The Flames have signed Justin Kirkland to a one-year, two-way contract.
NHL Signings & Free Agents
The Flames have signed Matvei Gridin to a three-year, entry-level contract.
The Flames have signed Zayne Parekh to a three-year, entry-level contact.
Parekh was just selected in the 1st round of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft (9th overall) and has signed a three-year, entry-level contract with Calgary. The 18-year-old puck moving defensemen had a sensational second OHL season with Saginaw in 2023-24, with 33 goals and 96 points in 66 games played.
The Kraken have signed Eeli Tolvanen to a two-year contract worth $6.95 million ($3.475M AAV).
Tolvanen played up and down the Kraken's top-9 last season, finishing with a career-high 41 points (16G / 25A) in 81 games. The Kraken's most used and most consistent line throughout the season was Tolvanen with Yanni Gourde and Oliver Bjorkstrand, a trio that will likely see a lot of time together this upcoming season as well.
San Jose has signed Ty Dellandrea to a two-year, $2.6 million contract extension ($1,300,000 AAV).
Dellandrea's rights were acquired by San Jose last week in exchange for Winnipeg's 2025 4th round pick and has signed a two-year, $2.6 million contract extension ($1,300,000 AAV) with the Sharks on Thursday. The 23-year-old was Dallas' 2018 1st round pick (13th overall) and only appeared in 42 games in 2023-24, picking up two goals, nine points, 23 PIMs and a -10 plus/minus.
San Jose has re-signed Carl Grundstrom to a two-year, $3.6 million contract ($1,800,000 AAV).
Grundstrom's rights were acquired by San Jose at last weeks NHL draft in a trade for Kyle Burroughs and has signed a two-year. $3.6 million contract ($1,800,000 AAV). The 26-year-old right-winger just finished his sixth NHL season with Los Angeles and had eight goals, 12 points, 95 SOG and 12 PIMs in 50 games played.
Carolina has signed Jack Roslovic to a one-year, $2.8 million contract.
For his ninth NHL season, Jack Roslovic will be joining the Carolina Hurricanes after he signed a one-year, $2.8 million contract on Thursday morning. The 27-year-old spent 2023-24 split between Columbus and New York and had nine goals, 31 points, 16 PIMs and a -10 plus/minus through 59 games played.
Winnipeg has signed Mason Shaw to a one-year, two-way contract.
Shaw had spent the first three seasons of his career in Minnesota but will be taking his talents to Winnipeg after the forward signed a one-year, two-way contract on Wednesday. The 25-year-old was Minnesota's 2017 4th-round pick (97th overall) and had only a goal, three points and 21 PIMs in 20 games with the Wild in 2023-24.
Winnipeg has signed Haydn Fleury to a one-year, two-way contract.
Winnipeg strengthened up its defensive unit once more on Wednesday as it signed 28-year-old defenseman Haydn Fleury to a one-year, two-way contract. Fleury was drafted seventh overall in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft and has 10 goals and 37 points in 268 career games across seven seasons. In 2023-24, he had a goal, five points and a +5 plus/minus in 24 games played.
Seattle has signed Josh Mahura to a one-year, $775,000 contract.
Seattle added to its defensive depth on Wednesday by adding six-year veteran Josh Mahura on a one-year, $775,000 contract. The 26-year-old was only able to appear in 30 games for the Stanley Cup-winning Florida Panthers in 2023-24 and had no goals, nine assists, 20 PIMs and a -2 plus/minus.
Vegas has signed Akira Schmid to a two-year, $1.75 million ($875,000 AAV) contract.
Schmid's rights were acquired by Vegas in a trade including Alexander Holtz on June 29th and the goaltender has signed a two-year, $1.75 million ($875,000 AAV) contract with the Golden Knights. The 24-year-old netminder looked like the goaltender of the future for New Jersey but struggled mightily in 2023-24 posting an ugly 5-9-1 record with a 3.15 GAA and .895 SV% across 19 games played.
Nashville has signed Kieffer Bellows to a one-year, two-way contract.
San Jose has signed Andrew Poturalski to a two-year, two-way contract.
San Jose added to its offensive depth on Wednesday by bringing in AHL veteran Andrew Poturalski on a two-year, two-way contract. The 30-year-old added two NHL games to the six total he has throughout his career in 2023-24 but spent the majority of the season with Coachella Valley (AHL) and had 15 goals and 51 points in 60 games played.
Detroit has signed Vladimir Tarasenko to a two-year, $9.5 million contract ($4,750,000 AAV).
Fresh off of his second career Stanley Cup victory, Vladimir Tarasenko has signed a two-year, $9.5 million contract ($4,750,000 AAV) with the Detroit Red Wings. The 32-year-old is entering his 13th NHL season with his fifth team and had 23 goals, 55 points and a +13 plus/minus in 76 games between Ottawa and Florida in 2023-24.
Philadelphia has re-signed Bobby Brink to a two-year, $3 million contract extension ($1,500,000 AAV).
Brink broke into the NHL finally in 2023-24 after two full seasons in the AHL and has earned himself a two-year, $3 million contract extension ($1,500,000 AAV). The 22-year-old right-winger was Phildaelphia's 2019 2nd-round pick (34th overall) and had 11 goals, 23 points, 81 SOG and 10 PIMs in 57 games in 2023-24.
Anaheim has signed Carson Meyer to a one-year, two-way contract.
Anaheim added to its bottom six on Wednesday as they added Carson Meyer on a one-year, two-way contract. The 26-year-old had spent the last three seasons with the Blue Jackets after being drafted by them in the 2017 sixth round (179th overall). In 2023-24, he appeared in 14 games with Columbus, scoring a goal, two points, two PIMs and a -2 plus/minus.
Signing
Vegas has signed Callahan Burke to a one-year, two-way contract.
Burke has been with the Avalanche organization since turning pro in 2021 but has appeared in just three NHL games since then. Burke spent most of the 2024 season in the AHL, where he had 16 goals and 23 assists (39 points) in 57 games with the Colorado Eagles. Look for him to start the 2024-25 season in the AHL.
Carolina has signed Riley Stillman to a one-year, two-way contract.
Carolina added some defensive depth early Wednesday morning as the team announced it has signed Riley Stillman to a one-year, two-way contract. The 26-year-old defenseman last played in the NHL in 2022-23 and has four goals and 26 points in 158 career games. He spent the entire 2023-24 season with the Rochester Americans (AHL) and had two goals and six points in 47 games played.
Utah has signed Milos Kelemen to a one-year, two-way contract extension.
Kelemen will remain with the Utah organization after signing a one-year, two-way contract extension on Wednesday. The undrafted 24-year-old left-winger appeared in 10 games for Arizona in 2023-24 and had an assist, five SOG and a -2 plus/minus while averaging only 7:40 TOI/GP.
Ottawa has signed Matthew Andonovski to a three-year, entry-level contract.
Ottawa drafted Matthew Andonovski in the 5th round of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft (140th overall) and has signed him to a three-year, entry-level contract. The 19-year-old defenseman just completed his third season in Kitchener (OHL) and had seven goals and 32 points in 65 games played.
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.