The Devils have signed Mikael Diotte to a three-year, entry-level contract.
NHL Signings & Free Agents
The Panthers have signed Sandis Vilmanis to a three-year entry-level contract.
The Canucks have signed Elias Pettersson to an eight-year contract extension worth $92.8 million ($11.6M AAV).
Pettersson is coming off of a three-year bridge deal that carried a $7.35M AAV cap-hit. The 25-year-old is on-pace for 99 points this season, after posting a career-best 102 points in 2022-23. In the last two seasons combined, Pettersson is tied for 7th in the NHL with 177 points (68G / 109A) in 142 games.
Nashville has signed Austin Roest to a three-year, entry-level contract on Friday.
Roest was the sixth-round pick (175th overall) in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft and has earned himself a three-year, entry-level contract. The 20-year-old has 59 points (31G / 28A) in 54 games with the Everett Silvertips of the AHL.
Washington has signed Zac Funk to a three-year, entry-level contract.
Funk is in his fifth season in the WHL and has been rewarded with a three-year, entry-level contract. The undrafted 20-year-old Funk has 99 points (56G / 43A) in 58 games with the Prince George Cougars this season.
New York has signed Connor Mackey to a two-year, contract extension.
Mackey played one game with the Rangers earlier this season but has spent the majority of the 2023-24 campaign with the Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL), scoring 11 points (2G / 9A) in 36 games. The undrafted 27-year-old defenseman has played 40 career NHL games across stints with the Rangers, Arizona Coyotes, and Calgary Flames.
Tampa Bay has signed Milo Roelens to a three-year, entry-level contract.
Roelens is an undrafted 6'6 center iceman out of Quebec. The 21-year-old is in his fifth season in the QMJHL and has 62 points (25G / 37A) in 56 games with Acadie-Bathurst Titan.
Columbus has signed Max McCue to a three-year, entry-level contract on Friday.
McCue was the fifth-round pick (156 overall) of the San Jose Sharks in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. The 21-year-old McCue has 50 points (24G / 26A) in 52 games with the London Knights of the OHL.
Minnesota has signed Marat Khusnutdinov to a two-year, entry-level contract.
Khusnutdinov was the 37th overall pick of Minnesota in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. The 21-year-old Khusnutdinov has played exclusively in Europe to this point and has 20 points (6G / 14A) in 49 games with Sochi HC of the KHL.
The New York Rangers have signed Johnny Brodzinski to a two-year contract extension worth $1.575 million ($787,500 AAV).
Brodzinski was having a terrific season with the Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL), scoring 25 points (11G / 14A) in 16 games, resulting in his recall earlier this season. He's managed to be an effective offensive contributor at the NHL level and has been rewarded with a two-year $1.575 million contract extension. The 30-year-old has 15 points (4G / 11A) in 37 games with the Rangers this season.
Rasmussen has signed a four-year, $12.8 million ($3,200,000) contract extension with Detroit.
Rasmussen is on pace to set career-highs in all major offensive categories this season and has been rewarded with a four-year $12.8 million contract extension. In 55 games this season, Rasmussen has 23 points (11G / 12A), 74 shots, and 91 hits.
Boston has signed Justin Brazeau to a two-year, two-way deal.
Brazeau is an undrafted 26-year-old who has made his mark with the Providence Bruins of the AHL over the past two seasons, earning himself a two-year, two-way contract. In 49 games with Providence this season, Brazeau has 37 points (18G / 19A).
Nashville has signed McCarron to a two-year, $1.8 million contract extension.
The 28-year-old McCarron has been rewarded for his most productive season to date, scoring 13 points (7G / 6A) in 42 games while averaging 11:52 time-on-ice and continuing his bruting style with 89 hits. McCarron has predominantly played this season on a line with Philip Tomasino and Cole Smith.
Shaw has signed a two-way contract ($775,000/$400,000) for the remainder of the 2023-24 season.
Shaw will join the Wild in practice on Friday after signing a two-way contract worth $775,000 for the remainder of the 2023-24 season. The 25-year-old has appeared in nine games for the Iowa Wild (AHL) this season and had four goals, three assists, 13 PIMs and a -3 plus/minus during his brief showing after joining the team late post ACL-injury.
Scanlin has agreed to a two-year, two-way contract extension with the New York Rangers.
Scanlin is an undrafted 24-year-old out of the University of Nebraska-Omaha. In 43 games with the Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL), his third season with the club, Scanlin has 14 points (7G / 7A).
New Jersey has agreed to a two-year, entry-level deal with Isaac Poulter.
Poulter has signed a two-year, entry-level contract worth $1.625 million ($812,500 AAV) with the New Jersey Devils on Thursday. The 22-year-old undrafted goaltender has spent the entire season between Utica's (AHL) pipes and has an impressive 14-6-1 record, 2.68 GAA and .909 SV%.
The Flames signed Pospisil to a two-year contract extension on Wednesday.
The extension carries an average annal value of $1 million. Pospisil has four goals and seven assists in 34 games with the Flames this season, playing predominantly on a line with Nazem Kadri and Connor Zary.
Pittsburgh has signed Jesse Puljujarvi to a two-year contract that carries an AAV of $800,000.
Puljujarvi was signed to a two-year, $1.6 million ($800,000 AAV) contract Sunday and will be a game-time decision Tuesday to make his season debut vs. Winnipeg. The 25-year-old had been playing on a PTO for Pittsburgh's AHL team after undergoing a double hip surgery in the off-season and excelled in his brief appearances as he had four goals and nine points in 13 total games played.
The Avalanche have signed Zach Parise to a one-year contract though the reminder of the 2023-24 season.
Parise was most recently with the Islanders in 2022-23, when he tallied 21 goals and 13 assists (34 points) in 82 games. The 18-year veteran has 879 career points (429G / 450A) in 1224 regular season games with the Wild, Devils and Islanders. Parise could be a replacement for Valeri Nichushkin, who is in the NHL's Player Assistance Program and is out indefinitely.
Poehling has signed a two-year, $3.8 million contract extension ($1,900,000).
The Flyers completed their second signing of the day Friday as they extended 25-year-old centre Ryan Poehling for two-years, and $3.8 million ($1,900,000 AAV). The fourth year pro is having a career year in his first season in Philadelphia with five goals, nine assists, 55 SOG, six PIMs and a -8 plus/minus through 44 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.