Every NHL Team's 2025 Toughest Free-Agent Decision (2025)

Adam GretzMar 24, 2025

The salary cap is going up next season, and there are some big-name players who could be available this summer. The rest of the regular season and the playoffs will play a big role in determining how each team handles some of those players.

With that in mind, let’s take a team-by-team look at the biggest summer free-agency decisions. We are including restricted free-agent decisions in this along with unrestricted free agents.

Anaheim Ducks

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The Ducks do not have any major UFA situations to deal with after re-signing forward Frank Vatrano and trading veteran defenseman Brian Dumoulin.

They do, however, have some big restricted free agent situations to deal with, and none of them are more important than forward Mason McTavish.

McTavish is one of the Ducks’ key long-term building blocks, and his career is off to a solid start through his first three years. Over the past two seasons he has averaged close to a 25-goal, 55-point pace over 82 games and is just now entering the prime years of his career.

That leaves the Ducks with a big question as to whether or not they lock him into a long-term deal and pay for potential, or if they go the Trevor Zegras route and give him a bridge deal to further prove himself.

If they do the former, the contracts signed in recent years by Nick Suzuki, Quinton Byfield and Matty Beniers would probably be comparisons to look for in terms of dollars (around $7 million per season).

Boston Bruins

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Morgan Geekie

The Bruins solved their biggest UFA situations when they dealt forwards Trent Frederic and Brad Marchand before the trade deadline.

That leaves them with some RFA matters to deal with, with the most significant being forward Morgan Geekie.

The 26-year-old has been one of the few bright spots on the Bruins roster this season, scoring a career-high 24 goals in 66 games. He will be an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent after this season, and the Bruins have to decide if they want to risk the possibility of arbitration with a player who might be having a career year largely driven by shooting percentage (18.6 percent this season vs. 13.4 percent for his career).

Buffalo Sabres

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Jason Zucker

Instead of trading pending UFAs Jason Zucker and Jordan Greenway before the trade deadline, the Sabres re-signed both veterans to multi-year contract extensions. That leaves backup goalie James Reimer as the only pending UFA on the team.

But that does not mean free agency is going to be easy for them to navigate as they have some major restricted free agents, including forwards J.J. Peterka and Jack Quinn, as well as defenseman Bowen Byram.

Peterka figures to be in line for a long-term deal given his consistently improving play and breakout performance offensively.

The intriguing player, however, is going to Byram and what the Sabres do with him.

He has not quite become a star in Buffalo, but he is still a very good player and has a chance to still become a star-level performer. The Sabres also already have a couple of big-money defensemen on their blue line.

Could he be a trade chip? His name surfaced in trade speculation leading up to the deadline, and it could happen again early in the offseason if the Sabres can not get a contract they like with him.

Calgary Flames

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Anthony Mantha

The Flames spent the previous year selling off pending free agents and veterans on expiring contracts. They do not have many remaining still on the roster, with their biggest unrestricted free agent being veteran Anthony Mantha. They took a flier on Mantha before the season on a bargain one-year contract following his bounce back year for the Washington Capitals, but injury cut his season short, resulting in him playing in just 13 games.

Do they try to bring him back on another cheap deal? He was performing well prior to the injury.

Their big restricted free agent question is going to forward Morgan Frost who was just acquired before the deadline in a trade with the Philadelphia Flyers.

Frost isn’t a game-changer, but could be a really good middle-six forward option.

Carolina Hurricanes

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Jack Roslovic

The Hurricanes have some big-name pending UFA’s, including defensemen Dmitry Orlov and Brent Burns, as well as rental forward Taylor Hall.

But the real intrigue might be with forward Jack Roslovic after he signed a one-year, $2.8 million deal prior to this season. He has rewarded the Hurricanes with a career year that has seen him already score 21 goals in 68 games going into Thursday’s action.

He has certainly played his way into a bigger contract this offseason, especially with the salary cap set to rise.

Will the Hurricanes gamble on him repeating this performance?

Chicago Blackhawks

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The Blackhawks – again – made a lot of moves to sell players ahead of the trade deadline, but the most surprising move might have been the one they didn’t make – forward Ryan Donato.

Donato is a pending unrestricted free agent and figured to be an easy sell option given his career year offensively. Instead, the Blackhawks held onto him and seem to have the intention of re-signing him.

