NHL Hockey Player News

Braydon Coburn(LD)|FA
Signing
Signing
The Lightning have signed Braydon Coburn to a three-year, $11.1M ($3.7M AAV) contract extension.

Coburn, 30, has picked up one goal and eight assists (nine points) in 60 games this season. Coburn was a pending free agent at the end of the season, but is now signed through the 2018-19 season. His new deal comes with a no trade clause.

Source:
Bob McKenzie 2016-02-26T12:13:35.000Z
Braydon Coburn
Olli Maatta(D)|UTA
Signing
Signing
The Penguins have signed Olli Maata to a six-year, $24.498M ($4.083M AAV) contract extension.

Maatta was set to be a restricted free agent at the end of the season, but is now signed through the 2021-22 season with a $4.083 million cap-hit. Maatta has 16 points (6G / 10A) in 53 games this season and 54 points (16G / 38A) in 151 career NHL games.

Source:
Stephen Whyno 2016-02-26T10:11:01.000Z
Olli Maatta
Shawn Thornton(RW)|
Signing
Signing
The Panthers have signed Shawn Thornton to a one-year contract extension.

Thornton has three points (1G / 2A), a minus-2 rating and 50 PIMS in 35 games while averaging 8:51 TOI this season. The veteran tough guy will return to the Panthers next year and continue to be a leader for a young Florida squad.

Source:
Florida Panthers 2016-02-25T14:09:05.000Z
Shawn Thornton
Chris Wideman(LD)|FA
Signing
Signing
The Senators have signed Chris Wideman to a two-year, $1.6-million contract extension.

Wideman, 26, was a fourth round pick (100th overall) in 2009. Wideman spent three years in the AHL, but landed a semi-permanent spot in the Senators’ lineup this season. He had 61 points (19G / 42A) in 75 AHL games last season, showcasing his offensive potential, but has picked up just nine points (5G / 4A) in 44 games with Ottawa this season.

Source:
Bruce Garrioch 2016-02-24T10:28:01.000Z
Chris Wideman
Colton Sissons(C)|NSH
Signing
Signing
The Predators have signed Colton Sissons to a three-year, $1.875M contract.

Sissons, 22, has appeared in 19 games for the Predators in 2015-16, notching a pair of points (1G /1A) and a 59 percent success rate in the face-off circle, best among all NHLers taking at least 100 draws. He has also served as the youngest captain in Milwaukee Admirals history this season, amassing 16 points (6G / 10A) in 33 games.

Source:
Nashville Predators 2016-02-22T11:13:05.000Z
Colton Sissons
Dustin Byfuglien(RD)|FA
Signing
Signing
The Jets have signed Dustin Byfuglien to a five-year, $38 million dollar extension.

Byfuglien was set to become an unrestricted free-agent at the end of the season and was expected to be traded as we approached the trade deadline, but that doesn’t appear to be the case anymore. Byfuglien is locked up through the 2020-21 season. He has 15 goals and 17 assists (32 points) in 52 games this season.

Source:
Bob McKenzie 2016-02-08T16:50:11.000Z
Dustin Byfuglien
Tom Sestito(LW)|
Signing
Signing
The Penguins have signed Tom Sestito to a one-year contract.

Sestito, 28, has been with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (AHL) on an AHL contract, but signed a two-way NHL deal this afternoon. Sestito has two goals and four assists (six points) in 19 games with WBS.

Source:
Renaud Lavoie 2016-02-01T18:26:27.000Z
Tom Sestito
Daniel Paille(LW)|
Signing
Signing
The Rangers have signed Daniel Paille to a one-year, $575K contract.

Paille has one goal and three assists in 31 games with Rockford (AHL) this season. Paille has been signed to a two-way deal with the Rangers, but isn’t going to have any fantasy impact.

Source:
Sean Hartnett 2016-01-21T15:54:37.000Z
Daniel Paille
Anze Kopitar(C)|LAK
Signing
Signing
The Kings have signed Anze Kopitar to an eight-year contract extension.

Kopitar, 28, has spent his entire NHL career with the Kings after the club selected him in the first-round (11th overall) of the 2005 NHL Entry Draft. In 725 regular season games he has 645 points (230G / 415A), a plus-62 rating and 194 penalty minutes, while in 70 postseason games he has 60 points (18G / 42A), a plus-22 rating and 37 penalty minutes en route to two Stanley Cups.

Source:
Los Angeles Kings 2016-01-16T14:37:33.000Z
Anze Kopitar
Mike Richards(C)|FA
Signing
Signing
The Capitals have signed Mike Richards to a one-year, $1M deal.

Richards had his contract with the Kings terminated in 2014 after he faced a charge of possession of a controlled substance while entering Canada. The Capitals met with the NHL on Wednesday and he was granted permission to resume his NHL career. Richards won a Stanley Cup with the Kings in 2012 and has 482 career NHL points (179G / 303A) in 710 games.

Source:
NHL Numbers 2016-01-06T19:07:22.000Z
Mike Richards
Dainius Zubrus(RW)|
Signing
Signing
The Sharks will sign Dainius Zubrus to a one-year contract.

Zubrus has been with the Sharks on a tryout but finally signed this afternoon. The 37-year-old had four goals and 10 points in 74 games with the Devils last season. He has 584 career points (225G / 359A) in 1243 games, but will likely serve as a depth forward at this point in his career.

Source:
Curtis Pashelka 2015-11-24T13:57:48.000Z
Dainius Zubrus
Justin Abdelkader(LW)|FA
Signing
Signing
The Red Wings have signed Justin Abdelkader to a seven-year deal worth $28.75M ($4.25M AAV).

Abdelkader, who had a career-high 23 goals and 21 assists last season, opened this year with a hat trick, but since then he has only scored one goal with three assists in 14 games. Abdelkader will be paid $4.5 million until he is 36-years-old.

Source:
Bob McKenzie 2015-11-12T15:42:05.000Z
Justin Abdelkader
Richard Clune(LW)|
Signing
Signing
The Maple Leafs have signed Rich Clune to an NHL contract.

Clune, 28, signed an AHL contract with the Maple Leafs this summer and registered two goals and three assists in eight games with the Marlies. Signing him to an NHL contract forced the Leafs to make room on the roster for Clune, by placing Mark Arcobello on waivers.

Source:
@LeafsPR 2015-10-29T13:52:36.000Z
Richard Clune
Tomas Plekanec(C)|
Signing
Signing
The Canadiens have re-signed Tomas Plekanec to a two-year deal worth $12M ($6M AAV).

Plekanec has four goal in five games so far this season and is now locked up for another two years. The most important part of this contract extension, is that it ends the same season as Carey Price’s contract, giving the Habs a lot of flexibility to resign Price.

Source:
Bob McKenzie 2015-10-16T15:31:54.000Z
Tomas Plekanec
Eric Boulton(LW)|
Signing
Signing
The Islanders have signed Eric Boulton to a one-year contract.

Boulton, 39, has played with the Islanders for the last three years and his NHL career will extend into a 16th season. The 1994 ninth round pick has 31 career goals, 48 assists (79 points) 1419 PIMS in 648 games.

Source:
Arthur Staple 2015-10-13T10:36:11.000Z
Eric Boulton

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.