Category: Tampa Bay Lightning

NHL Free Agency 2021: Every signing by all 32 teams

July 31, 2021

It’s time for NHL Free Agency! The offseason is under way and with the market opening July 28 there will be plenty of action this summer. Some teams have already been busy getting their 2021-22 rosters in order. Check back here for all of the signings that teams will be making in hopes of improving their chances at winning the 2022 Stanley Cup.

NHL Free Agency Signings

July 30

• Avalanche signs Tyson Jost to a two-year, $4 million deal.
• Blues sign Calle Rosen to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Blues sign Tommy Cross to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Blues sign Ivan Barbashev to a two-year, $4.5 million deal.
• Blue Jackets sign Mikko Lehtonen to a one-year, $900,000 deal.
• Flames sign Colton Poolman to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Hurricanes sign Maxim Letunov to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Hurricanes sign Alex Lyon to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Hurricanes sign Sam Miletic to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Kings sign Lias Andersson to a one-year, $874,125 deal
• Lightning signs Alex Barré-Boulet to a three-year, $2.275 million deal.
• Lightning signs Taylor Raddysh to a three-year, $2.275 million deal.
• Maple Leafs sign Ondrej Kase to a one-year, $1.25 million deal.
• Panthers sign Zac Dalpe to a two-year, $1.5 million deal.
• Predators sign Tanner Jeannot to a two-year, $1.6 million deal.
• Red Wings sign Brian Lashoff to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Sabres sign Rasmus Asplund to a two-year, $1.65 million deal.
• Sabres sign Ryan MacInnis to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Stars sign Nicholas Caamano to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Stars sign Colton Point to a one-year, $750,000 deal.

More NHL news

NHL Free Agency Offer Sheet Compensation Scale

July 29

• Blues sign Brandon Saad to a five-year, $22.5 million deal. (Link)
• Blue Jackets sign Zach Werenski to a six-year, $57.5 million deal. (Link)
• Lightning signs Corey Perry to a two-year, $1 million deal. (Link)
• Avalanche signs Darren Helm to a one-year, $1 million deal.
• Avalanche signs Dylan Sikura to a one-year, $800,000 deal.
• Avalanche signs Stefan Matteau to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Blues sign Matthew Peca to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Blues sign Charlie Lindgren to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Blues sign Nathan Todd to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Blue Jackets sign Jake Bean to a three-year, $7 million deal.
• Canadiens sign Mathieu Perreault to a one-year, $950,000 deal.
• Coyotes sign Hudson Fasching to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Coyotes sign Michael Carcone to a two-year, $1.5 million deal.
• Devils sign Robbie Russo to a two-year, $1.5 million deal.
• Devils sign Joseph Gambardella to a two-year, $1.5 million deal.
• Ducks sign Danny O’Regan to a two-year, $1.5 million deal.
• Ducks sign Buddy Robinson to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Ducks sign Greg Pateryn to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Flames sign Andy Welinski to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Hurricanes sign Brendan Smith to a one-year, $800,000 deal.
• Hurricanes sign Jalen Chatfield to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Lightning signs Cal Foote to a two-year, $1.7 million deal.
• Maple Leafs sign Brett Seney to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Maple Leafs sign Pavel Gogolev to a three-year, $2.775 million deal.
• Penguins sign Michael Chaput to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Penguins sign Danton Heinen to a one-year, $1.1 million deal.
• Predators sign Mathieu Oliver to a two-year, $1.5 million deal.
• Rangers sign Filip Chytil to a two-year, $4.6 million deal.
• Red Wings sign Daniel Renouf to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Red Wings sign Ryan Murphy to a one-year, $800,000 deal.
• Red Wings sign Luke Witkowski to a two-year, $1.5 million deal.
• Sabres sign Ethan Prow to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Sabres sign John Hayden to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Senators sign Pontus Aberg to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Senators sign Dillon Heatherington to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Senators sign Kole Sherwood to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Stars sign Michael Raffl to a one-year, $1.1 million deal.
• Stars sign Jani Hakanpää to a three-year, $4.5 million deal.
• Wild signs Kevin Czuczman to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Wild signs Jon Merrill to a one-year, $850,000 deal.
• Wild signs Brandon Duhaime to a two-year, $1.5 million deal.