There could be some risk with that given the fact he is going to be 29 years old and has never scored the way he has this season. Is it a fluke, outlier performance? Or could it be a sign of things to come?

The Blackhawks need veteran players and people who can score, but you do not want to get yourself caught into a bad contract situation where you pay somebody who might not ever repeat what they did in one random season in their late 20s.

Colorado Avalanche

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Jonathan Drouin

The Avalanche traded one big pending unrestricted free agent in Mikko Rantanen, and then acquired another – Brock Nelson – as a rental.

While Nelson’s future is interesting given his potential role as a No. 2 center, Jonathan Drouin is the intriguing free agent here.

Going to Colorado has been a career-saving decision for Drouin, and he gave the Avalanche a huge discount this offseason following his strong debut season with the team in 2023-24. Injuries have limited him to just 38 games this season, but he has been even better than he was a year ago when healthy.

Will he give the Avalanche another discount to stay in what has become a great fit?

Or does he want to try and cash in and look for greener pastures on the open market?

The Avalanche should hope he wants to stay because he has been too good of a fit to let him just walk away.

Columbus Blue Jackets

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Ivan Provorov

When the 2024-25 season began defenseman Ivan Provorov seemed like a great potential trade deadline candidate.

Not only because he entered the season in the final year of his contract, but also because nobody really expected the Blue Jackets to compete for a playoff spot.

But they have, and that forced general manager Don Waddell into not only keeping Provorov, but also trying to work on getting him re-signed.

Keeping him might not result in a playoff spot given the way the stretch run has gone, and now they are facing the possibility of losing him for nothing.

That might also be the smarter long-term play here for the Blue Jackets.

Provorov has been a fine addition, but he is not a game-changer by any means. He is also facing the possibility of getting a huge contract on the open market because 1) mid-level defensemen tend to get huge contracts on the open market (just look at what Nikita Zadorov and Brandon Montour and Brady Skjei signed for a year ago – all getting between $6-7 million per year on long-term deals), and 2) the rising salary cap is only going to inflate that.

Provorov is also one of the top defensemen set to be available on the open market, which will only add to points 1 and 2 with his potential price tag.

Dallas Stars

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Jamie Benn

The Stars have what might be the NHL’s best roster on paper from top-to-bottom, and that is going to put some pressure on them to break through the Western Conference Final ceiling they have been stuck at the past two years. Especially since they have so many pending unrestricted free agents.

Jamie Benn, Matt Duchene, Mikael Granlund, Evgenii Dadonov and Cody Ceci are all pending UFAs after this season, and will create some big questions for the front office.

Duchene has been one of the best free agent signings in the NHL in recent years and has twice signed bargain deals to play for the Stars.

Will he do it again?

Along with that, the Stars also have a big decision to make on captain Jamie Benn who is set to become an unrestricted free agent. He is more of a complementary player at this stage of his career than the focal point of the Stars offense, but he is not exactly a passenger, either. He can still play. Does he want to remain in Dallas? And do the Stars want to make a big investment to keep him.

Detroit Red Wings

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Patrick Kane

There are layers to Patrick Kane’s Detroit Red Wings tenure over the past two years.

On the surface, he has been very productive offensively, recording 96 points in 109 games. He can obviously still contribute offensively, especially on the power play.

That is the good news.

The bad news is when you dig below the surface you find a 36-year-old player that has missed significant chunks of hockey the past two years due to injury, and also a player that is an absolute zero away from the puck. The Red Wings’ inability to drive possession and defend is the biggest issue holding them back (among many issues).

Do they want to triple-down on that and bring him back for a third season when there is a good chance a lot of his flaws become even more obvious? It might be time to move on.

Edmonton Oilers

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The Oilers have several unrestricted free agents, including forwards Jeff Skinner and Corey Perry.

None of those players are anywhere near as important as their big restricted free agent, defenseman Evan Bouchard.

Even though Bouchard has not quite matched his level of production from the 2023-24 season, he remains one of the Oilers’ best and most productive players, and easily their top defenseman. Their star forwards all perform significantly better when they are on the ice with him vs. other defenders, and he should command a sizable raise over the $3.9 million he is making this season.

The Oilers are going to keep him. They are going to pay up. They have no other choice. It is just a matter of what they are going to have to pay to get him secured.

