to a seven-year contract worth $50 million ($7.14M AAV).

Connor was looking for term and he got it. The 22-year-old winger has scored 30-plus goals in back-to-back seasons and set a new career-high in points (66) in 2018-19. Connor is expected to be a fixture on the Jets top-line with Mark Scheifele and Blake Wheeler again in 2019-20 and should have no trouble approaching 30 goals again.

Kyle Connor
The Avalanche have re-signed Mikko Rantanen to a six-year, $55.5 million contract ($9.25M AAV).

Rantanen and the Avalanche came down to the wire but finally came to terms on a six-year deal. The soon-to-be 23-year old has posted back-to-back 80-plus point seasons, including 31 goals and 56 assists last year. He is expected to re-join the Avalanche and should be available for their season opener on Thursday.

Mikko Rantanen
The Jets have re-signed Patrik Laine to a two-year deal worth $13.5 million ($6.75M AAV)

Laine is coming off of a forgettable season but gets a two-year bridge deal close to $7.0M AAV. Laine’s SH% unsurprisingly fell off of a cliff last year after shooting 18 percent in his first two seasons. Even in a “down year,” Laine still scored 30 goals, which showcases how good he is. Look for his SH% to bounce-back a little bit, making Laine a 40-goal threat again in year-4.

Patrik Laine
The Bruins have signed Alex Petrovic to a one-year, two-way contract worth $700K.

Petrovic appeared in 35 NHL games last season, 26 with Florida and nine with Edmonton, posting just two assists total. Petrovic is big blueliner (6-foot-4, 216 lbs.) that plays a physical brand of hockey in his own end, ranking 11th in the NHL in hits per game (3.3) last year.

Alex Petrovic
The Stars have signed Dawson Barteaux to a three-year, entry-level contract.

The Stars selected Barteaux in the sixth-round (No.168 overall) in the 2018 draft. The 19-year-old defenseman had 34 points (7G / 27A) in 67 games with the Red Deer Rebels (WHL) last year and is in Red Deer again this season, for what will be his fourth WHL campaign.

Dawson Barteaux
The Flames have re-signed Matthew Tkachuk to a three-year contract worth $21 million ($7.0M AAV).

After failing to eclipse 50 points in his first two NHL seasons, Tkachuk broke out for 34 goals and 43 assists (77 points) in 80 games. As good as Tkachuk played in 2018-19, he could see some regression in 2019-20, after relying on a 16.4 SH% and 10.2 on-ice SH%. Being stuck behind Johnny Gaudreau on the depth chart also limits Tkachuk’s chances of approaching a point-per-game this season.

Matthew Tkachuk
The Blues have signed Justin Faulk to a seven-year contract extension worth $45.5 million ($6.5M AAV).

Faulk is headed into the final year of a deal that carries a $4.833M AAV cap-hit but gets a deal that will carry him through the 2026-27 NHL season when he will be 35-years-old. Faulk has failed to top 40 points in four straight seasons and is coming off of an 11-goal, 24-assist season in 2019.

Justin Faulk

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.