1-year, $775,000 contract with the New York Rangers. $500,000 Guaranteed. Expires 2026 (UFA).
Source:
2025-10-06T23:59:00.000Z
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NHL Signings & Free Agents
1-year, $775,000 contract with the Utah Mammoth. Expires 2026 (UFA).
Source:2025-10-06T23:59:00.000Z
Edmonton has signed Jake Walman to a seven-year contract worth $7 million AAV ($49M total).
After extending Connor McDavid with a two-year contract, the Oilers took care of additional business on Monday, signing Walman to a seven-year extension. The 29-year-old Walman is gearing up for his first full season as an Oiler. He had eight points (1G / 7A) in 15 games with the Oilers after being acquired from the San Jose Sharks before the trade deadline last season. He is currently battling an undisclosed injury and is questionable for Edmonton's season opener on Wednesday.
New York has signed Conor Sheary to a one-year, two-way contract worth $775,000 AAV.
After being an NHL regular for nine straight seasons, Sheary was limited to a career-low five games with the Tampa Bay Lightning last season, spending the majority of the campaign with the Syracuse Crunch (AHL), scoring 61 points (20G / 41A) in 59 games. The 593-game NHL veteran will hope for more NHL exposure with the Rangers this season, though he may again be hard-pressed to do so with a two-way contract.
Edmonton has signed Connor McDavid to a two-year, $12.5 million AAV contract extension ($25M total).
A week after Kirill Kaprizov signed an enormous eight-year, $17 million AAV contract, the Oilers signed McDavid to a team-friendly two-year extension worth $12.5 million AAV. McDavid has led the NHL in points in three of his last five seasons and is continually among the league leaders for point production. The 29-year-old is coming off consecutive unsuccessful visits to the Stanley Cup Finals and will be poised to win a championship in his next three years with the Oilers.
The Golden Knights signed Jeremy Davies to a two-year deal worth $1.15M AAV ($2.3M total).
Davies' deal is a two-day contract and provides the Golden Knights with some organizational depth on the blueline. The 28-year-old has appeared in 23 career NHL games with the Predators and Sabres, but has spent the last four seasons almost exclusively in the AHL, most recently with Belleville, where he had 48 points (11G / 37A) in 72 games.
2-year, $2,300,000 contract with the Vegas Golden Knights. Expires 2027 (UFA).
Source:2025-10-05T23:59:00.000Z
1-year, $1,000,000 contract with the Chicago Blackhawks. Expires 2026 (UFA).
Source:2025-10-05T23:59:00.000Z
Winnipeg has signed Nikita Chibrikov to a two-year contract extension worth $875,000 AAV.
Chicago has signed Matt Grzelcyk to a one-year, $1 million contract.
Grzelcyk joined Chicago in training camp on a PTO and has earned himself a one-year, $1 million contract with the Blackhawks just before the start of the regular season. Grzelcyk is entering his 10th NHL season after putting up a goal and 40 points in 82 games with Pittsburgh in 2024-25.
5-year, $34,000,000 contract with the Minnesota Wild. Full No Move through Year 2, then 15 Team No Trade Clause. Expires 2031 (UFA).
Source:2025-10-04T23:59:00.000Z
2-year, $1,750,000 contract with the Winnipeg Jets. Expires 2028 (RFA).
Source:2025-10-04T23:59:00.000Z
Minnesota has signed Filip Gustavsson to a five-year extension worth $6.8 million AAV ($34M total).
Nashville has signed Luke Evangelista to a two-year contract extension worth $3 million AAV ($6M total).
2-year, $6,000,000 contract with the Nashville Predators. Expires 2027 (RFA).
Source:2025-10-03T23:59:00.000Z
1-year, $775,000 contract with the Carolina Hurricanes. $250,000 Guaranteed. Expires 2026 (UFA).
Source:2025-10-03T23:59:00.000Z
Carolina has signed Givani Smith to a one-year, two-way contract.
Smith only played 13 NHL games last season, split between the San Jose Sharks and Colorado Avalanche, and has been signed to a two-way contract with the Carolina Hurricanes. The 27-year-old Smith has 22 points (9G / 13A) in 168 career games.
8-year, $40,000,000 contract with the Florida Panthers. Yr 1 - 5: Full NMC, Yr 6: 20 team NTC, Yr 7-8: 16 team NTC. Expires 2034 (UFA).
Source:2025-10-02T23:59:00.000Z
8-year, $72,000,000 contract with the Anaheim Ducks. NTC in Years 3-5; 15 team no trade in Years 6-7; 10 team no trade in Year 8. Expires 2034 (UFA).
Source:2025-10-02T23:59:00.000Z
Anaheim has signed Jackson LaCombe to an eight-year, $9 million AAV contract extension ($72M total).
LaCombe had an outstanding sophomore campaign with the Ducks in 2024-25, scoring a career-high 43 point (14G / 29A) in 75 games, earning himself a massive eight-year, $72 million contract ($9M AAV). The talented 24-year-old defenseman is poised to start the 2025-26 season on the top powerplay unit for an improving young Ducks team and could be destined for another career-best season.
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.