Mitch Marner the crowned jewel of veteran-laden free agency class
By Josh Yohe
July 1, 2025
While Canada celebrates their Independence Day, the NHL officially sees the opening of its 2025 free agency period. The immediate cream of the crop is star winger Mitch Marner after not being able to come to an agreement with the team that drafted him, the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Marner, after trying (and failing) to lead the Maple Leafs to the promised land as part of a nucleus that features captain and superstar Auston Matthews, former first overall pick John Tavares, and Swedish star William Nylander, sees his tumultuous time as part of the NHL's most famous franchise come to an end. He scored 35 goals and 102 points - both career-highs - in his contract year, but another down season from the team sees their need to blow things up. Marner, 28-years-old, could ask for one of the biggest contracts in NHL history for a franchise with deep pockets and desperate need for a superstar.
Following in behind Marner includes top Edmonton Oilers defenseman Evan Bouchard, New Jersey Devils young star Luke Hughes, and New York Islanders defenseman Noah Dobson as a trio of top-tier defenseman that can shift the look of a competitive team's depth corps quickly. Hughes, playing with his superstar brother Jack, is expected to either return to New Jersey or join his other brother, Quinn, in Vancouver.
Teams looking for a veteran presence can find it quickly in this class, with the likes of forwards Brad Marchand, Matt Duchene, and Brent Burns all available as older guys who can still put up some serious productivity.
Frederik Andersen, Jake Allen, and the controversial Carter Hart highlight the goaltending options for teams this summer.
Forwards
Mitch Marner
Brad Marchand
Matt Duchene
Mikael Granlund
J.J. Peterka
Kyle Palmieri
Reilly Smith
Jonathan Drouin
Gustav Nyquist
Pius Suter
Defensemen
Evan Bouchard
Noah Dobson
Luke Hughes
Brent Burns
Matt Grzelcyk
Ethan Bear
Ryker Evans
K'Andre Miller
Ryan Lindgren
Nate Schmidt
Goaltenders
Frederik Andersen
Carter Hart
Jake Allen
Devon Levi
Ilya Samsonov
Chris Driedger
Martin Jones
Vitek Vanecek
Anton Forsberg
Malcolm Subban
July 1, 2025
While Canada celebrates their Independence Day, the NHL officially sees the opening of its 2025 free agency period. The immediate cream of the crop is star winger Mitch Marner after not being able to come to an agreement with the team that drafted him, the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Marner, after trying (and failing) to lead the Maple Leafs to the promised land as part of a nucleus that features captain and superstar Auston Matthews, former first overall pick John Tavares, and Swedish star William Nylander, sees his tumultuous time as part of the NHL's most famous franchise come to an end. He scored 35 goals and 102 points - both career-highs - in his contract year, but another down season from the team sees their need to blow things up. Marner, 28-years-old, could ask for one of the biggest contracts in NHL history for a franchise with deep pockets and desperate need for a superstar.
Following in behind Marner includes top Edmonton Oilers defenseman Evan Bouchard, New Jersey Devils young star Luke Hughes, and New York Islanders defenseman Noah Dobson as a trio of top-tier defenseman that can shift the look of a competitive team's depth corps quickly. Hughes, playing with his superstar brother Jack, is expected to either return to New Jersey or join his other brother, Quinn, in Vancouver.
Teams looking for a veteran presence can find it quickly in this class, with the likes of forwards Brad Marchand, Matt Duchene, and Brent Burns all available as older guys who can still put up some serious productivity.
Frederik Andersen, Jake Allen, and the controversial Carter Hart highlight the goaltending options for teams this summer.
Forwards
Mitch Marner
Brad Marchand
Matt Duchene
Mikael Granlund
J.J. Peterka
Kyle Palmieri
Reilly Smith
Jonathan Drouin
Gustav Nyquist
Pius Suter
Defensemen
Evan Bouchard
Noah Dobson
Luke Hughes
Brent Burns
Matt Grzelcyk
Ethan Bear
Ryker Evans
K'Andre Miller
Ryan Lindgren
Nate Schmidt
Goaltenders
Frederik Andersen
Carter Hart
Jake Allen
Devon Levi
Ilya Samsonov
Chris Driedger
Martin Jones
Vitek Vanecek
Anton Forsberg
Malcolm Subban
