When does 2024 NHL free agency start?

NHL free agency opens every summer, with unrestricted free agents hitting the open market. Pending unrestricted free agents may ink contract extensions with their current teams before free agency officially opens, which then takes them off the market. If a pending UFA has not signed a contract extension prior to free agency opening, they officially become a UFA. Teams sign players during free agency to fill out the needs on their rosters.

When their contract expires, an NHL player becomes a UFA if they are at least 27 years old on the day free agency opens, or have seven NHL seasons. A skater accrues a year of service if they are on the NHL roster for at least 40 games, while a goalie accrues a year if they are on the NHL roster for at least 30 games. A player with an expired contract can also become a UFA if they are at least 25 years old and have completed three or more NHL seasons, and played in less than 80 NHL games as a skater or 28 games as a goalie.

A drafted player who has not been signed before their rights expire also becomes an unrestricted free agent. A restricted free agent may become an unrestricted free agent if they are not tendered a qualifying offer by their team. If an RFA is tendered a qualifying offer, they are not eligible to become a UFA.

2024 NHL free agency frenzy is coming

NHL free agency is set to begin on July 1, 2024, at 12:00 p.m. ET. Pending unrestricted free agents may start talking with teams after the NHL Draft, but they cannot sign until noon on July 1. Players will start coming off the board quickly in a flurry of moves. There's always plenty of news on the day that free agency opens, so NHL fans stay close to social media that day. Last year, access limits on Twitter, now X, disrupted the flow of free agency information, which made NHL fans angry with Elon Musk.

A lot of moves will be made on July 1. After the first few days of free agency, the news will slow down, but moves will continue to be made all summer as teams continue to tinker with their rosters. General managers will also consider trades to fill their needs. Highly sought-after players can be hard to acquire. Players seeking more money or a longer contract than teams are willing to agree to may still be available later in the summer.

Notable free agents hit the market every summer. Among this year’s pending UFAs, top names include Jake Guentzel, Sam Reinhart, Steven Stamkos, Matt Duchene, Tyler Toffoli, Tyler Bertuzzi, Jake DeBrusk, Matt Dumba, Patrick Kane, Nikita Zadorov, Vladimir Tarasenko and more. If they do not sign with their current team prior to free agency opening, these notable players will become UFAs.

An area that lacks depth among this year’s class of UFAs is goaltending. Teams seeking upgrades in net may have trouble finding what they’re looking for in free agency. Ilya Samsonov struggled in 2023-24, posting an .890 save percentage for the season. Cam Talbot had a good year, but he’ll be 37 this summer. Laurent Brossoit and Anthony Stolarz are reliable backup goalies to consider.

Free agency is highly anticipated every summer, as teams seek to improve their rosters. The frenzy will open on July 1.