The Bruins have signed Mason Lohrei to a two-year deal worth $3.2M AAV ($6.4M total).
Daily Faceoff is a news site with no direct affiliation to the NHL, or NHLPA
NHL Signings & Free Agents
The Jets will sign Jonathan Toews to a one-year deal worth $2.0M AAV on July 1.
Toews has not appeared in an NHL game since April 13th, 2024, but till make his return with his hometown Winnipeg Jets. Toews, who is a three-time Stanley Cup Champion and had 883 career points (372G / 511A) in 15 seasons with the Blackhawks, could earn up to $5M in bonuses. He's expected to serve as a much-needed middle-6 centre for the Jets in 2025-26.
The Kraken have signed Cale Fleury to a two-year extension worth $890K AAV ($1.78M total).
Fleury spent most of the 2024-25 season as the Kraken's No.7 defenseman, appearing in 14 games with the team. He did spend some time in the AHL, where he had 26 points (7G / 19A) in 39 games with Coachella Valley. Expect Fleury to serve a similar fringe roster player role over the next two seasons.
Calgary has signed Dryden Hunt to a two-year, two-way contract extension worth $825,000 AAV.
Hunt had a strong showing with Calgary in 2024-25 despite only playing in five total games with three assists and five SOG, and has earned himself a two-year, two-way contract extension worth $825,000 AAV to remain with the Flames. The 29-year-old left-winger is entering his ninth NHL season and will hope to see some time with the Flames in 2025-26.
Dallas has signed Mavrik Bourque to a one-year, $950,000 contract extension.
Bourque was Dallas' 2020 1st round pick (30th overall) and will remain a Star for at least one more season after the 23-year-old forward signed a one-year, $950,000 contract extension on Friday. He is entering his second full season with Dallas after putting up 11 goals and 25 points in 73 games in his rookie campaign in 2024-25.
Dallas has signed Nils Lundkvist to a one-year, $1.25 million contract extension.
Lundkvist missed the last 35 games of the 2024-25 campaign due to shoulder surgery but has earned himself a one-year, $1.25 million contract extension to remain with the Stars on Friday. The 24-year-old defenseman will enter his fifth NHL season in 2025-26 after putting up five assists, 20 PIMs and a +4 plus/minus in 39 games played last season.
Colorado has signed Matthew Steinburg to a one-year, two-way contract extension.
After a brief eight-game debut (which included a two-game suspension) in 2024-25 with the Colorado Avalanche, Matthew Steinburg has re-signed a one-year, two-way contract extension. The 24-year-old's 2024-25 season was cut short due to injury, resulting in his appearance in only 13 games between the Eagles (AHL) and Avalanche.
Colorado has signed Jason Polin to a one-year, two-way contract extension.
After appearing in just two games with the Colorado Avalanche in 2024-25, Jason Polin has earned himself a one-year, two-way contract extension on Friday. The 26-year-old right winger spent the majority of last season with the Colorado Eagles (AHL) where he had 11 goals and 19 points in 39 games played.
Carolina has signed Eric Robinson to a four-year, $6.8 million contract extension ($1.7 million AAV).
Fresh off of posting a career-high 14 goals and 32 points in his first season in Carolina, Eric Robinson has signed a four-year, $6.8 million contract extension ($1.7 million AAV) to remain a Hurricane on Friday. The undrafted 30-year-old left-winger has been in the NHL for eight years but has never caught on with an organization until Carolina. In 388 career games, he has 54 goals and 123 points.
The Rangers have signed Matthew Robertson to a two-year contract extension.
Robertson was a second-round pick in 2019 and made his NHL debut during the 2024-25 season, appearing in two games with the Rangers. He spent most of the season with Hartford (AHL), where he had one goal and 24 assists (25 points) in 60 games. Robertson will likely be in a battle for the No.6 defenseman spot in training camp.
Dallas has signed Matt Duchene to a four-year, $18 million contract extension ($4.5 million AAV).
