NHL Hockey Player News

The Maple Leafs signed Jhonas Enroth to a one-year deal worth $750K.

Enroth, 28, spent the 2015-16 season with the Kings, where he started 13 games and appeared in three others. He finished the season with a 7-5-1 record, 2.17 GAA, .922 SV% and two shutouts. The former second round pick has a career .911 SV% with the Sabres, Stars and Kings. Enroth will serve as Frederik Andersen’s backup in Toronto.

Jhonas Enroth
The Penguins signed Matt Cullen to a one-year, $1 million contract.

Cullen, 39, appeared in all 82 games with the Penguins last season, scoring 16 goals with 16 assists (32 points). He also registered six points (4G / 2A) in 24 playoff games en route to winning the Stanley Cup. He will once again be a part of the Penguins bottom-6 in 2016-17.

Matt Cullen
The Flames signed Sean Monahan to a seven-year contract worth $44.625 million ($6.375M AAV).

Monahan, 21, scored 27 goals with 36 assists for a career-high 63 points in 2015-16. The 2013 sixth overall pick has had an outstanding start to his NHL career—his 58 goals over the last two years is good for 16th in the NHL over that span. Monahan is easily a No.2 fantasy centre with No.1 upside.

Sean Monahan
The Coyotes have signed Radim Vrbata to a one-year deal worth $1 million.

One-year removed from a 31-goal, 63-point campaign, Vrbata posted just 13 goals and 14 assists (27 points) in 63 games last season. Vrbata joins a youthful Coyotes’ team and could crack their top-6 right out of the gate. He carries some sleeper potential if he can get back to his 20-goal, 50-point production from his last season with Arizona (2013-14).

Radim Vrbata
The Avalanche signed Ben Smith to a one-year, two-way contract.

Smith, 28, was with the Sharks and Maple Leafs last season, splitting time between both of their AHL and NHL squads. He finished the year with a total of six points (2G / 4A) in 22 NHL games and 16 points (12G / 4A) in 19 AHL contests. Smith will look to crack the Avs’ opening night roster in training camp.

Ben Smith
The Islanders signed Christopher Gibson to a one-year, two-way contract.

Gibson, 23, spent the majority of the 2015-16 season with Bridgeport (AHL), where he went 19-11-6 with a 2.70 GAA and .909 SV% in 42 games. He also appeared in four games with the Islanders, going 1-1-1 with a 3.40 GAA and .882 SV%. Gibson will be fourth on the Islanders’ depth chart and start the 2016-17 season as the Sound Tigers’ starter.

Chris Gibson
The Ducks signed Antoine Vermette to a two-year deal worth $3.5 million ($1.75M AAV).

Vermette, 34, was bought out by the Coyotes a few weeks ago but has caught on with the Ducks for the next two seasons. Vermette is a solid two-way centre, who had 38 points (17G / 21A) in 76 games with Arizona. He will likely skate on the Ducks’ third line throughout the 2016-17 season.

Antoine Vermette
The Flames re-signed Tyler Wotherspoon to a one-year deal.

Wotherspoon, 23, spent the majority of last season with Stockton (AHL), where he had 10 points (2G / 8A) in 53 games, but also appeared in 11 games with Calgary. Wotherspoon will likely start the 2016-17 campaign with Stockton, but will be one of the first defensemen recalled.

Tyler Wotherspoon
The Devils re-signed Reid Boucher to a one-year contract.

Boucher, 22, split the 2015-16 campaign between New Jersey and Albany (AHL). During his time in the NHL, Boucher recorded 19 points (8G / 11A) in 39 games and had 32 points (19G / 13A) in 34 AHL games. Boucher should spend the entire 2016-17 campaign with New Jersey.

Reid Boucher
The Blue Jackets signed Sam Gagner to a one-year deal worth $650K.

Gagner, 27, split the 2015-16 season between the NHL and AHL. He finished the year with 16 points (8G / 8A) in 53 games with the Flyers and six points (1G / 5A) in nine games with Lehigh Valley. The former sixth overall pick has not been able to break his career-high of 49 points he set in his rookie season. Gagner will battle for a roster spot in training camp this fall.