Florida Panthers

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Sam Bennett

Defenseman Aaron Ekblad will require some big discussion from the Panthers front office given his history with the team, but the addition of Seth Jones and his contract might make Ekbla a little more expendable.

That could leave Sam Bennett as the biggest free agency question as the Panthers look to keep together their core. Bennett has become a significant contributor offensively, while also helping to drive their identity as one of the league’s most physical and agitating teams.

Bennett might not put up superstar numbers, but teams will be lining up to get a player with his size, strength and 20-goal ability.

If the Panthers can keep him – and perhaps convince Brad Marchand to stay as well – they will have one of the most physical and agitating teams in the NHL when you add those two into the presence of Matthew Tkachuk.

Los Angeles Kings

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Vladislav Gavrikov

The Kings are one of the best defensive teams in the league despite having lost Matt Roy in free agency and Drew Doughty for most of the season due to injury. Vladislav Gavrikov has taken on a big role this season and played extremely well in all situations.

This is perfect timing for him as he is set to be an unrestricted free agent this offseason with a rising cap and few top-pairing defenders available.

The Kings would probably like to keep him, but is he going to be worth the price tag it would require? Especially when they could still probably use another impact goal-scorer?

Minnesota Wild

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Marco Rossi

Marco Rossi is starting to become the player the Wild hoped he would be, but there is some question as to whether he will be in Minnesota for much longer.

He has already been the subject of trade rumors, and that might continue into the offseason as the team tries to get him signed to a long-term contract extension. The two sides are reportedly far apart, and the possibility of moving him can not be ignored.

The Wild actually have some salary cap flexibility to work with this offseason when the worst years of the Zach Parise and Ryan Suter buyouts end, so they should, in theory, have the cap space to get one of their best young players signed.

Whether or not it happens remains to be seen.

Montreal Canadiens

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Christian Dvorak

The Canadiens decision to not sell at the trade deadline and keep their pending free agents is starting to look like a smart gamble as they try to position themselves for a shocking playoff berth.

They already signed Jaked Evans to a long-term contract extension, leaving Christian Dvorak and Joel Armia as remaining UFA’s.

Fischer has not really been a big-time scorer, but is a solid depth player.

He may not be worth the $4.5 million he counted against the cap this season, but he should have a market whether it be in Montreal or elsewhere.

Nashville Predators

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Luke Evangelista

The Predators disappointing season resulted in them selling at the deadline, including their long big UFA in Gustav Nyquist.

The only restricted free agent of any consequence is forward Luke Evangelista, and even that is a relatively boring one. He is not arbitration eligible yet, and probably will only get a bridge deal given the fact he has not really established himself as a top-line player. He has 30 goals in 190 career games, and only seven in 55 games this season.

New Jersey Devils

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Cody Glass

Cody Glass was one of the New Jersey Devils trade deadline acquisitions, and the next few months could end up being a big audition for him.

He is an arbitration eligible restricted free agent, and if he does not make a big impact the rest of the way and into the playoffs there is no guarantee he gets a qualifying offer. The good news for him is that he has produced quite well so far with six points, including two goals, in his first seven games with the team.

The other big RFA situation is Luke Hughes, but there really is not a decision to be made there – he is a big part of the Devils’ future and a contract is going to be taken care of in one form or another.

With Glass, there is an actual decision to be made.

New York Islanders

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Kyle Palmieri

New York Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello traded one pending unrestricted free agent when he sent Brock Nelson to the Colorado Avalanche for an impressive haul of draft picks and prospects.

He did not do the same with his other big pending UFA, Kyle Palmieri.

And it seems like re-signing Palmieri is still very much the plan. Or at least the hope.

Palmieri is still productive this season with 21 goals and 44 total points through Sunday’s games, but at some point the Islanders have to stop re-signing players on the wrong side of 30 to long-term deals. At some point those players are going to stop producing, and then you leave yourself with an aging roster with bad contracts.

New York Rangers

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K'Andre Miller

Of all the problems the New York Rangers have this season, a lack of development from their young players is close to the top of the list.

Their struggles with their young forwards are not exactly a secret, and the same can probably be said about defenseman K’Andre Miller.

He has shown flashes of being an impact player throughout his career, but not enough of them.

How much are the Rangers willing to bet on untapped potential? Is this another case of a young player needing a fresh start and going somewhere else before they can shine?

