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Current NHL Free Agents

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The following players are currently free agents. Each player’s 2025 age is in parentheses. Only players who saw NHL action last season and ended the year on the active roster are listed here. Players who have announced their retirement or signed overseas are not included.

Updated Sep. 12, 2025

Unrestricted Free Agents

Centers

Luke Glendening (36)
Kevin Rooney (32)
Jack Roslovic (28)

Left Wingers

Robby Fabbri (29)
Noah Gregor (26) – non-tender
Brock McGinn (31)
Tyler Motte (30)
Matthew Nieto (32)
Max Pacioretty (36)

Right Wingers

Cam Atkinson (36)
Klim Kostin (26) – non-tender
Kevin Labanc (29)
Brett Leason (26) – non-tender
Trevor Lewis (38)
Craig Smith (35)

Left-Shot Defensemen

T.J. Brodie (35)
Calvin de Haan (34)
Matt Grzelcyk (31)
Jack Johnson (38)
Oliver Kylington (28)
Jonathon Merrill (33)
Brendan Smith (36)
Ryan Suter (40)
Marc-Édouard Vlasic (38)

Right-Shot Defensemen

Robert Bortuzzo (36)
Jani Hakanpää (33)
Erik Johnson (37)

Goaltenders

James Reimer (37)
Georgi Romanov (25) – non-tender
Ilya Samsonov (28)

Restricted Free Agents

Centers

Mason McTavish (22)

Left Wingers

none

Right Wingers

Luke Evangelista (23)
Alexander Holtz (23)

Left-Shot Defensemen

Luke Hughes (21)
Wyatt Kaiser (23)

Right-Shot Defensemen

none

Goaltenders

none

Snapshots: Lawrence, Wassilyn, Schneider

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2026 projected top-10 pick Tynan Lawrence was a high pick in the QMJHL Entry Draft one year ago by the Chicoutimi Saguenéens, leading to speculation he may jump there for his draft year. That doesn’t appear to be the case, per Jonathan Hudon of Le Quotidien, who relays Lawrence is expected to remain with the USHL’s Muskegon Lumberjacks for 2025-26 instead.

Lawrence, a late birthday for the class who turns 17 next weekend, is a 6’0″ center currently pegged to go in the No. 6-No. 10 overall range in preseason rankings. The New Brunswick native has played in the United States since 2022, when he opted to head to renowned prep school Shattuck St. Mary’s to continue his development. He joined Muskegon last season, posting 54 points in 56 regular-season games before guiding the Lumberjacks to a Clark Cup championship, posting 18 points in 14 playoff games to be named MVP as a 16-year-old rookie in the high-end junior league.

He would have been a big get for Chicoutimi and joined what looks like a stronger-than-normal class out of the QMJHL next season, but he’ll instead stay south of the border with a commitment to Boston University for the 2027-28 campaign still on the books (although that will presumably get moved up to the 2026-27 campaign).

Elsewhere from around the hockey world:

  • Sticking with next year’s draft, projected first-rounder Braidy Wassilyn is also a Boston University commit. There was some speculation he might join them as a 17-year-old freshman for the upcoming season but that won’t happen, according to Cam Robinson of Elite Prospects. The 5’11” forward will instead remain with the OHL’s Niagara IceDogs, where he had an 8-31–39 scoring line in 62 games last season.
  • Heading overseas, former NHLer Cole Schneider has signed with Italy’s HC Bolzano in the ICEHL, the club announced. The 34-year-old American headed to Europe last summer after a lengthy AHL career, winning the Norwegian league scoring title with 64 points in 45 games for Storhamar. Schneider, who had one assist in six career games for the Sabres, also has 574 points in 776 career AHL games.

Sabres Sign Devon Levi To Two-Year Deal

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The Sabres announced that they have signed restricted free agent goaltender Devon Levi to a two-year deal. It’s a cap hit of $812,500, presumably paying him a league-minimum salary in each of the next two years on a one-way deal for a total value of $1.625MM.

