NHL Signings & Free Agents

The Sharks have signed Ryan Carpenter to a one-year, two-way contract.

Carpenter had a goal, two assists, 17 SOG, 10 PIMs and a -5 plus/minus through 22 games with the New York Rangers in 2022-23 and has signed a one-year, two-way contract worth $775,000 AAV with San Jose. The 32-year-old centre has played for five NHL organizations since first cracking into the league with San Jose in 2015-16, picking up 27 goals and 72 points across 330 games played.

Ryan Carpenter
The Sharks signed Fabian Zetterlund to a two-year contract worth $2.9 million ($1.45M AAV).

Zetterlund had six goals, 17 assists, 118 SOG, 14 PIMs and a -6 plus/minus through 67 games played with both New Jersey and San Jose and has signed a two-year contract extension worth $2.9 million ($1.45M AAV). The 23-year-old left-winger was acquired by San Jose at the trade deadline in the mega deal which saw Timo Meier head back to New Jersey.

Fabian Zetterlund
The Red Wings signed Shayne Gostisbehere to a one-year deal worth $4.125 million.

Gostisbehere had 13 goals, 28 assists, 155 SOG, 32 PIMs and a -5 plus/minus through 75 games played with both Arizona and Carolina in 2022-23 and has signed a one-year deal worth $4.125 million with Detroit. The 30-year-old offensive defensemen will join his fourth NHL team and brings 87 goals, 311 points and 140 power play points across 538 career games played.

Shayne Gostisbehere
The Panthers signed Lucas Carlsson to a one-year, two-way contract.

Carlsson failed to pick up a point but was -1 plus/minus and had two SOG and two PIMs in two games with Florida in 2022-23 and has signed a one-year, two-way contract extension worth $775,000. The 26-year-old defensemen enters his fifth NHL season and has three goals and 11 points across 60 NHL games with both both Florida and Chicago since 2019-20 when he made his debut.

Lucas Carlsson
The Panthers signed Anthony Stolarz to a one-year, $1.1 million deal.

Stolarz was 5-6-0 with a .899 SV% and 3.73 GAA through 19 games with Anaheim in 2022-23 and has signed a one-year, $1.1 million deal with the Florida Panthers. The 29-year-old goaltender was a second-round pick in 2012 (45th overall) and has a career record of 27-24-7 with a 2.93 GAA and .912 SV% throughout 81 NHL games.

Anthony Stolarz
The Panthers signed Dmitry Kulikov to a one-year contract worth $1.0 million.

Kulikov had three goals, 13 assists, 84 SOG, 34 PIMs and a -13 plus/minus through 67 games with both Anaheim and Pittsburgh in 2022-23 and has signed a one-year contract with Florida worth $1.0 million. The 32-year-old defensemen returns to the team that originally drafted him in the first-round of the 2009 Draft (14th overall) where he had 28 goals and 138 points across seven seasons and 460 games played in Florida to begin his career.

Dmitry Kulikov
The Panthers signed Grigori Denisenko to a two-year contract worth $1.55 million ($775K AAV).

Denisenko had three assists, 16 SOG, four PIMs and a -5 plus/minus through 18 games with Florida in 2022-23 and has signed a two-year contract extension worth $1.55 million ($775K AAV). The 23-year-old left-winger was Florida's 2018 first-round pick (15th overall) and has yet to score his first career goal but has seven assists, 25 SOG and eight PIMs across 26 career NHL games played.

Grigori Denisenko
The Coyotes have signed Alex Kerfoot to a two-year deal worth $7.0 million ($3.5M AAV).

Kerfoot played the last four years in Toronto, where he had a career-high 51 points (13G / 38A) in 82 games during the 2022 season. His role diminished in 2023 and he finished with just 32 points (10G / 22A) in 82 games. Kerfoot has the versatility to play all three positions and will likely move up and down the Coyotes' lineup throughout the 2023-24 season.

Alex Kerfoot
The Ducks signed Trevor Carrick to a one-year, two-way contract.

Carrick played for the Ducks' organization for two years (2021 and 2022), spending the entire time in the AHL. During the 2023 season, he had 46 points (15G / 31A) in 60 games with the Syracuse Crunch (AHL). Carrick provides the Ducks' farm system with an offensive defenseman, but likely won't have any impact at the NHL level.

Trevor Carrick
The Lightning signed Josh Archibald to a two-year contract worth $1.6 million ($800K AAV).