If so, that would be a tough look for a Rangers team that has already failed to develop so many important young players over the past decade.

Ottawa Senators

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Claude Giroux

If you look at Claude Giroux’s three seasons with the Ottawa Senators as a collective total, he has been an outstanding addition and a wonderfully productive player. Even in his mid-to-late 30s he still had something left in the tank.

The problem is that production has steadily declined each year he has been there.

Given that he will be 38 years old at the start of next season, that trend is not likely to reverse itself.

Maybe he gives the Senators a hometown discount to come back. Given the trajectory of his production, that might be the only way it makes financial sense for the Senators to bring him back.

Philadelphia Flyers

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The Flyers do not have a single unrestricted free agent on their roster, which certainly makes for an easier offseason. At least when it comes to deciding on who to keep and who to let go.

They also only have a couple of smaller restricted free agents, including forward Noah Cates and defenseman Cam York.

Both players are arbitration eligible, but neither should be in the market to command a huge raise. There should still be some discussion as to whether or not both players get qualifying offers, or if they are able to get either re-signed. Neither player should be getting a long-term deal given what they have done so far, but both should be options for next year’s roster.

Pittsburgh Penguins

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P.O. Joseph

With the Pittsburgh Penguins in the early stages of a rebuild, they spent most of the season dealing away pending UFAs in Lars Eller, Marcus Pettersson, Drew O’Connor and Anthony Beauvillier. The only pending UFA on the roster currently of any significance is defenseman Matt Grzelcyk, and there is probably not much of a decision to be made there. He always seemed to just be a one-year rental.

The decisions here will all be RFA related, specifically as it relates to forwards Philip Tomasino and Conor Dewar, as well as defenseman Conor Timmins and Pierre-Olivier Joseph.

Tomasino, Dewar and Timmins all joined the organization this season in trades, with all of them showing some flashes of being players. But are they worth the qualifying offers, or in Tomasino’s case, potential arbitration?

Joseph has been a part of the Penguins organization for several years, but has not really taken a step forward toward being a consistent NHL player. Him not getting a qualifying offer is a very real possibility. Especially since it already happened a year ago.

San Jose Sharks

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Alexandar Georgiev

A couple of years ago Alexandar Georgiev looked like he had found a home with the Colorado Avalanche and was going to help solidify their goaltending spot. He finished seventh in the Vezina Trophy voting, while also leading the league in wins in consecutive seasons.

But his play has dropped off significantly this season, and he was eventually traded to the Sharks in exchange for goalie MacKenzie Blackwood.

The fresh start in a new organization has not really helped Georgiev turn his season around. He is a pending UFA, but the Sharks do not seem likely to bring him back given his numbers and the presence of top prospect Yaroslav Askarov.

Seattle Kraken

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Kaapo Kakko

Kaapo Kakko is the latest young forward and high draft pick that did not develop as planned for the New York Rangers. That resulted in him getting traded to the Seattle Kraken for defenseman Will Borgen. His initial impression with the Kraken has been mostly positive, while he has been a slightly better version of what he was with the Rangers.

He drives possession well, he does a lot of the little things for his line on each shift, and his production has taken a small step forward since joining the Kraken.

He is a restricted free agent, and one the Kraken should be eager to keep. He still has a chance to be a really productive middle-six forward that does a lot of things well, even if he is not the star you hope to see with the No. 2 overall pick.

St. Louis Blues

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Joel Hofer

Jordan Binnington silenced a lot of critics for team Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off when he backstopped the team to a championship, including a stellar performance in the championship game. But after a strong bounce back season in 2023-24, Binnington is back to being a below average starter with sub-par numbers.

Given his contract, that is a concern.

Behind him the Blues have Joel Hofer, who has been the most productive of the Blues goalies this season. He is still only 24 years old and a restricted free agent, but has handled himself quite well in the NHL when given an opportunity. The Blues should definitely re-sign him, and even consider giving him more playing time next season if he continues to outplay Binnington.

Tampa Bay Lightning

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Yanni Gourde

After losing Yanni Gourde to the Seattle Kraken in the expansion draft, the Tampa Bay Lightning were able to re-acquire him this season – along with forward Oliver Bjorkstrand – in a big trade deadline deal.

