The Maple Leafs have signed Andreas Borgman to a one-year extension worth $700K.
Borgman has registered four goals and 11 assists (15 points) in 39 games in his first full season in the AHL.
NHL Hockey Player News
The Maple Leafs have signed Garret Sparks to a one-year extension worth $750k.
Sparks won the backup goalie battle in the preseason but has had a tough season, going 7-5-1 with a 3.09 GAA and .902 SV% in 14 games. Sparks likely has the inside track to remain the Maple Leafs backup next season but don’t be surprised if they bring in a veteran to push him in training camp.
The Coyotes signed Garland to a two-year contract extension. The deal will keep Garland with the Coyotes through the 2020-2021 season.
The Wild have signed Eric Staal to a two-year extension worth $6.5 million ($3.25M AAV).
Staal’s name floated around at the trade deadline as a potential rental, but ultimately signs a two-year extension to remain in Minnesota. Staal enjoyed a resurgent year in 2018 but has seen his production dip this year—he is on-pace for 18 fewer goals and four fewer assists. Staal will turn 35 at the start of next season, so his career will likely end in Minnesota.
The Golden Knights have signed Mark Stone to an 8-year extension worth $76.0 million ($9.5M AAV).
Stone was a pending free-agent and the Golden Knights likely wouldn’t have part with their top prospect Erik Brannstrom if they weren’t re-signing Stone. Stone is projected to start on the Golden Knights’ top-line with William Karlsson and Jonathan Marchessault, where he should take his game to the next level.
The Capitals have signed Nick Jensen to a four-year extension worth $10.0 million ($2.5M AAV).
The Capitals acquired Jensen from the Red Wings on Friday afternoon and wasted no time signing the 28-year-old to an extension. Jensen carried a +1.1 CF% rel in 60 games with the Red Wings this season, picking up two goals and 13 assists (15 points) along the way.
The Coyotes signed Jordan Oesterle to a two-year extension worth $2.8M ($1.4M AAV).
Oesterle has quietly enjoyed a quality season out in Arizona, scoring six goals with 14assists (20 points) in 51 games this season. Oesterle has been a reliable daily fantasy option thanks to his 0.4 points per game, 1.98 blocked shots per game and 1.14 shots per game.
The Ducks have reportedly signed Jakob Silfverberg to a five-year contract extension.
Because of salary cap issues, the deal can’t officially be signed until after Monday’s trade deadline but Silfverberg’s new cap-hit is expected to be north of $5.0 million. Silfverberg has always been a player who shoots the puck a lot and has been able to maintain 2-plus shots per game even on a bad Ducks team this season, scoring 16 goals with just eight assists (24 points) in 51 games. The Ducks are expected to be sellers at the deadline but Silfverberg will be sticking around.
Signing
The Canucks have signed Michael Leighton to a one-year, two-way contract.
The Canucks goaltending depth took a hit when they traded Anders Nilsson and lost Mike McKenna on waivers. They brought Leighton in on a PTO and he went 6-1-0 with a 2.53 GAA and .915 SV% in seven games so they signed him to remain there moving forward.
The Blackhawks have signed Collin Delia to a three-year extension worth $3.0 million ($1.0M AAV).
With Corey Crawford continuing to deal with concussion issues, Delia has been thrust into the NHL after just 45 career AHL starts. The 24-year-old has performed extremely well for the Blackhawks so far, going 6-2-3 with a 2.98 GAA and .923 SV%. Delia has the look of a potential starting goalie and a three-year contract with a $1.0M AAV cap-hit is a very team-friendly deal.
The Blues have signed Mackenzie MacEachern to a one-year extension worth $750K.
The Maple Leafs have signed Auston Matthews to a five-year contract extension worth $58.17 million ($11.634M AAV).
Matthews was set to become a restricted free-agent this summer but signed through 2023-24 with an $11.634M cap-hit. Matthews has had a strong season, scoring 23 goals on 121 shots (19.0 SH%) with 23 assists (46 points) in 38 games. Matthews has broken through as one of the best goal-scorers in the league but continues to have a difficult time staying healthy—missing 20 games last season and 14 so far this year.
The Capitals have signed Pheonix Copley to a three-year extension worth $3.3 million ($1.1M AAV).
The Capitals backup has appeared in 19 games this season, going 10-5-3 while ranking 33rd in GAA (2.98) and SV% (.903). Copley has been a fine backup for Braden Holtby and will likely continue to start 30 percent of the Capitals games moving forward.
The Wild have signed Alex Stalock to a three-year extension worth $2.349 million ($783K AAV).
Stalock is in his third season with the Wild and has gone 6-5-0 with a 2.92 GAA and .894 SV% in 14 games. The Wild are comfortable with Stalock as their backup and an $783K AAV cap-hit will allow them to easily move-on in the future if need be.
The Hurricanes have signed Jordan Martinook to a two-year extension worth $4.0 million ($2.0M AAV).
“Jordan has really fit in well with our group and provides veteran leadership both on and off the ice,” said GM Don Waddell. “He skates with a relentless energy that epitomizes the way Coach Brind’Amour wants the Hurricanes to play.” The 26-year-old winger has 10 goals and three assists (13 points) in 50 games during his first season with the Hurricanes.
The Oilers have signed Mikko Koskinen to a three-year contract extension worth $13.5 million ($4.5M AAV).
Koskinen’s NHL career got off to an excellent start, going 11-3-1 with a 2.12 GAA, .930 SV% and three shutouts in his first 16 appearances. However, since then he is 3-7-0 with a 3.94 GAA and .879 SV% in 11 games. It is a bit alarming to sign a goalie to that kind of money in the middle of a very difficult stretch but in Koskinen’s defence, he doesn’t have a great blue line in front of him.
The Hurricanes have signed Teuvo Teravainen to a five-year extension worth $27.0 million ($5.4M AAV).
Teravainen is on-pace or 17 goals and 50 assists (67 points), which would be career-highs in helpers and points. Teravainen was set to become a restricted free agent this offseason with a two-year, $5.72M deal expiring.
The Maple Leafs have signed Trevor Moore to a two-year extension worth $1.55M ($775K AAV).
Moore spent some time with the Maple Leafs while Zach Hyman was sidelined, collecting one goal and two assists in six games. Moore has impressed with the Marlies as well, tying for the team-lead in goals (19) and adding seven assists (26 points) in 30 games.
The Penguins have signed Casey DeSmith to a three-year extension worth $3.75M ($1.25M AAV).
The undrafted 27-year-old netminder has gone 12-7-4 with a 2.47 GAA and .924 SV% in 26 games with the Penguins this season. DeSmith has played very well while Matt Murray was sidelined and proved that he is a more than capable No.2 netminder who can serve as a No.1 when called upon.
The Sharks have signed Lukas Radil to a one-year extension.
Radil came over to North America after spending the las three years in the KHL. The 28-year-old had six points (1G / 5A) in 11 AHL games and nine points (6G / 3A) in 18 NHL games since being recalled. Radil is carrying a strong 58.6 CF% and +2.8 CF%rel and appears to be a candidate to remain with the Sharks through the remainder of the season.
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.