Archibald had six goals, six assists, 71 SOG, 43 PIMs and a +6 plus/minus through 62 games played in 2022-23 with Pittsburgh and has signed a two-year contract worth $1.6 million ($800K AAV). The 30-year-old right-winger will join his fourth NHL team in Tampa Bay and brings 83 points (45G/38A) across 305 career NHL games to the Lightning.

Josh Archibald
The Lightning signed Jonas Johansson to a two-year contract worth $1.55 million ($775K AAV).

It was long rumoured that Jonas Johansson would be returning to Europe following a few disappointing seasons in the NHL but he signed a two-year contract worth $1.55 million ($775K AAV). The 27-year-old goaltender saw limited action with Colorado in 2022-23, posting an impressive 2-0-0 record with a 2.10 GAA and .932 SV%. He brings 35 games of NHL experience to the Lightning and should make a servicable third goaltender.

Jonas Johansson
The Lightning signed Logan Brown to a one-year, two-way contract.

Brown had two goals, four assists, 18 SOG, eight PIMs and a -4 plus/minus through 30 injury filled games with St.Louis in 2022-23 and has signed with Tampa Bay on a one-year, two-way contract. The 25-year-old was Ottawa's 2016 first-round pick (11th overall) and has played in 99 career NHL games over the last six seasons, picking up seven goals and 26 points.

Logan Brown
The Lightning signed Luke Glendening to a two-year contract worth $1.6 million ($800K AAV).

Glendening had three goals, three assists, 65 SOG, 50 PIMs and a -9 plus/minus through 70 games with Dallas in 2022-23 and has signed a two-year contract worth $1.6 million ($800K AAV). The 34-year-old centre will be joining his third NHL team with Tampa Bay and brings 706 career NHL games played and 148 career points (69G/79A).

Luke Glendening
The Jets signed Vladislav Namestnikov to a two-year, $4.0 million contract ($2.0M AAV).

Namestnikov had eight goals, 17 assists, 108 SOG, 35 PIMs and a +5 plus/minus through 77 games played in 2022-23 with both Tampa Bay and Winnipeg and has signed a two-year, $4.0 million contract ($2.0M AAV) extension with the Jets. The 30-year-old veteran centre has 261 points (115G/146A) through 630 NHL games played.

Vladislav Namestnikov
The Flyers signed Rhett Gardner to a two-year, two-way contract worth $1.55 million ($775,000 AAV).

Gardner had 10 goals, 30 assists, 75 PIMs and a +26 plus/minus through 71 games with Texas (AHL) in 2022-23 and has signed a two-year, two-way contract worth $1.55 million ($775,000 AAV). The 27-year-old left-winger last played in the NHL in 2021-22 with Dallas, and has a goal and an assist across 40 career NHL games.

Rhett Gardner
The Blues signed Malcolm Subban to a one-year, two-way contract.

Subban was 20-14-5 with a .903 SV% and a 2.94 GAA with Rochester (AHL) in 2022-23 and has signed a one-year, two-way contract worth $775,000 AAV with St.Louis. The 29-year-old net minder was Boston's first-round pick (24th overall) in 2012 and has played in 86 career NHL games across eight seasons, picking up a 36-33-9 record to go along with his 3.10 GAA and .898 SV%.

Malcolm Subban
The Blues signed Wyatt Kalynuk to a one-year, two-way contract.

Kalynuk had four goals, 15 assists, 86 PIMs and a +13 plus/minus through 61 games between both Abbotsford (AHL) and Hartford (AHL) in 2022-23 and has signed a one-year, two-way contract worth $775,000. The 26-year-old defenseman has appeared in 26 career NHL games, collecting four goals and five assists wo go along with his -9 plus/minus.

Wyatt Kalynuk
The Blues signed Joshua Jacobs to a one-year, two-way contract.

Jacobs had four goals, six assists, 18 PIMs and a +10 plus/minus through 43 games with the Colorado Eagles (AHL) in 2022-23 and has signed a one-year, two-way contract worth $775,000 with St. Louis. The 27-year-old defenseman was New Jersey's 2014 second-round pick (41st overall) and has appeared in three NHL games throughout his career, failing to pick up a point while picking up two PIMs.

Josh Jacobs
The Blues signed Mackenzie MacEachern to a two-year contract worth $1.55 million ($775K AAV).

MacEachern failed to make a regular season appearce with Carolina during the regular season in 2022-23 but appeared in eight games in the playoffs, picking up a goal and an assist to go along with six PIMs leading to him signing a two-year contract worth $1.55 million ($775K AAV) with St. Louis. The 29-year-old left-winger returns to St.Louis, where he picked up 11 goals and 19 points through 115 games played with the Blues between 2018 to 2022.

MacKenzie MacEachern

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.