The Devils have signed Anthony Mantha to a two-year deal worth $4.75M AAV ($9.5M total).
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NHL Signings & Free Agents
Ottawa and Xavier Bourgault have settled on arbitration on a one-year, $850,000 AAV contract.
The first arbitration case of the 2026-27 offseason has come to a close after it was announced Thursday that Ottawa and Xavier Bourgault had settled on arbitration on a one-year, $850,000 AAV contract. The 23-year-old appeared in two games with Ottawa in 2025-26, but spent the majority of the season with Belleville (AHL), where he had 25 goals, 57 points in 34 PIMs in 70 games played.
Montreal has signed Brett Berard to a one-year, two-way contract.
Berard was acquired in late June for William Trudeau from New York and has signed a one-year, two-way contract with Montreal on Thursday. The 23-year-old former 5th round pick (2020) appeared in 13 games with the Rangers in 2025-26, failing to pick up a point while collecting six PIMs. He is expected to provide Montreal with offensive depth this season and will be competing in training camp for a spot in their bottom-six.
Boston has signed Riley Duran to a one-year, two-way contract.
Boston solidified some offensive depth on Thursday after they announced they had signed Providence (AHL) forward Riley Duran to a one-year, two-way contract. The 24-year-old joined Boston's organization from Providence College (NCAA) in 2023-24 and has appeared in 132 games with the Providence Bruins (AHL) across the last two seasons. He made his NHL debut last season, failing to pick up a point across two appearances.
Pittsburgh has signed Tomas Galvas to a three-year, entry-level contract.
Galves was Pittsburgh's 2026 2nd round pick (54th overall) and has signed a three-year, entry-level contract on Thursday. The 20-year-old Czechia defensemen represented his country at both the World Championships and the Under-20 Campionships in 2025-26 while playing majority of his club hockey for Bílí Tygři Liberec (Czechia). He is expected to start the season in Wilkes-Barre (AHL) as he gets used to his first taste of North American hockey.
Toronto has signed William Villeneuve to a two-year, two-way contract extension.
Villeneuve will remain in the Maple Leafs organization for two more season after the team announced Wednesday that they had signed the 24-year-old to a two-year, two-way contract extension. The French Canadian defensemen made his NHL debut for the Maple Leafs last season during a short, three-game stint but spent the majority of 2025-26 with the Marlies (AHL), where he had three goals and 30 points in 61 games played. He is expected to start the season with the Marlies but will provide the Maple Leafs with much needed defensive depth throughout the season if need be.
Anaheim has signed Tyson Hinds to a two-year contract worth $900,000 AAV ($1.8M total).
Hinds made his NHL debut in 2025-26, appearing in six NHL games with the Ducks and has earned himself a two-year contract worth $900,000 AAV ($1.8M total). The 23-year-old is expected to be a key complimentary piece to Anaheim's blue line this season after the team lost both Jacob Trouba and Radko Gudas to free agency.
Montreal has signed Reilly Walsh to a one-year, two-way contract.
After a successful first season in the KHL with Barys Astana, Reilly Walsh will return to North America after it was announced Wednesday that Montreal had signed Walsh to a one-year, two-way contract. The 27-year-old's only appearance in the NHL came back with New Jersey in 2021-22, where he had an assist in one game played. He is expected to play a key part in Laval (AHL) this upcoming season.
Columbus has signed Sergei Ivanov to a two-year, entry-level contract.
Ivanov was a fifth-round draft pick of the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, but he has yet to play professionally in North America. The 22-year-old Russian goalie spent most of the 2025-26 season in the KHL, where he posted a solid 2.50 GAA and .928 SV% in 29 games (13-11-2) for St. Petersburg SKA.
San Jose has signed Libor Hajek to a one-year, two-way contract.
Hajek was drafted 37th overall by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, but has spent the past few seasons playing professionally in Czechia after being unable to make a lasting impacting in North America. The 28-year-old Czech forward scored 13 points (6G / 7A) last season for Pardubice HC in Czechia.
