NHL Hockey Player News

The Oilers have signed Connor Brown to a one-year deal worth $775K.

Brown failed to pick up a point and was a -3 plus/minus through only four games with Washington in 2022-23 and has signed a one-year deal worth $775,000 with Edmonton. The 29-year-old's only season in Washington did not go as planned as he was forced to miss majority of the season due to ACL surgery. He will hope to comeback from the injury and add to his 90 goals, and 216 points across 448 career NHL games played.

Connor Brown
The Senators have signed Joonas Korpisalo to a five-year deal worth $20.0 million ($4.0M AAV).

Korpsialo was 18-14-4 with a 2.87 GAA and .915 SV% in 2022-23 with both Los Angeles and Columbus in 2022-23 and has signed a five-year deal worth $20.0 million ($4.0M AAV) with Ottawa. The 29-year-old goaltender had played his entire eight year career with Columbus before being dealt to Los Angeles at the Trade Deadline in 2022-23 and has a 94-81-25 career record with a 3.01 GAA and .904 SV%.

Joonas Korpisalo
The Kings have signed Cam Talbot to a one-year deal worth $1.0 million.

Talbot was 17-14-2 with a 2.93 GAA and .898 SV% through 36 games with Ottawa in 2022-23 and has signed a one-year deal worth $1.0 million with the Los Angeles Kings. The 36-year-old netminder will be joining his seventh NHL team and brings a career record of 413-218-36 with a .914 SV% and 2.65 GAA to Los Angeles.

Cam Talbot
The Sabres have signed Tyson Jost to a one-year deal worth $2.0 million.

Jost was picked up off of waivers from the Wild in November and he registered 22 points (7G / 15A) in 59 games with the Sabres. The former No.10 overall pick has had a tough time getting his offensive game going at the NHL-level but has become a reliable two-way, bottom-6 option.

Tyson Jost
The Rangers have signed Jonathan Quick to a one-year deal worth $825K.

Quick had a 16-15-6 record with a 3.41 GAA and .882 SV% with both Los Angeles and Vegas in 2022-23 and has signed a one-year deal worth $825,000 with the New York Rangers. The 37-year-old veteran netminder was traded twice in 2022-23 and brings a career record of 375-277-84, 2.47 GAA and .911 SV% to the Rangers backup role.

Jonathan Quick
The Hurricanes have signed Frederik Andersen to a two-year deal worth $6.8 million ($3.4M AAV).

Andersen was 21-11-1 with a .903 SV% and 2.48 GAA In 2022-23 with Carolina and has signed a two-year extension worth $6.8 million ($3.4M AAV). The 33-year-old holds the all-time highest save percentage amounts qualified Hurricane's starters with his .915 SV% since coming to Carolina two seasons ago and has an incredible solid 282-125-52 career record with a 2.58 GAA and .915 SV%.

Frederik Andersen
The Rangers signed Blake Wheeler to a one-year deal worth $800K.

Wheeler had 16 goals, 39 assists, 126 SOG, 36 PIMs and a -3 plus/minus through 72 games with Winnipeg games in 2022-23 and has signed a one-year deal worth $800,000 AAV with the New York Rangers after being bought out earlier in the week. The 36-year-old right-winger will look to add to the 312 goals and 922 points he has picked up across his 1118 game NHL career.

Blake Wheeler
The Kings signed Jaret Anderson-Dolan to a one-year extension worth $775K.

Anderson-Dolan had seven goals, five assists, 54 SOG, a -11 plus/minus and two PIMs through 46 games with Los Angeles in 2022-23 and has signed a one-year extension worth $775,000 AAV. The 23-year-old centre will hope for his first full season with Los Angeles in 2023-24 after producing 14 goals, 24 points and 104 SOG through 96 games across the last five seasons since being drafted by Los Angeles in 2017 (41st overall).

Jaret Anderson-Dolan
The Oilers have signed Lane Pederson to a two-year deal worth $1.55 million ($775K AAV).

