Signing
The #Flames have signed Swiss G Reto Berra to a one-year entry-level deal.
Berra was originally a 4th round pick by the Blues in 2006 and was acquired in the Bouwmeester deal. Berra has played in the Swiss league for his entire career
NHL Signings & Free Agents
The Ducks have signed free agent center Antoine Laganiere, who helped Yale to the NCAA championship, to a two-year entry-level contract.
Laganiere is 6-foot-5, 214-pounds and scored 15 goals and added 14 assists in 37 games for Yale.
Red Wings sign goaltender Jimmy Howard to six-year deal
The signing means Howard will backstop the Wings through the 2018-19 season. Terms of the deal were not yet disclosed.
Jets agree to terms with Adam Lowry.
Lowry is not expected to play a role with the Jets this season
Lightning sign Ben Bishop to a two-year deal.
Bishop should compete with Lindback for the number one job in Tampa next season.
The Dallas Stars announced Sunday that forward Curtis McKenzie has been signed to a two-year entry-level contract, beginning in the 2013-14 season.
McKenzie, 22, just completed his senior season at Miami (Ohio) University where he recorded 24 points (11G- 13A) and 80 penalty minutes in 39 games.
Blackhawks signed St. Cloud State center Drew LeBlanc on Friday, the same night he won the Hobey Baker Award as college hockey's top player,
LeBlanc won't be in the lineup Sunday against the Blues, but Quenneville said he might see some action in the Hawks' final seven games.
Bruins sign Carl Soderberg to a three-year, one-way contract through the 2014-15 season.
The politics around the signing are over and Soderberg has been given the green light to join the Bruins. Soderberg may suit up for the Bruins next week.
Rolston confirms newcomer Chad Ruhwedel will play today
Ruhwedel was signed to an entry level deal earlier today and will quickly join the Sabres. However, Coach Rolston did not confirm who his D partner will be.
Former collegiate standout could suit up as soon as Monday against Wild
Hanowski signed an entry level contract after they acquired his rights in the Iginla trade. Given the recent Tanguay injury and the fact that Feaster has said Hanowski will play in at least one NHL game this season, the expectation is that Hanowski will suit up on Monday vs. Minnesota. Hanowski had 31 points in 37 games for St. Cloud State this season.
Signing
The Flyers announced they have signed forward Petr Straka to a three-year, entry-level deal.
Straka was made a free agent after never agreeing to sign with Columbus after they selected him in the second round of the 2010 draft. Most recently, Straka has posted 82 points in 55 games in the QMJHL.
Carl Soderberg’s arrival in Boston has been delayed. As TSN first reported, the Swedish federation has declined to issue Soderberg his transfer card, thereby preventing him from reporting to the NHL.
The Bruins have already signed Soderberg to a three-year contract. Soderberg has also negotiated his exit deal with Linkoping, his Swedish club. The NHL is entering a five-day period to determine its next move, according to a source familiar with the situation. The NHL could go against the Swedes and stamp Soderberg’s transfer card. If that happens and the Swedish federation balks, the issue might have to be settled in an arbitration court. Soderberg still wants to play for the Bruins.
Signing
Habs sign Budaj to a two-year extension.
He is 6-1-1 with a 2.28 GAA and .917 SV% as Carey Price's backup this season.
The Boston Bruins have reached an agreement on a multi-year contract with Carl Soderberg, as the Swedish forward's team Linkoping has finalized his release.
Soderberg, 27, is expected to join the team and play in the postseason. The Bruins acquired Soderberg in 2007 in a trade with the St. Louis Blues. The 6-foot-3, 210-pound centre had 31 goals and 60 points in 54 games with Linkoping this season. Soderberg was selected 49th overall by the Blues in the 2004 NHL Draft.
Source:
TSN 2013-04-10T10:26:43.000Z
San Jose Sharks Executive Vice President and General Manager Doug Wilson announced today that the team has signed unrestricted free agent goaltender Troy Grosenick to an entry-level contract.
Grosenick, 23, has spent the past three seasons at Union College of the ECAC. In 2012-13, Grosenick posted a 17-15-5 record. His 2.12 goals-against average, .926 save percentage and .609 winning percentage ranked him 4th among all ECAC goaltenders in each category.
Prospect Dmitrij Jaskin could soon be joining the Blues. Jaskin inked his three-year NHL entry-level contract last Wednesday, after which the Blues immediately assigned the forward to the Peoria Rivermen of the AHL. But apparently the Blues never intended him to play at Peoria.
Jaskin, 20, was the Blues’ second-round pick (41st overall) in 2011. In 51 games this season, Jaskin led Moncton and ranked fifth in the league with 99 points (46 goals, 53 assists). At 6-foot-3 and 205 pounds, he was named the league’s No. 1 star in November and January.
Mason, 24, who would have been a restricted free agent in the summer, signed a one-year contract extension with the Flyers worth $1.5 million.
Mason has played just one period thus far for the Flyers, making nine saves on nine shots in a 4-1 loss to the Winnipeg Jets Saturday in relief of starter Ilya Bryzgalov. Mason, the 2009 Calder Trophy winner as a rookie with the Columbus Blue Jackets, was acquired in a trade last week in exchange for Michael Leighton and a 2015 third round draft pick. Mason has a career record of 96-99-27 with a 2.90 goals against average and a .903 save percentage. He also has 19 career shutouts.
Signing
#Flyers make official what many have reported: Univ. of Minnesota defenseman Mark Alt has signed an entry-level contract. #NHL
Alt had seven assists in 39 games with the U of Minnesota this season.
Signing
Oilers sign Kale Kessy to a 3 year entry level deal.
Kessy had 19 goals and 22 assists (41 points) in 58 games as a member of both the Vancouver Giants and Kamloops Blazers this season.
Signing
Denver goalie, Juho Olkinuora, signs with WPG Jets. #TSN
Olkinuora was 13-6-5 with a 2.35 GAA and .927 SV% with the University of Denver this season.
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.