NHL Hockey Player News

The Red Wings have signed Sheldon Dries to a two-year, two-way contract.

Detroit added to Grand Rapids' depth chart on Monday as it added Sheldon Dries on a two-year, two-way contract. The 30-year-old winger last appeared in the NHL with Vancouver in 2022-23 but had a successful full season in Abbotsford (AHL) in 2023-24, with 29 goals and 52 points in 55 games played.

Sheldon Dries
The Red Wings have signed Jack Campbell to a one-year contract worth $775K.

Campbell was recently bought out of a five-year, $25 million contract by Edmonton and has signed a one-year, contract worth $775,000 on Monday with Detroit. The 32-year-old spent the majority of 2023-24 with Bakersfield (AHL) after struggling out of the gate with Edmonton with his 1-4-0 record, 4.50 GAA and .873 SV%.

Jack Campbell
The Devils have signed Brenden Dillon to a three-year contract worth $12.0 million ($4.0M AAV).

New Jersey continued their impressive offseason by adding veteran defenseman Brenden Dillion to a three-year contract worth $12.0 million ($4.0M AAV). The 33-year-old is entering his 14th NHL season and is 108 games from the 1000 games played mark. In 2023-24 he had eight goals, 20 points, 92 PIMs and a +20 plus/minus in 77 games played with Winnipeg.

Brenden Dillon
The Capitals have signed Taylor Raddysh to a one-year deal worth $1.0 million.

After two and a half seasons in Chicago, Taylor Raddysh has joined Washington on a one-year deal worth $1,000,000. The 26-year-old right-winger was expected to break out in 2023-24 after a 37-point campaign the year before, but struggled mightily only putting up five goals, 14 points and a -19 plus/minus in 73 games played.

Taylor Raddysh
The Stars have signed Ilya Lyubushkin to a two-year contract worth $6.5 million ($3.25M AAV)

Lyubushkin will join his fourth NHL team in three seasons after signing a two-year contract worth $6.5 million ($3.25M AAV) with Dallas on Monday. The 30-year-old shutdown defender will make a solid replacement for Chris Tanev after he posted no goals, eight points, 57 PIMs and a -11 plus/minus in 74 games played between Anaheim and Toronto in 2023-24.

Ilya Lyubushkin
The Islanders have signed Anthony Duclair to a four-year deal worth $14.0 million ($3.5M AAV).

Duclair will join his ninth NHL team in 11 seasons after he signed a four-year deal worth $14.0 million ($3.5M AAV) with the Islanders on Monday. The 28-year-old went on a nice run with Tampa Bay after being acquired at last year's trade deadline, with 15 points in 17 games to add to his 24 goals and 42 points in 73 games played on the season.

Anthony Duclair
The Penguins have signed Ryan Shea to a one-year deal worth $775K AAV.

Shea made his NHL debut in 2023-24 with the Penguins and has earned himself a one-year, contract extension worth $775,000 to stay in Pittsburgh. The 27-year-old has yet to pick up an assist in his 31 NHL games played, but has a goal, six PIMs and a +1 plus/minus.

Ryan Shea
The Canucks have signed Jiri Patera to a two-year, two-way contract.

After three seasons as Vegas' third goalie, Jiri Patera has signed a two-year, two-way contract with Vancouver. The 25-year-old netminder appeared in six games in 2023-24 with the Golden Knights, posting a 1-3-1 record, 3.98 GAA and .893 SV%.

Jiri Patera
The Flames have signed Ryan Lomberg to a two-year contract worth $4.0 million ($2.0M AAV).

Fresh off of a Stanley Cup victory, role-player Ryan Lomberg has earned himself a two-year contract worth $4.0 million ($2.0M AAV) with the Calgary Flames. The undrafted 29-year-old has never surpassed more than 20 points in a season and closed out 2023-24 with five goals, seven points, 80 PIMs and a -1 plus/minus in 75 games played.

Ryan Lomberg
The Islanders have signed Mike Reilly to a one-year deal worth $1.25 million.

Reilly will remain with the Islanders after a successful first campaign with New York in 2023-24 and has earned himself a one-year deal worth $1.25 million. The 30-year-old was claimed off waivers from Florida early on during the 2023-24 season but bounced back positively by picking up six goals, 24 points and 28 PIMs in 59 games with New York.

Mike Reilly
The Red Wings have signed Erik Gustafson to a two-year deal worth $4.0 million ($2.0M AAV).

Gustafson will join his eighth NHL team in nine seasons after signing a two-year, $4 million contract ($2,000,000 AAV) with Detroit on Monday. The 32-year-old spent 2023-24 with the New York Rangers and had six goals, 31 points and 35 PIMs in 76 games played.

Erik Gustafsson
The Sabres have signed Jacob Bryson to a one-year contract worth $900K.

Bryson will remain a Buffalo Sabre after four successful seasons after signing a one-year, $900,000 contract extension on Monday. The 26-year-old was Buffalo's 2017 4th-round pick (99th overall) and has appeared in 206 career games, picking up four goals and 36 points.

Jacob Bryson
The Sabres have signed Dennis Gilbert to a one-year contract worth $825K.

Buffalo added to their defensive depth on Monday after adding veteran Dennis Gilbert to a one-year, $825,000 contract. The 27-year-old reached a career-high in games played (34) in 2023-24 and had a goal, seven points, and 16 PIMs while averaging 12:17 TOI/GP.

Dennis Gilbert
The Stars have signed Brendan Smith to a one-year contract worth $1.0 million.

After two seasons in New Jersey, Brendan Smith will be joining Dallas on a one-year, $1.0 million contract into the 2024-25 season. The 35-year-old defenseman is entering his 14th NHL season after posting his highest point totals (15) since 2015-16.

Brendan Smith
The Stars signed Matt Dumba to a two-year contract worth $7.5 million ($3.75M AAV).

Dallas replaced Chris Tanev quickly on Monday by signing Matt Dumba to a two-year contract worth $7.5 million ($3,750,000 AAV). The 29-year-old appeared in 76 games between Arizona and Tampa Bay in 2023-24 and had four goals, 12 points, 88 PIMs and a -18 plus/minus.

Matt Dumba
The Oilers signed Josh Brown to a three-year deal worth $3.0 million ($1.0M AAV).

Brown will join his fifth NHL team in seven seasons after he signed a three-year deal worth $3.0 million ($1.0M AAV) with Edmonton. The 30-year-old appeared in 51 games with Arizona in 2023-24, picking up three goals, 10 points, and 75 PIMs.

Josh Brown
The Bruins signed Max Jones to a two-year contract worth $2.0 million ($1.0M AAV).

After six seasons in Anaheim, Max Jones has signed a two-year contract worth $2 million ($1,000,000 AAV) with Boston. The 26-year-old has never surpassed 20 points in any of his six seasons but had five goals, 15 points and 33 PIMs in 52 games played in 2023-24.

Max Jones
The Flyers have signed Garnet Hathaway to a two-year deal worth $4.8 million ($2.4M AAV).

Hathaway will stay in Philadelphia after a successful first season with the Flyers and has signed a two-year, $4.8 million ($2,400,000 AAV) contract extension on Monday. The 32-year-old veteran is entering his ninth NHL season and had seven goals, 17 points and 103 SOG in 82 games played in 2023-24.

Garnet Hathaway
The Wild signed Devin Shore to a one-year, two-way deal.

Minnesota added to their depth on Monday by adding a veteran presence in Devin Shore on a one-year, two-way deal. The 29-year-old is joining his sixth NHL team in his 10th season and had a goal and four points in 21 games played in 2023-24 with Seattle.

Devin Shore

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.