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NHL Signings & Free Agents

Richard Panik(Right Wing)(RW)|Free Agent FA

Signing

The Blackhawks have signed Richard Panik to a one-year contract extension worth $875K.

Panik was acquired from the Maple Leafs back in January and finished the season with a total of 15 goals and 18 assists (33 points). His $875K is a $100,000 pay-cut from what he earned in 2015-16.

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Tracey Myers 2016-06-16T09:55:57.000Z

Riley Sheahan(Center)(C)|Free Agent FA

Signing

The Red Wings have signed Riley Sheahan to a two-year contract extension worth $4.15 million.

Sheahan, 24, had 14 goals and 11 assists (25 points) in 81 games in 2015-16. It was a down year for the 2010 first round pick considering he notched 36 points (13G / 26A) in 2014-15.

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Helene St. James 2016-06-16T09:52:28.000Z

Morgan Rielly(Defenseman)(D)|Toronto Maple Leafs TOR

Signing

The Maple Leafs have signed Morgan Rielly to a six-year extension worth $30 million ($5.0M AAV).

Rielly appeared in all 82 games this season, picking up nine goals and 27 assists (36 points). In his first three NHL seasons, Rielly has collected 19 goals and 73 assists (92 points) and a minus-46 rating in 236 career games. Rielly will be the backbone of the Maple Leafs' blueline for years to come.

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Bob McKenzie 2016-04-13T10:34:21.000Z

Nazem Kadri(Center)(C)|Colorado Avalanche COL

Signing

The Maple Leafs have signed Nazem Kadri to a six-year deal worth $27 million ($4.5M AAV).

Statistically Kadri didn’t have the greatest season but the Maple Leafs were impressed with his development and have inked him to a very reasonable six-year extension. Kadri will look to build off of his 2015-16 season where he had 17 goals and 28 assists (45 points) in 76 games. This raise should also help him pay for all those fines that seem to be adding up.

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Bob McKenzie 2016-04-13T10:26:07.000Z

Kyle Connor(Left Wing)(LW)|Winnipeg Jets WPG

Signing

The Jets have signed Kyle Connor to a three-year, two-way deal worth $5.325M ($1.775M AAV).

Connor, 19, was a Hobey Baker Finalist this season after scoring 35 goals and 36 assists (71 points) in 38 games with the University of Michigan. Connor was the 17th overall pick in 2015 and had a massive Freshman season in Ann Arbor and will turn pro with the Jets next season.

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Sara Orlesky 2016-04-11T13:41:07.000Z

Ray Emery(Goalie)(G)|Free Agent FA

Signing

The Flyers have signed Ray Emery for the remainder of the season.

The Flyers have six games left in the regular season and Emery will likely be with the team as Steve Mason’s backup goalie, as long as he clears waivers. Emery is not eligible to play in the playoffs, but he is goaltending insurance with Michal Neuvirth still sidelined.

Source:

@NHLFlyers 2016-04-01T12:32:02.000Z

Charlie Lindgren(Goalie)(G)|Washington Capitals WSH

Signing

The Canadiens have signed Charlie Lindgren to a two-year contract.

Lindgren, 22, just finished up his season with St. Cloud State, where he went 30-9-1 with a 2.13 GAA and .925 SV%. Ben Scrivens will be placed on waivers to clear a roster spot for Lindgren to finish the season with the Canadiens.

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Montreal Canadiens 2016-03-30T10:58:04.000Z

Zach Werenski(Defenseman)(D)|Columbus Blue Jackets CBJ

Signing

The Blue Jackets have signed Zach Werenski to an AHL amateur tryout contract.

Werenski, 18, was the eighth overall pick in 2015 and will report to Lake Erie (AHL) on a “tryout” while the Blue Jackets work on an entry-level deal for him. Werenski just finished up his second season at the University of Michigan, where he had 36 points (11G / 25A) in 36 games.