Pederson had three goals three assists, 27 SOG, 26 PIMs and a -1 plus/minus through 27 games with both Vancouver and Columbus in 2022-23 and has signed a two-year deal worth $1.55 million ($775K AAV) with Edmonton. The 25-year-old centre has not stuck with an NHL team for more than one season as he now joins his fifth team in five years; bringing four goals, 11 points and 38 PIMs across 71 career NHL games played.

Lane Pederson
The Bruins have signed James van Riemsdyk to a one-year deal worth $1.0 million.

Pressed up against the cap, the Bruins needed some forwards on a reasonable cap-hit and get van Riemsdyk on a very team-friendly, $1.0M AAV deal. van Riemsdyk has spent the last five seasons in Philadelphia, where he had 99 goals and 99 assists (198 points) in 331 games. At age 34, he's probably not the 30-30 threat he was earlier in his career, but he's a solid middle-6 winger who will be a great net-front presence on the power play and should have no problem banging home 20-plus goals on a talented Bruins' roster.

James van Riemsdyk
The Panthers have signed Kevin Stenlund to a one-year deal worth $1.0 million.

Stenlund had six goals, three assists, 63 SOG, 20 PIMs and a +3 plus/minus through 54 games with Winnipeg in 2022-23 and has signed a one-year, $1.0 million contract with Florida. The 26-year-old Centre was drafted in the second-round of the 2015 NHL Draft (58th overall) by Columbus and has 17 goals, 29 points and 168 SOG through 125 NHL games played in his career.

Kevin Stenlund
The Devils have signed Michael McLeod to a one-year deal worth $1.4 million.

McLeod had four goals, 22 assists, 90 SOG, 43 PIMs and a +6 plus/minus through 80 games played with New Jersey in 2022-23 and has signed a one-year contract extension worth $1.4 million. The 25-year-old centre was New Jersey's first-round pick in 2016 (12th overall) and has produced 19 goals and 66 points across 242 career NHL games played.

Michael McLeod
The Devils signed Nathan Bastian to a two-year contract extension worth $2.7 million ($1.35M AAV).

Bastian had six goals, nine assists, 62 SOG, 31 PIMs and a +7 plus/minus through an injury riddled 2022-23, and has signed a two-year contract extension worth $2.7 million ($1.35M AAV). The 25-year-old right-winger was New Jersey's 2016 second-round pick (41st overall) and has played all but 12 of his 163 career games with the Devils.

Nathan Bastian
The Predators have signed Ryan O'Reilly to a four-year contract worth $18.0 million ($4.5M AAV).

O'Reilly had 16 goals, 14 assists, 102 SOG, 16 PIMs and a -21 plus/minus through 53 games in 2022-23 with both St.Louis and Toronto and has signed a four-year contract worth $18.0 million ($4.5M AAV). The 32-year-old centre joins his fifth NHL team and is only nine games from the prestigious 1000 game mark with 256 goals and 702 points during that span.

Ryan O'Reilly
The Maple Leafs have signed Ryan Reaves to a three-year contract worth $4.05 million ($1.35M AAV).

Reaves is the most feared grinder in the NHL, who finished with 15 points (5G / 10A) with 43 PIMS and 196 hits in 73 games with the Rangers and Wild last season. Reaves will skate on the Maple Leafs fourth line and will skate under 10 minutes per game.

Ryan Reaves
The Hurricanes signed Antti Raanta to a one-year deal worth $1.5 million.

Raanta has battled injuries over the last three seasons but has posted a strong 2.34 GAA and .911 SV% in 55 games. Raanta will pair with Pyotr Kochetkov as the Hurricanes' goaltending tandem and gives them and incredibly cheap duo in the crease.

Antti Raanta
The Blue Jackets have signed Adam Fantilli to a three-year, entry-level contract.

Columbus selected Fantilli with the No.3 overall pick in this year's draft. Fantilli had an outstanding season at the University of Michigan, scoring 30 goals with 35 assists (65 points) in 36 games. He also added five points (2G / 3A) in seven games while representing Canada at the World Juniors. Fantilli is a candidate to make the Blue Jackets out of training camp and could play a huge role in his rookie campaign.

Adam Fantilli

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.