Sam Gagner
The Avalanche inked Tyson Barrie to a four-year $22 million extension ($5.5M AAV).

Coming off of a career-high 53 points in 2014-15, Barrie approached 50 points again in 2015-16, registering 49 points (13G / 36A) in 78 games. His 49 points were good for 11th among defensemen. Barrie will be among the top-15 fantasy defensemen again in 2016-17.

Tyson Barrie
The Coyotes signed Connor Murphy to a six-year deal worth $23.1 million ($3.85M AAV).

Murphy, 23, scored six goals with 11 assists (17 points) in 78 games in 2015-16. In his first two NHL seasons Murphy has scored a combined 10 goals and 14 assists (24 points) in 151 games. He will be a key member of the Coyotes’ blueline in 2016-17.

Connor Murphy
The Rangers re-signed restricted free agent Marek Hrivik.

Hrivik, 24, spent most of the 2015-16 season with Hartford (AHL), where he had 41 points (12G / 29A) in 68 games. He also appeared in his first five NHL games, where he had one assist. Hrivik will fight for a roster spot during training camp, but will likely start the year back in Hartford.

Marek Hrivik
The Predators signed Matt Carle to a one-year deal worth $700K.

Carle, 31, had nine points (2G / 7A) in 64 games with the Lightning last season. After spending four years in Tampa Bay, Carle reunites with head coach Peter Laviolette, who he played for during time in Philadelphia (2008-2012). Carle has offensive ability, but has only picked up 27 points (6G / 21A) in 123 games over the last two seasons.

Matt Carle
The Predators signed Calle Jarnkrok to a six-year contract extension worth $12 million ($2.0M AAV).

Jarnkrok, 24, appeared in 74 games with the Predators in 2015-16, scoring 16 goals with 14 assists (30 points). The young Swede has 57 points (25G / 32A) in 167 career NHL games and will likely start the 2016-17 season on the third line, but could work his way into the Predators’ top-6 as the season progresses.

Calle Jarnkrok
The Red Wings re-signed goaltender Petr Mrazek to a two-year deal worth $8 million ($4.0M AAV).

The Red Wings and Mrazek were reportedly pretty far apart during their contract negotiations, but were able to come to terms on a two-year bridge deal. Mrazek became the Red Wings’ No. 1 goaltending option in 2015-16, starting 49 games (appearing in 54), posting a 27-16-6 record, 2.33 GAA, .921 SV% and four shutouts. He will have the same role in 2016-17, where he will likely start near 50 games again and should be a low-end No.1, high-end No. 2 fantasy option.

Petr Mrazek
The Senators re-signed Mike Hoffman to a four-year deal worth $20.75 million ($5.185M AAV).

Hoffman, 26, enjoyed a breakout year in 2014-15 and followed it up with an even more impressive 2015-16 campaign, scoring 29 goals and 30 assists (59 points) in 78 games. Hoffman has led the Senators in goals in both of those seasons and will look to do the same in 2016-17 on their top line, likely alongside the usual suspects—Kyle Turris and Mark Stone.

Mike Hoffman
The Lightning re-signed Vladislav Namestnikov to a two-year deal worth$3.875 million ($1.9375M AAV).

Namestnikov, 23, appeared in 80 games in his first full NHL season, collecting a total of 14 goals and 21 assists (35 points). The 2011 27th overall pick has collected 51 career points (23G / 28A) in 127 NHL games and enters 2016-17 as a third line option for the Lightning.

Vladislav Namestnikov
The Predators inked Petter Granberg to a two-year deal worth $1.225 million ($612.5K AAV)

Granberg, 23, spent the majority of the 2015-16 season as an extra defensman for the Predators, appearing in 27 games with Nashville and six games with Milwaukee (AHL). He picked up two assists during his time with the Predators and will likely fill the same role in 2016-17.

Petter Granberg

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.