NHL Hockey Player News

Columbus signed Jet Greaves to a two-year, $1.625M ($812.5K AAV) contract extension.

Greaves spent most of the 2024 season in the AHL, going 30-12-4 with a. 2.93 GAA and .910 SV%. He also impressed during a nine-game stint with the Blue Jackets, where he was 3-6-0 with a 3.49 GAA and .908 SV%. Greaves should open the 2024-25 season in the AHL.

Jet Greaves
New York has signed Chad Ruhwedel to a one-year, two-way contract extension.

Ruhwedel was acquired by the Rangers from Pittsburgh at last year's trade deadline but only appeared in five games and still earned himself a one-year contract extension. The 34-year-old is entering his 13th NHL season and had a goal and four points in 52 games between Pittsburgh and New York in 2023-24.

Chad Ruhwedel
Winnipeg has signed Dylan Coghlan to a one-year, two-way contract.

Coghlan spent most of the 2023-24 season in the AHL, where he was tied for the league-lead among defensemen with 16 goals and his 41 points was tied for 11th and has signed a one-year, two-way contract with Winnipeg. Coghlan provides the Jets with additional blueline depth and comes to them with 106 career NHL games between the Golden Knights and Hurricanes. Coghlan figures to be in a competitive battle with Logan Stanley, Ville Heinola and Colin Miller for playing time on the Jets' third pair in 2024-25.

Dylan Coghlan
Boston has signed Michael Callahan to a one-year, two-way contract extension.

Boston signed a pair of AHL defenders on Friday as it announced Michael Callahan has signed a one-year, two-way contract extension to remain with the Bruins. The 24-year-old has yet to make an NHL appearance after spending the previous two seasons with Providence (AHL) after joining from Providence College (NCAA) in 2021-22. In 70 games in 2023-24 he had four goals and 17 points.

Michael Callahan
Boston has signed Alec Regula to a one-year, two-way contract extension.

Boston added to its defensive depth on Friday by signing defensemen Alec Regula to a one-year, two-way contract extension. Regula was acquired by Boston from Chicago as part of the deal which saw Taylor Hall head to the Blackhawks in the 2023-24 offseason and had four goals and 26 points with Providence (AHL) last season.

Alec Regula
Minnesota has signed Sammy Walker to a one-year, two-way contract extension.

Walker appeared in only four games with Minnesota in 2023-24 but has earned himself a one-year, two-way contract extension to remain with the team. The 25-year-old has only a goal and two points in 13 career games across two seasons but will be hoping to find himself in Minnesota's lineup more often than not in 2024-25 in a bottom-six role.

Sammy Walker
Utah has signed Tij Iginla to a three-year, entry-level contract.

Iginla was the Utah Hockey Club's first ever draft pick when he was selected in the 1st round of the 2024 Draft (6th overall) and has signed his three-year, entry-level contract on Thursday. The 17-year-old right-winger is the son of Calgary legend Jerome Iginla and earned his high draft position by putting up 47 goals, and 84 points in 64 games played with Kelowna (WHL) in 2023-24.

Tij Iginla
Tampa Bay has signed JJ Moser to a two-year, $6.75 million contract extension ($3.375 million AAV).

Moser's rights were acquired by Tampa Bay two Saturday's ago in the massive blockbuster trade which saw Mikhail Sergachev head to Utah and the 24-year-old has signed a two-year, $6.75 million contract extension ($3.375 million AAV) with the Lightning on Thursday. The left-handed defensemen finsihed his third NHL season in 2023-24 with Arizona and had five goals, 26 points, 77 SOG and 35 PIMs in 80 games played.

J.J. Moser
San Jose has signed Ty Emberson to a one-year, $950,000 contract extension.

Emberson picked up 10 points (1G/9A) in 30 games as a rookie for San Jose in 2023-24 and earned himself a one-year, $950,000 contract extension on Thursday. The 24-year-old was originally Arizona's 2018 3rd-round pick (73rd overall) and was traded to New York where he was eventually waived to begin the 2023-24 season before being claimed by San Jose.

Ty Emberson
St.Louis signed Ryan Suter to a 1-year deal worth $775K. Deal includes up to an additional $2.225M in performance bonuses.

St.Louis added a strong veteran presence on Wenesday as it added 39-year-old Ryan Suter on a one-year, $775,000 deal. The grizzled defensemen played in all 82 games with Dallas in 2023-24, picking up two goals, 17 points, and a +14 plus/minus while still avergaing 18:56 TOI/GP. Suter currently ranks first amongst active players in games played (1444) as he enters his 20th NHL season with his fourth team.

Ryan Suter
Columbus has re-signed Jake Christiansen to a one-year, two-way contract.

Christiansen spent most of the 2024 season in the AHL, but did appear in 12 games with the Blue Jackets, tallying two assists. During his time in Cleveland (AHL), the 24-year-old blueliner had 13 goals and 33 assists (46 points) in 62 games. He'll likely start 2024-25 in Cleveland.

Jake Christiansen
Utah has signed Egor Sokolov to a one-year, two-way contract.

Utah acquired Sokolov from the Senators last Wednesday and inked him to a one-year, two-way deal. Sokolov will likely start the 2024-25 season in the AHL but figures to be one of the first call-ups to the big club. The 24-year-old winger had 21 goals and 25 assists (46 points) in 71 AHL games a season ago.

Egor Sokolov
Minnesota has re-signed Adam Raska to a one-year, two-way contract extension.

Raska appeared in five games with Minnesota in 2023-24 but failed to pick up a point and still earned himself a one-year, two-way contract extension with the Wild. The 22-year-old right-winger is still without a point in 13 career NHL games across three seasons but had three goals and seven points in 56 games played between Iowa (AHL) and San Jose (AHL) in 2023-24.

Adam Raska

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.