Signing
Chris Higgins signed a four-year, $10 million deal with Canucks worth $2.5 million per season.
Higgins has recorded 29 goals and 33 assists in 120 games since coming over from Florida in the 2010-11 season.
NHL Signings & Free Agents
#Caps announce they've signed Minnesota defenseman Nate Schmidt to a 2-year, entry level deal.
Schmidt had nine goals and 23 assists in 40 games as a Junior at the University of Minnesota.
Signing
#leafs announce signing of goalie Drew MacIntyre. Has been huge for the #marlies this season.
MacIntyre is 10-3-3 with a 1.85 GAA and .931 SV% with the Toronto Marlies of the AHL this season.
#Sabres finally announce the signing of Providence senior Tim Schaller, the reigning Hockey East Defensive Forward of the Year.
Schaller had eight goals and 15 assists in 38 games as a member of Providence College this season. He scored 29 goals and 39 assists in 131 games in four years at Providence.
#CBJ C Mark Letestu has signed a two-year $2.5 million contract extension.
Letestu who was set to be a UFA at the end of the season has nine goals and 11 assists in 34 games this season.
The Lightning have signed Crombeen to a 2 year contract extension.
Crombeen was set to become a UFA at the end of this season.
Anders Lee has signed a two-year deal with the #Isles and will be in Newark for morning skate.
Lee just finished up his junior year at the University of Notre Dame. He had 20 goals and 18 assists in 41 games this season. He totaled 61 goals and 55 assists (116 points) in 125 games at Notre Dame. It is unlikely that he will play for the Isles tonight, but tomorrow is a possibility.
Signing
Oilers announce Smid signed for 4 years-$14 million. (3.5 million per/yr)
Smid is in his seventh season in the NHL, all of which have been spent in Edmonton. He has 10 goals and 52 assists in 443 games. He is a solid stay at home defenseman who is much more valuable to the Oilers than he is to your fantasy team.
The New York Islanders and the 36-year-old defenceman agreed to a two-year contract extension worth $9.5 million on Friday. The deal includes a no movement clause.
In 22 games this season, Visnovsky has three goals and six assists. Visnovsky was set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season and widely speculated as a player that could have been moved before the NHL trade deadline.
Source:
TSN 2013-03-30T10:51:05.000Z
Signing
#NYR announce signing of free agent D Conor Allen.
Allen (23) is 6-foot-1-inch, 210 lbs., from UMass-Amherst. Allen had five goals, 14 assists, 53 PIM in 33 games this season.
Dan DeKeyser has chosen Detroit.
The highly sought after 6-foot-3-inch two-way defenseman DeKeyser has decided to stay in Michigan and sign with the Red Wings. It is believed that most of the teams in the NHL tried to sign him but he ultimately signed with Detroit. He registered two goals and 13 assists in 35 games as a member of the Western Michigan Broncos this season. He is likely going to be given a shot with the Red Wings, if he produces he could become a fantasy relevant defenseman.
#Caps announced they re-signed F Casey Wellman to 2-year, 2-way contract extension worth $550K / season.
Wellman has posted 21 points in 22 games with the Hershey Bears this season.
Signing
Bruins also sign University Minnesota-Duluth d-man Chris Casto to entry-level deal.
Casto recorded five goals and 17 assists in 77 games in two seasons at University Minnesota-Duluth. He is a 6-foot-3-inch, 215 lbs. defenseman.
Bruins have signed D Matt Bartkowski to a 1-yr, 1-way contract extension through the 2013-14 worth $650,000 per season.
With Boychuk and McQuaid out with injuries Bartkowski has been thrust into the Bruins lineup. Bartkowski has three goals and 24 points with 56 penalty minutes in 56 games in the AHL this season. He has no points and a minus-2 in two games with the Bruins.
Signing
Carolina has agreed to terms with left wing Alexander Semin on a five-year contract extension. The deal will pay Semin $7 million per season through 2017-18.
Semin has played very well in his first 30 games in Carolina. He has scored eight goals and added 22 assists alongside Eric Staal and Jiri Tlusty. Semin ran into problems after a few good seasons in Washington, Carolina is hoping the same won't happen this time around. Expect Semin to continue his strong season on the Hurricanes top line.
Can confirm that Mats Zuccarello has agreed to terms on contract with Rangers, though he is awaiting his release from the KHL
MZA has spent some time on the Rangers' top line in the past so he could be the spark the Rangers need up front to get moving again. He does not need to go through waivers because he is already under RFA-status with New York as per Bob McKenzie.
The Ducks are expected to sign veteran winger Radek Dvorak to a contract for the remainder of this season.
Dvorak is 36 and is just expected to provide depth for the Ducks' top six and may not play a large fantasy impact this season. Dvorak played in the Swiss league so he needs to clear waivers to make the signing official.
Signing
The Blues have agreed to a deal in principle with forward Sergei Andronov.
Andronov, 23, has played in 56 games with the Peoria Rivermen this season. He has scored eight goals and 11 assists (19 points). Andronov was drafted by the Blues in the third round (78th overall) of the 2009 NHL Draft.
Lightning announce four-year deal with Nate Thompson. Cross him off the rental wish list.
Thompson has six goals and four assists in 30 games this season.
Signing
The Flyers have signed 24-year-old free agent center Kyle Flanagan to a one-year contract for the 2013-14 season, according to general manager Paul Holmgren.
Flanagan will be assigned to the Phantoms on a tryout agreement for the rest of the season. The 5-foot-7, 190-pound forward recently completed his senior year at St. Lawrence University. Flanagan scored 15 goals and added 32 assists for 47 points in 35 games this past season while serving as captain of the Saints. He has been named a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award as the top collegiate player for 2012-13.
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.