NHL Signings & Free Agents

Washington has signed Calle Rosen to a one-year, two-way contract.

Washington added to its defensive depth on Day 2 of Free Agency by signing six-year NHL veteran Calle Rosen to a one-year, two-way contract. The 31-year-old Swedish defenseman spent 2024-25 with the Colorado Eagles (AHL), where he had 10 goals and 34 points in 62 games played. He is expected to report to Hershey (AHL) for the start of the 2025-26 season.

Calle Rosen
San Jose has signed Pavol Regenda to a one-year, two-way contract.

Regenda spent 2024-25 split between San Diego (AHL) and San Jose (AHL), but has found a home in the Barracuda after signing a one-year, two-way contract to remain in San Jose on Wednesday. The 25-year-old is expected to return to San Jose (AHL) for the start of the 2025-26 season, where he had 13 goals and 41 points in 72 games played last season.

Pavol Regenda
Pittsburgh has signed Phil Kemp to a one-year, two-way contrct.

Bakersfield (AHL) lost one of its most reliable defensemen on Wednesday after it was announced that Pittsburgh had signed Phil Kemp to a one-year, two-way contract. The 26-year-old made his only NHL appearance with Edmonton in 2023-24 but has spent the last four years with Bakersfield (AHL), where he had seven goals and 12 points in 56 games in 2024-25. He is expected to report to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (AHL) to start 2025-26.

Phil Kemp
Pittsburgh has signed Rafael Harvey-Pinard to a one-year, two-way contract.

After four up-and-down seasons in Montreal, Rafael Harvey-Pinard will join his second NHL organization after signing a one-year, two-way contract with Pittsburgh. The 26-year-old only appeared in one game for the Canadiens in 2024-25, spending the majority of his season with Laval (AHL), where he had five goals and 19 points in 40 games played.

Rafael Harvey-Pinard
Minnesota has signed Nicolas Aube-Kubel to a one-year, two-way. contract.

After a down season split between Buffalo and New York in 2024-25, Nicolas Aube-Kubel has earned himself a one-year, two-way contract with Minnesota. The 29-year-old right-winger is entering his eighth NHL season with his seventh organization after putting up just a goal and two points in 22 games in 2024-25. He is expected to compete for one of the final roster spots for the Wild when the 2025-26 season starts.

Nicolas Aube-Kubel
Minnesota has signed Tyler Pitlick to a two-year, two-way contract.

Minnesota added a veteran presence on Wednesday after signing 33-year-old forward Tyler Pitlick to a two-year, two-way contract. Pitlick last appeared in 34 games in the NHL with New York in 2023-24, but spent the entirety of the 2024-25 with Providence (AHL), where he had 21 goals, 46 points and 34 PIMs across 59 games played.

Tyler Pitlick
Minnesota has signed Matt Kiersted to a one-year, two-way contract.

Minnesota added to its defensive depth on Day 2 of Free Agency by signing reigning Stanley Cup Champion Matt Kiersted to a one-year, two-way contract. The 27-year-old defenseman managed to appear in two games with Florida in 2024-25, but spent the majority of the season with Charlotte (AHL), where he had a goal and 29 points in 64 games played.

Matt Kiersted
Winnipeg has signed Samuel Fagemo to a one-year, two-way contract.

Despite not having made an NHL appearance since 2024-25, Samuel Fagemo has signed a one-year, two-way contract with Winnipeg on Wednesday. The 25-year-old forward has had no issue filling the net for Ontario (AHL) in the last two seasons, amassing 72 goals and 108 points in his last 117 AHL games played. He is expected to report to Manitoba (AHL) for the start of the 2025-26 season.

Samuel Fagemo
Winnipeg has signed Walker Duehr to a one-year, two-way contract.

Walker Duehr will join his third NHL organization in two seasons after signing a one-year, two-way contract with Winnipeg on Wednesday. The 27-year-old undrafted right-winger appeared in 24 games between Calgary and San Jose in 2024-25, picking up two goals and three points alongside 15 SOG. He is expected to compete for a bottom-six role at Winnipeg's training camp to start this season.

Walker Duehr
Winnipeg has signed Isaac Poulter a one-year, two-way contract.

Winnipeg added to its goaltending depth on the second day of Free Agency on Wednesday, signing Isaac Poulter to a one-year, two-way contract. The 23-year-old undrafted netminder struggled in his third season in Utica (AHL) in 2024-25, with his .898 SV% and 16-13-7 record. He is expected to report to Manitoba (AHL) for the start of the 2025-26 season.

