NHL Signings & Free Agents

The Sharks re-signed goaltender Alex Stalock to a two-year deal worth $3.2 million on Tuesday.

In his first season as a full-time NHLer, Stalock proved to be a more than capable backup to Antti Niemi. Stalock pushed Niemi for the starting job all season, finishing up the year 12-5-2 with a 1.87 GAA and .932 SV%. He also saw some playing time in the postseason, where he turned aside 52 of 56 shots (.929 SV%).

Alex Stalock
The Flyers signed 39-year-old defenseman Kimmo Timonen to a one-year, $2 million dollar contract extension last Friday.

During his seven seasons with the Flyers, Timonen has won five Barry Ashbee trophies as the team’s best defenseman, including the last three in a row. Timonen finished the 2013-14 season with six goals and 29 assists (35 points) in 77 games. In seven years with Philly he has averaged 38.6 points per season, that is including 29 points in 45 games in the lockout shortened season. Despite getting up there in age, Timonen has only missed a total of 21 regular season games in his tenure with the Flyers. He should be a reliable blueliner yet again in 2014-15.

Kimmo Timonen
The Predators have signed Carter Hutton to a two-year deal worth $700,000 in 2014-15 and $750,000 in 2015-16.

Starter Pekka Rinne is signed for the next seven years. The Predators signed Hutton last offseason under the recommendation of goaltending coach Mitch Korn. The latter helped turn Hutton into a viable NHL backup with a 2.62 goals against average and .910 save percentage and a 20-11-4 record. Before last season, Hutton had played just one NHL game.

Carter Hutton
The Blues have signed Brian Elliott to a three-year contract worth $7.5 million.

Elliott was set to become a unrestricted free agent in the summer, but this signing means that Ryan Miller will not be back in 2014-15, while Elliott is signed through the 2016-17 season. Elliott was 18-6-2 with a 1.96 GAA and .922 SV% with the Blues this season.

Brian Elliott
Gustafsson has signed with Avangard Omsk of Russia's Kontinential Hockey League.

Gustafsson played in only 31 regular-season games and played the final two playoff games after fellow countryman Nicklas Grossmann went down injured. He and Hal Gill were often healthy scratches for the Flyers, who carried eight defensemen for most of the season. Gustafsson was set to become a UFA in the summer.

Erik Gustafsson
The Devils signed Jaromir Jagr to a one-year contract extension on Wednesday.

The Devils did not release terms of the contract. Jagr said it was a one-year deal. The contract is believed to be worth $6 million US with incentives. Jagr was the Devils' leading scorer this, finishing with 24 goals and 43 assists for 67 points.

Jaromir Jagr
The Flyers have signed Andrew MacDonald to a six-year, $30 million contract.

MacDonald was acquired by the Flyers around this year's trade deadline on March 4 from the NY Islanders, and since joining the team, has four assists in 19 games and recorded over 20 minutes of ice-time in 14 of those games, including a Flyers-high of 28:49 at Pittsburgh on April 12. The 6-1, 190-pound defenseman led all NHL players in blocked shots this season with 242 and was one of three players in the NHL with over 200 blocks. He finished the season with four goals and 24 assists for 28 points in 82 games between the Islanders and Flyers.

Andrew MacDonald
The Habs have signed Dustin Tokarski to a two-year contract extension.

Tokarki, 24 was 2-0-0 with a 1.84 GAA and .946 SV% in his brief time with Montreal this season. While with Hamilton he has gone 20-15-3 with a 2.36 GAA and .920 SV%. Tokarski will likely spend another season in the AHL before moving up to be Cary Price's backup when Peter Budaj's contract is up at the end of next season.

Dustin Tokarski
The Wild have signed Christian Folin to a two-year deal.

Folin was viewed as the best undrafted college play on the market. He's set to join the Wild on Tuesday night in Chicago, though he's not eligible for the playoffs this season since he was added after the March 5 trade deadline. Folin is a big boy at 6-foot-3, 210 lbs. that can play in both ends of the rink. Folin has a powerful right handed shot that would help bolster any powerplay unit. Folin is someone to potentially keep an eye on late in 2014-15 fantasy drafts.

