Signing
The Islanders have signed Kenny Reiter to a two-way contract.
Reiter, 27, is currently 7-5-2 with a 2.94 GAA and .895 SV% in 15 games with Bridgeport (AHL) this season.
NHL Hockey Player News
The Avalanche have signed Nate Guenin to a two-year contract extension.
Guenin was a New York Rangers' 4th round pick (127th overall) in 2002. This season he has recorded four assists in 38 games with the Avs. He has a total of eight points (2G / 6A) in 70 career NHL games with the Avalanche, Ducks, Blue Jackets, Penguins and Flyers.
The Ducks have signed pending unrestricted free-agent to a four-year deal worth $12 million US.
Cogliano is in his seventh NHL season and third with the Ducks. He is having a career year having posted 14 goals and 11 assists (25 points) in 43 games. His career is 45 points (18G / 27A) that he recorded in his rookie season back in 2007-08. Cogliano is signed through the 2017-18 season.
Signing
The Columbus Blue Jackets have signed left wing Kerby Rychel of the Ontario Hockey League’s Guelph Storm to a three-year entry level contract.
Rychel was the club’s second of three first round picks in the 2013 NHL Draft, selected 19th overall. Rychel, 19, has tallied 17 goals and 28 assists for 45 points with 17 penalty minutes and a +16 plus/minus rating to go along with five power play and four game-winning goals in 30 games with Windsor and Guelph this season. Rychel is currently representing Team Canada at the 2014 World Junior Hockey Championship.
The Maple Leafs have signed captain Dion Phaneuf to a 7-year contract extension which is believed to be worth approximately $49 millions US.
Phaneuf is in his fourth full season with the Maple Leafs and has averaged 24:21 TOI while posting four goals, 11 assists (15 points) and a plus-13 rating in 39 games. "Dion is our team leader and has been a pillar in our building process," said Leafs GM Dave Nonis. "He has proven to be a very durable and reliable defenceman in all facets of the game. He plays big minutes in every situation for us and we're pleased to have him under contract for the next seven seasons."
Signing
The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed goaltender Jeff Zatkoff to a two-year contract extension with an annual cap-hit of $600,000.
Zatkoff, 26, stopped 24 shots against the Minnesota Wild on Thursday night to become the first Penguins rookie goaltender to win six straight decisions since Johan Hedberg did so in 2001. The 6-foot-2, 179-pound Zatkoff has posted a 6-2 record, 2.46 GAA and .912 SV% in eight games this season.
The Blues have agreed to terms with forward Alexander Steen on a three-year contract extension worth $17.4 million.
Steen, 29, is having a career year, posting 36 points (22 goals) through 33 games this season. He tallied 20 goals in his first 24 games, becoming the fastest player in franchise history to reach that plateau since Brett Hull in 1990-91. Overall Steen ranks high in most major offensive categories, including ninth in points, second in goals, 15th in power-play goals (5), fourth in game-winning goals (5), 17th in shots (112) and sixth in shooting percentage (19.6%).
Signing
Center Chris VandeVelde has signed a one-year contract with the Flyers and will be available for tonight’s home game against the Montreal Canadiens.
The 6-foot-2, 190-pound VandeVelde signed an AHL contract with the Phantoms during the summer. He appeared in 23 games for the Phantoms, recording seven goals and six assists. During the previous three season, VandeVelde split time playing for the Edomonton Oilers and their AHL affiliate in Oklahoma City.
The Rangers have signed Henrik Lundqvist to a 7-year deal worth $59.5 million US which is an average annual salary of $8.5 million US.
Lundqvist has spent his entire nine-year career with the Rangers. In that time he has posted a 284-182-57 recvord with an outstanding 2.26 GAA and .920 SV%. The deal makes him the highest paid goalie in the NHL edging out Pekka Rinne and Tuukka Rask. This has been Lundqvist's toughest year so far, he is 8-11-0 with a 2.51 GAA and .917 SV%… That is how good he is, that is a tough year. He is still the clear number-1 in New York and remains an elite goaltending fantasy option.
The Coyotes have signed forward Gilbert Brule to a one-year, two-way contract.