July 28

• Bruins sign Linus Ullmark to a four-year, $20 million deal. (Link)
• Canucks sign Jaroslav Halak to a one-year, $1.5 million deal. (Link)
• Devils sign Dougie Hamilton to a seven-year, $63 million deal. (Link)
• Golden Knights sign Alec Martinez to three-year, $15.74 million deal. (Link)
• Hurricanes sign Frederik Andersen to a two-year, $9 million deal. (Link)
• Hurricanes sign Tony DeAngelo to a one-year, $1 million deal.(Link)
• Kings sign Phillip Danault to a six-year, $33.5 million deal. (Link)
• Kings sign Alex Edler to a one-year, $3.5 million deal. (Link)
• Kraken signs Alexander Wennberg to a three-year, $13.5 million deal. (Link)
• Kraken signs Philipp Grubauer to a six-year, $35.4 million deal. (Link)
• Kraken signs Jaden Schwartz to a five-year, $27.5 million deal. (Link)
• Lightning signs Brayden Point to an eight-year, $76 million deal. (Link)
• Maple Leafs sign Petr Mrazek to a three-year, $11.4 million deal. (Link)
• Oilers sign Zach Hyman to a seven-year, $38.5 million deal. (Link)
• Oilers sign Tyson Barrie to a three-year, $13.5 million deal. (Link)
• Oilers sign Cody Ceci to a four-year, $13 million deal. (Link)
• Stars sign Ryan Suter to a four-year, $14.6 million deal. (Link)
• Wild signs Alex Goligoski to a one-year, $5 million deal. (Link)
• Avalanche signs Roland McKeown to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Blackhawks sign Jujhar Khaira to a two-year, $1.95 million deal.
• Blackhawks sign Jake McCabe to a four-year, $16 million deal.
• Blue Jackets sign Eric Robinson to a two-year, $3.2 million deal.
• Blue Jackets sign Boone Jenner to a four-year, $15 million deal.
• Blue Jackets sign Sean Kuraly to a four-year, $10 million deal.
• Blue Jackets sign Alexandre Texier to a two-year, $3.05 million deal.
• Blue Jackets sign Tyler Sikura to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Blue Jackets sign Gavin Bayreuther to a two-year, $1.5 million deal.
• Bruins sign Nick Foligno to a two-year, $3.8 million deal.
• Bruins sign Derek Forbort to a three-year, $9 million deal.
• Bruins sign Erik Haula to a two-year, $4.75 million deal.
• Bruins sign Tomas Nosek to a two-year, $3.5 million deal.
• Bruins sign Troy Grosenick to a one year, $750,000 deal.
• Bruins sign Samuel Asselin to a two-year, $1.5 million deal.
• Bruins sign Steven Fogarty to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Bruins sign Tyler Lewington to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Canadiens sign David Savard to a four-year, $14 million deal.
• Canadiens sign Mike Hoffman to three-year, $13.5 million deal.
• Canadiens sign Louie Belpedio to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Canadiens sign Chris Wideman to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Canadiens sign Cedric Paquette to a one-year, $950,000 deal.
• Canadiens sign Jean-Sébastien Dea to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Canucks sign Brandon Sutter to a one-year, $1.125 million deal.
• Canucks sign Luke Schenn to a two-year, $1.7 million deal.
• Canucks sign Kyle Burroughs to a two-year, $1.5 million deal.
• Canucks sign Nic Petan to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Canucks sign Brad Hunt to a one-year, $800,000 deal.
• Canucks sign Devante Stephens to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Canucks sign Sheldon Dries to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Canucks sign John Stevens to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Canucks sign Sheldon Rempal to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Canucks sign Justin Bailey to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Canucks sign Justin Dowling to a two-year, $1.5 million deal.
• Canucks sign Travis Hamonic to a two-year, $6 million deal.
• Canucks sign Phil Di Giuseppe to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Canucks sign Tucker Poolman to a four-year, $10 million deal.
• Canucks sign Danila Klimovich to a three-year, $2.775 million deal.
• Canucks sign Brady Keeper to a two-year, $1.525 million deal.
• Capitals sign Hunter Shepard to a two-year, $1.5 million deal.
• Capitals sign Dylan McIlrath to a two-year, $1.5 million deal.
• Capitals sign Lucas Johansen to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Capitals sign Matt Irwin to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Coyotes sign Liam O’Brien to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Coyotes sign Ryan Dzingel to a one-year, $1.1 million deal.
• Coyotes sign Carter Hutton to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Coyotes sign Dmitrij Jaškin to a one-year, $3.2 million deal.
• Ducks sign Ryan Getzlaf to a one-year, $4.5 million deal.
• Ducks sign Brogan Rafferty to a one-year, $750K deal.
• Devils sign Jonathan Bernier to a two-year, $8.25 million deal.
• Devils sign Chase DeLeo to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Devils sign Brian Flynn to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Flames sign Blake Coleman to a six-year, $29.4 million deal.
• Flames sign Trevor Lewis to a one-year, $800,000 deal.
• Flames sign Kevin Gravel to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Flames sign Nick DeSimone to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Flames sign Adam Werner to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Flyers sign Nate Thompson to a one-year, $800,000 deal.
• Flyers sign Adam Clendening to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Flyers sign Nick Seeler to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Flyers sign Cooper Zech to a two-year, $1.75 million deal.
• Flyers sign Ryan Fitzgerald to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Flyers sign Gerald Mayhew to a one-year, $800,000 deal.
• Golden Knights sign Laurent Brossoit to a two-year, $4.65 million deal.
• Golden Knights sign Mattias Janmark to a one-year, $2 million deal.
• Golden Knights sign Sven Baertschi to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Golden Knights sign Patrick Brown to a two-year, $1.5 million deal.
• Golden Knights sign Gage Quinney to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Hurricanes sign Antti Raanta to a two-year, $4 million deal.
• Hurricanes sign Josh Leivo to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Hurricanes sign C.J. Smith to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Hurricanes sign Ian Cole to a one-year, $2.9 million deal.
• Hurricanes sign Jordan Martinook to a three-year, $5.4 million deal.
• Jets sign Luke Johnson to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Jets sign Michael Eyssimont to a two-year, $1.5 million deal.
• Kings sign Andreas Athanasiou to a one-year, $2.7 million deal.
• Kings sign T.J. Tynan to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Kings sign Alex Edler to a one-year, $3.5 million deal.
• Kings sign Garret Sparks to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Lightning signs Remi Elie to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Lightning signs Charles Hudon to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Lightning signs Brian Elliott to a one-year, $900,000 deal.
• Lightning signs Zach Bogosian to a three-year, $2.55 deal.
• Lightning signs Pierre-Edouard Bellemare to a two-year, $2 million deal.
• Lightning signs Andrej Sustr to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Lightning signs Darren Raddysh to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Lightning signs Maxim Legace to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Maple Leafs sign Michael Bunting to a two-year, $1.9 million deal.
• Maple Leafs sign David Kampf to a two-year, $3 million deal.
• Maple Leafs sign Michael Amadio to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Maple Leafs sign Carl Dahlstrom to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Maple Leafs sign Alex Biega to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Maple Leafs sign Kurtis Gabriel to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Oilers sign Derek Ryan to a two-year, $2.5 million deal.
• Panthers sign Maxim Mamim to a one-year, $975,000 deal.
• Panthers sign Juho Lammikko to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Panthers sign Carter Verhaeghe to a three-year, $12.5 million deal.
• Panthers sign Christopher Gibson to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Penguins sign Evan Rodrigues to a one-year, $1 million deal.
• Penguins sign Brock McGinn to a four-year, $11 million deal.
• Penguins sign Dominik Simon to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Penguins sign Taylor Fedun to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Penguins sign Filip Lindberg to a two-year, $1.85 deal.
• Predators sign Mikael Granlund to a four-year, $20 million deal.
• Predators sign David Rittich to a one-year, $1.25 million deal.
• Predators sign Anthony Richard to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Predators sign Matt Luff to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Predators sign Zachary L’Heureux to a three-year, $2.775 million deal.
• Predators sign Michael McCarron to a two-year, $1.5 million deal.
• Predators sign Matt Tennyson to a two-year, $1.5 million deal.
• Rangers sign Patrik Nemeth to a three-year, $7.5 million deal.
• Rangers sign Jarred Tinordi to a two-year, $1.8 million deal.
• Rangers sign Greg McKegg to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Rangers sign Dryden Hunt to a two-year, $1.525 million deal.
• Red Wings sign Sam Gagner to a one-year, $850,000 deal.
• Red Wings sign Calvin Rickard to a one-year, $800,000 deal.
• Red Wings sign Jordan Oesterle to a two-year, $2.7 million deal.
• Red Wings sign Pius Suter to a two-year, $6.25 million deal.
• Sabres sign Vinnie Hinostroza to a one-year, $1.05 million deal.
• Sabres sign Aaron Dell to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Sabres sign Brandon Davidson to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Sabres sign Sean Malone to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Sabres sign Craig Anderson to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Sabres sign Mark Pysyk to a one-year, $900,000 deal.
• Sabres sign Jimmy Schuldt to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Senators sign Michael Del Zotto to a two-year, $4 million deal.
• Senators sign Andrew Agozzino to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Sharks sign Andrew Cogliano to a one-year, $1 million deal.
• Sharks sign James Reimer to a two-year, $4.5 million deal.
• Sharks sign Lane Pederson to a two-year, $1.5 million deal.
• Sharks sign Nick Bonino to a two-year, $4.1 million deal.
• Sharks sign Nick Merkley to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Sharks sign Jaycob Megna to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Stars sign Braden Holtby to a one-year, $2 million deal.
• Stars sign Luke Glendening to a two-year, $3 million deal.
• Stars sign Alex Petrovic to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Stars sign Andreas Borgman to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Wild signs Frederick Gaudreau to a two-year, $2.4 million deal.
• Wild signs Dmitry Kulikov to a two-year, $4.5 million deal.
• Wild signs Joe Hicketts to a two-year, $1.5 million deal.
• Wild signs Jon Lizotte  to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Wild signs Dominic Turgeon to a one-year, $750,000 deal.

