NHL Signings & Free Agents

The Blue Jackets have re-signed Tim Erixon to a one-year, $600K contract.

Erixon, 23, was the 23rd overall pick in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. He only appeared in two games with the Blue Jackets last season, but posted five goals and 33 assists (38 points) in 40 games with the Springfield Falcons (AHL). He will battle for a spot on the Blue Jackets blueline in training camp.

Tim Erixon
Restricted free-agent Matt Donovan accepts qualifying offer of $826,875 from the New York Islanders.

Donovan, 24, was the 96th overall pick in 2008, but 2013-14 was his first full NHL season. He recorded 16 points (2G / 14A) with a minus-9 rating in 52 games with the Isles. Donovan will enter camp and fight for a regular role on a fairly young blueline.

Matt Donovan
The Predators have signed Mike Ribeiro to a one-year, $1.05 million deal.

Ribeiro, 34, was bought out by the Coyotes after scoring 16 goals with 31 assists and a minus-13 rating in 80 games. Ribeiro has been known to have some behavioural issues in the locker room, but the Predators take very little risk on the crafty centre by signing him to a cheap, one-year contract.

Mike Ribeiro
The Bruins have settled its arbitration with Matt Bartkowski, they have agreed on a one-year deal worth$1.25 million.

Bartkowski, 26, had 18 assists and a plus-22 rating in 64 games with the Bruins last season. 2013-14 was Bartkowski's first full season in the NHL and he proved to be a more than capable NHL defenseman. However, the Bruins are really deep on the blueline and Bartkowski currently sits as their seventh or eighth defensemen and could end up being traded.

Matt Bartkowski
The Lightning signed Brenden Morrow to a one-year, $1.55 million contract.

Morrow, 35, had 13 goals and 12 assists (25 points) in 71 games with the Blues last season. The veteran winger is a two-time 30-plus goal scorer, but has seen his production fall while playing a smaller role over the last few seasons. In 2013-14 he figures to play on the Lightning's third or fourth line on a regular basis.

Brenden Morrow
The Blue Jackets signed Brandon Dubinsky to a six-year, $35.1 million contract extension.

Dubinsky, 28, registered 16 goals and 34 assists (50 points) in 76 games during his second season with the Blue Jackets. Dubinsky also finished tied for second in Jackets' postseason scoring with six points (1G / 5A). Dubinsky will play this season under a $4.2 million dollar cap-hit, but will make $5.85 million over the following six season after yesterday's extension.

Brandon Dubinsky
The Sharks have signed Scott Hannan to a one-year contract.

Hannan, 35, had three goals and nine assists (12 points) and a plus-1 rating in 56 games with the Sharks last season. Hannan is not known for his offensive game at this point in his career, but plays a key role on the Sharks penalty kill.

Scott Hannan
The Red Wings have signed Daniel Cleary to a one-year contract.

Cleary, 35, had just eight points (4G / 4A) with a minus-11 rating in 52 games with the Red Wings last season. Cleary has scored 20-plus goals on three occasions, but has registered just 23 points in 100 games over the last two seasons. He holds no fantasy value at this point, but provides the Red Wings with depth and experience.

Danny Cleary
The Panthers have signed restricted free agent Erik Gudbranson to a two-year contract.

Gudbranson, 22, had just nine points (3G / 6A) and a minus-7 rating in 65 games with the Panthers last season. While those numbers don't jump off the board at you, he led the Panthers in PIMs (114), hits (158) and was fifth in blocked shots (91). He put up decent offensive numbers in juniors, but has yet to show he can score consistently in the NHL.

Erik Gudbranson
Sobotka is leaving the NHL after signing a three-year deal worth $12 million with Avangard Omsk of the KHL.

Blues GM Doug Armstrong said today that they had offered Sobotka deals between one and five years at north of $3 million per season. Sobotka heads to the KHL for more money, but he is able opt out of his contract after any given season with the Blues retaining his rights should he decide to return to the NHL.

Vladimir Sobotka
The Blues signed Steve Ott to a two-year deal worth $5.2 million.

Ott, 31, appeared in all 82 games in 2013-14 with the Blues and Sabres. He played 23 with the Blues, recording three assists and a minus-12 rating. Ott will likely skate on the Blues' third or fourth line in 2014-15.

