The 2025 NHL free agent defenseman class is highlighted by Aaron Ekblad (Panthers), a top-pairing right-shot defenseman with offensive upside and physicality. His injury history and recent discipline (20-game suspension) may raise minor concerns for some. Ivan Provorov (Blue Jackets) offers durability and transitional play, averaging 23+ minutes nightly, but his possession metrics remain inconsistent.
Dante Fabbro has revitalized his value after joining the Blue Jackets, posting a career-high 26 points. He’s emerging as a reliable two-way option. Ryan Lindgren and Cody Ceci would add depth. Lindgren provides physicality and Ceci offers steady defensive play. Matt Grzelcyk put up a career-high 40 points, including 39 assists. Vladislav Gavrikov provides a steady presence on the Kings blue line.
The class lacks top-pairing options for contending teams, beyond maybe Ekblad. Most of the above options (Provorov, Fabbro, Gavrikov) serve as middle-pairing or complementary pieces. The remaining group are in the 5-7 range. Teams may prioritize trades or re-signings over major UFA commitments for blue-line upgrades.
| Player | Pos | Age | Team | AAV | GP | G | A | Pts | TOI | 5v4 TOI | 4v5 TOI |
| Grzelcyk, Matt | LD | 31 | PIT | $2.75M | 82 | 1 | 39 | 40 | 20:37 | 2:02 | 0:35 |
| Ekblad, Aaron | RD | 29 | FLA | $7.50M | 56 | 3 | 30 | 33 | 23:31 | 2:33 | 2:17 |
| Provorov, Ivan | LD | 28 | CBJ | $6.75M | 82 | 7 | 26 | 33 | 23:21 | 0:56 | 2:25 |
| Gavrikov, Vladislav | LD | 29 | LAK | $5.88M | 82 | 5 | 25 | 30 | 23:05 | 0:04 | 3:04 |
| Burns, Brent | RD | 40 | CAR | $8.00M | 82 | 6 | 23 | 29 | 20:57 | 1:34 | 2:14 |
| Orlov, Dmitry | LD | 33 | CAR | $7.75M | 76 | 6 | 22 | 28 | 20:00 | 0:01 | 1:56 |
| Fabbro, Dante | RD | 27 | CBJ | $2.50M | 68 | 9 | 17 | 26 | 20:54 | 0:04 | 1:28 |
| Ceci, Cody | RD | 31 | DAL | $3.25M | 85 | 4 | 20 | 24 | 21:13 | 0:06 | 2:19 |
| Lindgren, Ryan | LD | 27 | COL | $4.50M | 72 | 4 | 18 | 22 | 19:42 | 0:00 | 2:21 |
| Dumoulin, Brian | LD | 33 | NJD | $3.15M | 80 | 3 | 19 | 22 | 19:33 | 0:01 | 2:03 |
| Perbix, Nick | RD | 27 | TBL | $1.12M | 74 | 6 | 13 | 19 | 14:41 | 0:01 | 0:15 |
| Schmidt, Nate | LD/RD | 33 | FLA | $800K | 80 | 5 | 14 | 19 | 16:32 | 1:12 | 0:41 |
| DeAngelo, Tony | RD | 29 | NYI | $775K | 35 | 4 | 15 | 19 | 23:21 | 2:50 | 0:23 |
| Savard, David | RD | 34 | MTL | $3.50M | 75 | 1 | 14 | 15 | 16:35 | 0:01 | 2:57 |
| Suter, Ryan | LD | 40 | STL | $3.00M | 82 | 2 | 13 | 15 | 19:28 | 0:04 | 1:54 |
| Martinez, Alec | LD/RD | 37 | CHI | $4.00M | 44 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 18:44 | 0:36 | 1:22 |
| Forbort, Derek | LD | 33 | VAN | $1.50M | 54 | 2 | 9 | 11 | 17:06 | 0:03 | 2:02 |
| Jokiharju, Henri | RD | 26 | BOS | $3.10M | 60 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 17:50 | 0:19 | 0:49 |
| Cholowski, Dennis | LD | 27 | NJD | $775K | 39 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 13:04 | 1:10 | 0:01 |
| Rutta, Jan | LD/RD | 34 | SJS | $2.75M | 54 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 17:15 | 0:00 | 1:44 |
| Hanley, Joel | LD/RD | 34 | CGY | $788K | 53 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 18:35 | 0:05 | 1:17 |
| Mahura, Joshua | LD/RD | 27 | SEA | $775K | 64 | 0 | 9 | 9 | 13:45 | 0:02 | 0:34 |
| Petry, Jeff | RD | 37 | DET | $6.25M | 44 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 18:54 | 0:11 | 1:06 |
| de Haan, Calvin | LD/RD | 34 | NYR | $800K | 47 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 14:58 | 0:00 | 0:53 |
| Hamonic, Travis | RD | 34 | OTT | $1.10M | 59 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 17:04 | 0:02 | 1:30 |
Free agents chart and numbers taken from The Stanley Cap
| Player | Pos | Age | Team | AAV | GP | G | A | Pts | TOI | 5v4 TOI | 4v5 TOI |
| Wotherspoon, Parker | LD | 27 | BOS | $800K | 55 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 18:02 | 0:07 | 1:16 |
