Petrecki, 23, also signed a one-year, two-way deal (worth $650,00).
Petrecki isn't fantasy relevant.
NHL Signings & Free Agents
Sheppard, 24, signed a one-year, two-way deal worth $825,000.
Sheppard isn't fantasy relevant.
One year deal at 800,000 for Wade Redden with Blues.
It's unclear what his role in St Louis will be, and if Redden will be able to return to his old ways.
Signing
Alexei Kovalev signs one-year contract with Florida worth $1 Million.
Kovalev isn't the player he used to be but still has some skill and brings experience to the Panthers. Keep an eye on him, he could make some fantasy noise.
Panthers sign Dmitry Kulikov to a 2 year deal
Kulikov scores 28 points in 56 games last season for the Panthers and is their 2nd best fantasy defenseman (behind Campbell). Kulikov is still young and has tremendous upside.
Devils sign Zajac to eight-year deal worth $46 million ($5.75 million average)
Zajac is a good sleeper this year playing with Kovalchuk.
The Winnipeg Jets have agreed to terms with forward Jason Jaffray on a new contract.
Jaffray is not fantasy relevant.
Anaheim Ducks sign Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond to one-year contract
Letourneau-Leblond isn't fantasy relevant.
Vancouver Canucks announce they have signed defenceman Jim Vandermeer.
Vandermeer a defensive defenseman doesn't have a lot of fantasy value especially since he is joining an already crowded defensive corp in Vancouver.
Signing
Ellis signing is official for #Canes: one-year, one-way at prorated $650,000.
Ellis won't be fantasy relevant unless Cam Ward suffers an injury.
Radek Martinek's one-year deal with the NYI is for $600K with potential for another $150K in GP bonuses. Cap hit is $600K.
Martinek is not expected to be fantasy relevant.
Mike Mottau's two-way deal with TOR pays him in $850K in NHL, $300K in AHL tho he has $225K minor league guarantee. 850/300 are 82 games.
Mottau won't have any fantasy relevance this season.
Reports out of Washington #Caps will sign former #NHLJets Eric Fehr to 1-year, $600,000 deal.
Unlikely that Fehr will have any fantasy relevance this season.
Signing
Once lockout is over, I expect TOR to announce a 1 year deal with defenceman Cody Franson. Likely for a shade over $1M.
Franson has potential that seemingly everyone except the Leafs saw but he spent most of last season in Ron Wilson's doghouse. Under a new regime, Franson should be able to amplify his 21 points in 57 games last season.
Jochen Hecht is coming back to Buffalo.
Hecht was let go following a premature ending to last season due to a concussion. After convincing management that he has overcome those issues through play in Germany, Hecht will be back to provide much needed depth for the Sabres.
Lubomir Visnovsky, the veteran defenseman the Islanders acquired for a second-round pick on draft day in June, intends to stay in his home country of Slovakia for the remainder of this season, his agent told Newsday.
Burning a second rounder during the draft is really going to irk the Isles fans on this decision. They'll fight it but this could mirror the Nabokov situation from a couple years ago.
Signing
BREAKING: The Red Wings have signed defenseman Carlo Colaiacovo to a two-year deal.
The move gives the Wings another offensive blueliner for the powerplay, when healthy.
Signing
1 year...$7 mil for Semin in Carolina.
Semin latches onto another 1-year contract with hopes of regaining the scoring prowess that he once saw with the Caps. The improving Hurricanes will foster an environment where could emerge as the team's top scoring forward. Look for him near the top of our ranks this preseason.
Washington signed Wojtek Wolski to a one-year deal worth $600,000, giving them additional depth up front and perhaps a second-line winger.
It's a low-risk move for both the Caps and Wolski that could pay out huge dividends. Wolski has shown flashes of his offensive ability in the past but injuries have limited his output in recent years. If Wolski finds himself fortunate enough to be at RW on the Caps' top line, he could be a great FA pick up.
Zach Parise and Ryan Suter are coming to the ?#mnwild?!
Suter was the second most coveted defender and joins Parise in Minnesota. Suter's fantasy stock should remain just about where it was with Nashville.
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.