The NHL’s free-agent board has been reshaped from the crease out, with veteran goaltenders Sergei Bobrovsky and Frederik Andersen changing rooms, long-term extensions landing for Connor Bedard, Cole Perfetti, Ville Koivunen and Pavel Mintyukov, and Alex Ovechkin returning to Washington for another season. The offseason tracker remains active through the summer, with updates ending when preseason games begin Sept. 19.
SEO Title: NHL Free Agency Notebook: Contracts, Goaltending Moves and RFA Updates
SEO Description: A rink-side NHL free agency notebook covering key signings, restricted free-agent deals, goaltending changes, retirements and roster movement across the League.
NHL Free Agency Notebook: The Summer Board Across the League
Chicago made one of the summer’s clearest commitments by bringing back Bedard on a five-year contract. The Blackhawks also retained defensemen Kevin Korchinski and Ethan Del Mastro for two years apiece, signed Drew Commesso for two years and added Patrick Kane on a two-year deal. Chicago also brought in Ian Cole and Connor Mackey, while Sam Lafferty headed to Florida and Ilya Mikheyev joined Tampa Bay. Shea Weber retired.
Pittsburgh made an eight-year commitment to Ville Koivunen, the longest extension among the young players on the board. The Penguins also kept Joel Blomqvist, Egor Chinakhov, David Gustafsson, Hendrix Lapierre and Arturs Silovs, while adding Andrei Kuzmenko, Declan Carlile, Trevor van Riemsdyk and Nicholas Robertson. Noel Acciari left for Philadelphia, Anthony Mantha signed with New Jersey, Ryan Shea went to Edmonton and Stuart Skinner landed in Winnipeg.
Winnipeg locked up Cole Perfetti for five years and Tyrel Bauer for two, then added Skinner on a two-year goaltending deal. The Jets also signed Mario Ferraro for three years, plus Noah Gregor and Henry Thrun for one season each. Eric Comrie moved to San Jose, Jacob Bryson signed with Detroit, and Jonathan Toews retired.
Anaheim retained key young pieces Leo Carlsson and Mintyukov on five-year contracts, matching Carlsson’s offer sheet. The Ducks also brought back Tyson Hinds, added A.J. Greer for four years, Nick Jensen for two, Jeff Malott for three and Laurent Brossoit for one. Calle Clang signed in Sweden, Jacob Trouba moved to San Jose, Ross Johnston joined St. Louis and Jansen Harkins signed with Tampa Bay.
Goaltending carousel takes shape
Toronto landed Bobrovsky on a three-year contract after the veteran left Florida. The Maple Leafs also signed Colton Sissons, Teddy Blueger, Jack Roslovic, Zack MacEwen and Brandon Duhaime, while adding depth pieces Emil Andrae, Vinni Lettieri, Cole McWard, Henrik Rybinski, Samuel Hlavaj, Jacob Quillan, Ryan Tverberg, William Villeneuve and Brendan Brisson.
Florida answered Bobrovsky’s departure by signing Akira Schmid for two years. The Panthers retained Radko Gudas on a six-year deal, brought back Alexander Petrovic and Cole Schwindt for two years each, and added Lars Eller, Sam Lafferty, Bokondji Imama, John Beecher, Casey Fitzgerald, Donovan Sebrango, Tobias Bjornfot and Mikulas Hovorka. Daniil Tarasov departed for Detroit, while Vinnie Hinostroza signed with Colorado.
Edmonton signed Andersen to a one-year deal after his time in Carolina ended. The Oilers also brought back Kasperi Kapanen, Max Jones, Ryan Shea and Owen Michaels, and added Eduards Tralmaks, Mathieu Joseph, Shakir Mukhamadullin, Spencer Stastney, Colton Dach and Alex Formenton. Connor Ingram retired, Calvin Pickard went to Minnesota and Jack Roslovic signed in Toronto.
Columbus retained Jet Greaves for three years and added Cam Talbot for one season, giving the club another veteran option in net. The Blue Jackets also kept Cole Sillinger for three years, Erik Gudbranson for one, Danton Heinen for one, Owen Sillinger for one and Luke Tuch for two. Ryan Lomberg signed for two years, while Pheonix Copley, Riley Bezeau and Colton White also joined the organization. Boone Jenner left for Washington and Mason Marchment headed to San Jose.
Ottawa signed Samuel Ersson for two years and retained Leevi Merilainen for the coming season. The Senators also kept Claude Giroux on a one-year contract and re-signed Tyler Boucher and Xavier Bourgault. Sammy Blais, Philippe Tomasino, Christian Kyrou, Ryan Suzuki and Egor Sokolov were among the additions, while Lars Eller joined Florida and Nick Jensen signed in Anaheim.
New Jersey added David Rittich on a one-year agreement and retained Nico Daws and Jakub Malek on two-year contracts. The Devils also signed Anthony Mantha for two years, Riley Tufte, Vladislav Kolyachonok and Colin White for one year each, while keeping Xavier Parent, Marc McLaughlin, Ben Steeves, Amadeus Lombardi and Topias Vilen. Paul Cotter went to Vancouver and Zack MacEwen signed with Toronto.