Along with returning to Tampa Bay for another potential Stanley Cup run, Gourde is also one of the few free agents on the roster at the moment. Most of Tampa Bay’s team is signed long-term, with the exception of some depth players like Gourde.

He can potentially make an impact down the stretch and in the playoffs, but the Lightning have to decide if he is worth re-signing this offseason before he starts his age 34 season. He can still defend, but his offensive game has declined from what it was at his peak.

Toronto Maple Leafs

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Mitch Marner

There is not a team in the NHL that has bigger UFA decisions to make than the Toronto Maple Leafs, as two of their top-four core players – Mitch Marner and John Tavares – are both headed to free agency.

That is a lot of talent, a lot of production and a lot of money potentially up for grabs.

The decision might come down to what the Maple Leafs do in the playoffs. This core group has been together for nearly a decade, and all they have accomplished so far is one playoff series win. That is not enough. If the Maple Leafs bow out again in the first round this season, and if Marner or Tavares do not produce, it would be awfully hard to justify keeping that core together and not trying something new.

Having said that, if both players reach the open market there should be no shortage of interested teams. This is Marner’s big opportunity to test his true value across the league, while it might be the last chance Tavares has to secure another big-money deal.

Utah Hockey Club

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Michael Carcone

After scoring 21 goals a year ago, Michael Carcone’s production has taken a big hit this season, largely due to the fact his shooting percentage badly regressed.

Does Utah want to bank on that percentage bouncing back next season?

It might not be a bad gamble given how much he probably tanked his own value this season with his tough year offensively.

The only other potential UFA that could be on the move is veteran forward Nick Bjugstad.

Vancouver Canucks

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Brock Boeser

Even though his contract is up after this season, and even though the Vancouver Canucks were far from a lock to make the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs, they did not elect to trade forward Brock Boesder before the deadline, and instead have him playing out the season on an expiring contract.

The lack of a trade did not seem to be for a lack of effort, either, as general manager Patrik Allvin basically said at his post-deadline press conference that nobody was interested in acquiring Boeser. That’s a little surprising given how productive he has been in recent years. Even though he is not going to be a 40-goal scorer this season, he should still be close to a 30-goal pace over 82 games.

A lot of teams will see that and want it. Including, perhaps, the Canucks. They just have to see if they can strike a deal with him.

Vegas Golden Knights

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The Vegas Golden Knights have a handful of unrestricted free agents on their roster, including a couple – Brandon Saad and Reilly Smith – that were acquired in-season.

Veteran winger Reilly Smith might be the most intriguing given his history with the franchise.

Smith was one of the original Vegas misfits that took an expansion team to the Stanley Cup Final, and then helped it win the Stanley Cup in 2023 with a huge playoff performance.

He never seemed to want to leave Vegas prior to being traded before the 2023-24 season, and now that he is back he has an opportunity to really stay there beyond this season.

He is no longer as productive as he was at his peak, but he could be cheap, affordable depth for a team full of big-money players that needs to save on the fringes of the roster.

Washington Capitals

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Jakub Chychrun

After barely sneaking into the playoffs a year ago, the Washington Capitals were one of the most aggressive teams this past offseason in both free agency and the trade market. One of their biggest moves was to acquire defenseman Jakob Chychrun from the Ottawa Senators.

It has also been one of their best moves (and one of the best moves in the entire NHL).

Chychrun has been a force for the Capitals defense, scoring 18 goals with 43 total points in his first 65 games. On a per-game basis it is the best season of his career. That production, the rising salary cap, and the cost of UFA defenseman could make Chychrun an extremely expensive player this summer.

The question is whether the Capitals want to – or can – pay his demand and meet his asking price.

Winnipeg Jets

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Nikolaj Ehlers

The term “underrated” gets used a little too loosely in the NHL at times, but Winnipeg Jets forward Nikolaj Ehlers might be one of the players truly deserving of the “underrated” label.

All he does is quietly go about his business and keep scoring around 25 goals and 60 points each season, giving the Jets consistent production they know they can count on each season.

It is consistent, unless he manages to exceed it. He has exceeded it this season, averaging nearly a point-per-game (59 points in 61 games through Sunday).

That production, combined with the rising salary cap, should result in Ehlers getting a nice raise from his $6 million salary for this season. It is just a matter of whether he gets it from Winnipeg or another team.