July 27

• Avalanche signs Gabriel Landeskog to eight-year, $56 million deal. (Link)
• Blues sign Pavel Buchnevich to four-year, $23.2 million deal. (Link)
• Blue Jackets sign Patrik Laine to one-year, $7.5 million deal. (Link)
• Bruins sign Mike Reilly to three-year, $9M deal. (Link)
• Canadiens sign Joel Armia to a four-year, $13.6 million deal. (Link)
• Canucks sign Conor Garland to five-year, $24.75 million deal. (Link)
• Capitals sign Alex Ovechkin to five-year, $47.5 million deal. (Link)
• Flyers sign Keith Yandle to one-year, $900,000 deal.
• Jets sign Eric Comrie to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Lightning signs Otto Somppi to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Panthers sign Brandon Montour to three-year, $10.5 million deal.
• Red Wings sign Taro Hirose to one-year, $850,000 deal.
• Red Wings sign Kyle Criscuolo to two-year, $1.5 million deal.
• Sabres sign Drake Caggiula to one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Wild signs Kyle Rau to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Wild signs Dakota Mermis to a two-year, $1.5 million deal.

July 26

• Panthers sign Sam Bennett to a four-year, $17.6 million deal. (Link)
• Blackhawks sign Adam Gaudette to a one-year, $997,500 deal.
• Bruins sign Nick Wolff to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Devils sign Christian Jaros to a one-year $800,000 deal.
• Flyers sign Samuel Morin to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Jets sign Paul Stastny to a one-year, $3.75 million deal.
• Panthers sign Lucas Carlsson to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Panthers sign Noah Juulsen to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Predators sign Frédéric Allard to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Predators sign Ben Harpur to a one-year $800,000 deal.
• Predators sign Jeremy Davies to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Red Wings sign Gustav Lindström to a two-year, $1.7 million deal.
• Wild signs Andrew Hammond to a one-year, $750,000 deal.

July 25

• Red Wings sign Marc Staal to a one-year, $2 million deal.

July 24

• Avalanche signs Cale Makar to a six-year, $54 million deal. (Link)
• Blues sign Nathan Walker to a two-year, $1.5 million deal.
• Kings sign Trevor Moore to a two-year, $3.75 million deal.
• Penguins sign Kasper Björkqvist to a one-year, $750,000 deal.

July 23

• Blackhawks sign Seth Jones to an eight-year, $76 million deal. (Link)
• Bruins sign Taylor Hall to a four-year, $24 million deal. (Link)
• Hurricanes sign Spencer Smallman to a one-year, $750,000 deal.

2021-22 NHL offseason trade tracker

July 31, 2021

The offseason has arrived and there are plenty of NHL trades that will go down before the 2021-22 season. Check back here for all of the trades that teams will be making in hopes of improving their chances at winning the 2022 Stanley Cup.