Brule is a former first round pick (6th overall in 2005) who never materialized in the NHL. He was with the Coyotes in 2011-12 where he had five goals and 14 points in 33 games. He has appeared in eight games with the Coyotes AHL affiliate the Portland Pirates this season, where he has six goals and two assists.
The Ducks have signed center Nick Bonino to a three-year contract extension through the 2016-17 season.
Bonino is having a breakout season with the Ducks with 16 points in all 27 games. While not a steady fantasy contributor, Bonino can be a good asset moving forward for very deep leagues.
David Nonis, Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs, announced Wednesday the hockey club has signed forward Frederik Gauthier to a three-year entry level contract.
Gauthier was the Leafs' first pick in the 2013 Draft and 21 points in 23 games in the QMJHL this season. Expect the Leafs to take their time easing him into the lineup.
The RedWings have signed Jonathan Ericsson to a six-year extension with an annual cap-hit of $4.25 million.
Ericsson was the very last pick in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft, but has developed into a rock-solid defenseman for the Red Wings. He has not been a fantasy factor with a career-high of 15 points, but has become a solid shutdown defenseman skating on the top-pair with Niklas Kronwall. He is averaging 22:16 TOI through 15 games this season. He has one goal and four assists which has him on pace for five goals and 24 points. He has a legitimate chance of making Team Sweden's Olympic roster as well.
The Maple Leafs have signed right winger Connor Brown to a three-year entry level contract.
Brown has 19 goals and 27 assists (46 points) in 23 games with the Erie Otters. His 46 points leads the OHL by three over teammate Dane Fox. Brown, 19, was selected with the 156th overall pick in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft.
The Blackhawks have agreed to terms with forward Ryan Hartman on a three-year contract.
Hartman, 19, was the Blackhawks first round pick (30th overall) in this year's NHL Entry Draft. The 5-foot-11, 181 lbs. forward had 60 points (23G / 37A), a plus-29 rating and 120 PIMs in 56 games with the Plymouth Whalers last season. In 2013-14 he has 21 points (10G / 11A), a minus-14 rating and 38 PIMs in 20 games with Plymouth.
Signing
The Canucks have signed goalie Eddie Lack to a two-year contract extension worth $2.3 million ($1.15 million AAV).
Lack is 2-2-0 with a 2.41 GAA and .911 SV% in his first five NHL appearances. The 25-year-old Sweden native spent the last three seasons in the AHL where he posted a 56-45-8 combined record. He is not fantasy relevant other than spot start situations because Roberto Luongo is firmly in the starters role.
Signing
The Blues have made the Carlo Colaiacovo signing official.
St. Louis signed Colaiacovo pending a physical on Tuesday, he obviously passed that physical and has been signed to a one-year deal. Colaiacovo spent four seasons with the Blues (2008-12), which were the best years of his career (18G / 88A = 106P in 259 games)
Shaw's two-year extension is worth $2 million per year.
Bishop allowed two goals on 27 shots in an OT win over the Red Wings on Saturday. It was his fourth consecutive win and his league leading 11th of the season. Tonight he faces a Canadiens team who have lost four of their last five. It could become tougher for Bishop to win games with Steven Stamkos out of the lineup.
Signing
The Blues have agreed to a one-year deal with defenseman Carlo Colaiacovo pending the results of a medical.
Colaiacovo spent four seasons with the Blues (2008-12), which were the best years of his career (18G / 88A = 106P in 259 games). Last year he had an injury plagued season with the Red Wings. Colaiacovo only appeared in six of a possible 48 regular season games. He had one assist in nine playoff games.
Blackhawks agree to two-year contract extension with Andrew Shaw.
Shaw, who would have been a restricted free agent following this season, is now signed through 2015-16. He’s currently making $577,500, but is due for a significant raise after playing a major role in the Hawks’ run to the Stanley Cup in the spring. Financial terms of the deal were not immediately known. Twice passed over in the NHL draft, Shaw finally was taken by the Hawks in the fifth round of the 2011 draft. He has 25 goals and 24 assists and a plus-11 rating in 103 career regular-season games.
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.