Hockey

NHL Free Agency Recap: Canucks Pay Boeser, Perry Heads to Kings

Published: Jul 2, 2025, 3:10 PM
5 min read
Updated: Jul 8, 2025, 8:53 AM
Fact checked by:
Sergey Demidov

Key Takeaways

  • 125 players in total were signed on the first day of NHL free agency on Tuesday.
  • Brock Boeser, K'Andre Miller, and Corey Perry are a few of the notable players who put pen to paper on new deals.
  • Below, we'll highlight the biggest deals so far.
 K'Andre Miller #79 of the New York Rangers

K'Andre Miller #79 of the New York Rangers (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

Day 1 of NHL free agency has wrapped up, and it was an eventful one. In total, 125 players signed deals across the league, with $683 million in contract value. While some of the big names were off the board on Monday, in the likes of Mitch Marner, Brad Marchand, and Aaron Ekblad, there was no shortage of star power who put pen to paper on Tuesday as well. 

We’ll break down the biggest deals so far below.

Brock Boeser Returns to Canucks

In one of the bigger surprises of Day 1, Brock Boeser returned to the Vancouver Canucks after they took trade calls for the veteran earlier this year. Boeser has long voiced how much he loves the city and their fanbase, but there was serious doubt he’d ink a long-term deal, especially after JT Miller was traded last season. 

Boeser secured a seven-year deal worth $7.25 million annually. He’s around for the long haul, and Canucks fans will be happy to see it. Lots of teams had interest in the American, including the Boston Bruins, according to sources close to RG's James Murphy.   

Boeser put up career numbers in 2023-24, scoring 40 goals and tallying 73 points. He had another respectable campaign in 2024-25 despite Vancouver missing the playoffs, registering 25 goals and 25 helpers in 75 games played. 

Canucks GM Patrick Allvin is thrilled to keep Boeser for the foreseeable future:

"Brock has been a huge part of our organization, and we are extremely happy to have him back in the fold," Allvin said. 

"He has scored some big goals for our hockey club and has established himself as a very dangerous offensive player. 

Brock is a leader and culture setter in our locker room, and we’re confident he will continue to play an important role for our team moving forward doing great work both on and off the ice."

Vancouver also re-signed Thatcher Demko and Conor Garland, two important pieces to the puzzle as this organization looks to make a playoff return in ‘25-26. 

K’Andre Miller Inks 8-Year Deal With Canes After Rangers Trade

In one of the more surprising moves of Day 1, the New York Rangers traded defenceman K’Andre Miller to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for Scott Morrow and a pair of draft picks. Miller, 25, immediately signed an eight-year deal with the Canes worth $7.5 million per season. 

Miller is one of the best blue liners in the league, and he’s a physical presence, standing at 6 foot 5. The addition of Miller will undoubtedly help Carolina in their pursuit of a Stanley Cup following the conference finals loss to the Florida Panthers. He had 27 points this past season in the Big Apple and gives the Canes more offense at the back as well. While the Rangers lost Miller, they did sign Vladislav Gavrikov, another elite D-man. 

Corey Perry Leaves Oilers For Kings

Corey Perry was keen on returning to the Edmonton Oilers in free agency, but he left them for the very team he helped eliminate in each of the last two seasons in the playoffs – the Los Angeles Kings. The 40-year-old inked a one-year deal with the Kings worth $2 million, with more money potentially available based on incentives. 

Perry may be aging, but he’s still a productive player. The veteran had 19 goals and 11 assists last season in Oil Country. Perry also added 14 points in the postseason, including 10 goals. Unfortunately, he was on the wrong side of history as Perry lost his fifth career Stanley Cup title. 

Regardless, the Kings are a team with serious promise, despite the lack of a deep playoff run in recent years. Perry gives them a much-needed veteran presence both on and off the ice. He’s also competed in the Cup Finals in five of the last six seasons. 

Mikael Granlund Lands With Ducks

One of the top free agents on the open market, Mikael Granlund got paid by the Anaheim Ducks, inking a three-year contract worth $7 million annually. Granlund may not be the best defender, but he was a consistent offensive producer during his time with the Dallas Stars. 