San Jose signed Eric Comrie for two years and Ilya Samsonov for one, while also bringing in Jacob Trouba on a four-year contract and Marchment on a five-year deal. The Sharks added Alex Barre-Boulet for two years, Collin Graf for three, and Brett Leason, Tye Felhaber, Kyle Keyser and Libor Hajek for one season each. Mario Ferraro moved to Winnipeg, Laurent Brossoit went to Anaheim and John Klingberg and Carey Price retired.
Big contracts on the blue line and at center
Calgary’s major piece of business was a five-year contract for Simon Nemec. The Flames also retained William Stromgren and added Ben Jones, Jake Bean, Mike Benning, Pierre-Olivier Joseph and Andreas Englund on one-year deals. Brennan Othmann remained a restricted free agent, while Ryan Lomberg joined Columbus, Victor Olofsson signed with Vegas and Daniil Miromanov returned to the KHL.
Vegas brought back Rasmus Andersson and Jeremy Lauzon, while retaining Lukas Cormier, Joe Fleming, Raphael Lavoie, Dylan Coghlan, Tanner Laczynski and Jonas Rondbjerg. The Golden Knights also signed Adam Ginning, Ville Heinola, Antti Tuomisto, Marc Gatcomb, Jonas Rondbjerg, Victor Olofsson, Jakub Demek and several organizational depth players. Colton Sissons left for Toronto, Cole Smith signed with Chicago and Brandon Saad remained unsigned.
Washington signed Vincent Desharnais to a four-year contract and Jenner to a four-year deal, giving the Capitals a pair of significant veteran additions. Ovechkin returned on a one-year contract for 2026-27. Washington also added Justin Holl, Jonny Brodzinski, Josh Dunne and Jacob MacDonald. Brandon Duhaime went to Toronto, Brett Leason signed in San Jose, Trevor van Riemsdyk joined Pittsburgh and Sonny Milano signed in Switzerland.
Philadelphia committed four years to Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale. The Flyers also signed Noel Acciari for two years, Nikita Grebenkin and Hunter McDonald for two years each, and added Carl Grundstrom, Zach Aston-Reese, Cam Dineen, Danila Klimovich, Jack Studnicka and Nolan Foote. Noah Juulsen signed with Colorado, Lane Pederson went to Los Angeles and Adam Ginning joined Vegas.
Montreal gave Zachary Bolduc a four-year extension, re-signed Kirby Dach for one season and retained Arber Xhekaj, Brett Berard, Jared Davidson, Hunter McKown and Maksymilian Szuber. The Canadiens added Samuel Poulin, Ethan Samson, Alex Belzile, Kaapo Kahkonen and Reilly Walsh. Patrik Laine remained unsigned, while Sasha Pastujov arrived after a trade and Sean Farrell moved to Anaheim following a trade.
Nashville made Mavrik Bourque a six-year investment and signed Alexander Kerfoot for two years at $7 million. The Predators also retained Justin Barron and Chase Bradley, adding Jack Ahcan and Hunter Skinner. Erik Haula went to Los Angeles, Andreas Englund signed with Calgary and Jordan Oesterle retired.
Veterans find new rooms
Los Angeles signed Scott Laughton for three years and added Mats Zuccarello, Erik Haula and Corey Perry on one-year contracts. The Kings also signed Jan Jenik, Scott Perunovich and Lane Pederson for one season each. Anze Kopitar retired, while Pheonix Copley joined Columbus, Mathieu Joseph signed with Edmonton and Jeff Malott went to Anaheim.
Minnesota added Pickard in goal for one year and signed Nick Foligno, Zach Bogosian, Mason Shaw, Dakota Joshua, Luke Kunin, Justin Kirkland and Maxim Shabanov. The Wild retained Daemon Hunt, Carson Lambos, David Spacek and Caedan Bankier. Zuccarello moved to Los Angeles, Marcus Johansson signed in Sweden and Cal Petersen accepted a professional tryout with Washington.
Detroit signed Viktor Arvidsson for two years and added Tarasov, Jacob Bryson, Ronnie Attard, Chase Stillman, Cameron Butler and Wilmer Skoog. Carter Mazur agreed to a two-year extension. Patrick Kane returned to Chicago, Cam Talbot went to Columbus and Erik Gustafsson signed with Los Angeles.
Boston signed Connor Clifton for two years and brought in Brendan Gaunce, Brian Halonen, Maxence Guenette and Jiri Patera on two-way arrangements. The Bruins retained Luke Cavallin, Riley Duran and Matthew Poitras, while Jordan Harris agreed to a one-year contract after not receiving a qualifying offer. Viktor Arvidsson joined Detroit, Andrew Peeke signed with Utah and Victor Soderstrom headed to Switzerland.
