3-year, $17,499,999 contract with the Chicago Blackhawks. 15 team no trade claude Yr 3. Expires 2029 (UFA).
Source:
2025-09-14T03:59:00.000Z
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NHL Signings & Free Agents
Chicago has signed Spencer Knight to a three-year contract worth $5.83 AAV ($17.49M total).
Knight was acquired by the Blackhawks in March and has earned himself a three-year contract extension worth $5.83 AAV ($17.49M total). The 24-year-old was once one of the brightest goaltending prospects in hockey, but struggled to catch on during his four years in Florida. After being traded to Chicago, he posted a .896 SV%, 3.18 GAA and a 5-8-2 record.
1-year, $825,000 contract with the Buffalo Sabres. Expires 2026 (UFA).
Source:2025-09-12T03:59:00.000Z
Buffalo has signed Alexandar Georgiev to a one-year, $825,000 contract.
St. Louis has signed Nikita Susuyev to a three-year, entry-level contract.
Suseyev was St.Louis's 2023 7th round pick and will head to North America for the first time after signing a three-year, entry-level contract on Wednesday. The 20-year-old winger will be glad to stick with one team in 2025-26, as he is expected to start the season with Springfield (AHL) after playing for five separate teams across three professional leagues (KHL, VHL, MHL) last season.
St. Louis has signed Justin Carbonneau to a three-year, entry-level contract.
Carbonneau was St. Louis' 2025 1st round pick (19th overall) and has signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Blues on Wednesday. The Quebec native skyrocketed up draft boards last season after an impressive 46-goal, 89-point campaign with Blainville-Boisbriand (QMJHL) in 62 games played. The 18-year-old will look to crack the Blues' roster out of training camp, but is expected to spend the majority of the season back in junior for a third year.
3-year, $2,947,500 contract with the San Jose Sharks. Expires 2028 (RFA).
Source:2025-09-11T03:59:00.000Z
3-year, $3,020,000 contract with the St Louis Blues. Expires 2028 (RFA).
Source:2025-09-11T03:59:00.000Z
3-year, $2,765,000 contract with the St Louis Blues. Expires 2028 (RFA).
Source:2025-09-11T03:59:00.000Z
San Jose has signed Michael Misa to a three-year, entry-level contract.
Misa was the 2nd overall selection in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft and signed a three-year, entry-level contract with San Jose on Wednesday. The 18-year-old is expected to compete for a spot on the Sharks' opening night roster after an impressive 62-goal, 134-point campaign with Saginaw (OHL) across 65 games last season.
7-year, $52,500,000 contract with the Calgary Flames. 10 team no trade list, Years 3-7. Expires 2033 (UFA).
Source:2025-09-10T03:59:00.000Z
Ottawa has signed Donovan Sebrango to a one-year, two-way contract extension.
Sebrango made his NHL debut in the 2024-25 season with Ottawa, appearing in two games and earning a one-year, two-way contract extension. The 23-year-old defenseman is expected to start 2025-26 in Belleville (AHL), where he had eight goals, 20 points and 79 PIMs in 50 games played last season.
3-year, $11,325,000 contract with the Calgary Flames. Expires 2028 (RFA).
Source:2025-09-06T03:59:00.000Z
Calgary has signed Connor Zary to a three-year contract worth $3.775 Million AAV ($11.325M total).
One of the biggest remaining RFAs of the offseason is off the board after Calgary signed Connor Zary to a three-year contract worth $3.775 million AAV ($11.325M total). The 23-year-old bruising forward was Calgary's 2020 1st round pick (24th overall) and has assimilated nicely to NHL hockey with 27 goals and 61 points in his first 117 NHL games across two seasons. He is expected to play a pivotal role in Calgary's offence for the 2025-26 season.
1-year, $775,000 contract with the Ottawa Senators. Expires 2026 (UFA NO QO).
Source:2025-09-04T03:59:00.000Z
New York has signed Daniil Prokhorov to a three-year, entry-level contract.
Prokhorov was the Islanders' 2025 2nd round pick (42nd overall) and has signed a three-year, entry-level contract with New York. The 18-year-old Russian winger improved his draft stock in 2024-25 after a solid 20-goal, 27-point campaign with MHK Dynamo St. Petersburg (MHL) across 43 games played. He is expected to remain in Russia with Dynamo Moskva (KHL) on loan for the upcoming 2025-26 season.
Toronto has signed Dennis Hildeby to a three-year contract extension worth $841,667 AAV.
After making his first six career starts with the Maple Leafs in 2024-25, Dennis Hildeby has earned himself a three-year contract extension worth $841,667 AAV. The 24-year-old is expected to start 2025-26 with the Toronto Marlies (AHL) as Toronto's third goalie on the depth chart after posting a lacklustre 3-3-0 record, .878 SV% and 3.33 GAA with the Maple Leafs last season.
3-year, $2,992,500 contract with the New York Islanders. Expires 2028 (RFA).
Source:2025-09-03T03:59:00.000Z
3-year, $2,525,001 contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Expires 2028 (RFA).
Source:2025-09-03T03:59:00.000Z
Carolina has signed Ivan Ryabkin to a three-year, entry-level contract.
Ryabkin was Carolina's 2025 2nd round pick (62nd overall) and has signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Hurricanes on Wednesday. The 18-year-old Russian forward impressed in his first season in North America with Muskegon (USHL) in 2024-25, putting up 19 goals, 30 points and 70 PIMs in 27 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.