The Kraken signed Kailer Yamamoto to a one-year deal worth $1.5 million.
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NHL Signings & Free Agents
The Maple Leafs signed Tyler Bertuzzi to a one-year deal worth $5.5 million.
Bertuzzi had eight goals, 22 assists, 107 SOG, 29 PIMs and a -8 plus/minus through 50 games with both Boston and Detroit in 2022-23 and has signed a one-year deal with Toronto worth $5.5 million. The 28-year-old left-winger joins the Maple Leafs' with 92 goals and 218 points through 326 career NHL games.
The Panthers signed Gerald Mayhew to a one-year, two-way deal.
Mayhew had 24 goals, 20 assists, 68 PIMs and a +9 plus/minus through 69 games with Charlotte (AHL) in 2022-23 and has signed a one-year, two-way deal with Florida. The 30-year-old veteran centre has 13 goals and 15 points across 57 career NHL games with three different teams (MIN, PHI, ANA).
Edmonton has signed Benjamin Gleason to a two-year, $1.550 Million contract ($775,000).
Gleason had nine goals, 24 assists, 40 PIMs and a +2 plus/minus through 68 games with Texas (AHL) in 2022-23 and has signed a two-year, $1.550 Million contract ($775,000) with Edmonton. The 25-year-old undrafted offensive defensemen's only appearance in the NHL was in 2018-19 with Dallas, where he had an assist, two SOG and a -1 plus/minus.
Vancouver has signed Akito Hirose to a two-year contract extension.
Lias Andersson has signed a one-year, two-way contract with Montreal for $775,000.
Andersson had 31 goals, 28 assists, 38 PIMs and a -17 plus/minus through 67 games with Ontario (AHL) in 2022-23 and has signed a one-year, two-way contract with Montreal for $775,000. The 24-year-old forward was a first round pick to Montreal in 2017 (7th overall) and has seven goals and 17 points across 110 career NHL games played.
Calgary has signed Jordan Oesterle to a one-year, one-way $925,000 contract.
Oesterle played the last two seasons with the Red Wings, finishing with a combined 19 points (4G / 15A) across 97 games. Oesterle operated as the No.6 defenseman for Detroit last season, averaging just 15:39 TOI/gm. Expect similar deployment in his first season with the Flames.
Colorado has re-signed Justus Annunen to a one-year, two-way contract extension ($775,000).
Annunen appeared in two regular season games in 2022-23 posting a 1-1-0 record, 3.58 GAA and .854 SV% with Colorado and has signed a one-year, two-way contract extension ($775,000). The 23-year-old netminder was the Avalanche's 2018 third-round pick (64th overall) and has a 2-1-1 career record with a 3.92 GAA and .859 SV%.
Jiri Patera has signed a one-year, two-way ($775,000 AAV) contract extension with the Golden Knights.
Gage Quinney has signed a one-year, two-way ($775,000 AAV) contract with Vegas.
Dallas has signed Gavin Bayreuther to a one-year, one-way contract ($775,000 AAV).
Bayreuther had two goals, 12 assists, 61 SOG, 23 PIMs and a -18 plus/minus through 51 games played with Columbus in 2022-23 and has signed a one-year, one-year contract worth $775,000 with Dallas. The 29-year-old defenseman will join his second NHL team and brings five goals, 28 points and a -17 plus/minus across 122 games played to the Stars back end.
Toronto has signed William Lagesson to a one-year, two-way contract ($775,000 AAV).
Lagesson had 10 goals, 22 assists, 46 PIMs and a +14 plus/minus through 65 games last season with the Chicago Wolves (AHL) and will join Toronto on a one-year, two-way contract worth $775,000. The 27-year-old defenseman failed to see any NHL playing time in 2022-23 but still brings 60 games of experience as well as seven career assists to the Maple Leafs.
Marian Studenic has signed a one-year, two-way contract ($775,000 AAV) with Seattle.
Pierrick Dube haș signed a two-year, two-way entry level contract with Washington.
Dube had 16 goals, 16 assists, 30 PIMs and a +10 plus/minus through 44 games played with Laval (AHL) in 2022-23 and has signed a two-year, two-way entry level contract with Washington worth an AAV of $870,000. The French international representative has yet to make his NHL debut after being signed as an undrafted free agent from Shawinigan (QMJHL) after the 2021-22 season.
Washington has signed Matthews Phillips to a one-year, one-way contract ($775,000 AAV).
Phillips finished fifth in AHL scoring with Calgary (AHL) in 2022-23 with 36 goals, 40 points, 12 PIMs and a +16 plus/minus through 66 games and has signed a one-year, one-way contract with the Washington Capitals. The 25-year-old right-winger was Calgary's sixth-round pick (166th overall) in 2016 and has played in three career NHL games, failing to pick up a point.
Dylan McIlrath has signed a two-year, two-way contract extension with Washington.
McIlrath had an assist, one SOG, seven PIMs and a -6 plus/minus through six games with Washington in 2022-23 and has re-signed a two-year, two-way contract extension with the Capitals. The 31-year-old defenseman has played in 72 career NHL games played, with three goals and three assists along with 128 PIMs during that span.
Washington has re-signed Hunter Shepard to a two-year, two-way contract extension.
Shepard was 20-8-5 with a .916 SV% and 2.18 GAA with the Hershey Bears (AHL) and has signed a two-year, two-way contract extension worth $775,000. The 27-year-old goaltender has yet to make an NHL appearance in his career after being signed as an undrafted free-agent out of the University of Minnesota-Duluth (NCAA).
Colorado has re-signed Jack Johnson to a one-year, $775,000 extension.
Johnson had two goals, six assists, 92 SOG, 28 PIMs and a -15 plus/minus through 83 games in 2022-23 with both Chicago and Colorado and has signed a one-year, $775,000 extension with the Avalanche. The 36-year-old defenseman was a key piece of Colorado's 2021-22 Stanley Cup wining roster and will be entering his 18th NHL season. He has 74 goals, 320 points and 599 PIMs across 1107 career NHL games played.
Joe Hicketts has signed one-year, two-way worth $775,000 with the Los Angeles Kings.
Hicketts had six goals, 48 points, 69 PIMs and a -2 plus/minus through 72 games with Iowa (AHL) in 2022-23 and has signed a one-year, two-way contract worth $775,000 with Los Angeles. The 27-year-old defenseman last made an NHL appearance in 2019-20 with Detroit and has five assists and a -9 plus/minus through 22 career NHL games played.
Calgary has re-signed Colton Poolman to a one-year, two-way ($775,000 AAV) contract extension.
Poolman had 14 points (2G / 12A) in 64 AHL games for the Calgary Wranglers last season. The 27-year-old defenseman has played exclusively with Calgary's AHL team since turning pro in 2021, tallying 33 points (3G / 30A) across 147 games.
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.