The Canadiens have signed Corey Perry to a one-year deal worth $750K.
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NHL Signings & Free Agents
The Senators have signed Tim Stuetzle to a three-year, entry-level contract.
Stuetzle was the No.3 overall pick in this year's draft and is currently representing Team Germany at the World Juniors, where he has one goal and one assist in two games thus far. Stuetzle is expected to join the Senators for training camp after the WJC and should start the season in Ottawa.
The Oilers signed Slater Koekkoek to a one-year deal worth $850K.
Koekkoek played well in his first full season with the Blackhawks, particularly after he was paired up with Olli Maatta. The duo put up some terrific underlying numbers and Koekkoek set a new career-high with 10 points (1G / 9A) in just 42 games. In Edmonton, he'll provide some depth on the blueline and will likely serve as a reserve most of the time. However, he should be the first man in whenever there is an injury.
The Blackhawks have signed Carl Soderberg to a one-year contract worth $1.0 million.
Chicago brings in a seven-year veteran to help fill some gaps that were created by injuries this week. Alex Nylander could miss all of the 2021 season after undergoing knee surgery and Kirby Dach was injured in Team Canada's exhibition game before the World Juniors and could miss some time. Soderberg will likely fill a spot in the bottom-6 with Dylan Strome moving up to take Dach's spot with Patrick Kane. Soderberg had 35 points (17G / 18A) in 70 games with the Coyotes a season ago.
The Lightning re-signed Anthony Cirelli to a three-year contract worth $14.4 million ($4.8M AAV).
Cirelli is coming off of a really strong second season in the NHL, where he scored 16 goals and 28 assists (44 points) in 68 games. Cirelli had to take on a bigger role with Steven Stamkos injured for a good portion of the season and he flourished as the Lightning's No.2 centre. With Nikita Kucherov out for all of 2021, he will likely play the same role and Stamkos will shift over to the wing to fill-in for Kucherov. Cirelli's ceiling will be capped so long as he is playing with the likes of Alex Killorn and Tyler Johnson and not the upper echelon of talent in Tampa Bay, but he's a player that should have a 20-goal, 30-assist pace in 2021's shortened season.
The Sabres signed Casey Mittelstadt to a one-year deal worth $874,125.
Mittelstadt has yet to live up to the billing of being selected No.8 overall in 2017 and that led to him being demoted to the AHL in 2020. He had nine points (4G / 5A) in 31 games with the Sabres before being sent to Rochester, where he tallied 25 points (9G / 16A) in 36 games. Mittelstadt is expected to get a spot in the Sabres' bottom-6 to start the 2021 season but has a lot to prove if he's going to get a raise next summer.
Signing
The Ducks signed Ryan Miller to a one-year deal worth $1.0 million.
Miller posted to Twitter that he "tried out retirement for [nine] months (thanks COVID) Decided I wasn’t feeling it." The veteran returns for his fourth season with the Ducks and will serve as the primary backup to John Gibson with Antony Stolarz as the No.3 option. Miller started 19 games a season ago, going 9-6-4 with a 3.10 GAA and .908, both among the worst of his career.
The Canadiens have signed Michael Frolik to a one-year contract worth $750K.
The Predators have signed Erik Haula to a one-year deal worth $1.75 million.
The Predators have signed Mikael Granlund to a one-year contract worth $3.75 million.
The Lightning signed Alexander Volkov to a one-year deal worth $700K.
The Lightning signed Mathieu Joseph to a two-year contract worth $1.475 million ($737.5K AAV).
The Devils signed Mackenzie Blackwood to a three-year extension worth $8.4 million ($2.8M AAV).
The Capitals have signed Conor Sheary to a one-year contract worth $735K.
The Lightning has signed Jan Rutta to a two-year contract worth $2.6 million ($1.3M AAV).
The Lightning have signed Erik Cernak to a three-year contract extension worth $8.85 million ($2.95M AAV).
The Panthers have signed Anthony Duclair to a one-year contract worth $1.7 million.
The Flyers have re-signed Philippe Myers to a three-year contract extension worth $7.65 million ($2.55M AAV).
Myers was elevated to the NHL full-time in 2020, tallying four goals with 12 assists (16 points) in 50 games. Myers has tremendous size (6-foot-5, 212 lbs.) and could be asked to step into a much larger role on the Flyers blueline in 2021 following Matt Niskanen's sudden retirement.
The Lightning signed Mikhail Sergachev to a three-year contract extension worth $14.4 million ($4.8M AAV).
The Bruins have signed Jake DeBrush to a two-year deal worth $7.35 million ($3.675M AAV).
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.