Keith Aucoin agreed to a one year deal at $625K with STL.
Aucoin has amassed only 49 points in 143 games (12 points in 2013) with the Islanders, Capitals and Hurricanes.
NHL Signings & Free Agents
Signing
LaBarbera has agreed to a 1-year, $1-million dollar deal with the Edmonton Oilers.
LaBarbera will likely serve as the backup to Devan Dubnyk in Edmonton.
Signing
Nashville has signed forward Matt Hendricks to a four-year, $7.4 million contract that will pay him $1.85 million per season through the 2016-17 campaign. The Predators originally drafted Hendricks 131st overall (fifth round) in the 2000 Entry Draft.
Hendricks, 32 (6/17/81), amassed eight points (5g-3a) in 48 games for the Washington Capitals in 2012-13, while leading the team in penalty minutes (73), and ranking third on the team in both face-off efficiency (56.8 percent) and hits (93).
#Isles sign F Pierre-Marc Bouchard to one-year, $2 million deal.
Bouchard has battled concussion issues in his career but had a healthy year last season while scoring eight goals and 12 assists in 43 games.
Stephen Weiss has agreed to terms on a 5-year, $24.5 million dollar deal with the Detroit Red Wings.
Weiss struggled last season because of a wrist injury but before that he had recorded three straight 20 goal seasons, including 28 in 2009-10. He will provide the Red Wings with more forward depth and allows them to continue to play the puck possession game that they love.
Matt Cullen agrees to terms with the Nashville Predators on a 2 years /7M total. #TSN
Cullen had seven goals and 20 assists in 42 games with the Wild last season. He is a solid play-making center having recorded at least 20 assists every season since 2005-06.
7 years, $36.75 for Clarkson and Leafs. Ltd no-trade and no-move clause.
After scoring 30 goals in 2011-12, David Clarkson only potted 15 in 48 games this season. The 6-foot-1-inch, 200 pound forward brings a physical style of play and solid net-front presence. His size along with the addition of Dave Bolland will open up the ice for the smaller Maple Leafs like Phil Kessel and Nazem Kadri.
Signing
NSH agrees to 4 year, $12M deal with Viktor Stalberg.
Stalberg posted 23 points in 47 games with the Blackhawks last season. He brings a big-body with a ton of speed to an up-and-coming Nashville team.
Signing
Mike Stone resigns with Phx 3 years
Stone had nine points in 40 games for the Coyotes last season.
Bozak re-signs with the Toronto Maple Leafs for 5-years, $21-million.
Bozak will stay in Toronto with his friend Phil Kessel. He is not the number 1 center that they need, but he is still a solid number 2. He set a career high with 47 in 2011-12 and had 28 points in 46 games last season.
Wild re-signs defenseman Jared Spurgeon to a three-year contract. #NHL
The 23-year-old defenseman had five goals and 10 assists (15 points) in 39 games for the WIld this season.
MacArthur has signed a 2-year deal worth $6.5 with OTT.
After posting a career high 62 points with the Maple Leafs in 2010-11, MacArthur has seen his production diminish in the last two years.
Signing
The Sharks have re-signed Tyler Kennedy, $2.3 M per year, two-yr deal
The Sharks also acquired Kennedy at the NHL Draft and have now re-signed the 26-year-old depth forward. He had 11 points in 46 games with Pittsburgh last season.
Sharks have re-signed Scott Hannan, one year, $1 M.
Hannan was acquired by the Sharks at the trade-deadline last season. He is no longer the 20-point player he was from 2002-2008 but he is a hard-nosed veteran who is a good value player at $1 million.
Scuderi is 4 years, $13.5M with PIT.
Scuderi will return to Pittsburgh where he played from 2003-2009. The 34-year-old brings a physical brand of hockey to a team who appeared to be pushed around by the Boston Bruins in Eastern Conference Finals.
Clowe deal in New Jersey: 5 years, $4.85 M per year
With the Devils losing David Clarkson they bring in Clowe who plays a similar style game to that of Clarkson. The 30-year-old forward struggled early last season scoring no goals in 28 games with the Sharks before being traded to the Rangers. After being dealt he had eight points in 12 games.
Nathan Horton's deal with CBJ is 7 years, $37.1 ($5.3 AAV) but he gets $30M in first 5 years.
Horton said that he wanted to go to a smaller market and that is likely why he chose the Blue Jackets. He had a great playoffs with the Bruins this season and will bring that to a Columbus team who doesn't have very much playoff experience. He will join the likes of Marian Gaborik and Sergei Bobrovsky on an emerging team who is headed to the Eastern Conference next season.
$750,000 for Greiss on 1 year deal with Coyotes.
Greiss goes from Antti Niemi's backup in San Jose to Mike Smith's backup in Phoenix.
Signing
Ribeiro's four year deal in PHX has an AAV of $5.5M. Partial NMC/NTC.
Ribeiro didn't get the long-term deal he was looking for in Washington but the Coyotes have given him a four-year deal. He tied for 10th in the NHL in scoring last season with 49 points in 48 games.
Signing
#Oilers have agreed to terms with centre Boyd Gordon on a 3-year deal.
Gordon is good in the faceoff circle which will help an Edmonton team who struggled on the dot last season. He is a cheaper but similar option to Shawn Horcoff who the Oilers moved to Dallas.
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.