2021 NHL offseason trades

July 30

Tampa Bay Lightning: 2022 sixth-round pick
Detroit Red Wings: Mitchell Stephens

July 29 (Link)

New York Rangers: Ryan Reaves
Vegas Golden Knights: 2022 third-round pick

July 28 (Link)

Arizona Coyotes: Conor Timmins, 2022 first-round pick, 2024 conditional third-round pick (ARZ gets 2024 third-round pick if COL wins 2022 Cup and Kuemper plays in 50% of playoff games)
Colorado Avalanche: Darcy Kuemper

July 28 

Washington Capitals: Vitek Vanecek
Seattle Kraken: 2023 second-round pick

July 28 

Calgary Flames: Daniel Vladar
Boston Bruins: 2022 third-round pick

July 28 

Buffalo Sabres: Will Butcher, 2022 fifth-round pick
New Jersey Devils: Future considerations

July 28 

San Jose Sharks: Lane Pederson
Arizona Coyotes: 2024 fourth-round pick

July 28 

Ottawa Senators: Nick Holden, 2022 third-round pick
Vegas Golden Knights: Evgenii Dadonov

July 28 

Minnesota Wild: Conditional 2022 seventh-round pick (Wild get pick if Menell plays 30 games for TOR in 2021-22)
Toronto Maple Leafs: Brennan Menell

July 28 

Edmonton Oilers: Warren Foegele
Carolina Hurricanes: Ethan Bear

July 28 

Chicago Blackhawks: 2022 third-round pick
Calgary Flames: Nikita Zadorov

July 27 (Link)

Chicago Blackhawks: Tyler Johnson, 2023 second-round pick
Tampa Bay Lightning: Brent Seabrook

July 27 (Link)

Winnipeg Jets: Nate Schmidt
Vancouver Canucks: 2022 second-round pick

July 27

Colorado Avalanche: Kurtis MacDermid
Seattle Kraken: 2023 fourth-round pick

July 27 (Link)

Vegas Golden Knights: Mikael Hakkarainen
Chicago Blackhawks: Marc-Andre Fleury

July 26

Washington Capitals: 2022 second-round pick, 2023 second-round pick
Winnipeg Jets: Brenden Dillon

July 26

Florida Panthers: 2023 seventh-round pick.
Arizona Coyotes: Anton Stralman, Vladislav Kolyachonok, 2024 second-round pick

July 26

Boston Bruins: James Greenway
Toronto Maple Leafs: Future considerations

July 26

New Jersey Devils: Christian Jaros
San Jose Sharks: Nick Merkley

July 24 (Link)

Buffalo Sabres: Devon Levi, 2022 conditional first-round pick (If the pick is in the top 10, the pick will be exchanged with FLA’s 2023 first-round pick)
Florida Panthers: Sam Reinhart

July 24 (Link)

Philadelphia Flyers: Cam Atkinson
Columbus Blue Jackets: Jakub Voracek

July 24

Arizona Coyotes: Bokondji Imama, Cole Hults
Los Angeles Kings: Brayden Burke, Tyler Steenbergen

July 23

Carolina Hurricanes: 2021 second-round pick
Columbus Blue Jackets: Jake Bean

July 23 (Link)

Chicago Blackhawks: Seth Jones, 2021 first-round pick, 2022 sixth-round pick
Columbus Blue Jackets: Adam Boqvist, 2021 first-round pick, 2021 second-round pick, 2022 conditional first-round pick (If CHI wins one of the the 2022 draft lotteries, the pick becomes their 2023 first-round pick)

July 23 (Link)

Arizona Coyotes: Antoine Roussel, Jay Beagle, Loui Eriksson, 2021 first-round pick, 2022 second-round pick, 2023 seventh-round pick
Vancouver Canucks: Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Conor Garland (signing rights)

July 23 (Link)

St. Louis Blues: Pavel Buchnevich
New York Rangers: 2022 second-round pick

July 23 (Link)

Philadelphia Flyers: Rasmus Ristolainen
Buffalo Sabres: Robert Hagg, 2021 first-round pick, 2023 second-round pick

2021 NHL offseason trades

July 22

Calgary Flames: Tyler Pitlick
Seattle Kraken: 2022 fourth-round pick

July 22 (Link)

Detroit Red Wings: Alex Nedeljkovic
Carolina Hurricanes: Jonathan Bernier (signing rights), 2021 third-round pick

July 22 (Link)

Philadelphia Flyers: Future considerations
Arizona Coyotes: Shayne Gostisbehere, 2022 second-round pick, 2022 seventh-round pick

More NHL news

Next NHL defensemen in line for huge free-agent contracts

July 30, 2021

After the most frenzied part of 2021 NHL Free Agency, there are plenty of takeaways. One of them: so much for that flat salary cap slowing down NHL spending, huh? But, to get more specific, there’s another thought: it’s a great time to be an NHL defenseman.

That goes for mid-grade and depth defensemen, who’ve signed one eye-popping free-agent contract after another.

Most crucially, though, we’ve seen a staggering array of free-agent mega-deals for prominent defensemen. Your mileage will vary based on which defensemen have a prayer of making those contracts worthwhile. But there’s no denying that NHL defensemen, their agents, and accountants got a lot, lot richer lately.

Let’s review some of the biggest recent free-agent contracts for NHL defensemen

Think of some of the NHL free-agent contracts (either for UFAs, or extensions on previous deals) that demanded people to reach deep into the reserves of shocked emojis:

  • We all felt so young-and-innocent when the Stars signed Miro Heiskanen (eight years, $8.45 million cap hit). When the Stars signed that Heiskanen deal on July 17, it seemed steep — even considering the hype he’s generated. Now it looks downright responsible.
  • Things really started to ramp up around Seth Jones. After paying a pretty penny to trade for Jones, the Blackhawks opted to give Jones an eight-year extension with a whopping $9.5M cap hit. That’s before Jones played a single shift for Chicago. If the troubling underlying numbers Jones put up are not an accident, well … too bad. The deal’s already in place.
  • Soon after, the Avalanche swooped in and signed Cale Makar to a contract that’s both big and easy to justify. The supremely talented (and beyond-his-22-years) defenseman signed for six years at a $9M clip. While that price follows a pattern, Makar breaks some of the other trends by being undeniably worth it. In fact, it was almost a trope to see “[Less of a sure thing] is making more than Cale Makar!”
  • Late-ish on the first day of 2021 NHL Free Agency, the Devils landed the big fish in Dougie Hamilton: seven years, $9M AAV. While Jones is the “Hockey Men” choice despite bad underlying stats, Hamilton’s the opposite. His work is off-the-charts, but old-school types tend to sour on Hamilton for a variety of reasons. It’s a big chunk of change, whether it looks smart, foolish, or somewhere in the middle.
  • Finally — for now — the Blue Jackets shocked the hockey world by signing Zachary Werenski to a six-year contract with a mammoth $9.583M million cap hit.