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Columbus Blue Jacekts 2016-03-29T10:28:24.000Z

Eric Tangradi(Left Wing)(LW)|

Signing

The Red Wings have signed Eric Tangradi to a two-year contract extension.

Tangradi has only appeared in one game with the Red Wings, but has impressed at the AHL level, picking up 49 points (24G / 25A) in 60 games with the Grand Rapids Griffins. He has 15 career points (5G / 10A) in 144 NHL games.

Source:

@DetroitRedWings 2016-03-21T14:18:59.000Z

Carl Gunnarsson(Right Defenseman)(LD)|Free Agent FA

Signing

The Blues have signed Carl Gunnarsson to a three-year extension worth $8.7 million.

Gunnarsson, 29, has dressed in 62 games for the Blues this season, tallying seven points (2G / 5A), 27 penalty minutes and a plus-6 rating. Across 427 career regular season games between the Blues and Maple Leafs, Gunnarsson has registered 105 points (19G / 86A), 121 penalty minutes and a plus-30 rating.

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St. Louis Blues 2016-03-12T10:35:43.000Z

Scott Gomez(Center)(C)|

Signing

The Senators have signed Scott Gomez to a one-year contract.

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Ottawa Senators 2016-03-02T12:50:50.000Z

Miikka Salomaki(Right Wing)(RW)|Free Agent FA

Signing

The Predators have signed Miikka Salomaki to a two-year extension worth $1.225 million.

Source:

Nashville Predators 2016-03-01T11:05:10.000Z

Boone Jenner(Center)(C)|Washington Capitals WSH

Signing

The Blue Jackets have signed Boone Jenner to a two-year contract extension worth $5.8 million ($2.9M AAV).

Jenner is having a career-year, posting 22 goals and 13 assists (35 points) in 63 games with the Blue Jackets this season. Jenner was a pending free agent at the end of the season, but now become an RFA in 2018-19.

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Columbus Blue Jacekts 2016-02-29T16:27:56.000Z

Laurent Brossoit(Goalie)(G)|Anaheim Ducks ANA

Signing

The Oilers have signed goaltender Laurent Brossoit to a two-year contract extension.

Brossoit, 22, will get a shot with the Oilers for the rest of the season after they traded Anders Nilsson to the Blues. He has gone 15-9-3 with a 2.69 GAA, .919 SV% and three shutouts with Bakersfield (AHL) this season. He gets two more years with the Oilers before becoming a restricted free agent in 2018-19.

Source:

Bob McKenzie 2016-02-29T16:44:48.000Z

Brandon Davidson(Right Defenseman)(LD)|Free Agent FA

Signing

The Oilers have signed Brandon Davidson to a two-year deal worth $2.85 million.

Davidson, 24, has picked up 10 points (4G /6A) in 47 games with the Oilers this season after picking up just one goal in his first 12 NHL games last season. Davidson was set to become a restricted free agent at the end of this season but will now be with the Oilers through the 2017-18 season.

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John Shannon 2016-02-29T16:45:12.000Z

Michael Raffl(Left Wing)(LW)|Free Agent FA

Signing

The Flyers have signed Michael Raffl to a three-year deal worth $7.05 million ($2.35M AAV).

Source:

Pierre LeBrun 2016-02-28T23:38:20.000Z

Anthony Bitetto(Right Defenseman)(LD)|Free Agent FA

Signing

The Predators have signed Anthony BItetto to a two-year, $1.225M ($612.5K AAV) contract extension.

Bitetto, 25, has appeared in the Predators last 11 games and has one assist in 17 games for the club in 2015-16. Paired with seven games during three recalls a season ago, the Island Park, New York, native has one point (1A) in 24 career NHL games, all with Nashville.

Source:

Nashville Predators 2016-02-26T12:17:04.000Z

Braydon Coburn(Right Defenseman)(LD)|Free Agent FA

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

Olli Maatta(Defenseman)(D)|Minnesota Wild MIN

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

Shawn Thornton(Right Wing)(RW)|

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

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.