The Golden Knights have signed Marcus Kallionkieli to a three-year, entry-level contract.
Kallionkieli was a fifth-round pick in this summer’s draft after scoring 29 goals and 24 assists (53 points) in 58 games with Sioux City (USHL).
Daily Faceoff is a news site with no direct affiliation to the NHL, or NHLPA
NHL Signings & Free Agents
The Avalanche have signed Samuel Girard to a seven-year deal worth $35.0M ($5.0M AAV).
Girard posted a career-high with 27 points (4G / 23A) in 82 games last season. Girard will be the man in Colorado to start 2020 following the trade of Tyson Barrie. However, Cale Makar could quickly elevate up the depth chart but Girard will likely play on the top-pair and second power-play to open the season.
The Devils re-signed Will Butcher to a three-year contract worth $11.2M ($3.733M AAV).
In his second professional season, Butcher had four goals and 26 assists (30 points) in 78 games. It was a step backwards from his rookie campaign and the Devils’ blueline just got a little more crowded with the offseason addition of P.K. Subban. However, Butcher should still see PP1 time throughout the year and should be a solid No.4 fantasy defenseman option.
The Avalanche signed Vladislav Kamenev to a one-year extension worth $750K.
Kamenev only appeared in 25 combined games last year after suffering a shoulder injury in mid-December. Kamenev had just two goals and three assists (five points) in 23 games with the Avalanche and will likely start 2020 on their fourth line.
The Devils have signed Nikita Gusev to a two-year contract worth $9.0M ($4.5M AAV).
Gusev was acquired from the Golden Knights and immediately signed a two-year deal with the Devils. The 27-year-old led the KHL with 82 points (17G / 65A) in 62 games last year. He has totalled 63 goals and 152 assists (215 points) in 173 combined games over the last three seasons. Gusev projects to be a top-6 winger for the Devils to start 2020.
The Lightning have signed Andrei Vasilevskiy to an eight-year contract extension worth $76.0 million ($9.5M AAV).
Vasilevskiy had an excellent 2019 regular season, leading the NHL in wins (39), fourth in shutouts (6), sixth in SV% (.925) and ninth in GAA (2.40). Despite having a forgettable postseason, Vasilevskiy earned a much-deserved raise, becoming the third highest-paid netminder in the NHL. He should absolutely be one of the first goalies drafted this fall (if not the first).
The Flames have re-signed David Rittich to a two-year extension worth $5.5M ($2.75M AAV).
Rittich played very well for stretches of the 2019 season, going 27-9-5 with a 2.61 GAA and .911 SV% in 45 games with the Flames. However, when it came to the postseason, the Flames leaned on Mike Smith and were ultimately bounced in the first-round. Coming into 2020, Rittich will be battling with Cam Talbot for the No.1 job and the 26-year-old probably has the early edge to win the spot.
The Canadiens have signed Michael Mccarron to a one-year, two-way contract.
McCarron was a first-round pick (No.25 overall) in 2013 but has yet to make an impact at the NHL level. The 24-year-old had 21 points (7G / 14A) in 32 games with Laval (AHL) last year, but had just one assist in 18 NHL games. In total, McCarron has just eight points (2G / 6A) and 110 PIMS in 69 career games with Montreal.
The Capitals signed Chandler Stephenson to a one-year extension worth $1.05M.
Stephenson had five goals and six assists (11 points) in 64 games with the Capitals a season ago. The 25-year-old has settled into a bottom-6 role with Washington, but will have to battle with offseason additions Garnet Hathaway and Brendan Leipsic for playing time to start the 2020 campaign.
The Red Wings have re-signed Dominic Turgeon to a one-year contract.
Turgeon had 20 points (6G / 14A) in 72 games with Grand Rapids (AHL) last season. He played in four games with the Red Wings but seems destined to start 2020 in the AHL for the fourth straight season.
The Rangers have signed Pavel Buchnevich to a two-year, $6.5M contract extension ($3.25M AAV).
Buchnevich set new career-highs in goals (21) and points-per-game (0.59) in 2019 while appearing in 64 games with the Rangers. Buchnevich has been a breakout candidate for the last two seasons, but 2020 looks like his best chance yet. As long as Buchnevich can remain in the Rangers’ to-6, the additions of Artemi Panarin and Kaapo Kakko should give Buchneviche plenty of talent to work with.
The Rangers have re-sign Vinni Lettieri to a one-year contract.
Lettieri spent most of the 2019 season in the AHL, ranking fourth among Hartford skaters with 48 points (23G / 25A) in 48 games. He played sparingly with the Rangers, picking up just three points (1G / 2A) in 27 games. The Rangers added some big names up front this offseason, likely pushing Lettieri back to the AHL to start 2020.
The Avalanche have re-signed Sheldon Dries to a one-year contract.
Dries split his 2019 campaign between the Colorado Avalanche and Colorado Eagles (AHL). During his time in the NHL, the 25-year-old centre had three goals and three assists in 40 games. Dries will likely be a fringe NHLer to start the 2020 season. The P-E Bellemare signing this offseason will likely push him back to the NHL to start though.
The Sabres signed Evan Rodrigues to a one-year deal worth $2.0 million (via arbitration).
Rodrigues had nine goals and 20 assists (29 points) in 74 games during his first full NHL season in 2018-19. With bigger named prospects faltering around him, Rodrigues settled into a middle-6 role with the Sabres and finished the season ranked fourth among Buffalo forwards in TOI/GP (15:49). Entering the 2020 season, Rodrigues will once again be battling with Casey Mittelstadt for the No.2 centre role.
The Panthers signed MacKenzie Weegar to a one-year deal worth $1.6M.
Weegar had 15 points (4G / 11A) in 64 games with the Panthers last season, while ranking sixth among Panthers defensemen in TOI/GM (16:58). Weegar will likely open the 2020 season as the Panthers No.6 defenseman.
The Hurricanes have signed Max McCormick to a one-year, two-way contract.
McCormick had one goal in 14 games with the Senators last year and 20 points (9G / 11A) in 45 AHL games in Belleville and Colorado. McCormick will likely start 2020 in the AHL but will be one of the first players called up to fill a bottom-6 role in Carolina.
The Flames have signed Sam Bennett to a two-year extension worth $5.1 million ($2.55M AAV).
After missing just one game in 2017 and 2018 combined, Bennett appeared in just 71 games last season but averaged the least ice-time of his career (13:17 TOI/GM). Bennett wrapped the season up with 27 points (13G / 14A). Bennett will likely be fighting with Michael Frolik for a spot on the Flames’ second line but will likely open the year in the bottom-6.
The Capitals have signed Christian Djoos to a one-year deal worth $1.25M (via arbitration).
Djoos missed a lot of time in 2019 due to a thigh injury that required surgery. The 24-year-old ended up finishing the season with 10 points (1G / 9A) in 45 games. Djoos will likely battle with Jonas Siegenthaler for the No.6 defenseman spot to open the 2020 season.
The Maple Leafs have signed Tyler Gaudet to a one-year contract.
Gaudet had 25 points (8G / 17A) in 50 games with Milwaukee (AHL) last season. Gaudet has appeared in just 20 NHL games since turning pro in 2014. The 26-year-old will start 2020 in the AHL.
The Maple Leafs have signed Garrett Wilson to a one-year contract.
Wilson split the 2019 between Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (AHL) and Pittsburgh (NHL). The 28-year-old had two goals and six assists (eight points) in 50 games with the Penguins—the first eight points of his NHL career (34 previous games with the Panthers). Wilson will start next year in the 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.