The Rangers acquired the RFA defenseman from the Jets for Neal Pionk and a 2019 first-round pick on June 18th and signed him through the 2025-26 season. Trouba is coming off of the best year of his career, posting 50 points (8G / 42A) in 82 games with Winnipeg. Trouba immediately becomes the Rangers best defenseman and should see more minutes than he ever saw with the Jets.
Byram was picked No.4 overall this summer after scoring 26 goals with 45 assists (71 points) in 67 games with the Vancouver Giants. Byram was considered the most NHL-ready defenseman in the draft but could be one-year away from cracking the Avalanche lineup in 2020.
Montembeault was forced into NHL action last year, going 4-3-2 wth a 3.04 GAA and .894 SV% in 11 games. Montembeault currently projects to serve as Sergei Bobrovsky’s backup following Roebrto Luongo’s retirement and the James Reimer trade but things could change before the start of the 2020 campaign.
Hudon spent the entire 2019 season with the Canadiens but appeared in just 32 games and picked up just five points (3G / 2A). It was a disappointing year for Hudon, who had 30 points in 2018. With Ryan Poehling and Nick Suzuki pushing for the NHL, Hudon will likely be an extra forward to start 2020.
Di Giuseppe was originally picked in the second-round by the Hurricanes back in 2012 but was waived last season and had a brief stint with the Nashville Predators. He has posted decent numbers at lower-levels but has just 41 points (14G / 27A) in 150 career NHL games. The 25-year-old will either start the season in the AHL or as a fourth-liner.
Masin was a second-round pick (No.35 overall) in 2014 and had 12 points (2G / 10A) in 69 games in his third full AHL season. The 23-year-old has good size (6-foot-2, 196 lbs.) for the NHL but projects to be no more than a third-pairing defenseman and won’t be with the Lightning to start the 2020 season.
Schemitsch was a third-round pick in 2015 and is coming off of 24 points (9G / 15A) in his second full AHL season. Schemitsch has good size (6-foot-4, 206 lbs.) but remains too low on the depth chart to make a push for a roster spot this fall.
Hunt split his 2019 season between the NHL and AHL, posting 44 points (23G / 21A) in 51 games with Springfield (AHL) and 10 points (3G / 7A) in 31 games with Florida (NHL). Despite moderate NHL success, Hunt will likely start 2020 in the AHL.
Hawryluk was selected No.32 overall in 2014 and finally cracked the NHL roster in 2019. The 23-year-old right winger had 12 points (7G / 5A) in 42 games with the Panthers, while averaging just 9:26 TOI/gm. With Brett Connolly and Noel Acciari singing this summer and Owen Tippett knocking on the door to make the team in training camp, Hawryluk could start the year in the AHL again.
Hicketts led all Grand Rapids defensemen with 27 points (3G / 24A) in 64 games in 2018-19. Hicketts has just three assists in 16 career NHL games but continues to get bumped down the Red Wings depth chart and may never become a full-time NHLer in Detroit.
Compher set career-highs in goals (16), assists (16) and points (32) in 66 games last season. Compher averaged 17:29 TOI/gm but carried a -4.1 relative CorsiFor% but will likely get bumped down the depth chart following the addition of Nazem Kadri this summer. Compher should settle in as Colorado’s third line centre and could thrive against the oppositions’ bottom-6.
MacInnis was originally a second-round pick of the Coyotes (No. 43 overall in 2014) but spent last season with the Blue Jackets AHL affiliate in Cleveland. The 23-year-old centre had four goals and 20 assists (24 points) in 71 games with the Monsters and will start the 2019-20 year with Cleveland.
Carrick was acquired from Toronto in early-October before the Stars traded him to New Jersey in late-February. The 25-year-old ended up picking up seven points (1G / 6A) in 20 games with the Devils, giving him a total of 11 points (2G / 9A) in just 34 games. With the addition of P.K. Subban this summer, Carrick will likely battle with Mirco Mueller for the sixth D-spot in 2020.
Del Zotto bounced from Vancouver to Anaheim to St. Louis, where he eventually won a Stanley Cup but signs back with Anaheim, where he had three assists in 12 games. Overall, Del Zotto had 10 points (1G / 9A) in 42 games a season ago, but should have a chance to play more regularly in 2020.
Kloos was in his second year in the Wild’s AHL farm system before being acquired for Pontus Aberg in January and spending 25 games with San Diego (AHL). Kloos has just two career NHL games under his belt and spent last year posting 18 goals and 27 assists (45 points) in 59 combined NHL games. Look for him to start 2020 with San Diego but could be one of the first call-ups for a thin Ducks team.
De Leo was originally a fourth-round pick of the Jets but 2018-19 was his first season with the Ducks organization. The 23-year-old was second on the Gulls with 55 points (20G / 35A) in 66 games and will likely be among their top players to start 2020.
Wideman went from a regular NHLer in 2016 and 2017 to a fringe/AHL player after a leg injury in 2018. The 29-year-old has posted solid offensive numbers at lower-levels, including 15 points (3G / 12A) in 19 AHL games last year and could push for the sixth defenseman spot with Anaheim in 2020.
After showing flashes of his potential in 2018, Vrana took another step forward in 2019, setting a carer-high in goals (24), assists (23) and points (47) in 82 games. Vrana did that while barely averaging over 14 minutes per game but could easily play closer to 16 minutes in the Capitals top-6 in 2020. With increased playing time, Vrana could be a legit 60-plus point threat.
Thomas was a fourth-round pick in 2014 and is coming off of his third full season with Syracuse (AHL), where he had 16 points (2G / 14A) in 67 games. Thomas has never been much of a point producer and likely won’t make the jump to the NHL while the Lightning have a strong blue line.
Soucy improved on his first AHL season, posting 20 points (5G / 15A) in 66 games with Iowa. The 6-foot-5, 208 lbs. defenseman has the kind of size that the Wild’s blueline lacks but he likely sits eighth on the depth chart at the moment, so look for him to remain in Iowa to start 2020.
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.
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.