Christian Folin
The Hurricanes have signed defenseman Justin Faulk to a six-year, $29-million dollar contract extension.

Faulk, 22, has three goals and 21 assists (24 points) in 65 games this season. He was a U.S Olympian this season which speaks to his talent in the early stages of his NHL career. In 169 career NHL games, Faulk has 16 goals and 45 assists (61 points). The deal will carry an annual cap-hit of $4.9 million.

Justin Faulk
The New York Islanders announced today that forward Eric Boulton has agreed to terms on a one-year contract.

Boulton, 36, appeared in 23 games with the Islanders this season, recording four points (two goals, two assists) and 88 penalty minutes. The Halifax, NS, native’s second season with the Islanders was cut short by a wrist injury suffered March 4 in Winnipeg.

Eric Boulton
The Flyers inked the Michael Raffl to a two-year extension after Saturday's 4-1 win over the St. Louis Blues. His cap hit will be $1.1 million.

Raffl played more than he usually does after Steve Downie got hurt in the first period this afternoon. He has nine goals and 12 assists (21 points) in 56 games this season. Raffl has good speed and can also play a strong defensive-minded game. He's played on all four of the Flyers' lines this season and has excelled on the penalty kill. The $1.1 million AAV is a very friendly cap hit for the Flyers, but the contract has firmly cemented Raffl in the club's plans at the NHL level next season.

Michael Raffl
The Lightning have signed free agent forward Cody Kunyk to a one year, two-way NHL contract.

Kunyk, 23, skated in 37 games for the University of Alaska-Fairbanks Nanooks this season, posting 22 goals and 43 points to go along with 22 penalty minutes and a plus-13 rating. The 5-foot-11, 197-pound forward led the Nanooks in goals, points, power-play goals (six) and shorthanded goals (two). Kunyk was named the WCHA’s Player of the Year and to the First Team All-WCHA team. He also led the WCHA for scoring during the 2013-14 season.

The Blackhawks have agreed to terms with forward Brandon Mashinter on a two-year contract extension; will take him through end of 2015-16 season.

Mashinter, 25, has 10 goals and 12 assists (22 points) in 34 games with Rockford (AHL) since being traded from the Rangers to the Blackhawks. He has no points and 27 penalty minutes in 23 career NHL games.

Brandon Mashinter
The Flames have signed left wing Ken Agostino from Yale University to a two year contract worth $900k per season.

Agostino played four seasons with Yale University capturing the NCAA National Championship with the Bulldogs in 2013. In 33 games during his senior season he netted 14 goals, 18 assists for 32 points and 46 penalty minutes. His career college numbers stand just shy of a point-per-game with 56 goals along with 76 assists for 132 points and 140 penalty minutes in 134 games. He was acquired by the Flames when they traded Jarome Iginla to the Penguins.

Kenny Agostino
Berra has signed a three-year deal with the Avalanche.

Berra was picked up for a third-round pick at the trade deadline on March 5. He was set to become and unrestricted free agent this offseason, but with J.S Giguere leaning towards retiring, the Avalanche have locked Berra up through the 2016-17 season. The financial terms of the deal have not yet been disclosed, but the deal will be made official on Friday and the details will be released then.

Reto Berra
The Capitals have agreed to terms with Evgeny Kuznetsov on a two-year entry-level contract.

The wait is over Capitals fans. After picking Kuznetsov 26th overall in the 2010 NHL draft, they have finally got him to North America. The 21-year-old had eight goals and 13 assists (21 points) in 31 games in the KHL this season. He is high-energy, highly-skilled prospect that can make an early impact if he adjusts well to the NHL game. He will practice with the Capitals on Sunday and likely play on Monday.

Evgeny Kuznetsov
The Jets have signed Mark Stuart to a four-year, $10.5 millions US contract extension.

There were reports that the Jets were shopping the pending unrestricted free agent, but they decided to sign the rugged defenseman through the 2017-18 season. He is not an offensive, fantasy producer, but he is a strong defensive defenseman the Jets will be happy to have for the next four years.

Mark Stuart

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.