Carolina has officially registered an NHL contract for Alexander Nikishin.
NHL Hockey Player News
Minnesota has signed Riley Mercer to a three-year, entry-level contract.
Mercer is an undrafted goalie out that has spent the previous five seasons playing for the Drummondville Voltigeurs in the QMJHL. The 21-year-old had an excellent 2024-25 season, posting a 2.53 GAA and .925 SV% in 46 games (27-15-4) with Drummondville.
The Capitals signed Bogdan Trineyev to a one-year, two-way contract.
Trineyev was a fourth-round pick of the Capitals in 2020 and has spent the last two seasons in Hershey (AHL) after coming over from the KHL. In 2024-25, Trineyev had 14 goals and eight assists (22 points) in 62 games.
The Oilers signed Ty Emberson to a two-year contract extension worth $2.6 million ($1.3M AAV).
The Predators signed Andreas England to a one-year contract extension.
The Jets have signed Neal Pionk to a six-year deal worth $7.0M AAV ($42.0M total).
Pionk has tied a career-high with 10 goals this season and has been rewarded with a six-year, $42-million contract extension ($7.0M AAV). The 29-year-old defenseman has tallied 216 points (37G / 179A) in 435 games over six season with Winnipeg. He recently returned from a month-long absence due to injury and has picked up where he left off, with two points (1G / 1A) in three games.
Washington has re-signed Dowd to a two-year, $6-million contract extension.
In his seventh season with the Capitals, Dowd has scored a career-high 27 points (14G / 13A) in 81 games and has been rewarded with a two-year, $6-million contract extension. The 34-year-old Dowd has 176 points (84G / 92A)) in 581 career games.
The Jets have signed Alex Iafallo to a 3-year contract extension worth $11.0M ($3.67M AAV).
Iafallo has become a utility option for the Jets, playing anywhere from the first to fourth line. In 2024-25, he's scored 15 goals with 16 assists (31 points) in 81 games, surpassing his 27 points from his first season with the Jets.
Anaheim has signed Konnor Smith to a three-year, entry-level contract.
Smith was a fourth-round pick, 97th overall, of the Anaheim Ducks in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. The 20-year-old defenseman just completed his fourth season in the OHL, scoring 26 points (10G / 16A) in 40 combined games between the Owen Sound Attack and the Brampton Steelheads.
Philadelphia has signed Alex Bump to a three-year, entry-level contract.
Bump was a fifth-round pick, 133rd overall, in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. The 21-year-old forward just completed his second season with Western Michigan University (NCHC), scoring 47 points (23G / 24A) in 42 games.
Philadelphia has signed Devin Kaplan to an NHL Entry-Level contract.
Kaplan was a third-round pick, 69th overall, of the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. The 21-year-old forward spent the previous three seasons playing collegiate hockey for Boston University (H-East) and scored 18 points (10G / 8A) through 38 games in 2024-25.
The Kings signed Wright to a two-year entry-level contract on Monday.
Wright recently reached the NCAA Frozen Four with the University of Denver, registering nine goals and eight assists in 44 games as a Junior. His contract will begin with the 2025-26 season.
Anaheim has signed Tim Washe to an entry-level contract.
Washe is an undrafted forward that has spent the previous five seasons playing collegiate hockey. The 23-year-old scored 38 points (16G / 22A) in 42 games with Western Michigan University (NCHC) this season.
Calgary has signed Carter King to a one-year, two-way contract beginning in 2025-26.
King is an undrafted forward that has spent the previous five seasons playing collegiate hockey. The 23-year-old forward scored 43 points (21G / 22A) in 44 games with the University of Denver (NCHC) this season.
Calgary has signed Arseniy Sergeev to a two-year, two-way contract beginning in 2025-26.
Sergeev was a seventh-round pick, 205th ovrall, of the Calgary Flames in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. The 22-year-old goalie just completed his third collegiate season, posting a stellar 2.54 GAA and .919 SV% in 33 games (19-9-4) with Pennsylvania State University (Big-10).
Edmonton has signed Quinn Hutson to a two-year, entry-level contract.
Hutson just finished a three-year stint with Boston University (H-East) and has signed a two-year, entry-level contract with the Edmonton Oilers. The 23-year-old Hutson, brother of Montreal Canadiens rookie standout Lane Hutson, scored 50 points (23G / 27A) in 38 games with Boston University in 2024-25.
Edmonton has signed Atro Leppanen to a one-year, entry-level contract.
Chicago has signed Ryan Greene to a three-year, entry-level contract and he is expected to make his NHL debut on Monday vs. Montreal.
Minnesota has signed Zeev Buium to a three-year, entry-level contract.
The Panthers signed Jack Devine on a three-year, entry-level contract.
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.