Levi, 23, was Buffalo’s last unsigned RFA. The promising netminder had little to no leverage in contract talks this summer as a dual-threat 10.2(c) player – not only was he ineligible to file for salary arbitration, he was also ineligible to receive and sign offer sheets.

His time in the Sabres organization has been marked by a clear disconnect between his NHL and minor-league performances. Overall, he has 39 NHL appearances (36 starts) to his name over the last three years, underwhelming with a 3.29 GAA and .894 SV%. Those numbers are even propped up by a strong showing in his first taste of NHL action in late 2023; he only has a .892 SV% in the last two seasons with a subpar .448 quality start percentage.

Combining that with his excellent performance with the AHL’s Rochester Americans over the last two seasons has put him in an odd spot between being a true No. 2 or No. 3 on the Sabres’ depth chart. He’s logged 68 games for the Amerks since the beginning of 2023-24, posting a .922 SV% and 41-19-10 record with seven shutouts. He’s arguably been the league’s best goalie during that time, usurping the Flames’ Dustin Wolf after he landed a full-time NHL gig.

Those numbers come on the back of Levi serving as the best goalie in college hockey for two seasons with Northeastern, making his ceiling all the more tantalizing. Initially a 2020 seventh-round pick by the Panthers from the Carleton Place Canadians of the CCHL, a junior ’A’ league, he had a coming-out party with Canada at the following year’s World Juniors and was eventually traded to Buffalo in the Sam Reinhart deal. In his two years with Northeastern before turning pro with the Sabres, he posted a .942 SV% and 16 shutouts in 66 games and was given the Mike Richter Award as the NCAA’s top goaltender both times.

The Sabres were hoping Levi could take a significant step forward in his development last season, even waiving veteran James Reimer at the beginning of the year to make Levi the opening-night backup. He had just a .870 SV% through his first seven games before Buffalo was able to reclaim Reimer off waivers from the Ducks, allowing them to return Levi to the AHL. He only made two more NHL appearances the rest of the way for a 2-7-0 record, .872 SV%, 4.12 GAA, and -8.0 goals saved above expected, per MoneyPuck.

That undoubtedly left a sour taste in the Sabres’ mouth and left them unwilling to dole out a contract with a seven-figure cap hit, something we’ve seen teams do with high-ceiling but unestablished netminders to try and squeeze some value out of them while they’re breaking out into NHL minutes. For Levi, it’s not as if he had much choice if he wants a legitimate chance to fight for an NHL job in camp and leapfrog veteran Alex Lyon, who the Sabres signed in free agency as veteran insurance, as Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen’s backup to begin the year.

His lack of leverage in talks means a league-minimum deal if he cracks the NHL roster. Still, he’ll at least be much more well-compensated if he returns to Rochester after spending the last two seasons under the two-way structure of his entry-level contract.

Image courtesy of Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images.

East Notes: Robertson, Biondi, Gardner

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Even if the Maple Leafs don’t plan on keeping winger Nicholas Robertson around long-term, they should do their best to settle with the restricted free agent before his arbitration hearing on Sunday, David Alter of The Hockey News opines.

He cites a recent example in Toronto, goaltender Ilya Samsonov, who had a one-year, $3.55MM deal handed down through arbitration for the 2023-24 season. Any trade value he had was tanked by his poor performance that year – something Samsonov admitted was influenced in part by the stress of the hearing – and he ended up on waivers and later left in free agency.

Players seeing their performance and confidence dip after an arbitration hearing isn’t a new phenomenon, and it’s something players are being more public about in the last few years. Hearing reasons laid out by your team for why you should be paid less than market value is an understandably unsettling experience. For the high-ceiling Robertson, who’s already had his development and confidence stunted by long strings of healthy scratches and limited deployment that led to a trade request last year, that’s not something Toronto can afford to saddle him with to continue getting positive value out of him, whether that’s via trade or with his on-ice play.