Utah has matched New Jersey's offer sheet to Barrett Hayton, signing him to a one-year deal worth $4.775M.
The New Jersey Devils put pressure on the Utah Mammoth last week when Barrett Hayton signed their offer sheet, but Utah has ultimately matched it, keeping Hayton for the 2026-27 season. The 26-year-old forward, the fifth overall pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, has shown flashes of the acumen that made him a high-end prospect, but he has yet to translate that into consistent play at the NHL level. Last season, Hayton averaged 15:07 time-on-ice and scored 25 points (10G / 15A) in 67 games with Utah.
The Wild signed Roman Schmidt to a one-year, two-way contract.
Schmidt, drafted 96th overall by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, has bounced around teams over the past year and has yet to earn himself a shot at the NHL level. The 23-year-old defenseman scored three assists in the 2025-26 season in 48 AHL games split between the Syracuse Crunch, Lehigh Valley Phantoms, and Iowa Wild.
The Ducks signed Tyson Hinds to a two-year extension worth $900K AAV ($1.8M total).
Hinds, a third-round pick of the Anaheim Ducks in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, made his NHL debut with the team last season, drawing into six games. That said, the 23-year-old defenseman spent most of the 2025-26 season in the AHL, where he scored 19 points (5G / 14A) in 62 games with the San Diego Gulls.
The Golden Knights signed Lukas Cormier to a one-year, two-way contract.
Cormier was a third-round pick of the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. He suited up in two games for the Golden Knights in the 2023-24 season but has otherwise played exclusively in the AHL. The 24-year-old defenseman scored 47 points (8G / 39A) last season in 49 games with the Henderson Silver Knights (AHL).
The Blackhawks signed Drew Commesso to a two-year deal worth $875K AAV ($1.75M total).
Commesso was drafted 46th overall by the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft and has drawn into a handful of games for the team over the past two seasons. That said, the 23-year-old goalie spent most of the 2025-26 season in the AHL, where he posted a serviceable 3.08 GAA and .901 SV% in 37 games (13-20-2) with the Rockford IceHogs.
The Rangers signed William Trudeau to a one-year, two-way contract.
Trudeau was a fourth-round pick of the Montreal Canadiens in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, but never suited up for the team at the NHL level. The 23-year-old defenseman spent the 2025-26 season with the Laval Rocket (AHL), where he scored 20 points (8G / 12A) in 68 games.
The Oilers signed Owen Michaels to a two-year, two-way contract.
Michaels, an undrafted forward, will look to make his professional hockey debut in 2026-27 after signing a two-year, two-way contract with the Edmonton Oilers. The 24-year-old spent the 2025-26 season with Western Michigan University, where he scored 26 points (13G / 13A) in 39 games.
Ottawa has signed Claude Giroux to a one-year, $2 million contract extension.
Giroux decided to test the open market after four seasons with the Ottawa Senators, but has ultimately opted to re-sign with the team. The 38-year-old forward, entering his 20th NHL season, has remained productive offensively despite seeing a diminished role. In the 2025-26 season, Giroux averaged 16:18 time-on-ice, his lowest total since his rookie season in 2008-09, but still managed a solid 49-point (14G / 35A) campaign in 82 games.
Toronto has signed Jacob Quillan to a one-year, two-way contract.
Quillan, an undrafted forward, is the latest Maple Leafs' offseason signing to complement their organizational depth. The 24-year-old has played 24 career NHL games, but spent most of the 2025-26 season in the AHL, where he tallied 36 points (14G / 22A) in 40 games with the Toronto Marlies (AHL).
Columbus has signed Colton White to a two-year, two-way contract.
The Blue Jackets have signed defenseman Colton White to add some organizational depth to their blueline. The 29-year-old White has 107 games of NHL experience, but has spent most of his career in the AHL. In 2025-26, he scored seven points (1G / 6A) in 30 games with the Utica Comets (AHL).
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.