In the span of a couple weeks, the ranks of the hyper-rich NHL defensemen swelled like Werenski’s wallet.

So, to paraphrase poet Bill Goldberg, “Who’s next?”

Between the rest of this offseason, all the way through 2022 NHL Free Agency, we could see more big free-agent contracts for NHL defensemen. Let’s see who’s in line for new deals.

First, we’ll begin with players who don’t have contracts for the 2021-22 season. Then, we’ll move onto defensemen entering contract years, who can sign an extension. (Will it be for Werenski money, though?)

Dahlin, Hughes, could be up for big free-agent contracts, RFAs or not

Quinn Hughes

During this key offseason, Canucks GM Jim Benning faced a difficult balancing act. His goal was to make the Canucks better, while also opening up room to sign star RFAs Quinn Hughes and Elias Pettersson.

From a making the Canucks better standpoint, it’s been a mixed bag. (Signing Travis Hamonic for nearly $6 million over two years? That’s certainly a choice.)

As far as signing Hughes and Pettersson goes? Also kind of a mixed bag.

Cap Friendly estimates the Canucks’ cap space at about $14.06 million. That’s without signing Pettersson and Hughes, and Jason Dickinson also sticks out as an RFA.

Evolving Hockey’s wonderful contract projection tool estimates the most likely Quinn Hughes contract at six years with a $7.017M. But could Werenski and other extensions raise the bar for Hughes? By certain metrics, Werenski is a more well-rounded player:

Which other NHL defensemen could sign massive free-agent contracts? Hughes Werenski ev comp
via Evolving Hockey

But, as we’ve seen from the Blackhawks defiantly paying Jones before he played a single shift in their uniform, all that really matters is what one team will pay for a player. Both Werenski and Hughes have parallels in the broadest senses: offensively adept, mixed feelings about their defense, young and left-handed. Naturally, it’s not a one-to-one comparison (Hughes is younger; the Blue Jackets were desperate not to lose another big name). Yet, it’s still interesting to wonder if Werenski and other big-money contracts might push Hughes’ asking price above that $7M-ish estimate.

(Shorter, “bridge” deals prompted lower guesses.)

Again, Hughes’ situation is made more complicated by Pettersson being in a similar boat. For what it’s worth, Evolving Hockey leans toward a “bridge” deal for Pettersson, specifically, at about $5M.

If those predictions are correct, then the Canucks could probably make this work.

In a smarter, bolder, more aggressive NHL, someone might swoop in with an offer sheet to make things more uncomfortable. Luckily for the Canucks, Hughes is not eligible for an offer sheet (but Pettersson is).

Rasmus Dahlin

On one hand, hockey analysis — including in NHL front offices — has become a lot more sophisticated.

That said, some of the surprising contracts remind us that reputation and narratives matter a lot. When people decide Seth Jones is a $9.5M defenseman, they’ll ignore any number of charts and footage of mildly troubling tendencies.

Generally, teams still get lured in by big point totals, too. Even if those points sometimes feel like empty calories (sorry, Tyson Barrie and Mike Hoffman).

All of these factors make it difficult to tell what’s going to happen between Rasmus Dahlin and the Buffalo Sabres.

On one hand, Dahlin’s produced some decent counting stats. He generated 44 points as a rookie in 2018-19, and 40 points in 59 games in 2019-20. Last season wasn’t as pretty, as Dahlin produced 23 points in 56 games.

As far as his overall work, though? It’s been a little disappointing — at least for a defenseman who’s been as hyped as any top blueline prospect in recent memory.

Does some of that come down to the Sabres? I’d argue yes. His usage has been a bit erratic, and the team didn’t always play to his strengths.

Still, it’s difficult to shake the impression that expectations are much, much lower for Dahlin. He’s definitely struggled defensively at times.

Evolving Hockey’s contract projection tool forecasts a six-year deal between Dahlin and the Sabres, at about $6M. Would a “prove it” deal be likely? How much are the rebuilding Sabres willing to commit? It could be an interesting situation all-around.

Adam Pelech, plus a few other free-agent NHL defensemen of note

Last offseason, the Islanders struggled with their cap crunch. That pain shined brightest when they had to trade Devon Toews in what ended up being a steal for the Avalanche.

This season, they’re far better positioned to deal with the challenge of signing a defenseman who’s better than most people likely realize.

At 26, Adam Pelech is on the older end of this group of RFA defensemen. He also lacks the flash of Hughes’ and Dahlin’s scoring numbers. Yet, the combination of Pelech and Ryan Pulock quietly gave the Islanders one of the best defensive pairings in the NHL.

If the Islanders manage to land Pelech in the projected four-year, $4.324M cap hit range, it would be a steal. We’ll see if a rabid NHL free-agent market moves the goalposts at all.

Some other noteworthy NHL defensemen in need of new contracts as RFAs:

NHL defensemen entering contract years, who could sign extensions

Naturally, there are a lot of NHL defensemen entering contract years, who could sign extensions. That net could get really wide, then, if we mention a veteran like Mark Giordano.

To keep it simple, let’s consider potential big raises for younger defensemen most likely to sign Werenski/Jones-type extensions.

Adam Fox

Imagine Adam Fox, 23-year-old reigning Norris Trophy winner, watching the big-money deals fly in.

You’ve got to think he could ask for something comparable to what Norris runner-up Cale Makar received, right? Maybe a bit more? Earlier rumors indicated that Fox might want to wait, rather than sign a contract extension. Would an offer be too much to resist if it was in the Makar range? Could he somehow drive his value even higher by playing out the 2022-23 season?

(Good thing he has that Harvard brain to figure this out.)

