NHL Hockey Player News

The Stars have signed Andrej Sekera to a two-year, $3 million ($1.5 million AAV) contract extension.

The Stars signed Sekera to a one-year deal last July and the veteran performed well enough to earn a two-year extension. The 34-year-old had two goals and six assists (eight points) in 57 games while ranking fourth among Stars defensemen in blocked shots (75) and sixth in hits (34).

Andrej Sekera
The Blues have signed Nolan Stevens to a one-year, two-way ($700k/80k) contract extension.

The Blues selected Nolan Stevens in the fifth-round in 2016 and he has spent the first two years of his professional career in the AHL. In 2020, the 24-year-old had nine goals and 22 assists (31 points) in 50 games with San Antonio. Expect him to start 2021 with the Rampage.

Nolan Stevens
The Blue Jackets have signed Kole Sherwood to a one-year, two-way ($735K/70K) contract extension.

Sherwood spent most of 2020 in the AHL, where he had 10 goals and three assists (13 points) in 43 games with Cleveland. He played in three games with Columbus but still has no points in five career NHL games. With so many players already under contract for 2021, Sherwood will likely start in the AHL.

Kole Sherwood
The Capitals have signed Lucas Johansen to a one-year, two-way ($700K/95K) contract extension.

Johansen was a first-round pick in 2016 and has spent the first three years of his professional career with Hershey (AHL). He missed almost all of 2020 with different injuries, picking up just two assists in nine games. Johansen has fallen behind Martin Fehérváry on the depth chart, so look for him to start 2021 in Hershey.

Lucas Johansen
The Penguins have signed Tristan Jarry to a three-year, $10.5 million ($3.5M AAV) contract extension.

With Jarry getting re-signed that indicates that RFA Matt Murray may have played his last game with the Penguins. Jarry gets the three-year extension at a very reasonable cap-hit (24th among goalies for 2021) and will likely be backed up by Casey DeSmith next season. We could see a Murray trade on the draft floor on Tuesday or Wednesday. Jarry was 20-12-1 with a 2.43 GAA, .921 SV% and three shutouts in 2020.

Tristan Jarry
The Flyers have signed Brian Elliott to a one-year, $1.5 million contract extension.

Elliott was set to become an unrestricted free agent on October 9th but gets another one-year deal from the Flyers that retains him as Carter Hart's backup for at least another season. Elliott's cap-hit goes from $2.0M AAV to $1.5M AAV, leaving Philadelphia with roughly $4.8M in cap space (per PuckPedia). That's plenty to re-sign their only RFA Philippe Myers but doesn't leave them with much to spend to upgrade their roster in free agency.

Brian Elliott
The Jets have signed Laurent Brossoit to a one-year, $1.5 million contract extension.

Brossoit did not enjoy the same level of success in year two with the Jets but was solid enough to stay on as Connor Hellebuyck's backup for at least one more year. Brossoit went 6-7-1 with a 3.28 GAA and .895 SV% in 2020 and is now 19-13-3 with a 2.87 GAA and . 912 SV% in 40 career games (34 starts) with the Jets.

Laurent Brossoit
The Maple Leafs have signed Denis Malgin to a one-year, $700K contract extension.

Malgin was a fourth-round pick of the Panthers in 2015 and was with the organization from 2017 to February of 2020 when he was dealt to Toronto. Upon his arrival in Ontario's Capital, Malgin had no points in eight games for the Maple Leafs. He still did enough to earn a one-year extension but given Toronto's depth, he could start 2021 in the AHL.

Denis Malgin
The Sabres have signed Andrew Oglevie to a two-year contract extension.

Oglevie was an undrafted free agent out of the University of Notre Dame, who has spent the last two season in the Sabres system with the Rochester Americans (AHL). This past season, the 25-year-old centre had 15 goals and 14 assists (29 points) in 55 games.

Andrew Oglevie
The Devils have re-signed Josh Jacobs to a one-year, two-way contract worth $700K/$130K.

Jacobs was a second-round pick (No.41 overall) in 2014 and has played just three career NHL games since. The 24-year-old defenseman spent the majority of 2020 with the Binghamton Devils, where he was third on the team among defenseman with 15 points (5G / 10A) in 54 games.

Josh Jacobs
The Devils have signed Brett Seney to a one-year, two-way contract extension worth $700K/$250K.

One year after playing in 51 games with the Devils, Seney spent almost the entire 2020 campaign with Binghamton (AHL). The former sixth-round pick led the team in goals (19) and points (44) in 61 games. He has five goals and eight assists (13 points) in 53 career NHL games and will be a on the fringe of the Devils roster in 2021.

Brett Seney
The Devils have re-signed Ben Street to a one-year, two-way contract worth $700K/$425K.

Street has been a career AHLer who has had a few cups of coffee in the NHL. The 33-year-old played three games with the Devils last season but spent most of the year with Binghamton (AHL), where he was second on the team with 42 points (15G / 27A) in 49 games.

Ben Street
The Predators have signed Devin Cooley to a two-year, entry-level contract.

Cooley is an undrafted free agent, who finished his third year at the University of Denver in 2020. The 23-year-old netminder went 4-3-2 with a 2.08 GAA and .908 SV% in nine NCAA games. Cooley will likely replace Troy Grosenick (UFA) as the backup in Milwaukee (AHL).

Devin Cooley
The Canadiens have signed Jake Lucchini to a one-year, two-way ($700K/85K) contract extension.

Lucchini was an undrafted free agent out of Michigan Tech. He was originally signed by the Penguins but was part of a minor league trade to the Canadiens in February. The 25-year-old finished 2020 with 11 goals and nine assists (20 points) in 61 games between Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Laval (AHL).

Jake Lucchini
The Red Wings have signed Sam Gagner to a one-year, $850k contract extension.

Gagner was acquired midseason from the Oilers as a part of the Andreas Athanasiou deal and he scored one goal in six games. The veteran won't be a fantasy asset in 2021 but will help be a mentor in the room, play a bottom-6 role and see some power-play time.

Sam Gagner

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.