The Panthers have signed J-F Berube to a one-year deal worth $750K.
Berube is 4-2-1 with a .901 SV% and 2.84 GAA with the Charlotte Checkers (AHL) and has been signed to a one-year deal worth $750,000 with the Florida Panthers Thursday.
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NHL Signings & Free Agents
The Senators have signed Dylan Ferguson to a one-year, two-way contract.
Ferguson is 3-3-0 with a 2.92 GAA and .904 SV% with the Toronto Marlies (AHL) and Belleville Senators (AHL) and has been signed to a one-year, two-way contract Thursday with Ottawa.
The Stars have signed Gavin White to a three-year, entry-level contract.
White has 10 goals, 27 assists, 16 PIMs and a +9 plus/minus through 42 games with Hamilton (OHL) and Peterborough (OHL) and has been signed to a three-year, entry-level contract Thursday.
The Sharks have signed Derrick Pouliot to a one-year contract.
Pouliot had two goals, 16 assists, 42 PIMs and a -7 plus/minus through 26 games with the San Jose Barracuda (AHL) and has signed a one-year contract with the Sharks on Thursday. The 29-year-old has played in 213 NHL games across eight seasons, picking up eight goals and 52 points across that span.
The Blues have signed Sammy Blais to a one-year deal worth $1.0M.
Blais has two goals, an assist, and 15 SOG through nine games since being traded back to the St. Louis Blues and has not signed a one-year, $1.0 Million contract extension. The 26-year-old has two goals, and eight points across 49 games with both the Blues and Rangers.
The Bruins have signed David Pastrnak to an 8-year contract extension worth $90.0 million ($11.25M AAV).
Pastrnak is currently tied for fourth in the NHL in scoring with 42 goals, 38 assists, 285 SOG, a +27 plus/minus and 32 PIMs across 60 games this season and has signed an 8-year contract extension worth $90.0 million ($11.25M AAV). This will make Pastrnak a Bruin until at least his age-34 season.
The Red Wings have signed Dylan Larkin to an eight-year contract extension worth $69.6 million ($8.7M AAV).
Tristan Lennox has agreed to terms on a three-year, entry-level contract with the New York Islanders.
Lennox has a 22-15-1 record, .880 SV%, and 3.28 GAA with the Saginaw Spirit (OHL) and has signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the New York Islanders. He was the Islanders' 2021 third-round draft pick (93 overall).
The Washington Capitals have signed forward Ryan Hofer to a three-year entry-level contract.
Hofner has 36 goals, 22 assists, 94 PIMs and a +9 plus/minus through 53 games with Kamloops (WHL) and has signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Washington Capitals. He was Washington's 6th-round pick in 2022 (181 overall).
Alexandre Doucet has been signed to a three-year entry-level contract with the Detroit Red Wings.
Doucet has 45 goals, 44 assists, 36 PIMs and a +34 plus/minus through 58 games with Halifax and Val-d'Or (QMJHL) and has been signed to a three-year entry-level contract Wednesday with the Detroit Red Wings. The 21-year-old went undrafted despite having 75 points (33G/42A) in 68 games in 2021-22.
The Canadiens have agreed to terms on a two-year, entry-level contract with forward Xavier Simoneau.
Simoneau has five goals, 23 assists, 39 PIMs and a -6 plus/minus through 44 games with Laval (AHL) this season and has signed a two-year, entry-level contract Wednesday. The 21-year-old was drafted in the 6th round of the 2021 draft (191 overall).
The Capitals have signed Nick Jensen to a three-year contract extension worth $12.15 million ($4.05M AAV).
Jensen has two goals, 22 assists, 82 SOG, 16 PIMs and a -1 plus/minus through 62 games this season and has signed a three-year contract extension worth $12.15 million ($4.05M AAV). The 32-year-old is rounding out his fifth season in Washington.
The Red Wings have signed Jake Walman to a three-year contract extension worth $10.2 million ($3.4M AAV).
Walman was a third-round pick in 2014 and was traded to the Red Wings in the Nick Leddy deal last March. The 27-year-old has taken a massive step forward this year, playing on the top-pair with Moritz Seider for the last few months. Walman has a booming slap shot and is a shot-blocking machine in his own-end. On the year, he's scored five goals with five assists (10 points) with 95 SOG and 77 Blks in 40 games.
The Red Wings have signed Olli Maatta to a two-year contract extension worth $6.0 million ($3.0M AAV).
Maatta has five goals, 12 assists, 37 SOG, 10 PIMs and a +5 plus/minus through 49 games in his first season in Detroit and has now signed a two-year contract extension worth $6.0 million ($3.0M AAV).
Mikey Anderson has signed a $33 million, 8-year extension with an annual salary cap hit of $4.125 million.
Anderson has two goals, 11 assists, 60 SOG, 32 PIMs and a +10 plus/minus through 55 games this season and has earned himself a $33 million, 8-year extension with an annual salary cap hit of $4.125 million. The 23-year-old is now locked in as a King until his 30s.
The Kings have signed Pheonix Copley to a one-year contract extension worth $1.5M.
The Panthers have signed Josh Mahura to a one-year, $925,000 contract extension.
Mahura has four goals, seven assists, 59 SOG, 20 PIMs and a +13 plus/minus through 54 games in his first season in Florida and has earned himself a one-year contract extension.
The Canadiens have signed Jordan Harris to a two-year contract extension worth $2.8 million ($1.4M AAV).
Harris has a goal, 10 assists, 48 SOG, 18 PIMs and a -6 plus/minus through 47 games this season and has agreed to a two-year contract extension worth $2.8 Million ($1.4 Million AAV) with the Montreal Canadiens. The deal will make the 22-year-old a Canadien until at least the end of the 2024-25 season.
Conor Timmins has been signed to a two-year, $2.2 Million contract extension ($1.1M AAV).
Timmins has a goal, 11 assists, 16 SOG and two PIMs through 20 games this season with both Arizona and Toronto and has earned himself a two-year, $2.2 Million contract extension ($1.1M AAV). Timmins was acquired by the Maple Leafs for AHLer Curtis Douglas earlier in the season.
The Predators have signed Tommy Novak to a one-year extension worth $800K.
Novak has four goals, 11 points, 39 SOG and four PIMs across 20 games played this season and has signed a one-year extension worth $800,000. The 25-year-old has been enjoying a solid second NHL season and will be happy to sign after only 47 career games.
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.