NHL Hockey Player News

Detroit has signed Carter Gylander to a two-year, entry-level contract starting in 2024-25.

Gylander is Detroit's 2019 seventh-round pick (191st overall) and has signed a two-year, entry-level contract with Detroit starting in 2024-25. The 22-year-old just closed out his senior year at Colgate University (NCAA) and posted a 14-14-4 record with a 2.93 GAA and .901 SV%. He will join the Grand Rapids Griffins (AHL) on an amateur tryout for the remainder of this season.

Carter Gylander
Dallas has signed Luke Krys to a two-year, entry-level deal beginning in the 2024-25 season.

Krys closed out his senior season at Providence College (AHL) earlier this week and has signed a two-year, entry-level contract with Dallas beginning in the 2024-25 season. The 23-year-old undrafted defenseman jumped around during college, dressing for Brown University (NCAA) for three seasons before transferring to Providence for his senior year. He had 17 points (6G/11A) in 35 games this season.

Luke Krys
Calgary has signed Sam Morton to a one-year, two-way contract worth $950,000 starting in 2024-25.

Morton turned heads in his Senior season at Minnesota State University (Mankato) and earned himself a one-year, two-way contract worth $950,000 with Calgary that starts in the 2024-25 season. The 24-year-old undrafted forward had 24 goals, 34 points and 10 PIMs in 37 games in his final NCAA season and will join the Calgary Wranglers for the remainder of the season.

Sam Morton
Minnesota has signed Rasmus Kumpulainen to a three-year, entry-level contract.

Kumpulainen was the second-round pick of the Minnesota Wild in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft and has been rewarded with a three-year, entry-level contract. The 18-year-old Kumpulainen has 55 points (28G / 27A) in 56 games with the Oshawa Generals (OHL) this season.

Rasmus Kumpulainen
Edmonton has signed Connor Ungar to a two-year, entry-level contract on Monday.

Ungar is an undrafted 22-year-old netminder out of Alberta who has earned himself his first professional contract after an impressive campaign with Brock University (OUAA), posting a 2.15 GAA and .932 SV% in 26 games (20-6-0). Previously, Ungar spent five seasons in the WHL.

Connor Ungar
Dallas has signed Tristan Bertucci to a three-year, entry-level contract.

Bertucci has signed a three-year, $2.85 million entry-level contract ($950,000 AAV) with Dallas after putting up an impressive nine goals, 41 points, and 77 PIMs in 56 games with the Flint Firebirds (OHL) this season. The 18-year-old defenseman was Dallas' 2023 second-round pick (61st overall).

Tristan Bertucci
The New York Rangers have signed Hugo Ollas to a two-year, entry-level contract.

Ollas was a seventh-round pick of the Rangers in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft and has earned himself a two-year, entry-level contract. The 21-year-old netminder has spent the last three seasons playing collegiate hockey with Merrimack College.

Hugo Ollas
Calgary has signed Hunter Brzustewicz to a three-year, entry-level contract.

Brzustewicz was the third-round pick of the Calgary Flames in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft and has earned himself a three-year, entry-level contract. The 19-year-old is in his second season with the Kitchener Rangers of the OHL and has 85 points (12G / 73A) in 65 games this year.

Hunter Brzustewicz
McMann has signed a two-year, $2.7 million ($1,350,000 AAV) contract extension with Toronto on Wednesday.

McMann has been rewarded with a two-year, $2.7 million contract extension for his diligent work in a complimentary role for the Maple Leafs this season. In 40 games, the 27-year-old McMann has 18 points (10G / 8A), 83 shots, and 83 hits.

Bobby McMann
St. Louis has signed Matthew Kessel to a two-year, $1.6 million contract extension.

Kessel has only played one game with the Blues since February 24 but has signed a two-year, $1.6 million contract extension. The 23-year-old Kessel was the fifth-round pick of the Blues in the 2020 NHL Draft and has three points (0G / 3A) in 23 games this season.

Matthew Kessel
Slaggert signed a two-year, entry-level contract on the weekend and is expected to make his debut on Friday vs. Los Angeles.

Slaggert was the third-round pick of the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft and has earned himself a two-year, entry-level contract. The 21-year-old forward has spent the last four seasons playing collegiate hockey with Notre Dame and scored 31 points (20G / 11A) in 36 games this season.

Landon Slaggert
Boston has signed Drew Bavaro to a one-year, $867,500 entry-level contract.

Bavaro is an undrafted 23-year-old from Lakewood Ranch, Florida. The 6'3 defenseman has spent the last two seasons playing collegiate hockey with Notre Dame, tallying 39 points (16G / 23A) in 72 combined games.

Drew Bavaro
Dallas has signed Justin Ertel to a three-year, entry-level contract beginning next season.

Ertel is Dallas' 2021 3rd-round pick (79th overall) and has signed a three-year, entry-level contract that starts at the beginning of the 2024-25 season. The 20-year-old left-winger is having a sensational second season in North Bay (AHL) this season, with 25 goals, 66 points, 72 PIMs and a +23 plus/minus through 61 games played.

Justin Ertel
Boston has signed Joey Abate to a one-year, two-way contract on Friday.

Abate has been a physical force for Providence (AHL) all season with 108 PIMs in 41 games played and earned himself a one-year, two-way contract on Friday. The undrafted 25-year-old is in his second AHL season after signing with Providence from Nebraska-Omaha (NCHC).

Joseph Abate
The Predators signed Grigals to a two-year contract on Friday.

It is a two-way contract with a cap hit of $0.775M at the NHL level. Grigals spent most of this season playing with the Atlanta Gladiators of the AHL before making one appearance with Nashville's AHL affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals. He posted a 12-9-2 record and a .924 SV% in his final year of NCAA hockey with the University of Massachusetts Lowell in the 2022-23 season.

Gustavs Grigals

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.