NHL Signings & Free Agents

Aku Koskenvuo(G)|VAN
Signing
Signing
The Canucks signed Koskenvuo to a two-year entry-level contract on Tuesday.

A 22-year-old Finnish netminder, Koskenvuo was selected by the Canucks in the fifth round of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. He has spent the last three seasons playing NCAA hockey for Harvard. Koskenvuo owns an 8-9-1 record and a .902 SV% in 21 appearances this season.

Source:
@Canucks 2025-03-18T22:49:44.387Z
Aku Koskenvuo
Linus Karlsson(C)|VAN
Signing
Signing
Vancouver has signed Linus Karlsson to a one-year, $775,000 contract extension.

Karlsson had 13 games of NHL experience, including scoring one goal in nine games this season, but has spent most of the 2024-25 campaign in the AHL. The 25-year-old Karlsson has 32 points (19G / 13A) in 28 games with the Abbotsford Canucks (AHL) this season.

Source:
Vancouver Canucks 2025-03-14T17:03:34.804Z
Linus Karlsson
Adin Hill(G)|VGK
Signing
Signing
The Golden Knights have signed Adin Hill to a six-year contract extension worth $6.25M AAV ($37.5M total).

Hill is in the final year of a two-year deal that carries a $4.9M cap hit. His new deal will go through the 2030-31 season. Hill has enjoyed another strong season, going 24-11-4 with a 2.53 GAA (t-13th), and .906 SV% (t-18th), 0.360 GSAx/60 (12th) and four shutouts (t-2nd).

Source:
Vegas Golden Knights 2025-03-14T14:08:46.274Z
Adin Hill
Jonathan Quick(G)|NYR
Signing
Signing
New York has signed Jonathan Quick to a one-year, $1.55 million contract extension.

Quick has been a serviceable backup since joining the Rangers last season, posting a 2.83 GAA and .904 SV% in 48 combined appearances (27-12-4). The veteran 39-year-old netminder will return to the Rangers for another season, ensuring the team sticks with the same tandem of him and Igor Shesterkin in the 2025-26 campaign.

Source:
Dan Rosen 2025-03-12T15:12:42.760Z
Jonathan Quick
Angus MacDonell(C)|DAL
Signing
Signing
Dallas has signed Angus MacDonell to a three-year, entry-level contract.

MacDonell was a sixth-round pick, 189th overall, of the Dallas Stars in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. The 19-year-old forward has spent the past four seasons in the OHL, including scoring 47 points (24G / 23A) in 39 games with the Brampton Steelheads this season.

Source:
Dallas Stars 2025-03-11T21:07:22.865Z
Mikko Rantanen(RW)|DAL
Signing
Signing
Dallas has signed Mikko Rantanen to an eight-year, $96 million contract extension ($12 million AAV).

A contract extension was necessary for the Dallas Stars to execute a trade with the Carolina Hurricanes to acquire Mikko Rantanen, which was signed on Friday afternoon, making him the highest-paid winger in the league, making $12 million per season for the next eight seasons. The 28-year-old superstar forward is coming off consecutive 100+ point seasons in Colorado and instantly makes the Dallas Stars a Stanley Cup favorite. Rantanen is poised to suit up on the Stars' top line with Jason Robertson and Roope Hintz.

Source:
Darren Dreger 2025-03-07T19:55:01.385Z
Mikko Rantanen
Wyatt Johnston(C)|DAL
Signing
Signing
Wyatt Johnston has signed a five-year, $42 million extension ($8.4 million AAV) with the Dallas Stars.

Johnston was set to become a restricted free agent in the offseason, but has signed a five-year contract extension, worth $42 million, making him an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2029-30 season. The 21-year-old Johnston has 59 points (23G / 36A) in 62 games this season, including 14 points (8G / 6A) in his last eight games.

Source:
Darren Dreger 2025-03-07T19:53:04.954Z
Wyatt Johnston

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.