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NHL Signings & Free Agents

Mikael Pyyhtia(Left Wing)(LW)|Columbus Blue Jackets CBJ

Signing

Columbus has signed Mikael Pyyhtia to a two-year contract extension worth $875,000 AAV

After five appearances with Columbus in 2025-26, Mikael Pyyhtia has earned himself a two-year contract extension worth $875,000 AAV to remain with the Blue Jackets. The 24-year-old forward was Columbus' 2020 4th round pick (114th overall) and has appeared in 71 NHL games with the Blue Jackets since 2022-23, picking up five goals, 11 points and eight PIMs during that time. He is expected to compete for a bottom-six role in training camp for the Blue Jackets.

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Columbus Blue jackets 2026-06-26T17:07:48.665Z

Sam Morton(Left Wing)(LW)|Calgary Flames CGY

Signing

1-year, $850,000 contract with the Calgary Flames. $225,000 Guaranteed. Expires 2027 (UFA).

Source:

2026-06-26T03:59:00.000Z

Mikael Pyyhtia(Left Wing)(LW)|Columbus Blue Jackets CBJ

Signing

2-year, $1,750,000 contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets. $250,000 Guaranteed. Expires 2028 (RFA).

Source:

2026-06-26T03:59:00.000Z

Ethan Cardwell(Right Wing)(RW)|San Jose Sharks SJS

Signing

1-year, $850,000 contract with the San Jose Sharks. $175,000 Guaranteed. Expires 2027 (RFA).

Source:

2026-06-26T03:59:00.000Z

William Wallinder(Defenseman)(D)|Detroit Red Wings DET

Signing

2-year, $1,750,000 contract with the Detroit Red Wings. $150,000 Guaranteed in Year 1. Expires 2028 (RFA).

Source:

2026-06-26T03:59:00.000Z

Matthew Seminoff(Right Wing)(RW)|Dallas Stars DAL

Signing

2-year, $1,750,000 contract with the Dallas Stars. $125K Guaranteed in Yr 1 ... $175K Guaranteed in Yr 2. Expires 2028 (RFA).

Source:

2026-06-26T03:59:00.000Z

Ian Moore(Defenseman)(D)|Anaheim Ducks ANA

Signing

2-year, $2,300,000 contract with the Anaheim Ducks. Expires 2028 (RFA).

Source:

2026-06-26T03:59:00.000Z

Harrison Scott(Left Wing)(LW)|Dallas Stars DAL

Signing

2-year, $1,750,000 contract with the Dallas Stars. $115K Guaranteed in Yr 1 ... $165K Guaranteed in Yr 2. Expires 2028 (UFA).

Source:

2026-06-26T03:59:00.000Z

Rory Kerins(Center)(C)|Calgary Flames CGY

Signing

1-year, $850,000 contract with the Calgary Flames. $290,000 Guaranteed. Expires 2027 (RFA).

Source:

2026-06-26T03:59:00.000Z

Juuso Valimaki(Defenseman)(D)|Carolina Hurricanes CAR

Signing

Carolina has signed Juuso Valimaki to a one-year, $900,000 contract extension.

Valimaki was a 16th-round pick of the Calgary Flames in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, but he spent the entirety of the 2025-26 season in the AHL, scoring 23 points (7G / 16A) in 27 games. The 27-year-old defenseman has had some success at the NHL level, including an impressive 34-point campaign (4G / 30A) in the 2022-23 season in 78 games with the Arizona Coyotes.

Source:

Walt Ruff 2026-06-25T17:27:29.614Z

Zach Benson(Left Wing)(LW)|Buffalo Sabres BUF

Signing

Buffalo has signed Zach Benson to a seven-year contract extension worth $7.5 million AAV ($52.5 million total).

Benson was drafted 13th overall by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft and made his presence felt with a breakout 2025-26 season, scoring 43 points (13G / 30A) in 65 games. The 21-year-old forward continued to gain attention in the postseason, where he scored nine points (5G / 4A) in 13 games. He should continue to see his role elevate in the upcoming season with the Sabres, especially with the recent departure of top-six forward Alex Tuch.

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Buffalo Sabres 2026-06-25T17:29:33.109Z

Alex Tuch(Right Wing)(RW)|Buffalo Sabres BUF

Signing

8-year, $84,000,000 contract with the Buffalo Sabres. Yr 1-4 Full NMC, Yr 5-7 21 team NTC, Yr 8 15 team NTC. Expires 2034 (UFA).

Source:

2026-06-25T03:59:00.000Z

Francesco Pinelli(Center)(C)|Los Angeles Kings LAK

Signing

1-year, $850,000 contract with the Los Angeles Kings. Expires 2027 (RFA).

Source:

2026-06-25T03:59:00.000Z

Juuso Valimaki(Defenseman)(D)|Carolina Hurricanes CAR

Signing

1-year, $900,000 contract with the Carolina Hurricanes. Expires 2027 (UFA).

Source:

2026-06-25T03:59:00.000Z

Luke Krys(Defenseman)(D)|Dallas Stars DAL

Signing

2-year, $1,750,000 contract with the Dallas Stars. $125K Guaranteed in Yr 1 … $250K Guaranteed in Yr 2. Expires 2028 (UFA).

Source:

2026-06-25T03:59:00.000Z

Zach Benson(Left Wing)(LW)|Buffalo Sabres BUF

Signing

7-year, $52,500,000 contract with the Buffalo Sabres. 7 team no trade list in Years 5-7. Expires 2033 (UFA).

Source:

2026-06-25T03:59:00.000Z

Isak Rosen(Right Wing)(RW)|Winnipeg Jets WPG

Signing

2-year, $1,850,000 contract with the Winnipeg Jets. Expires 2028 (RFA).

Source:

2026-06-25T03:59:00.000Z

Kyle Capobianco(Defenseman)(D)|Dallas Stars DAL

Signing

2-year, $1,750,000 contract with the Dallas Stars. Expires 2028 (UFA).

Source:

2026-06-25T03:59:00.000Z

Isak Rosen(Right Wing)(RW)|Winnipeg Jets WPG

Signing

Winnipeg has signed Isak Rosen to a two-year, $925,000 AAV contract extension ($1.85M total).

Source:

Winnipeg Jets 2026-06-24T21:05:57.689Z

Alex Tuch(Right Wing)(RW)|Washington Capitals WSH

Signing

The Capitals have signed Alex Tuch to an eight-year deal worth $10.5M AAV ($84.0M total).

After ongoing negotiations with the Buffalo Sabres that extended throughout the regular season and into the offseason, the two sides were unable to reach an agreement, leading to Tuch being part of a sign-and-trade with the Washington Capitals in exchange for a third-round pick. The 30-year-old Tuch had a solid 2025-26 season with the Sabres, scoring 66 points (33G / 33A) in 79 games. He has scored 33 or more goals in four of his last five seasons and will add a significant offensive boost to Washington's top-six.

Source:

Pierre LeBrun 2026-06-25T17:39:58.188Z

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.