NHL Hockey Player News

Joey Anderson has signed a one-year, two-way contract extension ($800,000 AAV) through 2023-24 with Chicago.

Anderson had six goals, three assists, 41 SOG, and a -8 plus/minus through 38 games played with Toronto and Chicago in 2022-23 as has signed a one-year, two-way contract extension ($800,000 AAV) through 2023-24 with Chicago. The 25-year-old right-winger was acquired near the trade deadline by Chicago in a deal that brought Jake McCabe to Toronto and has 22 career points (14G/8A) across 96 NHL games played.

Joey Anderson
Gabriel Fortier has signed a one-year, two-way contract ($775,000 AAV) through the 2023-24 season.

Fortier had 11 goals, 18 assists, 29 PIMs and a +13 plus/minus through 67 games with the Syracuse Crunch (AHL) in 2022-23 and has signed a one-year, two-way contract ($775,000 AAV) through the 2023-24 season with Tampa Bay. The 23-year-old left-winger was the Lightning's 2018 second round pick (59th overall) and has played in 11 NHL games across two seasons, picking up a goal, four PIMs and a -2 plus/minus since premiering in 2021-22.

Gabriel Fortier
Michael Carcone has signed a two-year, one-way contract ($775,000 AAV) through 2024-25.

Carcone had two goals, three points, 15 SOG, two PIMs and a +3 plus/minus through nine game with Arizona in 2022-23 and has signed a two-year, one-way contract ($775,000 AAV) through 2024-25. The 27-year-old left-winger has nine points (6G/3A) in 30 career NHL games played across two seasons since debuting in 2021-22.

Michael Carcone
Adam Gaudette signed a one-year, two-way contract extension ($775,000/$400,000) through the 2023-24 season.

Gaudette had 27 goals, 24 assists, 57 PIMs and a +7 plus/minus through 65 games with both Toronto (AHL) and Springfield (AHL) and has signed a one-year, two-way contract extension ($775,000/$400,000) through the 2023-24 season. The 26-year-old centre was acquired by the Blues as part of the Ryan O'Reilly trade and has 70 points (27G/43A) across 218 career NHL games played.

Adam Gaudette
Mathieu Olivier has signed a two-year contract extension ($1.1 Million AAV) through the 2024-25 season.

Olivier had five goals, 10 assists, 75 SOG, 81 PIMs and a -20 plus/minus through 65 games played in 2022-23 and has signed a two-year contract extension worth $1.1 Million AAV through the 2024-25 season. The 26-year-old right-winger is about to enter his fifth NHL season and has 22 points (8G/14A) across 114 NHL career games played.

Mathieu Olivier
Lukas Rousek has signed a two-year, $775,000 contract extension with Buffalo.

Rousek made his NHL debut in 2022-23, scoring a goal and picking up an assist with three SOG and a +2 plus/minus through two games and has signed a two-year, $775,000 AAV contract extension Tuesday. The 24-year-old right-winger was the Sabres' 2019 sixth round pick (160th overall).

Lukas Rousek
Zemgus Girgensons has signed a one-year, $2.5 million contract extension with Buffalo.

GIrgensons had 10 goals, eight assists, 114 SOG, 14 PIMs and a -5 plus/minus through 80 games in 2022-23 with the Sabres and has signed a one-year, $2.5 million contract extension through the 2023-24 season. The 29-year-old left-winger is entering his 10th NHL season with Buffalo, having picked up 174 points (81G/93A) across 625 games.

Zemgus Girgensons
Samuel Bolduc has signed a two-year contract extension ($800,000 AAV) with the Islanders.

Bolduc made his NHL debut in 2022-23 with the New York Islanders picking up two goals, three points, 20 SOG, two PIMs and a +5 plus/minus through 17 games and has signed a two-year contract extension ($800,000 AAV). The 22-year-old defensemen was New York's 2019 second round pick (57th overall).

Samuel Bolduc
Valterri Puustinen has signed a one-year, two-way extension worth $775,000 through the 2023-24 season.