After two incredibly successful seasons in Dallas, Matt Duchene has decided to stay a Star after signing a four-year, $18 million contract extension ($4.5 million AAV) on Thursday. The 34-year-old is coming off a point-per-game campaign, during which he scored 30 goals and 82 points in 82 games played in the 2024-25 season. The veteran forward is entering his 17th NHL season.
The Senators have signed Fabian Zetterlund to a three-year extension worth $4.275M AAV ($12.825M total).
Zetterlund was acquired at the trade deadline from the Sharks and had just two goals and three assists (five points) in 20 games. Zetterlund played more of a depth role after being acquired but could play more of a top-6 role in 2025-26. He has a career-high of 24 goals and 44 points with the Sharks in 2023-24.
The Blackhawks have signed Ryan Donato to a four-year deal worth $16.0 million ($4.0M AAV).
Donato had a career year in 2024-25, scoring 31 goals with 31 assists (62 points) in 80 games. The Blackhawks decided not to trade him at the trade deadline, a sign that they wanted to re-sign him in the offseason. Donato gets a four-year extension that will keep him in Chicago through the 2028-29 season.
Anaheim has signed Nikita Nesterenko to a two-year, one-way contract extension.
Nesterenko spent most of the 2024-25 season with San Diego (AHL), where he tallied 34 points (13G / 21A) in 50 games. During his 20 games with the Ducks, Nesterenko had four goals and two assists (six points). The 23-year-old forward will have an uphill battle to make the Ducks out of training camp for the start of the 2025-26 season.
Dallas has signed Ben Kraws to a one-year, two-way contract extension.
Dallas continued to add to their goaltending depth on Wednesday after signing 24-year-old goaltender Ben Kraws to a one-year, two-way contract extension. The towering 6'5" netminder spent the majority of 2024-25 with the Idaho Steelheads (ECHL) and had a 2.88 GAA and .910 SV% to go along with his 23-12-5 record.
Dallas has signed Remi Poirier to a two-year, two-way contract extension.
Dallas signed their second depth goalie of the day on Tuesday after they extended their AHL starter Remi Poirier, to a two-year, two-way contract. The 23-year-old was originally Dallas' 2020 6th-round pick (185th overall) and spent the 2024-25 season with Texas (AHL), where he put up a 17-11-2 record, .908 SV% and 2.50 GAA.
New York has signed Matt Rempe to a two-year, $1.95 million contract extension ($975,000 AAV).
After appearing in 42 games in his Sophomore season, Matt Rempe has signed a two-year, $1.95 million contract extension ($975,000 AAV) with New York on the first day of the offseason. The 22-year-old towering bruiser was originally New York's 2020 6th-round pick (165th overall) and has four goals, six points, 138 PIMs and a +8 plus/minus in 59 career NHL games played.
Pittsburgh has re-signed Joona Kopanen to a one-year, $775,000 contract extension.
Koppanen split his 2024-25 season between the NHL and AHL, but spent most of the season with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (AHL), where he had 23 points (8G / 15A) in 56 games. Koppanen has just one goal and one assist in 20 career NHL games since being drafted in the fifth round of the 2016 NHL Draft.
The Jets signed Alfons Freij to a three-year, entry-level contract.
Freij was a second-round pick (No.37 overall) of the Jets in 2024 and septa the 2024-25 season with Bjorkloven IF (HockeyAllsvenskan), where he posted two goals with six assists (eight points) in 29 games. The 19-year-old defenseman is expected to move up to Sweden's top league in 2025-26 and play for Timrå IK.
The Stars have signed Rémi Poirier to a two-year, two-way contract.
Poirier spent the entire season with Texas (AHL), where he went 17-11-2 with a 2.50 GAA and .908 SV% in 31 games. Poirier served as Texas' No.1 netminder in the AHL playoffs, going 5-3 with a 2.19 GAA and .919 SV%. Expect him to start the 2025-26 season in the AHL again.
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.