The Rangers need to be careful here. Like Fox, Kaapo Kakko approaches a contract year. Meanwhile, Alexis Lafreniere has two years left on his ELC. Mika Zibanejad‘s bargain $5.35 AAV runs out after next season. The core of this team could get expensive, quickly, and Fox might be the most expensive piece of them all (outside of Artemi Panarin … we think?).

Charlie McAvoy

Slowly, but surely, people are catching on to just how great Charlie McAvoy is. With that in mind, the Bruins might want to bite the bullet and sign the 23-year-old to a contract extension now. If not, it wouldn’t be outrageous to imagine McAvoy having a Norris Trophy on his resume. (Or at least a bullet point about being a finalist.)

Granted, injuries have been an issue at times. Also, with defense being his biggest calling card, he might not have the same selling ability as some of the higher-scoring, more porous comparison points.

Peruse the Bruins ‘roster, and marvel at how often they’ve convinced their best players to accept less than market value. That happened back with Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand. They got a steal with David Pastrnak, and Taylor Hall‘s a pleasant surprise. If the Bruins don’t pay much more than McAvoy’s current $4.9M cap hit on his next deal, then they might be magicians, or wizards. Super powers may be involved.

Pending UFAs who may be in line for extensions and/or big raises

  • Maybe the Islanders should just sign Pulock and Pelech now? While Pelech needs a new deal as an RFA, Pulock enters 2022-23 as a pending UFA. Might be wise to lock them up before people truly catch on to their own-zone dominance.
  • Will the Flyers echo the Blackhawks extending Jones by locking down Ristolainen prior to his contract expiring? They haven’t yet. If they do before learning how Ristolainen fits, there will be plenty of criticisms.
  • Morgan Rielly‘s great offensively, but suspect defensively. That’s the sort of summary you hear about a defenseman who signs a perilous contract. Will that happen with Rielly? What’s his future with the Maple Leafs?
  • Could Darnell Nurse be another quality defenseman whose next contract looks scary?

High risk, mystery rewards

When it comes to big NHL free-agent contracts (and extensions), you don’t always get what you “pay for.”

Just about anyone cringes at Erik Karlsson‘s contract. People should cringe basically just as much at the Drew Doughty deal. Even one people haven’t soured on could quickly turn that way — does it really behoove the troubled Predators to pay Roman Josi $9M per year?

Despite many red flags, and adjacent albatrosses like the Oliver Ekman-Larsson contract, teams clearly believe that risky free-agent contracts are simply unavoidable for NHL defensemen.

Simply put, they’re betting that they’re right. Considering some of the names in this post, that casino will be buzzing with activity during the next year or so.

(Hey, at least it’s not your money, right?)

Top Posts at PHT

 —

James O’Brien is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @cyclelikesedins.

Lightning signs Corey Perry to 2-year contract

July 29, 2021

If you cannot beat them. Join them.

That seems to be the approach for veteran forward Corey Perry who signed a two-year contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday. The contract will pay him $1 million per season.

Perry spent the past two seasons in Dallas and Montreal, reaching the Stanley Cup Final each season only to be on the losing end each time to the Lightning.

Now he has an opportunity to help the Lightning in their quest for a three-peat.

[Related: Every free agent signing by all 32 NHL teams]

His regular season numbers and role have clearly taken a hit the past three years with Anaheim, Dallas, and Montreal, scoring at a 12-goal pace per 82 games, but he has proven to be a very valuable addition come playoff time for the Stars and Canadiens. He had nine goals and 12 assists in 49 regular season games for the Canadiens before adding four goals and six assists in the Canadiens’ 22 playoff games.

The Lightning have lost a lot of depth this offseason with Tyler Johnson (salary dump trade to Chicago), Yanni Gourde (Seattle expansion draft), Barclay Goodrow (traded free agent rights to New York Rangers), and Blake Coleman (free agency to Calgary Flames) all leaving the roster. They have now added Perry and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare in the early part of the offseason.

More NHL News

—

NHL Free Agency 2021: Every signing by all 32 teams

July 29, 2021

It’s time for NHL Free Agency! The offseason is under way and with the market opening July 28 there will be plenty of action this summer. Some teams have already been busy getting their 2021-22 rosters in order. Check back here for all of the signings that teams will be making in hopes of improving their chances at winning the 2022 Stanley Cup.

NHL Free Agency Signings

July 29

• Blues sign Matthew Peca to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Blues sign Brandon Saad to a five-year, $22.5 million deal.
• Penguins sign Michael Chaput to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Lightning signs Corey Perry to a two-year, $1 million deal.
• Sabres sign Ethan Prow to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Sabres sign John Hayden to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Stars sign Michael Raffl to a one-year, $1.1 million deal.
• Stars sign Jani Hakanpaa to a three-year, $4.5 million deal.