Puustinen put up 24 goals, 25 assists, 22 PIMs and a -9 plus/minus through 72 games in 2022-23 to lead the Wilkes-Barre Penguins (AHL) in points and has signed a one-year, two-way extension worth $775,000 through the 2023-24 season. The 24-year-old right-winger was Pittsburgh's seventh round pick (203 overall) in 2019 and has played in one NHL game back during the 2021-22 season with Pittsburgh.

Valtteri Puustinen
Sean Monahan has signed a one-year contract extension worth $1.985 million.

Monahan was only able to play in 25 games in his first season in Montreal in 2022-23 due to a season-ending groin surgery but managed to pick up six goals, 11 assists, 55 SOG, 16 PIMs and a -5 plus/minus and has earned himself a one-year contract extension worth $1.985 million. The 28-year-old centre is entering his 11th NHL season after being the sixth overall draft pick in 2013.

Sean Monahan
Brandon Bussi has signed a one-year, two-way contract extension through the 2023-24 season ($775,000 AAV).

Bussi posted an impressive 22-5-4 record, .924 SV% and 2.40 GAA across 32 games with the Providence Bruins (AHL) in 2022-23 after starting the season in the ECHL and has signed a one-way, two-way contract extension with the Boston Bruins through the 2023-24 season worth $775,000. The 24-year-old has yet to see any NHL action after signing from Western Michigan University (NCAA) after his 2021-22 season.

Brandon Bussi
The Rangers signed Zac Jones to a two-year deal worth $1.625 million ($812.5K AAV).

Jones spent most of the 2023 season in the AHL, collecting 31 points (8G / 23A) in 54 games with Hartford. During his brief time with the Rangers, he had two points (1G / 1A) in 16 games, giving him a combined eight points (1G / 7A) in 38 career NHL games. The one-way deal suggests that Jones is a part of the Rangers' blueline plans for the 2023-24 season.

Zac Jones
The Jets signed Fabian Wagner to a three-year, entry-level contract.

Wagner was drafted in the sixth-round in the 2022 NHL Draft. The 19-year-old centre split his time between Sweden's first and second league, failing to register a point in 22 games in the SHL. He represented Sweden at the 2023 World Juniors, scoring two goals with four assists (six points) in seven games.

Fabian Wagner
The Senators signed Oskar Pettersson to a three-year, entry-level contract.

The Senators selected Pettersson in the third-round (No.72 overall) in the 2022 NHL Draft. The 19-year-old centre had one goal and one assist in 29 games with Rogle BK Angelholm (SHL) during the 2023 season. He also represented Sweden at the 2023 World Juniors, where he had two goals and two assists in seven games.

Oskar Pettersson
The Stars signed Matt Murray to a one-year, two-way contract.

Murray played most of the 2023 season in the AHL, where he went 18-10-5 with a 2.37 GAA, .911 SV% and three shutouts with the Texas Stars. However, he also got his first taste of the NHL, going 1-2-0 with a 3.39 GAA and .844 SV% in Dallas. With Jake Oettinger and Scott Wedgewood still under contract for the 2024 season, Murray will most likely start the season in the AHL.

Matthew Murray
The Lightning signed Cole Koepke to a one-year, two-way contract.

Koepke had seven goals and 12 assists (19 points) in 52 AHL games last season. He also got the first NHL action of his career, scoring one goal in 17 games with the Lightning. The 25-year-old figures to start 2023-24 in the AHL but could be one of the first call-ups when the Lightning need a bottom-6 winger.

Cole Koepke
The Stars signed Alex Petrovic to a one-year, two-way contract.

Petrovic has been a depth member of the Stars' organization for the last two seasons, appearing in all 71 games for the Texas Stars (AHL) in back-to-back seasons. Petrovic finished the 2023 season with. 27 points (9G / 18A) in 71 games.

Alex Petrovic
The Sharks signed Filip Bystedt to a three-year, entry-level contract.

Bystedt was a first round pick (No.27 overall) in last summer's NHL Draft, and finished the 2023 season with 20 points (7G / 13A) in 45 games with Linkopings HC (SHL). Bystedt also represented Sweden at the 2023 World Juniors, where he finished tied for the team-lead in points with 10 (4G / 6A) in seven games.

Filip Bystedt

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.