NHL Hockey Player News

Alex Vlasic(D)|CHI
Signing
Signing
Chicago has signed Alex Vlasic to a six-year, $27.6 million ($4,600,000 AAV) contract extension.

Vlasic was the 43 overall pick of the Blackhawks in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft and just completed his first full NHL season. In 76 games with the Blackhawks this season, the 22-year-old defenseman recorded 16 points (2G / 14A).

Source:
Scott Powers 2024-04-25T15:32:47.614Z
Alex Vlasic
Ivan Fedotov(G)|PHI
Signing
Signing
Philadelphia has agreed to a two-year, contract extension worth $6.5 million dollars ($3,250,000 AAV).

Fedotov was the 188th overall pick of the Flyers in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. The 27-year-old netminder made his NHL debut late in the 2023-24 season, posting a 4.95 GAA and .811 SV% across three appearances (0-1-1).

Source:
Darren Dreger 2024-04-23T15:06:36.057Z
Ivan Fedotov
Carson Rehkopf()|SEA
Signing
Signing
Seattle has signed Carson Rehkopf to a three-year, entry-level contract.

Rehkopf was the 50th overall pick of Seattle in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. The 19-year-old Canadian center-iceman scored an impressive 95 points (52G / 43A) in 60 games with the Kitchener Rangers (OHL) this season.

Source:
Seattle Kraken 2024-04-22T15:13:32.162Z
Carson Rehkopf
Cade Webber(D)|TOR
Signing
Signing
Toronto has signed Cade Webber to a two-year, entry-level contract ($885,000 AAV).

Webber was the 99th overall pick of the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. The 23-year-old defenseman has spent the last four seasons playing collegiate hockey with Boston University and scored six points (0G / 6A) in 38 games in the 2023-24 campaign.

Source:
Luke Fox 2024-04-18T16:38:21.510Z
Cade Webber
Vasily Podkolzin(RW)|EDM
Signing
Signing
Vancouver has signed Vasily Podkolzin to a two-year, $2 million ($1,000,000 AAV) contract extension.

Podkolzin was the 10th overall pick of the Canucks in the 2019 NHL Entry draft and has been rewarded with a two-year contract extension. He has been limited to 18 games with Vancouver this season, spending most of the 2023-24 campaign in the AHL, scoring 28 points (15G / 13A) in 44 games with the Abbotsford Cancuks.

Source:
Vancouver Canucks 2024-04-18T15:55:29.012Z
Vasily Podkolzin
Marc-Andre Fleury(G)|MIN
Signing
Signing
Minnesota has signed Marc-Andre Fleury to a one-year, 2.5 million contract extension.

Rumours of retirement have been put to rest as Fleury will continue his prolific NHL career for at least one more season. The 39-year-old Fleury has lost his footing slightly but was still serviceable between the pipes for Minnesota this season, posting a 2.98 GAA and .895 SV% in 39 games (17-14-5).

Source:
Frank Seravalli 2024-04-17T15:47:49.569Z
Marc-Andre Fleury
Massimo Rizzo(C)|PHI
Signing
Signing
Philadelphia has signed Massimo RIzzo to a two-year, entry-level contract.

Rizzo was drafted 216th overall in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft by the Carolina Hurricanes and has earned himself an entry-level contract after three seasons of collegiate hockey. The 22-year-old forward amassed 44 points (10G / 34A) in 30 games with the University of Denver this season.

Source:
Philadelphia Flyers 2024-04-17T15:27:12.424Z
Massimo Rizzo
Lane Hutson(D)|MON
Signing
Signing
Montreal has signed Lane Hutson to a three-year, entry-level contract and he will join the team immediately.

Hutson was the 62nd overall pick of the Montreal Canadiens in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. The 20-year-old scored 49 points (15G / 34A) in 2023-24 playing collegiate hockey with Boston University. He is expected to meet Montreal on Sunday.

Source:
NHL.com 2024-04-13T06:06:04.122Z
Lane Hutson
Cade Webber(D)|TOR
Signing
Signing
The Maple Leafs have reportedly signed Webber to an entry-level contract.

The Maple Leafs acquired Webber's draft rights from the Hurricanes in March after Carolina was unable to sign their 2019 fourth-round pick (99th overall). The 23-year-old towering stay-at-home defenseman has scored only one goal and 16 points in 123 games played across four NCAA seasons with Boston University.

Source:
Joe Smith 2024-04-12T23:04:16.071Z
Cade Webber

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.