Isaac Poulter
Minnesota has signed Cal Petersen to a one-year, $775,000 contract.

Minnesota added to its goaltending depth on Wednesday after signing Cal Petersen to a one-year, $775,000 contract. Despite having 106 NHL games to his name, the 28-year-old struggled in the AHL in 2024-25 with Lehigh Valley (AHL), posting a 13-15-3 record, 3.14 GAA and .885 SV%.

Cal Petersen
The Maple Leafs signed Vinni Lettieri to a one-year deal worth $775K.

Vinni Lettieri will join his third NHL team in three years after signing a one-year, $775,000 contract with Toronto on Wednesday. The 30-year-old forward is expected to compete for a bottom-six spot in training camp after putting up three goals and five points in 26 games with Boston in 2024-25.

Vinni Lettieri
The Devils signed Marc McLaughlin to a one-year, two-way contract.

After making 14 appearances between Boston and New Jersey last season, Marc McLaughlin has earned himself a one-year, two-way contract extension to remain with the Devils. The undrafted 25-year-old center is expected to start 2025-26 in Utica (AHL) but will provide plenty of depth up the middle for New Jersey after picking up two goals and three points in 14 games last season.

Marc McLaughlin
The Devils have signed Calen Addison to a two-year, two-way contract.

New Jersey added to its defensive depth on Wednesday after signing defenseman Calen Addison to a two-year, two-way contract. The 25-year-old's last NHL appearance came in 2023-24 when he played in 72 games between Minnesota and San Jose. In 2024-25, he bounced between Henderson (AHL) and Springfield (AHL), amassing five goals and 36 points in 62 games played.

Calen Addison
The Sabres have signed Riley Fiddler-Schultz to a two-year, entry-level contract.

Fiddler-Schultz is an undrafted 23-year-old forward and has earned himself a two-year, entry-level contract with Buffalo on Tuesday after a successful rookie campaign in Rochester (AHL) in 2024-25. The Edmonton native joined Buffalo's minor league system from Calgary (WHL) in 2023-24. In 51 games with Rochester in 2024-25, he had 13 goals and 26 points.

Riley Fiddler-Schultz
The Sabres have signed Zach Metsa to a two-year, two-way contract.

After putting up 70 points in 123 games played across the last two seasons with Rochester (AHL), Zach Metsa has earned himself a two-year, two-way contract to remain in Buffalo's organization. The 26-year-old defenseman is entering his third AHL season after joining Rochester as an undrafted free agent from Quinnipac University (NCAA) in 2022-23.

Zach Metsa
The Penguins have signed Anthony Mantha to a one-year deal worth $2.5M.

Mantha had his 2024-25 season cut significantly short due to an ACL tear but has earned himself a one-year, $2.5 million contract with Pittsburgh as he attempts to bounce back this upcoming season. The 30-year-old right-winger is joining his fourth NHL organization in the last three years. Before his injury in 2024-25, he was off to a fairly decent start with four goals, seven points and 11 PIMs in just 13 games played.

Anthony Mantha
Tampa Bay has signed Jakob Pelletier to a three-year, $2.525 million contract ($841,600 AAV).

After splitting last season between Calgary and Philadelphia, Jakob Pelletier will join his third organization in two years after signing a three-year, $2.525 million contract ($841,600 AAV) with Tampa Bay on Tuesday. The 24-year-old was Calgary's 2019 1st-round pick (26th overall) and has amassed 11 goals and 29 points in 86 games across three seasons. He will likely play a bottom-six role in Tampa Bay in the upcoming season.

Jakob Pelletier
Los Angeles has signed Cole Guttman to a two-year, $1.55 million contract ($750,000 AAV).

After a successful season in Rockford (AHL), Cole Guttman has earned himself a two-year, $1.55 million contract ($750,000 AAV) with the Los Angeles Kings. The 26-year-old is likely to start the 2025-26 season in Ontario (AHL), where he is likely to continue his minor league success after putting up 23 goals and 57 points in 70 games played with Rockford (AHL) in 2024-25.

Cole Guttman
The Sabres have signed Zac Jones to a one-year, two-way contract.

After five up-and-down seasons in New York that never consisted of more the 46 games played, Zac Jones has joined Buffalo on a one-year, two-way contract to provide some defensive depth. The 25-year-old defenseman posted career highs in games played (46), points (11), PIMs (24) and SOG (51) with New York last season. He should battle for the Sabres' final defensive spot out of training camp to start the season.

Zac Jones

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.