Winnipeg has signed Vladislav Namestnikov to a two-year, $6 million ($3 million AAV) contract extension.
NHL Hockey Player News
Vancouver has signed Kevin Lankinen to a five-year, $22.5 million contract extension ($4.5 million AAV).
With Thatcher Demko battling a lower-body injury during the preseason, the Canucks signed Lankinen to a one-year contract to temporarily fill the void in the team's crease. That said, Lankinen has impressed in his first season with the Canucks, posting a solid 2.53 GAA, .905 SV%, and four shutouts in 34 games (19-8-7), earning himself a lucrative five-year, $22.5 million contract.
Vancouver has signed Drew O'Connor to a two-year, $5 million contract extension ($2.5 million AAV).
O'Connor was acquired from Pittsburgh in late January in the deal that saw Marcus Pettersson also come to Vancouver and has signed a two-year, $5 million contract extension ($2.5 million AAV) on Tuesday to remain a Canuck for the foreseeable future. O'Connor is in his fifth NHL season and has eight goals and 18 points in 57 games played between Pittsburgh and Vancouver in 2024-25.
The Stars have signed Sam Steel to a two-year contract extension worth $4.2 million ($2.1M AAV).
Steel is in his second season in Dallas and has earned himself a two-year contract extension worth $4.2 million ($2.1M AAV) after collecting four goals and 17 points in 53 games played this season. The 27-year-old has spent most of 2024-25 in Dallas' bottom six but still averages 14:45 TOI per game this season.
The Predators have signed Wilsby to a two-year contract extension ($775,00 AAV).
The Canucks have signed Marcus Pettersson to a six-year contract extension worth $33.0 million ($5.5M AAV).
Tampa Bay has signed Brandon Halverson to a two-year, NHL Contract.
Halverson was the 59th overall pick of the New York Rangers in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft but has only played one career NHL game back in 2017-18 with the Rangers. The 28-year-old goalie has been impressive at the AHL level this season, posting a 2.20 GAA and .918 SV% in 26 games (12-7-7).
St. Louis has signed Corey Schueneman to a one-year, two-way contract extension.
Schueneman is an undrafted 29-year-old defenseman with seven points (2G / 5A) in 35 career NHL games. He has spent most of his career in the AHL, including scoring 12 points (2G / 10A) in 35 games with the Springfield Thunderbirds (AHL).
Saad has signed a one-year, $1.5 million (pro-rated) contract with the Vegas Golden Knights.
Saad was placed on waivers by the St. Louis Blues earlier this week for the purpose of contract termination. The 32-year-old forward has signed with the Golden Knights, looking for a chance at another Stanley Cup championship. He has 16 points (7G / 9A) in 43 games this season and had been held off the scoresheet in his final six games with the Blues.
San Jose has signed Colin White to a one-year, two-way contract for the remainder of the 2024-25 season.
White was a first-round pick, 21st overall, of the Ottawa Senators in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. The 27-year-old forward has 113 points (44G / 69A) in 320 career NHL games but has spent the entirety of the 2024-25 campaign in the AHL. He has nine points (4G / 5A) in 20 games with the San Jose Barracuda (AHL).
Washington has signed Logan Thompson to a six-year, $35.1 million contract extension ($5.85 million AAV).
Thompson has been impeccable in his first season with the Capitals, among the NHL's best netminders, earning himself a lucrative six-year contract extension of $35.1 million. The undrafted 27-year-old goalie posted a solid 2.67 GAA and .912 SV% in his first four seasons with the Vegas Golden Knights (56-32-11) but has been otherworldly this season with the Capitals, boasting an outstanding 2.09 GAA and .925 SV% in 26 games (22-2-3).
Detroit has signed Dominik Shine to a two-year contract.
Shine is an undrafted 31-year-old that has never played an NHL game. He has spent the previous nine seasons with the Grand Rapids Griffins (AHL) and has 32 points (11G / 21A) in 40 games with the club this season.
The Rangers have reportedly signed Borgen to five-year contract extension with an AAV of $4.1 million.
New York has signed Tony DeAngelo to a one-year contract for the remainder of the 2024-25 season.
DeAngelo started the 2024-25 season with St. Petersburgh SKA (KHL), scoring 32 points (6G / 26A) in 34 games before being released from his contract. The 29-year-old has 210 points (48G / 162A) in 371 career NHL games. His contract is worth a league-minimum, one-year, $775,000. With Noah Dobson (lower body) out week-to-week, DeAngelo could potentially find himself on New York's top powerplay unit.
Chicago has signed AJ Spellacy to a three-year, entry-level contract.
Spellacy was a third-round pick, 72nd overall, of the Blackhawks in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft. The 18-year-old forward is in his third season with the Windsor Spitfires (OHL), tallying 25 points (11G / 14A) through 40 games.
Edmonton has signed John Klingberg to a one-year, $1 million (pro-rated) contract.
Klingberg hasn't played since undergoing hip surgery over a year ago after a brief 14-game stint with the Toronto Maple Leafs, where he scored five points (0G / 5A). The 32-year-old Klingberg isn't far removed from being one of the league's elite powerplay quarterbacks. He scored a career-high 67 points (8G / 59A) in 82 games with the Dallas Stars in the 2017-18 season. However, his production has dipped significantly in recent years, tallying only 85 points (16G / 69A) and a -60 plus/minus in his 155 most recent games. Given Evan Bouchard's dominance on Edmonton's top powerplay unit, it's unlikely that Klingberg will find himself in that position. Yet, he could still see an uptick in production considering the star power of his surrounding cast.
Columbus has signed Jake Christiansen to a two-year, $1.95 million contract extension ($975K AAV).
Christiansen has been a staple on the Blue Jackets' blue line this season and has been rewarded with a two-year, $1.95 million contract extension. The 25-year-old defenseman is averaging 13:07 time-on-ice, recording seven points (1G / 6A), 41 hits, and 28 blocks in 45 games this season.
Columbus has signed Zach Aston-Reese to a one-year, $775,000 contract extension.
Aston-Reese has impressed in his first season with the Blue Jackets, recording 11 points (4G / 7A), 32 blocks, and 94 hits in 42 games. The 30-year-old Aston-Reese spent most of the 2023-24 season in the AHL but has solidified himself a spot with the Blue Jackets.
Ottawa has signed Ridley Greig to a four-year, $13 million ($3,250,000 AAV) contract extension.
In his second full NHL season, Greig is averaging a career-high 15:27 time-on-ice, recording 12 points (6G / 6A) in 37 games. The 22-year-old forward was the 28th overall pick of the Senators in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft.
Minnesota has signed Dylan Ferguson to a one-year, two-way contract.
Ferguson officially signed with Minnesota on a one-year, two-way contract on Tuesday and will remain with the Wild organization for the remainder of 2024-25. The 26-year-old has spent the season between the Iowa Wild (AHL) and Iowa Heartlanders (ECHL). Ferguson has two career NHL starts to his name and has picked up a victory alongside his .940 SV%.
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.