| Fleury, Haydn | LD/RD | 28 | WPG | $775K | 39 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 15:56 | 0:05 | 1:19 |
| Merrill, Jon | LD | 33 | MIN | $1.20M | 70 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 14:06 | 0:01 | 0:47 |
| Smith, Brendan | LD/RD | 36 | DAL | $1.00M | 32 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 13:13 | 0:02 | 0:54 |
| Gilbert, Dennis | LD | 28 | OTT | $825K | 29 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 10:29 | 0:00 | 0:26 |
| Johnson, Jack | LD | 38 | CBJ | $775K | 41 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 12:52 | 0:00 | 1:30 |
| DeSimone, Nick | RD | 30 | UTA | $775K | 20 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 15:35 | 0:00 | 0:22 |
| Kylington, Oliver | LD/RD | 28 | ANA | $1.05M | 19 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 12:18 | 0:01 | 0:17 |
| Johnson, Erik | RD | 37 | COL | $1.00M | 36 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 14:35 | 0:00 | 1:35 |
| Klingberg, John | RD | 32 | EDM | $1.76M | 11 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 17:15 | 0:13 | 0:10 |
| Barrie, Tyson | RD | 33 | CGY | $1.25M | 13 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 15:48 | 1:41 | 0:01 |
| Reilly, Mike | LD | 31 | NYI | $1.25M | 18 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 15:10 | 1:34 | 0:04 |
| Bortuzzo, Robert | RD | 36 | UTA | $775K | 17 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 10:57 | 0:00 | 1:22 |
| Hutton, Grant | RD | 29 | NYI | $775K | 13 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 13:28 | 0:07 | 0:50 |
| Ruhwedel, Chad | RD | 35 | NYR | $775K | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 14:06 | 0:00 | 2:19 |
| Mermis, Dakota | LD/RD | 31 | TOR | $775K | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 15:12 | 0:00 | 0:04 |
| Lagesson, William | LD/RD | 29 | DET | $775K | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 14:34 | 0:01 | 0:23 |
| Kiersted, Matt | LD | 27 | FLA | $775K | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 12:41 | 0:00 | 0:50 |
| Hakanpää, Jani | RD | 33 | TOR | $1.47M | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14:05 | 0:00 | 1:03 |
| Schuldt, Jimmy | LD | 30 | SJS | $800K | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13:47 | 0:02 | 0:54 |
| Petrovic, Alexander | RD | 33 | DAL | $775K | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14:06 | 0:02 | 0:05 |
| Megna, Jaycob | LD | 32 | FLA | $775K | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16:06 | 0:00 | 1:24 |
| Hagg, Robert | LD | 30 | VGK | $775K | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11:09 | 0:00 | 0:00 |
| Santini, Steven | RD | 30 | TBL | $775K | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11:37 | 0:00 | 0:00 |
| Friedman, Mark | LD/RD | 29 | NSH | $775K | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14:04 | 0:00 | 0:21 |
| Dermott, Travis | LD/RD | 28 | EDM | $775K | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12:16 | 0:04 | 0:22 |
| Jones, Caleb | LD/RD | 28 | LAK | $775K | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12:34 | 0:22 | 0:21 |
| Juulsen, Noah | RD | 28 | VAN | $775K | 35 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16:17 | 0:01 | 2:18 |
| Brisebois, Guillaume | LD | 27 | VAN | $775K | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15:48 | 0:00 | 0:09 |
| Stillman, Riley | LD | 27 | CAR | $775K | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7:11 | 0:00 | 0:11 |
| Clurman, Nathan | RD | 27 | PIT | $775K | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11:05 | 0:00 | 0:00 |
| Coghlan, Dylan | RD | 27 | WPG | $775K | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15:21 | 0:09 | 0:33 |
| Ahcan, Jack | LD | 28 | COL | $775K | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15:48 | 0:36 | 0:31 |
List of player contracts signed to date
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