More news and notes out of the Eastern Conference:

  • After going unsigned by the Canadiens, who drafted him in the fourth round in 2020, forward Blake Biondi will begin his pro career in the Hurricanes organization this season on a contract with the AHL’s Chicago Wolves. The 23-year-old recently spoke to NHL.com’s Kurt Dusterberg about the significant injury-related and personal adversity he faced during his five-year run in college with the University of Minnesota-Duluth and Notre Dame, but called the opportunity with the Wolves “a great path for me” to continue his development toward landing an NHL contract. The former Minnesota high school star scored 12 goals and 27 points in 38 games last season for Notre Dame.
  • While Canada’s NHL goaltending stable has been relatively weak in the past few years, Blue Jackets prospect Evan Gardner is a name to watch in the next wave of prospects hoping to change that, writes Scott Wheeler of The Athletic. The 2024 second-rounder has put up a pair of spectacular seasons in junior hockey for the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades, leading the league in GAA and SV% in his draft year and posting totals of 2.46 and .917, respectively, in 74 career games for the Blades with seven shutouts. While he hasn’t logged any international experience for Canada, he’s on their roster for this week’s World Junior Summer Showcase and is looking to work his way onto their roster for the main WJC in the winter.

Snapshots: Barkey, Samberg, Schaefer

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The Philadelphia Flyers have leaned fully into the rebuild since Daniel Briere was hired as general manager in 2023. They’ve moved out multiple veterans in exchange for draft capital – and built out one of the league’s strongest prospect pools as a result. It’s a group full of blue chips, including star OHL scorer Denver Barkey, who told Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia that he’s ready for the challenge of his first pro season, and another attempt to make the NHL roster.

Barkey scored an impressive 102 points in 60 total games this season, good for second among London Knights’ forwards behind Easton Cowan (108). It was an impressive season, capped off by a Memorial Cup win, but Barkey told Hall that he knows pushing into pros will be a tough feat for a 5-foot-9 winger. He received plenty of praise from the Flyers development team, including team consultant Patrick Sharp, despite that.

Another hot hand will raise interesting questions about the Flyers’ deployment next season. Barkey will join players like Alex Bump, Jett Luchanko, and Oliver Bonk in pushing to make the roster. Philadelphia ranked as the third-youngest lineup in the league last season, but could be swayed to lean even further into the youth movement with a couple of strong training camp performances.

Other notes from around the league:

  • More has been revealed about Dylan Samberg’s three-year extension with the Winnipeg Jets. Most notably, the deal will carry a modified no trade clause in its final two years, per PuckPedia. That’s a nice bit of security for Samberg, from a team known for hanging onto their hard-working defenders. Samberg has spent the last four years in Winnipeg. But that’s a junior tenure compared to Neal Pionk and Dylan DeMelo, who have been in Winnipeg for six years, and Josh Morrissey, a Jet for all 10 years of his career. Samberg earned a strong role as a shutdown defender last season, and finished the year with a team-leading plus-34. He’ll look to continue digging his feet into the defensive end with a few more years in Winnipeg.
  • New York Islanders first-overall pick Matthew Schaefer played his first competitive game of the calendar year today – stepping up as Team Canada’s top left-defender in their bout against Team Finland at the World Junior Summer Showcase. Canada lost the matchup by a score of 6-3, with Schaefer recording no scoring. He also played in a split-team scrimmage between Canada Red and White yesterday, with no scoring. Despite that, his show of smooth and confident hockey are a welcome sign of recovery after he sustained a broken collarbone in December’s World Junior Championships. Schaefer scored 22 points in 17 OHL games prior to his injury, and hasn’t yet declared his intentions for next season.

Oilers GM Bowman Encouraged By McDavid Extension Talks

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One of the major storylines heading into the 2024–25 season is the uncertainty surrounding Connor McDavid’s future in Edmonton. The 28-year-old superstar is entering the final year of his contract, and while a departure still feels unlikely, the mere possibility of him reaching free agency next offseason has sparked plenty of speculation. But don’t count Oilers general manager Stan Bowman among the concerned.

According to a TSN report, Bowman said that extension talks with the team’s franchise player are progressing. Speaking with Oilers Now with Bob Stauffer on CHED 880 Edmonton, Bowman said he is “very encouraged” by the initial discussions he’s had with McDavid’s agent, Judd Moldaver.

