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NHL Signings & Free Agents

Evgeni Malkin(C)|PIT
Signing
Signing
1-year, $5,500,000 contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins. NMC; 3 team trade list to be submitted in January ... PB: $250K after 42 GP; $250K after 63 GP; $1M for making playoffs; $500K for each playoff round won. Expires 2027 (UFA).

Source:
PuckPedia
2026-05-26T23:59:00.000Z
Evgeni Malkin
Evgeni Malkin(C)|PIT
Signing
Signing
Pittsburgh has signed Evgeni Malkin to a one-year, $5.5 million contract extension.

Malkin, a future Hall-of-Fame player, was drafted 2nd-overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft and has been with the team for his entire career, which will continue for at least one more season after signing a one-year, $5.5 million contract extension. The 39-year-old Malkin had an excellent 2025-26 season, despite battling injuries, scoring 61 points (19G / 42A) in 56 games. It marked his best offensive production (1.09 PTS / GP) since the 2019-20 season (1.35 PTS / GP).

Source:
Pittsburgh Penguins 2026-05-26T18:35:34.326Z
Evgeni Malkin
Liam Foudy(C)|NYI
Signing
Signing
New York has signed Liam Foudy to a one-year, two-way contract extension.

Foudy was a first-round pick, 18th overall, by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. The 26-year-old has had trouble establishing himself as a full-time NHLer but had a successful 2025-26 campaign in the AHL, scoring 47 points (26G / 21A) in 60 games with the Bridgeport Islanders.

Source:
New York Islanders 2026-05-26T18:32:37.073Z
Liam Foudy
Aku Raty(RW)|EDM
Signing
Signing
Edmonton has signed Aku Raty to a one-year, two-way contract.

Raty was a fifth-round pick of the Arizona Coyotes in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. The 24-year-old Finnish forward played one NHL game with Arizona in the 2023-24 season, but has not played in the league since. He spent the 2025-26 season with Karpat (SM-liiga), where he scored 57 points (20G / 37A) in 51 games.

Source:
Edmonton Oilers 2026-05-25T18:34:33.928Z
Aku Raty
Kirill Zarubin(G)|CGY
Signing
Signing
Calgary has signed Kirill Zarubin to a three-year, entry-level contract.

Calgary drafted Zarubin in the 3rd round of the 2024 NHL Draft (84th overall) and has signed the 20-year-old goaltender to a three-year, entry-level contract on Friday. Zarubin spent 2025-26 with AKM Tula (MHL), posting an eye-popping .930 SV%, 2.17 GAA and 26-13-3 in 48 appearances last season.

Source:
Calgary Flames 2026-05-23T00:56:57.790Z
Kirill Zarubin
Timothy Liljegren(D)|WSH
Signing
Signing
Washington has signed Timothy Liljegren to a two-year contract extension worth $3.25 million AAV ($6.5M total).

Liljegren was acquired at the trade deadline from San Jose late for a 2026 4th round pick but only managed to appear in four total games with the Capitals. The defensemen still earned himself a two-year contract extension worth $3.25 million AAV ($6.5M total) to remain in Washington on Wednesday. The 27-year-old closed out his 2025-26 campaign with a lacklustre one goal and 11 points in 47 games played between San Jose and Washington.

Source:
Washington Capitals 2026-05-20T21:47:04.989Z
Timothy Liljegren
Noel Fransen(D)|CAR
Signing
Signing
The Hurricanes have signed Noel Fransen to a three-year, entry-level contract.

The Hurricanes selected Fransen in the third round (No.69 overall) in 2024. The 20-year-old defenseman split the 2026 season between the SHL and HockeyAllsvenskan. He had one goal and one assist in 13 SHL games and added 14 points (6G / 8A) in 38 HockeyAllsvenskan games. GM Eric Tulsky said the Hurricanes are looking forward to seeing him in North America next season,” so expect him to report to the Chicago Wolves (AHL) next fall.

Source:
@Canes 2026-05-20T15:07:36.129Z
Noel Fransen
Nick Abruzzese(C)|TBL
Signing
Signing
Tampa Bay has signed Nick Abruzzese to a one-year, two-way contract extension.

Abruzzese was a fourth-round pick, 124th overall, of the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, and has not yet been able to make the leap to the NHL level. The 26-year-old forward has played exclusively in the AHL since the 2022-23 season. He scored 51 points (15G / 36A) in 2025-26 in 56 games with the Syracuse Crunch (AHL).

Source:
Tampa Bay LIghtning 2026-05-19T19:00:51.307Z
Nick Abruzzese

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.