The Ducks have signed Frank Vatrano to a three-year deal worth $18.0M (structure will allow it to carry a $4.57M AAV cap hit).
NHL Hockey Player News
Boston has signed Mark Kastelic to a three-year, $4.701 million contract extension ($1,567,000 AAV).
In only 39 games this season, Kastelic has already matched a career-high with 11 points (4G / 7A) and has been rewarded with a three-year contract extension. The bruting 6-4 forward is second in the NHL with 151 hits.
Toronto signed Philippe Myers to a two-year, $1.7 million contract extension ($850,000 AAV).
Myers has only played 11 games this season but has been a bruting force when in the lineup, racking up 29 hits. The 28-year-old towering 6'5 defenseman is averaging 17:08 time-on-ice and has two points (0G / 2A) this season.
Colorado has signed Keaton Middleton to a two-year, contract extension.
Middleton was the fourth-round pick, 101st overall, of the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft. He has been a product of the Avalanche since the 2020-21 season but had only played three NHL games before this season. In 10 games this season, the 26-year-old Middleton is averaging 10:31 time-on-ice and has zero points, 10 blocks, and 14 hits. He signed a two-year, $1.55 million contract extension ($775,000 AAV).
Dallas has signed Oskar Back to a two-year, $1.65 million contract extension ($825,000 AAV).
Back has impressed in a fourth-line role in his first NHL season and has been rewarded with a two-year contract extension. The 24-year-old forward has nine points (1G / 8A) in 31 games with Dallas this season.
Detroit has signed Ondrej Becher to a three-year, entry-level contract.
Becher was a third-round pick, 80th overall, of the Red Wings in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft. The 20-year-old Czech forward has three points (1G / 2A) in 19 games with the Grand Rapids Griffins (AHL) this season.
Colorado has signed Mackenzie Blackwood to a five-year, $26.25 million contract extension.
Blackwood was acquired in a trade from the San Jose Sharks nearly three weeks ago and has been excellent since his debut with Colorado. Blackwood has a 2.03 GAA and .931 SV%, earning himself a five-year contract extension after only four games with the Avalanche (3-1-0). The 28-year-old netminder has a 3.05 GAA and .905 SV% in 219 career games (84-92-25), primarily while playing for non-playoff teams in New Jersey and San Jose.
Edmonton has signed Connor Clattenburg to a three-year, entry-level contract.
Clattenburg was a fifth-round pick, 160th overall, of the Oilers in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft. The 19-year-old forward has 18 points (10G / 8A) in 22 games with the Flint Firebirds (OHL) this season.
Winnipeg has signed Kevin He to a three-year, entry-level contract.
He becomes the first Chinese-born player in history to sign an NHL contract. The 18-year-old winger was a fourth-round pick, 109th overall, of the Jets in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft. He has 43 points (23 / 20A) in 29 games with the Niagara IceDogs (OHL) this season.
Calgary has signed Brayden Pachal to a two-year, 2.375 million contract ($1,187,500 AAV).
Pachal is averaging 14:31 time-on-ice, recording two points (1G / 1A), 27 penalty minutes, 34 blocks, and 72 hits in 31 games this season, earning himself a two-year contract extension. The 25-year-old defenseman has 11 points (3G / 8A) in 93 career NHL games.
The Avalanche have signed Felhaber to a two-year contract.
Vegas has signed Keegan Kolesar to a three-year, $7.5 million ($2,500,000 AAV) contract extension.
Philadelphia has signed Jacob Gaucher to a two-year, entry-level contract.
Gaucher is an undrafted 23-year-old out of Longueui, Quebec. He has spent the last three seasons bouncing between the ECHL and AHL, but has played well with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms (AHL) this season, scoring 15 points (10G / 5A) in 23 games.
Columbus has signed Luca Marrelli to a three-year, entry-level contract.
Marrelli was a third-round pick, 86th overall, of the Blue Jackets in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft. The 19-year-old Toronto native is in his fourth OHL season with the Oshawa Generals, including scoring 40 points (14G / 26A) in 30 games this season.
New York has signed Igor Shesterkin to an eight-year, $92 million contract extension ($11,500,000 AAV).
Shesterkin's $11.5 million AAV makes him the highest paid goaltender in NHL history. The 28-year-old Shesterkin won the Vezina trophy in the 2021-22 season and has a 2.48 GAA and .920 SV% across 231 career games (143-68-18). Considered by many to be the best goalie in the NHL, Shesterkin has struggled lately, uncharacteristically allowing three or more goals in seven of his last nine (2-7-0), posting an ugly .882 SV%.
Carolina has signed Dustin Tokarski to a one-year, two-way contract.
Tokarski has been stellar with the Chicago Wolves (AHL) this season season, posting a 1.61 GAA and .933 SV% in five games (4-1-0). The 35-year-old NHL journeyman has played 80 career NHL games (23-34-12), posting a 3.15 GAA and .902 SV%.
Columbus has signed Joseph LaBate to a one-year, two-way contract.
LaBate was the 101st overall pick of the Vancouver Canucks in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. He played 13 games with the Canucks, scoring zero points, in the 2016-17 season, but has exclusively been an AHL player since. The 31-year-old LaBate has four points (1G / 3A) in five games with the Cleveland Monsters (AHL) this season.
Toronto has signed Alex Nylander to a one-year, $775,000 contract.
Nylander has spent the entirety of the 2024-25 season in the AHL, scoring 12 points (8G / 4A) in 14 games with the Toronto Marlies. The 26-year-old Nylander has 121 games of NHL experience but has struggled solidifying himself on a lineup.
Vegas has signed Brett Howden to a five-year, $12.5 million contract extension ($2,500,000 AAV).
Howden is in his fourth season with Vegas and will remain a Golden Knight for five more season after signing a five-year, $12.5 million contract extension ($2,500,000 AAV) on Friday. The 26-year-old is in his seventh NHL season and is having his most productive career year to date, on pace for 33 goals after scoring eight in his first 20 games to start 2024-25.
Vegas has signed Brayden McNabb to a three-year, $10.95 million contract extension ($3,650,000 AAV).
After a solid start to the 2024-25 season, recording two points (1G / 1A), 36 blocks, 28 hits, and a +11 plus/minus through 16 games, McNabb has been rewarded with a three-year, $10.95 million contract extension. The 33-year-old McNabb is in his 13th NHL season, spending the previous eight with the Golden Knights.
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.