1-year, $813,750 contract with the Carolina Hurricanes. Expires 2026 (RFA).
Source:
2025-07-22T03:59:00.000Z
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NHL Signings & Free Agents
Ottawa has signed Xavier Bourgault to a one-year, two-way contract.
6-year, $45,000,000 contract with the Winnipeg Jets. Expires 2031 (UFA).
Source:2025-07-19T03:59:00.000Z
2-year, $1,625,000 contract with the Winnipeg Jets. Yr 1: $150K Guaranteed, Yr 2: $300K Guaranteed . Expires 2027 (RFA).
Source:2025-07-19T03:59:00.000Z
2-year, $2,200,000 contract with the Anaheim Ducks. Expires 2027 (RFA).
Source:2025-07-19T03:59:00.000Z
1-year, $775,000 contract with the Ottawa Senators. Expires 2026 (RFA).
Source:2025-07-19T03:59:00.000Z
Winnipeg has signed Parker Ford to a two-year, two-way contract.
Winnipeg has signed Gabriel Vilardi to a six-year contract extension worth $7.5 million AAV ($45M total).
Vilardi will avoid arbitration and cash in after the 25-year-old agreed to a six-year contract extension worth $7.5 million AAV ($45M total) with Winnipeg on Friday. The Canadian right-winger is entering his seventh NHL season after posting career highs in almost all major categories last season, including goals (27), assists (34), points (61), SOG (130), and PPP (25). He is expected to return to his role on the Jets' top line and powerplay for the 2025-26 season.
Anaheim has signed Drew Helleson to a two-year contract extension worth $1.1 million AAV. ($2.2M total).
Helleson and Anaheim avoided arbitration on Friday after they agreed to a two-year, $2.2 million extension ($1.1 million AAV). The 24-year-old is entering his second full season with Anaheim after an impressive rookie campaign in 2024-25, during which he scored four goals, tallied 13 points, and accumulated 47 penalty minutes in 56 games played. He is expected to be a key part in Anaheim's defensive core this upcoming season.
2-year, $1,625,000 contract with the Calgary Flames. $150,000 Guaranteed in Yr 1. Expires 2027 (RFA).
Source:2025-07-18T03:59:00.000Z
2-year, $1,800,000 contract with the Chicago Blackhawks. Expires 2027 (RFA).
Source:2025-07-18T03:59:00.000Z
1-year, $775,000 contract with the Florida Panthers. Expires 2026 (RFA).
Source:2025-07-18T03:59:00.000Z
1-year, $775,000 contract with the Calgary Flames. $125,000 Guaranteed. Expires 2026 (RFA).
Source:2025-07-18T03:59:00.000Z
1-year, $775,000 contract with the Calgary Flames. Expires 2026 (UFA NO QO).
Source:2025-07-18T03:59:00.000Z
1-year, $775,000 contract with the Florida Panthers. $150K Guaranteed. Expires 2026 (UFA NO QO).
Source:2025-07-18T03:59:00.000Z
5-year, $32,500,000 contract with the Anaheim Ducks. 10 team no trade list Yrs 3-5. Expires 2030 (UFA).
Source:2025-07-18T03:59:00.000Z
Anaheim has signed Lukas Dostal to a five-year contract extension worth $6.5 million AAV ($32.5M total).
Anaheim will avoid arbitration with their biggest offseason piece of business after announcing on their social media that they have signed Lukas Dostal to a five-year contract extension worth $6.5 million AAV ($32.5M total). The 25-year-old is entering his fifth NHL season with Anaheim after posting career highs in games played (54), Wins (23) and shutouts (1) in 2024-25. He is expected to be Anaheim's starter after they parted ways with John Gibson in the offseason.
Chicago has signed Louis Crevier to a two-year contract extension worth $900,000 AAV ($1.8M total).
Chicago has retained one of their key defensive pieces for the upcoming 2025-26 season after they announced they had signed Louis Crevier to a two-year contract extension worth $900,000 AAV ($1.8M total). The 23-year-old was Chicago's 2020 7th-round pick (188th overall) and appeared in 32 games with the Blackhawks last season, picking up three goals, four points and 10 PIMs. He is expected to compete for one of Chicago's final six defensive spots come training camp this upcoming season.
Chicago has signed Stanislav Berezhnoy to a two-year, entry-level contract.
Berezhnoy is a 22-year-old undrafted goaltender who spent last season playing 27 games in the VHL with Omskie Krylia and SKA-Neva St. Petersburg and has earned himself a two-year, entry-level contract with Chicago on Thursday. The towering Russian netminder is expected to report to Rockford (AHL) for the upcoming 2024-25 season after posting a .928 SV% in the VHL last season.
Florida has signed Tobias Bjornfot to a one-year, two-way contract extension.
Florida continued to shore up its defensive depth on Thursday after announcing it had signed 24-year-old defenseman Tobias Bjornfot to a one-year, two-way contract extension. The former first-round pick came to Florida off waivers in March 2024 and managed to appear in 14 games with the Panthers during the 2024-25 season, failing to record a point. He spent the majority of last season with Charlotte (AHL), where he had three goals and 18 points in 50 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.