1-year, $775,000 contract with the New York Islanders. $425,000 Guaranteed. Expires 2026 (UFA).
Source:
2025-06-29T23:59:00.000Z
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NHL Signings & Free Agents
1-year, $775,000 contract with the New York Islanders. $300,000 Guaranteed. Expires 2026 (RFA).
Source:2025-06-29T23:59:00.000Z
1-year, $2,000,000 contract with the Ottawa Senators. $250K each for 20/30/60 Games, $250K for Playoffs & 50 GP, $500K for Round 1 Win, $250K for Round 2 Win, $500K for Round 3 Win, $500K for winning Stanley Cup. Player must play in 50% of playoff games . Expires 2026 (UFA).
Source:2025-06-29T23:59:00.000Z
1-year, $775,000 contract with the Boston Bruins. Expires 2026 (RFA).
Source:2025-06-29T23:59:00.000Z
Toronto has signed Matthew Knies to a six-year, $46.5 million contract extension ($7.75 million AAV).
Toronto can take a key item off their off-season "to-do" list after signing restricted free agent Matthew Knies to a six-year, $46.5 million contract extension ($7.75 million AAV). The 22-year-old left-winger took a massive step forward in 2024-25, occupying Toronto's top-six throughout the season while putting up 29 goals, 58 points and a +7 plus/minus in 78 games played.
Ottawa has signed Claude Giroux to a one-year, $2 million contract extension (with the possibility to make $4.75 million after bonuses).
Ottawa will be bringing back a familiar veteran presence in 2025-26 after announcing it has signed Claude Giroux to a one-year, $2 million extension, with the possibility of earning up to $4.75 million in bonuses. The 37-year-old is entering his 19th NHL season and his fourth with Ottawa after putting up a modest 15 goals and 50 points in 81 games played in 2024-25.
Anaheim has signed Ville Husso to a two-year, $4.4 million contract extension ($2.2 million AAV).
Despite Anaheim acquiring Petr Mrazek on Saturday in a deal that shipped John Gibson out of town, Anaheim continued to add to their goaltending depth for the 2025-26 season after signing Ville Husso to a two-year, $4.4 million contract extension ($2.2 million AAV). The 30-year-old was acquired at last year's trade deadline from Detroit and posted a 2-6-3 record with a 3.47 GAA and .890 SV% between the Ducks and Red Wings last season.
Boston has signed Michael Callahan to a one-year, two-way contract extension.
Boston will keep one of its defensive depth pieces after it announced on Sunday that the Bruins had re-signed Michael Callahan to a one-year, two-way contract extension. The 25-year-old appeared in 17 games with the Bruins in 2024-25, picking up a goal, nine SOG and a -5 plus/minus. He is expected to fight for one of Boston's final defence spots in training camp.
Boston has signed Marat Khusnutdinov to a two-year, $1.85 million contract extension.
Acquired at the 2024-25 trade deadline, Marat Khusnutdinov will remain in Boston for at least two more seasons after signing a two-year, $1.85 million contract extension on Sunday. The 22-year-old former 3rd round pick started his career with 11 points in 73 games with Minnesota, but caught his footing after his trade to Boston, where he had three goals and five points in 18 games played after the trade.
Columbus has signed Dante Fabbro to a four-year, $16.5 million contract extension.
July 1st free agency will be without one of its bigger defensive targets after Columbus signed Dante Fabbro to a four-year, $16.5 million contract extension on Sunday. The 27-year-old first came to Columbus off waivers in November of 2024 and excelled almost immediately, putting up nine goals, 26 points and a +23 plus/minus in 62 games played while averaging 21:39 TOI.
New York has signed Julien Gauthier to a one-year, two-way contract extension.
After appearing in just one game for the Islanders in 2024-25, Julien Gauthier has earned himself a one-year, two-way contract extension to remain in Long Island. The 27-year-old right-winger will provide some offensive depth after putting up three goals and eight points in nine games with Bridgeport (AHL) last season.
New York has signed Liam Foudy to a one-year, two-way contract extension.
Former 18th overall pick Liam Foudy has been signed to a one-year, two-way contract extension to provide New York with some offensive depth for the upcoming 2025-26 season. The 25-year-old appeared in two games for the Islanders in 2024-25 but failed to pick up a point, instead spending the majority of his season with Bridgeport (AHL), where he had 20 goals and 45 points.
San Jose has signed Gabriel Carriere to a one-year, two-way contract extension.
San Jose shored up their minor league goaltending on Sunday after signing Gariel Carriere to a one-year, two-way contract extension. The 24-year-old undrafted goaltender appeared in 47 games combined between the AHL and ECHL last season and will hope to remain with the San Jose Barracuda (AHL) this upcoming season.
2-year, $1,650,000 contract with the Washington Capitals. Expires 2027 (RFA).
Source:2025-06-28T23:59:00.000Z
6-year, $32,100,000 contract with the Calgary Flames. 8 team no trade list Yr 3-6. Expires 2031 (UFA).
Source:2025-06-28T23:59:00.000Z
2-year, $1,900,000 contract with the Winnipeg Jets. Expires 2027 (UFA).
Source:2025-06-28T23:59:00.000Z
2-year, $6,800,000 contract with the St Louis Blues. Expires 2027 (RFA).
Source:2025-06-28T23:59:00.000Z
1-year, $775,000 contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets. 160K Guaranteed . Expires 2026 (UFA).
Source:2025-06-28T23:59:00.000Z
The Blues have signed Joel Hofer to a two-year contract extension worth $3.4M AAV ($6.8M total).
The Jets have signed Haydn Fleury to a two-year contract extension worth $950K AAV ($1.9M total).
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.