The Devils picked Misyul in the third round (No.70 overall) of the 2019 NHL Draft. The 22-year-old defenseman has spent the last five seasons with Yaroslavl Lokomotiv (KHL), finishing 2023 with seven assists in 59 games.
The Islanders selected Maggio in the fifth round of the 2022 NHL Draft. The 20-year-old winger led the OHL in goals (54) and points (111) during the 2023 season. Expect him to open the 2023-24 season with Bridgeport (AHL).
The Kraken selected Firkus in the second round (No.35 overall) in the 2022 NHL Draft. The 19-year-old winger led the Moose Jaw Warriors in points (40G / 48A / 88 Pts) during the regular season and playoffs (10G / 11A / 21 Pts) during the 2023 season.
Lööf was a third-round pick (No.88 overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft. The 21-year-old blueliner had four goals and 12 assists (16 points) in 55 games with Ilves Tampere (Liiga) in 2023.
Häman Aktell was originally a fourth-round pick of the Predators in 2016 but never signed. He remained in Sweden, where he had 36 points (9G / 27A) in 51 games with Vaxjo HC (SHL) during the 2023 season.
Balinskis is an undrafted free agent from Latvia who has spent the last three season in the Czech Extraliga. The 26-year-old blue liner had 11 goals and 24 assists (35 points) in 50 games with Liberec Bili Tygri HC in 2023. He represented Latvia in the 2022 Olympics, tallying three assists in four games.
The Hurricanes selected Fensore in the third round (No.90 overall) of the 2019 NHL Draft. The 21-year-old defenseman had nine goals and 22 assists (31 points) in 37 games at Boston University in 2023.
Cardwell was a fourth-round pick in the 2021 NHL Draft. The 20-year-old forward led the Barrie Colts (OHL) in goals (43) and was second on the team in assists (47) and points (90). Cardwell figures to report to the AHL for the 2023-24 season.
Guryev was a fifth-round pick in 2021 and finished the 2023 season with seven goals and nine assists (16 points) in 47 games with the Peterborough Petes and Flint Firebirds of the OHL.
Perets was an undrafted free-agent goaltender that backstopped Quinnipiac University to a 2023 National Championship. The 23-year-old went 34-4-3 with a 1.49 GAA and .931 SV% in 41 games this season.
Commesso was a second-round pick (No.46 overall) in 2020. The 20-year-old netminder went 24-8-0 with a 2.46 GAA and .913 SV% in 34 games in his senior season with Boston University.
Dunne spent most of the season with Cleveland (AHL), where he tallied 20 goals and 17 assists (37 points) in 65 games. He appeared in eight NHL games this season and 14 total in his career, but has yet to record a point with the Blue Jackets.
Ryan had 13 goals, seven assists, 92 SOG, 28 PIMs and a +11 plus/minus through 80 games in 2022-23 with the Edmonton Oilers and has signed a two-year, $900,000 AAV contract extension on Tuesday. The 36-year-old centre has played in 500 career NHL games, scoring 76 goals and 191 points.
The Devils signed Severson to an eight-year deal and traded him to the Blue Jackets for a 2023 third-round pick. Severson was set to become a UFA on July 1st.
Blidh failed to pick up a point in 14 games with the Colorado Avalanche in 2022-23 but found his game back with the Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL) after being traded in march and has now earned a two-year, two-way contract extension with the New York Rangers. The 28-year-old left-winger had 13 goals, 10 assists, 58 PIMs and a +1 plus/minus through 53 games with both Hartford (AHL) and Colorado (AHL) last season.
Athanasiou had 20 goals, 20 assists, 175 SOG, 34 PIMs and a -29 plus/minus through 81 games in his first season in Chicago in 2022-23 and has signed a two-year, $4.25 million ($2,175,000 AAV) contract extension to stay with the Blackhawks. The 28-year-old centre has played for four teams across eight season amassing 459 games played.
Gavrikov had six goals, 13 assists, 89 SOG, 38 PIMS and a +4 plus/minus through 72 games with Los Angeles and Columbus in 2022-23 and has signed a two-year, $11,750,000 ($5.875 AAV) contract extension with the Los Angeles Kings. The 27-year-old has 276 career games played, picking up 18 goals, 82 points and 138 penalty minutes across his five year career.
Aamodt had three goals, 15 assists, 39 PIMs and a +5 plus/minus through 52 games played with the Colorado Eagles (AHL) in 2022-23 and has signed a one-year, two-way contract extension on Tuesday. The 25-year-old was signed as a free agent out of college in 2022 and will hope to grow off a strong first full AHL season.
Karlstrom failed to pick a point through five NHL games in 2022-23 but had 10 goals, 16 assists, 16 PIMs and a +4 plus/minus through 47 games with the Texas Stars (AHL) and signed a one-year, two-way contract extension through the 2023-24 season Tuesday. The 25-year-old was Dallas' 2016 third-round pick (90th overall).
Dansk was 8-6-2 with a 2.75 GAA and .905 SV% with the Calgary Wranglers (AHL) and has signed a one-year, two-way contract extension ($775,000/$275,000) through the 2023-24 season. The 29-year-old has played in six career NHL games, picking up a 4-1-0 record after being Columbus' second round pick (31st overall) in 2012.
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.
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.