Steve Ott
The Ducks inked Dany Heatley to a one-year, $1 million dollar deal.

Heatley, 33, had 12 goals and 16 assists (28 points) in 76 games with the Wild last season. The former two-time 50-goal scorer has seen his goal production slip in each season since 2007-08. However, he still possess a heavy shot and his contract is a low-risk move for a team that can surround Heatley with a lot of talent.

Dany Heatley
The Blackhawks signed Patrick Kane to an eight-year, $84 million dollar contract extension.

The Blackhawks signed Jonathan Toews to the exact same contract. The deal does not kick in until the 2015-16 season, but the annual cap-hit will be the highest in the league. When Kane and Toews joined the Blackhawks they had not reached the Finals since 1992, but since drafting Kane (first overall) in 2007 they have won two Stanley Cups and reached the Western Conference Final two other times. Kane tallied 29 goals and 40 assists (69 points) in 69 games last season. Kane went on to post 20 points (8G / 12A) in 19 postseason games. Kane has some of the best hands in the NHL and will be one of the first right wingers off of the board this season.

Patrick Kane
The Blackhawks signed Jonathan Toews to an eight-year, $84 million dollar contract extension.

The Blackhawks signed Patrick Kane to the exact same contract. The ,deal does not kick in until the 2015-16 season, but the annual cap-hit will make them the highest paid players in the NHL. When Toews and Kane joined the Blackhawks they had not reached the Finals since 1992, but since drafting Toews (third overall) in 2006 they have won two Stanley Cups and reached the Western Conference Final on two other occasions. Toews had 28 goals and 40 assists (68 points) with a plus-26 rating in 76 games last season. Toews has scored on a 74.5 point per 82 game pace in the first seven years of his career. He is one of the most reliable centres in the league and should be a top-15 pick in fantasy drafts next season.

Jonathan Toews
The Sharks have agreed to a three-year contract with restricted free agent Tommy Wingels.

Wingels, 26, tallied 16 goals and 22 assists (38 points) with a plus-11 rating in 77 games with the Sharks last season. With Brent Burns set to move back to defence next season, Wingels becomes a candidate to move up into the Sharks top-6 and could land on a line with Patrick Marleau and Logan Couture come October. Wingels will look to build off of his best professional season as he eyes down his first 20-goal campaign.

Tommy Wingels
The Sharks have agreed to a one-year deal with restricted free-agent James Sheppard.

Sheppard, 26, had 20 points (4G / 16A) in 67 games with the Sharks last season. The regular season was a struggle, but Sheppard had two goals and four assists in seven postseason games. He has yet to develop into the scorer that made him the ninth overall pick in 2006. Sheppard has just 73 points (16 G / 57A) in 323 career NHL games.

James Sheppard
The Maple Leafs signed Petri Kontiola to a one-year, $1.1 million dollar deal.

Kontiola, 29, had 12 goals and 22 assists (37 points) with Chelyabinsk Traktor of the KHL last season. The former seventh round pick of the Blackhawks in 2004 had a strong Olympics with Team Finland and will provide the Maple Leafs with some depth down the middle this season.

The Predators have locked Anton Volchenkov up for one-year at $1 million dollars.

Volchenkov, 32, recorded eight assists in 56 games with the Devils last season. Despite sub-par offensive numbers, Volchenkov led the Devils in hits (129) and was second in blocked shots (91) even though he missed 26 games. He had strong possession numbers in 2013-14 and should settle in nicely on the Predators second pairing.

Anton Volchenkov
The Canadiens signed European free-agent Jiri Sekac to a two-year deal worth $2.7 million.

Sekac, 22, was coveted by most NHL general managers on July 1st, but elected to sign a two-year contract with the Habs. Sekac had 11 goals and 17 assists (28 points) in 47 games with Prague Lev of the KHL last season.

Jiri Sekac
The Blues signed Jori Lehtera to a two-year contract worth $5.5 million.

Lehtera, 26, was selected in the third-round (65th overall) in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. Lehtera had 12 goals and 32 assists (44 points) in 48 games with Novosibirsk Sibir of the KHL last year. He has just seven games of North American hockey experience. He had one assist in those games with Peoria (AHL).

Jori Lehtera

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.