“I’ve had really good conversations with Judd since the season ended, and I’ve tried to give Connor his space, and I think that it’s important,” Bowman said. “You know, a lot of this is respecting the athlete and their timeline,” he said. “So, we haven’t had any of those types of detailed discussions yet, but we certainly will, and I think we’re very encouraged by all the conversations I’ve had to date. And when the time comes, the time comes.”

McDavid, who has one year left on his deal that comes with a $12.5MM AAV, became eligible for an extension on July 1. While there is speculation on what McDavid’s next contract would demand annually, it’s fair to assume he’ll seek to at least match teammate Leon Draisaitl’s deal that comes with a $14MM AAV over the next five seasons.

In 67 games last season, McDavid recorded 26 goals and 100 points, marking the seventh 100-point campaign of his already illustrious career. He added a league-high 33 points in the postseason — the second consecutive year he led all players in playoff scoring — but he and the Oilers were once again defeated by the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final.

Despite the disappointment, along with McDavid’s post-season admission to the media that he was in no rush related to extension talks, Bowman believes an extension with his captain is imminent.

“He’s a huge part of everything we do here, and so I don’t have a timeline update, but I do expect to have some conversations with them soon and. And hopefully get that wrapped up,” he said.

Flames Sign Martin Pospisil To Three-Year Extension

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The Flames have signed Martin Pospisil to a three-year extension, according to his agent, Dan Milstein of Gold Star Hockey. The 6’2″ center/winger will earn an average of $2.5MM per season for a total value of $7.5MM, according to PuckPedia.

Pospisil, 25, began the 2024-25 season on the NHL roster for the first time. He was fresh off signing a two-year, $2MM extension that he signed amid his rookie campaign in 2023-24 that will still carry him through the upcoming season at a $1MM cap hit, but he now won’t be eligible for restricted free agency next summer. Today’s extension will take him to unrestricted free agency in 2029.

The heavy-hitting Slovak forward has been consistent ever since working his way into a regular NHL role. He appeared in all but one game for Calgary in 2024-25, recording a 4-21–25 scoring line while improving his discipline, bringing his PIM total down to 84 after logging 109 in 63 appearances in his rookie campaign. He still had a team-leading 301 hits, tied with William Cuylle for third in the league.

Pospisil averaged 13:48 of ice time per game last season, including a tad under a minute per game on the power play as a net-front presence. Without much turnover among the Flames’ forward group this summer, he’ll figure to slot into a similar role in his final season under his current deal before the extension kicks in for 2026-27. He saw more time at center in 2024-25, winning 40.8% of his 174 faceoffs, and that could continue if he continues to see primarily fourth-line deployment at even strength.

While his new cap hit is fair value for the production and overall impact he’s provided in Calgary’s lineup over the past couple of years, it is interesting to see them prioritize a multi-year deal for Pospisil over some other more pressing items. Restricted free agent Connor Zary remains without a contract for the upcoming season, while Calgary also has key players at each position – Mikael Backlund at center, Rasmus Andersson at defense, and pending RFA Dustin Wolf in goal, who need new contracts for 2026-27, although Andersson is more likely a trade candidate than an extension one.

Image courtesy of Jerome Miron-Imagn Images.

East Notes: Cristall, Blake, Sabres

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Andrew Cristall was one of the biggest fallers of the 2023 draft, slipping to the Capitals in the second round at No. 40 overall despite some tabbing him as a potential top-10 pick. Concerns about his size – the winger checks in at 5’10” and 183 lbs – outweighed the offensive ceiling he displayed with 95 points in 54 games for the WHL’s Kelowna Rockets in his draft year.

In the two seasons since, the 20-year-old left winger has only improved and now, as he turns pro, will be given a legitimate chance to crack the Capitals’ opening night roster, general manager Chris Patrick told NHL.com’s Harvey Valentine. “He’s going to come in, if he has a camp like last camp, it’s going to be hard on the coaching staff to not keep him on their NHL team,” Patrick said.