Buffalo gave Peyton Krebs four years and Olen Zellweger three, while adding Jason Polin, Trevor Kuntar, Conor Sheary, Dennis Gilbert and Matt Villalta. Luke Schenn signed with Vancouver, Zac Jones joined Utah and David Kampf continued his career in Czechia.
Colorado signed Jaden Schwartz for three years and added Noah Juulsen, Adam Beckman, Vinnie Hinostroza, Domenick Fensore, Jake Wolanin and Georgii Merkulov. Fabian Lysell returned on a one-year deal. Joel Kiviranta signed in Dallas, Alex Barre-Boulet moved to San Jose, Jacob MacDonald joined Washington and T.J. Tynan signed in Springfield.
Atlantic and Metropolitan notes
Tampa Bay added John Carlson on a two-year contract and signed Ilya Mikheyev for four years. The Lightning also brought in Jansen Harkins and Jeffrey Viel, and signed Michael Callahan, Mads Sogaard and Olivier Rodrigue to one-year two-way deals. Oliver Bjorkstrand left for the Rangers, Corey Perry signed with Los Angeles and Declan Carlile joined Pittsburgh.
The Rangers added Bjorkstrand and Eeli Tolvanen on one-year deals, while also signing Joe Veleno, Marc Del Gaizo, Dennis Cholowski, Glenn Gawdin, Scott Morrow and Vincent Iorio. Braden Schneider, William Trudeau and Iorio were retained. Jonathan Quick retired, Conor Sheary signed in Buffalo and Connor Mackey joined Chicago.
The Islanders added Matias Maccelli, Vitek Vanecek, Phil Kessel, Mitchell Chaffee and Alex Jefferies for one year each, and retained Joey Larson for two years. Anders Lee signed with Utah, David Rittich joined New Jersey and Adam Beckman went to Colorado. Max Shabanov signed with Minnesota after not receiving a qualifying offer from the Islanders.
Carolina signed Zach Sawchenko, Aleksi Heimosalmi, Viktor Neuchev, Ronan Seeley, Mathieu Joseph, Justin Robidas, Skyler Brind’Amour, Cayden Primeau and Mike Reilly. Andersen went to Edmonton, Carlson signed in Tampa Bay, Sawchenko joined Columbus and Pierre-Olivier Joseph signed with Calgary. Noel Gunler returned to Sweden.
Central and Pacific roster work
Dallas retained Jamie Benn and Jason Robertson for one year each, and signed Joel Kiviranta, Arttu Hyry, Artem Shlaine, Brandon Halverson and Kyle Burroughs. Mavrik Bourque signed a long-term deal with Nashville, while Alexander Petrovic joined Florida and Vladislav Kolyachonok headed to New Jersey.
St. Louis signed Ross Johnston for three years and Connor McMichael for six, while bringing back Oskar Sundqvist for one year. The Blues also added Jonatan Berggren and Dillon Dube. Hunter Skinner signed with Nashville, Akil Thomas went to Vancouver and Matthew Kessel joined the Islanders.
Seattle retained Mackie Samoskevich for three years and Jacob Melanson for three, while signing Curtis Douglas for two years and keeping Victor Ostman and Ville Ottavainen for one. Jaden Schwartz signed with Colorado, Jamie Oleksiak went to Vancouver and Tolvanen joined the Rangers. Max McCormick retired.
Utah added Anders Lee on a three-year contract, Andrew Peeke for one year and Zac Jones for two. Kevin Stenlund returned for one season, while Barrett Hayton remained with the club after Utah matched an offer sheet. Ian Cole signed with Chicago, Alexander Kerfoot joined Nashville, Vanecek went to the Islanders and Matt Villalta signed in Buffalo.
Vancouver signed Luke Schenn for one year and Jamie Oleksiak for two, adding Paul Cotter, Akil Thomas, Trey Fix-Wolansky and Matt Stienburg. Blueger headed to Toronto, while Jiri Patera signed with Boston and Danila Klimovich joined Philadelphia.
Remaining restricted-free-agent context
Group 2 players are restricted free agents who received qualifying offers from their clubs. They remain subject to a club’s right to match an offer sheet, with draft-pick compensation tied to the value of the proposed contract.
Notable Group 2 players who remained unsigned in the tracker include Columbus forward Adam Fantilli, Calgary forward Brennan Othmann and Detroit defenseman Simon Edvinsson. Most other prominent restricted players on the board reached agreements, including Bedard, Carlsson, Mintyukov, Nemec, Perfetti, Koivunen, Zegras, Drysdale, Krebs, Greaves and Sillinger.
Group 3 unrestricted free agents qualify either by reaching age 27 or accumulating at least seven accrued NHL seasons. Group 6 free agents are players age 25 or older whose contracts expired after at least three professional seasons but who did not reach the required NHL games threshold: fewer than 80 games for skaters or fewer than 28 for goaltenders, counting regular season and playoffs.
The board will keep changing until training camps take over, but the broad picture is already clear: clubs spent aggressively on goaltending, moved veteran support players around the League and used long-term extensions to secure several of the NHL’s next core pieces before the first preseason puck drops on Sept. 19.