July 28

• Bruins sign Linus Ullmark to a four-year, $20 million deal. (Link)
• Canucks sign Jaroslav Halak to a one-year, $1.5 million deal. (Link)
• Devils sign Dougie Hamilton to a seven-year, $63 million deal. (Link)
• Golden Knights sign Alec Martinez to three-year, $15.74 million deal. (Link)
• Hurricanes sign Frederik Andersen to a two-year, $9 million deal. (Link)
• Hurricanes sign Tony DeAngelo to a one-year, $1 million deal.(Link)
• Kings sign Phillip Danault to a six-year, $33.5 million deal. (Link)
• Kings sign Alex Edler to a one-year, $3.5 million deal. (Link)
• Kraken signs Alexander Wennberg to a three-year, $13.5 million deal. (Link)
• Kraken signs Philipp Grubauer to a six-year, $35.4 million deal. (Link)
• Kraken signs Jaden Schwartz to a five-year, $27.5 million deal. (Link)
• Lightning signs Brayden Point to an eight-year, $76 million deal. (Link)
• Maple Leafs sign Petr Mrazek to a three-year, $11.4 million deal. (Link)
• Oilers sign Zach Hyman to a seven-year, $38.5 million deal. (Link)
• Oilers sign Tyson Barrie to a three-year, $13.5 million deal. (Link)
• Oilers sign Cody Ceci to a four-year, $13 million deal. (Link)
• Stars sign Ryan Suter to a four-year, $14.6 million deal. (Link)
• Wild signs Alex Goligoski to a one-year, $5 million deal. (Link)
• Avalanche signs Roland McKeown to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Blackhawks sign Jujhar Khaira to a two-year, $1.95 million deal.
• Blackhawks sign Jake McCabe to a four-year, $16 million deal.
• Blue Jackets sign Eric Robinson to a two-year, $3.2 million deal.
• Blue Jackets sign Boone Jenner to a four-year, $15 million deal.
• Blue Jackets sign Sean Kuraly to a four-year, $10 million deal.
• Blue Jackets sign Alexandre Texier to a two-year, $3.05 million deal.
• Blue Jackets sign Tyler Sikura to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Blue Jackets sign Gavin Bayreuther to a two-year, $1.5 million deal.
• Bruins sign Nick Foligno to a two-year, $3.8 million deal.
• Bruins sign Derek Forbort to a three-year, $9 million deal.
• Bruins sign Erik Haula to a two-year, $4.75 million deal.
• Bruins sign Tomas Nosek to a two-year, $3.5 million deal.
• Bruins sign Troy Grosenick to a one year, $750,000 deal.
• Bruins sign Samuel Asselin to a two-year, $1.5 million deal.
• Bruins sign Steven Fogarty to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Bruins sign Tyler Lewington to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Canadiens sign David Savard to a four-year, $14 million deal.
• Canadiens sign Mike Hoffman to three-year, $13.5 million deal.
• Canadiens sign Louie Belpedio to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Canadiens sign Chris Wideman to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Canadiens sign Cedric Paquette to a one-year, $950,000 deal.
• Canadiens sign Jean-Sébastien Dea to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Canucks sign Brandon Sutter to a one-year, $1.125 million deal.
• Canucks sign Luke Schenn to a two-year, $1.7 million deal.
• Canucks sign Kyle Burroughs to a two-year, $1.5 million deal.
• Canucks sign Nic Petan to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Canucks sign Brad Hunt to a one-year, $800,000 deal.
• Canucks sign Devante Stephens to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Canucks sign Sheldon Dries to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Canucks sign John Stevens to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Canucks sign Sheldon Rempal to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Canucks sign Justin Bailey to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Canucks sign Justin Dowling to a two-year, $1.5 million deal.
• Canucks sign Travis Hamonic to a two-year, $6 million deal.
• Canucks sign Phil Di Giuseppe to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Canucks sign Tucker Poolman to a four-year, $10 million deal.
• Canucks sign Danila Klimovich to a three-year, $2.775 million deal.
• Canucks sign Brady Keeper to a two-year, $1.525 million deal.
• Capitals sign Hunter Shepard to a two-year, $1.5 million deal.
• Capitals sign Dylan McIlrath to a two-year, $1.5 million deal.
• Capitals sign Lucas Johansen to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Capitals sign Matt Irwin to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Coyotes sign Liam O’Brien to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Coyotes sign Ryan Dzingel to a one-year, $1.1 million deal.
• Coyotes sign Carter Hutton to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Coyotes sign Dmitrij Jaškin to a one-year, $3.2 million deal.
• Ducks sign Ryan Getzlaf to a one-year, $4.5 million deal.
• Ducks sign Brogan Rafferty to a one-year, $750K deal.
• Devils sign Jonathan Bernier to a two-year, $8.25 million deal.
• Devils sign Chase DeLeo to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Devils sign Brian Flynn to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Flames sign Blake Coleman to a six-year, $29.4 million deal.
• Flames sign Trevor Lewis to a one-year, $800,000 deal.
• Flames sign Kevin Gravel to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Flames sign Nick DeSimone to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Flames sign Adam Werner to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Flyers sign Nate Thompson to a one-year, $800,000 deal.
• Flyers sign Adam Clendening to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Flyers sign Nick Seeler to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Flyers sign Cooper Zech to a two-year, $1.75 million deal.
• Flyers sign Ryan Fitzgerald to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Flyers sign Gerald Mayhew to a one-year, $800,000 deal.
• Golden Knights sign Laurent Brossoit to a two-year, $4.65 million deal.
• Golden Knights sign Mattias Janmark to a one-year, $2 million deal.
• Golden Knights sign Sven Baertschi to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Golden Knights sign Patrick Brown to a two-year, $1.5 million deal.
• Golden Knights sign Gage Quinney to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Hurricanes sign Antti Raanta to a two-year, $4 million deal.
• Hurricanes sign Josh Leivo to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Hurricanes sign C.J. Smith to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Hurricanes sign Ian Cole to a one-year, $2.9 million deal.
• Hurricanes sign Jordan Martinook to a three-year, $5.4 million deal.
• Jets sign Luke Johnson to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Jets sign Michael Eyssimont to a two-year, $1.5 million deal.
• Kings sign Andreas Athanasiou to a one-year, $2.7 million deal.
• Kings sign T.J. Tynan to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Kings sign Alex Edler to a one-year, $3.5 million deal.
• Kings sign Garret Sparks to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Lightning signs Remi Elie to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Lightning signs Charles Hudon to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Lightning signs Brian Elliott to a one-year, $900,000 deal.
• Lightning signs Zach Bogosian to a three-year, $2.55 deal.
• Lightning signs Pierre-Edouard Bellemare to a two-year, $2 million deal.
• Lightning signs Andrej Sustr to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Lightning signs Darren Raddysh to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Lightning signs Maxim Legace to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Maple Leafs sign Michael Bunting to a two-year, $1.9 million deal.
• Maple Leafs sign David Kampf to a two-year, $3 million deal.
• Maple Leafs sign Michael Amadio to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Maple Leafs sign Carl Dahlstrom to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Maple Leafs sign Alex Biega to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Maple Leafs sign Kurtis Gabriel to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Oilers sign Derek Ryan to a two-year, $2.5 million deal.
• Panthers sign Maxim Mamim to a one-year, $975,000 deal.
• Panthers sign Juho Lammikko to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Panthers sign Carter Verhaeghe to a three-year, $12.5 million deal.
• Panthers sign Christopher Gibson to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Penguins sign Evan Rodrigues to a one-year, $1 million deal.
• Penguins sign Brock McGinn to a four-year, $11 million deal.
• Penguins sign Dominik Simon to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Penguins sign Taylor Fedun to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Penguins sign Filip Lindberg to a two-year, $1.85 deal.
• Predators sign Mikael Granlund to a four-year, $20 million deal.
• Predators sign David Rittich to a one-year, $1.25 million deal.
• Predators sign Anthony Richard to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Predators sign Matt Luff to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Predators sign Zachary L’Heureux to a three-year, $2.775 million deal.
• Predators sign Michael McCarron to a two-year, $1.5 million deal.
• Predators sign Matt Tennyson to a two-year, $1.5 million deal.
• Rangers sign Patrik Nemeth to a three-year, $7.5 million deal.
• Rangers sign Jarred Tinordi to a two-year, $1.8 million deal.
• Rangers sign Greg McKegg to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Rangers sign Dryden Hunt to a two-year, $1.525 million deal.
• Red Wings sign Sam Gagner to a one-year, $850,000 deal.
• Red Wings sign Calvin Rickard to a one-year, $800,000 deal.
• Red Wings sign Jordan Oesterle to a two-year, $2.7 million deal.
• Red Wings sign Pius Suter to a two-year, $6.25 million deal.
• Sabres sign Vinnie Hinostroza to a one-year, $1.05 million deal.
• Sabres sign Aaron Dell to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Sabres sign Brandon Davidson to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Sabres sign Sean Malone to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Sabres sign Craig Anderson to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Sabres sign Mark Pysyk to a one-year, $900,000 deal.
• Sabres sign Jimmy Schuldt to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Senators sign Michael Del Zotto to a two-year, $4 million deal.
• Senators sign Andrew Agozzino to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Sharks sign Andrew Cogliano to a one-year, $1 million deal.
• Sharks sign James Reimer to a two-year, $4.5 million deal.
• Sharks sign Lane Pederson to a two-year, $1.5 million deal.
• Sharks sign Nick Bonino to a two-year, $4.1 million deal.
• Sharks sign Nick Merkley to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Sharks sign Jaycob Megna to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Stars sign Braden Holtby to a one-year, $2 million deal.
• Stars sign Luke Glendening to a two-year, $3 million deal.
• Stars sign Alex Petrovic to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Stars sign Andreas Borgman to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Wild signs Frederick Gaudreau to a two-year, $2.4 million deal.
• Wild signs Dmitry Kulikov to a two-year, $4.5 million deal.
• Wild signs Joe Hicketts to a two-year, $1.5 million deal.
• Wild signs Jon Lizotte  to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Wild signs Dominic Turgeon to a one-year, $750,000 deal.

