2025 NHL Free Agency Tracker

Welcome to 2025 NHL Free Agency. I will be providing my immediate thoughts on the biggest moves on July 1.

What are the Kings doing? (Cody Ceci 4x$4.5m and Brian Dumoulin 3x$4m)

To some, the Ken Holland era in Los Angeles is off to a bad start. To others, it's exactly as expected. Ceci's name always outweighted his production for many years, and the Kings aren't the first to overpay in term and money for his services. Dumoulin was a wonderful member of the Pittsburgh Penguins when they won their back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2016-17, but is obviously not the same player anymore. Signing these two defensemen on the wrong side of 30 to these deals, when the team overpaid for Joel Edmundson last year and traded Jordan Spence at the draft, is not exactly the best cap management displayed today. That's not to mention them signing Corey Perry as well, only raising the team's average age even more.

Mammoth nab Nate Schmidt (3x$3.5m)

Schmidt had a great Stanley Cup run with the Panthers. He now gets to head to an exciting, up-and-coming team in an exciting, up-and-coming market. The Mammoth have played this offseason well, trading for JJ Peterka and signing several low-risk free agents like Brandon Tanev and Scott Perunovich. Now, they sign Schmidt without having to pay a heavy Cup tax. They have a bit of a logjam on the left side behind Mikhail Sergachev, so a trade may be coming.

Oilers dump Victor Arvidsson to Boston

Arvidsson didn't work in Edmonton, and now they're having to shed the cap. The price to shed $4m for a year is a fifth-round pick. Arvidsson is a former 30-goal scorer and could fit better in Massachusetts than he did in Alberta. I never thought I'd see the day that the Bruins are making cap dump trades, but here we are.

Seattle pays up for Ryan Lindgren (4x$4.5m)

Lindgren had a nightmare season in New York and then Colorado. He will take a sheltered role in Seattle behind Vince Dunn. It's the typical open market overpay for a name-brand player. This isn't the first time the Kraken have done this, just look at Chandler Stephenson and Brandon Montour last year. Lindgren is also the fifth highest-paid defenseman for Seattle. May someone like Jamie Oleksiak be on the move?

Blues get a Center in Nick Bjugstad (2x$1.75m)

See the article on this very website.

Connor Brown to the Devils (4x$3m)

This is what happens when you sign two defensemen to a combined $20m- you lose quality depth. First, Corey Perry to LA (congrats on the future Cup final berth) and now Brown, a heart and soul type of guy. Brown provides grit and substance to the Devils, and should slide in solidly to the third line. This is a fairly low risk move that could pay huge dividends, as Brown has slotted into 39 playoff games over the last two years.

Valdislav Gavrikov to the Rangers (7x$7m)

Gavrikov was linked to the Rangers from the start of the offseason. The Rangers needed a top pair shutdown LHD to partner with Adam Fox, especially now with K'Andre Miller on his way to the Hurricanes. The Rangers paid a pretty penny for his services, but it's definitely not the worst contract of the offseason. Gavrikov is 29, so we will see how this deal ages over its seven years.

Canucks bring back Brock Boeser (7x$7.25m)

Who saw this coming? Boeser seemed as good as gone, given the down season, turmoil in Vancouver and weak free agency class. Boeser is still a very good sniper, and the Canucks got him back for a very reasonable deal. Things still seem weird up in B.C., but maybe this is a sign that things aren't that bad.

Blues Trade Zack Bolduc to Canadiens for Logan Mailloux

Two 2021 first rounders get flipped here. Now at face value, the Habs won this trade. Bolduc broke out for 19 goals after the Blues hired Jim Montgomery, and all it cost was a prospect who has only gotten into eight NHL games. For the Blues, this trade is simply taking a surplus and using it to fix a hole. Right-shot defense has been an issue, and Mailloux should fit nicely on the bottom pair with his large frame. The Blues and Canadiens seemed destined to make a trade this offseason. This one isn't as sexy as a Jordan Kyrou, but significant nonetheless.

As it turns out, June 30 was every bit as frantic across the league.

Florida keeps their big three (Bennett 8x$8m, Ekblad 8x$6.1m, Marchand 6x)

Lol, lmao even. First things first, the state income tax excuses are a load of crap. Nobody cared when the Panthers and Lightning were bad. This is a testament to the organization the Panthers have build over the last few years. The team is tight knit and extremely good, where else would you rather play if you’re one of these three? Marchand’s term is interesting, as he’ll be 43 when his deal expires.

Evan Bouchard signs with Edmonton (4x10.5)

There may not be a better offensive defenseman than Evan Bouchard. Unfortunately, his defensive game leaves a lot to be desired. He’s a very good player, and was always going to get this type of bag. But with Darnell Nurse still signed for $9.5m and Leon Draisaitl’s 8x$14m next season, it’s hard to say this is good cap management. The Oilers still need to find a fix in net and, more importantly, lock up Connor McDavid. You’re going to make sure you sign him right?

Mitch Marner to Vegas in a Sign and Trade (8x$12m)

The worst kept secret in hockey is out, Marner is a Golden Knight. It was a bit surprising to see Marner sign for eight years, as there were reports that he would take a shorter term deal. Still, Vegas has their guy and the Core Four era is officially one of the biggest failures in NHL history. I will say that I like Nicolas Roy, whom the Leafs got back as part of the sign and trade. Now we wait and see if Vegas gets investigated for tampering.

Ivan Provorov gets a giant deal in Columbus (7x$8.5m)

I thought Andy Strickland made a typo when I read Provorov’s deal. I like Provorov enough, but he’s hardly a $6.5m defenseman, let alone what he got. Columbus lost out on Noah Dobson and had to keep the guys they had, so they overpaid. It hasn’t been a great start for the Blue Jackets, as they lost the trade for Charlie Coyle and Miles Wood. At least Dante Fabbro’s contract is one of the best of the offseason so far.