His strong training camp showing with Washington last year preceeded an absolutely dominant junior campaign from Cristall in 2024-25, and that may be an understatement. He scored 28 goals and 60 points in just 28 games for the Rockets before a trade sent him to the Spokane Chiefs, where he finished the year with 72 points in only 29 games – a rate of 2.48 per game. That was good enough for the WHL scoring title with 132 points despite only playing in 57 of 68 regular-season games.

Cristall capped off his season with 21 goals and 41 points in 19 playoff games, leading the postseason in goals and being named a CHL First Team All-Star at season’s end. Now eligible for an assignment to AHL Hershey if he doesn’t crack the opening night roster, he’ll look to work his name into competition for a middle-six spot in Washington’s group as they deal with some turnover at the forward position.

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference today:

  • There was surprise when the Hurricanes recently announced an eight-year extension for winger Jackson Blake coming off his rookie season, but the organization had its eyes set on a long-term deal ever since the campaign began, GM Eric Tulsky said today. “We knew by mid-October that he was on a trajectory we were happy with,” Tulsky told Cory Lavalette of the North State Journal. “I think we knew all along that he was someone who, you know, had the potential to be a long term fit for us and who we were going to try and get something done with, if there was a way to do it.”
  • The Sabres have extended their arena naming rights agreement with KeyBank by 10 years, the team announced today. The KeyBank Center, which was opened as Marine Midland Arena in 1996 and has also been known as HSBC Arena and First Niagara Center, will hold its name through at least the 2035-36 season. The initial naming agreement was signed by Marine Midland and remained in effect up until the coming season, as the name of the banking branch network in question changed hands multiple times over the last three decades.

International Notes: Pavel, Gettinger, Virtanen

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Free agent forward Ondrej Pavel has signed a one-year deal with Finnish club Tappara with an option for 2026-27, the team announced today.

Pavel, 24, will play in Europe for the first time since the Czech center departed his home country in 2016 to play the bulk of his development in North America. While undrafted, he was a free agent signing by the Avalanche out of Minnesota State in 2023 after winning regular-season titles in each of his three seasons in Mankato.

Primarily a bottom-six checking piece, his offensive production in the pros has reflected that. He scored only 12 points in 77 games for the AHL’s Colorado Eagles before the Avs traded him to the Predators as part of the Juuso Pärssinen deal in December. He finished the season with an improved 8-10–18 scoring line with 49 PIMs and a +8 rating in 43 games for the Milwaukee Admirals, but he was still non-tendered by Nashville last month and became an unrestricted free agent as a result.

The Prague native got into a pair of NHL games with Colorado in the 2023-24 season, recording one hit and three shots on goal in just over 12 minutes of total ice time. He now takes his talents to Tappara, joining a club that looks to get back on track following a .500 finish last year after winning three straight Liiga championships. He joins former NHLers Jyrki Jokipakka and Olli Juolevi, among others.

There are some more notable international signings today:

  • While winger Timothy Gettinger was reportedly looking for a KHL contract a few weeks ago, he’s ended up in Germany with the DEL’s Schwenninger Wild Wings on a one-year deal. The longtime minor-league winger in the Rangers’ and Red Wings’ systems solidifies his move overseas after recording 81 goals and 174 points in 346 AHL games over the past seven seasons. The 27-year-old was a fifth-round pick by New York in 2016 and has one point in 16 NHL games, all with the Blueshirts. He joins ex-NHLers Zachary Senyshyn and Jordan Szwarz on the Wild Wings’ forward corps.
  • Former Canucks forward Jake Virtanen has landed a one-year deal with Slovak club HK Dukla Michalovce, the team said on Facebook. Virtanen, 28, has not played in North America since being bought out in 2021 amid sexual assault allegations that he was later found not guilty of by a jury. The 2014 No. 6 overall pick has underwhelmed in Europe, most recently recording 19 points in 46 games last season for the DEL’s Iserlohn Roosters. He’ll now look to improve his scoring in a less competitive league in Slovakia.

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