NHL Hockey Player News

The Jets have signed first round pick Nikolaj Ehlers to a three-year, entry level contract.

Ehlers, 18, was selected ninth overall in the draft this summer. He has tremendous speed and an excellent wrist shot. He posted 49 goals and 55 assists (104 points) in 63 games with the Halifax Mooseheads last season. Ehlers was named the CHL's rookie of the year. He stands in at 5-foot-11, but needs to fill out (163 lbs.) to play in the NHL. He will probably return to juniors for one more season.

Nikolaj Ehlers
The Florida Panthers signed 2014 first overall pick Aaron Ekblad to a three-year entry level contract on Wednesday.

Ekblad was named the Ontario Hockey League’s (OHL) most outstanding defenseman during the 2013-2014 season, ranking first among the league’s blueliners with 23 goals and tied for fifth with 53 points (23-30-53). The 6-foot-3, 213-pound defenseman became just the third player in his 18-year-old birth year to earn the OHL’s most outstanding defenseman honor in the past 20 years. The Belle River, Ontario, native is expected to crack the Panthers opening day roster and should be an immediate fantasy contributor.

Aaron Ekblad
The Oilers have signed restricted free agent Justin Schultz to a one-year deal worth $3.675 million.

Schultz, 24, scored 11 goals with 22 assists (33 points) in 74 games in his second full NHL season. He is the Oilers only legit fantasy option on D. The 33 points from last season is a reasonable expectation for him again in 2014-15.

Justin Schultz
The Senators signed Craig Anderson to a three-year contract extension worth $12.6 million.

A season after posting an NHL-best .941 SV%, Anderson struggled to a 25-16-8 record with a 3.00 GAA and .911 SV%. Just weeks after the Sens signed Robin Lehner to a three-year extension, they locked up the other half of their goaltending duo through 2017-18. Anderson will start the season as the number-1 and will be looking for a bounce back season; but the team in front of him is looking like a basement dweller.

Craig Anderson
The Flames signed Devin Setoguchi to a one-year, $750K contract.

Setoguchi had 11 goals and 16 assists (27 points) in 75 games with the Jets last season. He is a long way from his days of 31 goals with the Sharks in 2008-09, but he could definitely chip in for the Flames this season.

Devin Setoguchi
The Senators signed Clarke MacArthur to a five-year extension worth $23.25 million.

MacArthur recorded 24 goals and 31 assists with a plus-12 rating in 79 games with the Senators last season. The 29-year-old has scored 20 goals in each on the last three 82-game seasons so expect fourth straight in 2014-15. On a rundown Senators offence, Mac will once again play a considerable amount of minutes this season.

Clarke MacArthur
The Ducks signed Jakob Silfverberg to a one-year, $850K contract.

In his first season with the Ducks, Silfverberg was limited to 52 games because of a broken hand. He finished the season with 10 goals and 13 assists (23 points) while playing mostly third line minutes. Silfverberg will battle to move into the top-six to earn a chance to play with Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry or on the second line with Ryan Kesler.

Jakob Silfverberg
The Flyers have signed Ryan White to a one-year, two-way deal.

White, 26, had been with the Canadiens since they selected him in the third round (66th overall) in the 2006 draft. He played 52 games with the Habs last season, racking up just six points (2G / 4A). He has just five goals and 12 assists in 141 career NHL games, so do not expect him to have any fantasy impact with his new team.

Ryan White
The Flyers have signed Michael Del Zotto to a one-year deal worth $1.3 million.

With Kimmo TImonen out indefinitely after being treated for blood clots, the Flyers were seeking help on the blueline. They sign the 24-year-old, who had three goals and 13 assists (16 points) in 67 games between the Rangers and Predators. The former first-round pick (20th overall in '08) has seen his play slip in the last few seasons, but comes to Philadelphia on a low-risk one-year deal.

Michael Del Zotto
The Penguins have re-signed forward Brandon Sutter to a two-year contract worth $6.6 million.

Sutter, 25, is coming off his best playoff performance to date. He set new career highs in goals (5), assists (2), points (7), shorthanded goals (1) and plus/minus (+7), while his 2:57 average shorthanded time on ice per game ranked second among all Pittsburgh forwards. The 6-foot-3, 190-pound Sutter suited up for 81 of Pittsburgh’s 82 games in 2013-14, tallying 13 goals and 13 assists for 26 points. Sutter played a vital role in the NHL’s No. 5-ranked penalty kill unit (85%), placing second among all Pittsburgh forwards with 2:18 shorthanded minutes per game.