The Swede gives a young Ducks team experience, something they need in this retooling phase. The Stars acquired Granlund from the San Jose Sharks at the trade deadline. He totaled 22 goals and 44 assists overall last season. 

Ducks GM Pat Verbeek explained why Granlund brings to the table:

“He’s what I consider a hard worker,” Verbeek said. “He goes to the hard areas, something that we needed more of. Not afraid to be a net-front presence guy. He’s a guy that hangs onto pucks in the corners for more puck possessions, so he’s a very smart hockey player.”

This is a move the Ducks desperately needed to make after trading Trevor Zegras and John Gibson. $7 million per year may be a bit of an overpay, but hopefully, Granlund produces the goods for Anaheim. 

Hurricanes Sign Ehlers

Nikolaj Ehlers was the biggest free agent left on the open market, and the Hurricanes managed to sign the former Winnipeg Jets star, who inked a six-year, $51 million deal. Ehlers is coming off an impressive season where he scored 24 goals and also supplied 29 assists. For a team with Stanley Cup aspirations, this is a huge addition for the Canes. Ehlers has collected 60+ points in back-to-back seasons. 

Other Notable Deals

Matthew Knies inks big deal with Maple Leafs

Seattle Kraken sign Matt Murray to one-year deal

Jonathan Drouin lands with New York Islanders

Kings replace Gavrikov with Cody Ceci, Brian Dumoulin

Utah Mammoth land Cup winner Nate Schmidt, veteran Ryan Lindgren

Panthers bring back Tomas Nosek 

NJ Devils sign Connor Brown after Oilers’ Cup run

Gustav Nyquist joins Jets on 1-year deal

Brent Burns signs with Avalanche

Pius Suter lands in St. Louis

Sharks sign ex-Canes star Dmitry Orlov to 2-year, $13 million deal

<p>Quinn is a seasoned sports journalist from Vancouver, Canada. He's an editor for RG, a betting analyst, and a regular writer for Gino Hard, an NHL website that covers all things hockey. Quinn was previously a senior editor for ClutchPoints for 4.5 years. He is an ex-athlete himself, having played college baseball in the United States in his younger years. Quinn is a Swiss Army knife and has covered most sports, including soccer, baseball, basketball, football, tennis, and more.</p>
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James Murphy
James Murphy
NHL Reporter

James Murphy is a veteran sports journalist covering the NHL, NCAA and CHL hockey for RG.

With 25 years of experience covering the Bruins, the NHL, NCAA, CHL and more, Murphy has seen it all when it comes to hockey. His hockey black book is filled with Hall of Famers, current players, coaches, management, scouts and a diverse array of hockey media personalities who have lived and worked in and around the game. Murphy also currently co-hosts The Eye Test podcast with Pierre McGuire and, along with McGuire, interviews NHL owners and executives, as well as NHL and NCAA head coaches and players daily.

The Arlington, Massachusetts, native began his writing career in hockey in 2001, when the Boston Bruins raised one of his childhood idols, Ray Bourque’s No. 77, to the rafters before their 2001–02 season opener. For 22 of his 25 years as a hockey reporter, Murphy covered the Bruins daily, including their victorious 2011 Stanley Cup run and their runs to the 2013 and 2019 Finals, multiple NHL drafts and countless Stanley Cup playoffs. He did all that for the Boston Metro, NHL.com, NESN.com and ESPN Boston.

In addition to his print work covering the Bruins, Murphy also made regular TV appearances on NESN, Fox 25 Boston, ESPN and NHL Network. From 2008 to 2012, Murphy hosted The Hockey Primetime Show on SiriusXM NHL Network Radio and made numerous appearances on national and international radio shows.

Ironically, his three years not covering the Bruins were spent covering their archrivals, the Montreal Canadiens. From 2012 to 2015, Murphy was based in Montreal and covered the Canadiens for NHL.com and TSN.ca. He also appeared regularly on TSN 690 radio and CTV.

Murphy returned to Boston in 2015 and left the media business to work in sales and marketing for LiveBarn, a Montreal-based sports streaming company, for four years. In 2019, Murphy once again became a Bruins beat reporter, this time writing for Boston Hockey Now. He spent four seasons working for BHN before arriving at RG in 2024 and also dedicated more time to The Eye Test podcast.

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