NHL Free Agent Rankings: Best Available Players in 2025

Well, this got a lot less interesting. 

This is like one of those viral videos where a city’s July 4th fireworks display all go off at once, creating a mushroom cloud of fear and disappointment. 

In case you missed it, the Florida Panthers, after declaring they would do this, re-signed Sam Bennett, Aaron Ekblad, and Brad Marchand, all to reasonable team-friendly contracts. The Vegas Golden Knights acquired Mitch Marner in a sign-and-trade with Toronto and immediately extended him to an eight-year $96 million contract. 

Now, several teams have a large sum of money to spend and only a few truly great players to spend it on. Translation: Nikolaj Ehlers is getting a boat and a beach house. 

Here are the remaining top free agents and the latest on where they could be headed. 

NHL Free Agent Rankings

1. Nikolaj Ehlers, LW

The 29-year-old Ehlers has become the premier free agent of the offseason.

Before the flurry of activity on Monday night, many insiders viewed him as a solid Plan B option for teams that lost out on Marner. That’s still the case now, but he’s in line for a much bigger payday. 

In 69 games played in Winnipeg last season, Ehlers had 24 goals and 39 assists and was a +14 on the ice. He ranked third on the Jets roster in points behind Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele. 

In an article this morning for Sportsnet, NHL insider Elliotte Friedman predicted it could take a few days for Ehlers to make an “informed decision.”

He also views the Carolina as the frontrunner, given the team’s past attempts at trading for him. 

But any team with cap space will make an offer on Ehlers. The Hurricanes at $26.72 million have the most of any contender, but the Mammoth, at $18.41 million, also have cash to spend and are hungry to make a splashy free agent signing. 

2. Brock Boeser, RW

The 28-year-old Boeser will also command a high price for teams in search of forward options on the free agent market. 

In 75 games played with the Canucks last season, Boeser had 50 points with 25 goals and 25 assists. He was third in points and second on the team in power-play goals, with nine. 

Friedman quoted a source this morning that told him Boeser is one of the few players who isn’t afraid of the cold, meaning some Canadian or other East Coast teams could be contenders. He mentioned Winnipeg, Boston, and Edmonton as potential contenders. 

Additionally, on a June 30 podcast, The Athletic’s Chris Johnston said he believes that the Kings and Wild are also contenders to sign Boeser. 

3. Mikael Granlund, C

Granlund, a left-shot center, is the best option that teams will find at his position in the free agent market. 

After a season and a third in California, the 33-year-old was traded from the San Jose Sharks to the Dallas Stars this season. For the Sharks, he had 15 goals and 30 assists in 52 games. In his 31 games played in Dallas, he had seven goals and 14 assists. 

Granlund mainly played on Dallas’ first line in the playoffs, scoring five goals in 18 games played. 

Friedman reports that Granlund could likely end up in St. Louis but, again, look out for contenders with cash to drive up the price.

4. Dmitry Orlov, D

After the Panthers retained Ekblad, Orlov became the premier defenseman in this year’s free agent class. 

The 33-year-old spent the last two seasons in Carolina after a short stint with the Bruins in 2023. 

Orlov had okay advanced defensive numbers last season with the Hurricanes. He ranked in the middle of the pack among his team’s defensemen. He had the second-lowest on-ice expected goal percentage on his team, but he had the third-worst differential between on and off-ice expected goal percentages. 

Still, like I said earlier, he’s the best defensive player remaining on the board, and for that reason alone, he’ll probably get paid. 

5. Jeff Skinner, C

Edmonton’s Skinner is one of the better remaining forwards, but as we get down to his tier, the free agent market gets thin. 

In 72 games played with the Oilers last season, he was a decent contributor, scoring 16 goals and earning 13 assists with a +1 plus/minus rating. 

He was a non-factor for Edmonton in the playoffs, only contributing a goal and an assist in the five games he played. He’s also the least notable Skinner on his team, given the trials and tribulations of the goalie Stuart Skinner. 

There’s limited information about interested teams in Skinner, but it’s likely a young team will have some interest in picking up the 33-year-old veteran.