Brandon Sutter
The Lightning have signed Ben Bishop to a two-year contract extension worth $11.9 million.

Bishop, 27, went 37-14-7 with a 2.23 GAA (7th in the NHL) and .924 SV% (6th) with the Lightning last season. It was by far his best season of his five-year career. He underwent wrist surgery in April, but he should be ready for the start of the 2014-15 season. He is just outside the group of elite goaltenders, but should still be a top-30 pick in September.

Ben Bishop
On Saturday, the Canadiens signed P.K Subban to an eight-year deal worth $72 million.

Subban, 25, filed for salary arbitration, but the Canadiens were able to work out a long-term deal with the 2012-12 Norris Trophy winner. He set a career high and finished fifth among defensemen in points with 53 (10G / 43A) in 2013-14. His $9 million dollar annual cap-hit makes him the highest paid NHL D-man by $1.2 over Shea Weber and even more than Sidney Crosby. He is a top-20 fantasy pick this season and could crack the first round in some drafts.

P.K. Subban
The Penguins and Nick Spaling avoid arbitration hearing agreeing on two-year, $4.4 million deal.

Spaling, 25, was a restricted free-agent who came over with Patric Hornqvist from Nashville in the James Neal trade. He had 13 goals and 19 assists (32 points) in 71 games with the Predators last season. With the Preds, Spaling played on both the power-play and penalty-kill, but will likely see a reduced offensive role on a talented Penguins team.

Nick Spaling
The Senators have signed goaltender Robin Lehner to a three-year, $6.675 million dollar contract extension.

Lehner, 23, was 12-15-6 with a 3.06 GAA and .913 SV% with the Senators last season. The 2009 second round pick (46th overall) has a chance to supplant Craig Anderson as the Senators' starter this season. However, Ottawa is not expected to be all that competitive so their goaltenders will be mediocre number-2 options heading into draft day.

Robin Lehner
The Devils signed Andy Greene to a five-year deal worth $25 million, the deal also includes a no-trade clause.

Greene, 31, is an underrated defenseman and the $5 million dollar cap-hit is a really fair deal for both sides. Greene had eight goals and 24 assists (32 points) in 82 games for the Devils last season. The eight goals set a new career-high for the eight year veteran. He will be back eating up close to 25 minutes a night, including tons of power-play time in 2014-15. He is not a big name, so he can come at a cheap price on draft day.

Andy Greene
The Kings signed Dwight King to a three-year, $5.85 million contract.

King, 25, had 15 goals and 15 assists (30 points) with a plus-16 rating in 77 games last season. King bounces around on the Kings' second and third line as the Kings continue to keep pieces of their Stanley Cup winning team.

Dwight King
The Leafs signed Jake Gardiner to a five-year, $20.25 million deal.

Gardiner, 24, set new career-highs in goals (10), points (31) and power-play points (11) in 2013-14. The 2008 17th overall pick has shown flashes of brilliance in his first three NHL seasons but needs to work on being more consistent. He has the potential to be a top-30 fantasy defenseman this season.

Jake Gardiner
The St. Louis Blues have signed Peter Mueller to a one-year, two-way deal.

Mueller, 26, was the eighth overall pick in the 2006 NHL Draft, but pen last season in Switzerland playing with Kloten. He had 24 goals and 22 assists (46 points) in 49 games. In 297 career NHL games, Mueller has racked up 63 goals and 97 assists (160 points). The Blues have one of the deepest forward groups in the NHL so it may be difficult for Mueller to crack the team out of camp.

Peter Mueller
The Blue Jackets signed Jerry D'Amigo to a one-year, two-way deal.

D’Amigo, 23, was acquired by Columbus along with a conditional seventh round pick in the 2015 NHL Draft from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for forward Matt Frattin on July 1. D'Amigo had 20 goals and 13 assists (33 points) in 51 games with the Toronto Marlies (AHL) last season. In 22 games with the Leafs, he had three points (1G / 2A). He possesses a strong two-way game, but is unlikely to crack the Blue Jackets' roster out of training camp.

Jerry D'Amigo

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.