2025 NHL Free Agency: Grading the Biggest NHL Free Agency Moves of 2025

San Jose, CA. — With the Stanley Cup celebration winding down, we need to find ways to occupy our minds with hockey, and what better way to do it than with free agency. On July 1st, a list of players who became free agents was released, anxiously looking for a new team. Let’s talk about the best free agency moves and give them a letter grade!

Anaheim Ducks - Grade: B+

With the NHL salary cap being $95,500,000, teams need to be strategic on how they’re spending their money on players. The Ducks signed Mikael Granlund to a three-year deal worth $21 million. With 13 years under his belt, Granlund has played in 902 games, scoring 179 goals and 431 assists, for a total of 610 points. He can play a veteran role on this team with younger players, such as Roger McQueen, Cutter Gauthier, and Leo Carlsson. The Ducks did a good job of signing a veteran player who can teach the younger players how to be successful in the league. While it is great to have a veteran on the team, it can also be a potential challenge to see how he fits into the team the Ducks are trying to create. The Ducks are taking a risk on Granlund, as his offensive production has dipped, and he hasn’t been as consistent. It will be interesting to see how he plays into the Ducks' new vision. 

Vancouver Canucks - Grade: A- 

This year was not the Canucks year, with the issues they had on and off the ice. There were a lot of rumors about whether key players such as Brock Boeser would return to the team. The Canucks did end up signing Boeser to a $50.75 million contract that will last for seven years. This has to be one of the best signings we’ve seen so far. Boeser has had consistent scoring throughout his career. This season, he accumulated 50 points in the span of 75 games with 25 goals and 25 assists. Boeser is constantly making smart plays that allow his teammates to score. The only concern for the Canucks could be his injury history, such as this season when he received an upper-body injury. Overall, it’s great that the Canucks are keeping their star players. 

Florida Panthers - Grade: A

The recent success of the Florida Panthers has left NHL fans wondering what their tactics are to bring players onto the team. While originally traded to the Panthers, Brad Marchand signed a six-year, $31.5 million contract. This is an absolute steal for the Panthers as they receive a gritty player who has brought a lot of offensive production. Just this season alone, with the Panthers and Boston Bruins, Marchand played in 71 games, scoring 23 goals and 28 assists, totaling 51 points. That’s not counting his time in the playoffs with the Panthers, where he scored 10 goals and 10 assists. With Marchand, they are getting a physical player who brings experience in the league, including the playoffs. While he generates a lot of offensive power, he also finds a way to be a good defensive player. Marchand finds a way to protect the puck even if he isn’t the biggest player on the ice. Even with his consistent scoring, his age can pose a risk.

Edmonton Oilers - Grade: C

The Edmonton Oilers don’t have much to spend as they have to re-sign players such as Evan Bouchard. The Oilers decided to sign Curtis Lazar on a one-year contract worth $775,000. Lazar does a great job of being a two-way player and has participated in a variety of penalty kill situations. He wins many face-off draws, and most importantly, he can gain possession of the puck through offensive and defensive plays. While he does a great job of being a two-way player, Lazar has faced different injuries. Just this season, he struggled with a knee injury, and he didn’t play for about two months. Lazar has been inconsistent throughout his career, averaging from 25 points to 5 points. In fact, his shooting percentage has gone down, as this season it was 7.4%. While this wasn’t Edmonton’s best signing, it will be interesting to see how a new player can shake things up with the Oilers. 

Los Angeles Kings - Grade: C+

With the Kings ending off on a disappointing note this season, changes needed to happen. To bring more intensity, they decided to sign Cody Ceci to a $4.5 million four-year contract. The Kings need a reliable player like Ceci, who has played in 85 games this past season. While Ceci doesn’t have the highest shooting percentage or flashiest stats, he has spent a lot of time on the ice. He averages around 20 minutes on ice per game, which is impressive. This season, during his time with the San Jose Sharks and Dallas Stars, he scored 4 goals and 20 assists, which isn’t bad for a defensive player. Since he spends a lot of time on the ice, we would hope to see him generate more offense, whether it’s on a power play or not. The Kings do a great job of prioritizing offense, so it’s a weird decision for them to sign Ceci. While Ceci might not be the best offensively, his defense speaks for itself, and we can’t wait to see how his reliability plays a role in the Kings' roster. 

What do you think about the grading? Should there be a different grade for a player? What other player would you want to be graded? What players are you hoping get signed? Let me know what you think!