NHL Free Agency Offer Sheet Compensation Scale

More NHL news

July 27

• Avalanche signs Gabriel Landeskog to eight-year, $56 million deal. (Link)
• Blues sign Pavel Buchnevich to four-year, $23.2 million deal. (Link)
• Blue Jackets sign Patrik Laine to one-year, $7.5 million deal. (Link)
• Bruins sign Mike Reilly to three-year, $9M deal. (Link)
• Canadiens sign Joel Armia to a four-year, $13.6 million deal. (Link)
• Canucks sign Conor Garland to five-year, $24.75 million deal. (Link)
• Capitals sign Alex Ovechkin to five-year, $47.5 million deal. (Link)
• Flyers sign Keith Yandle to one-year, $900,000 deal.
• Jets sign Eric Comrie to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Lightning signs Otto Somppi to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Panthers sign Brandon Montour to three-year, $10.5 million deal.
• Red Wings sign Taro Hirose to one-year, $850,000 deal.
• Red Wings sign Kyle Criscuolo to two-year, $1.5 million deal.
• Sabres sign Drake Caggiula to one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Wild signs Kyle Rau to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Wild signs Dakota Mermis to a two-year, $1.5 million deal.

July 26

• Panthers sign Sam Bennett to a four-year, $17.6 million deal. (Link)
• Blackhawks sign Adam Gaudette to a one-year, $997,500 deal.
• Bruins sign Nick Wolff to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Devils sign Christian Jaros to a one-year $800,000 deal.
• Flyers sign Samuel Morin to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Jets sign Paul Stastny to a one-year, $3.75 million deal.
• Panthers sign Lucas Carlsson to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Panthers sign Noah Juulsen to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Predators sign Frédéric Allard to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Predators sign Ben Harpur to a one-year $800,000 deal.
• Predators sign Jeremy Davies to a one-year, $750,000 deal.
• Red Wings sign Gustav Lindström to a two-year, $1.7 million deal.
• Wild signs Andrew Hammond to a one-year, $750,000 deal.

July 25

• Red Wings sign Marc Staal to a one-year, $2 million deal.

July 24

• Avalanche signs Cale Makar to a six-year, $54 million deal. (Link)
• Blues sign Nathan Walker to a two-year, $1.5 million deal.
• Kings sign Trevor Moore to a two-year, $3.75 million deal.
• Penguins sign Kasper Björkqvist to a one-year, $750,000 deal.

July 23

• Blackhawks sign Seth Jones to an eight-year, $76 million deal. (Link)
• Bruins sign Taylor Hall to a four-year, $24 million deal. (Link)
• Hurricanes sign Spencer Smallman to a one-year, $750,000 deal.

2021-22 NHL offseason trade tracker

July 29, 2021

The offseason has arrived and there are plenty of NHL trades that will go down before the 2021-22 season. Check back here for all of the trades that teams will be making in hopes of improving their chances at winning the 2022 Stanley Cup.

2021 NHL offseason trades

July 28 (Link)

Arizona Coyotes: Conor Timmins, 2022 first-round pick, 2024 conditional third-round pick (ARZ gets 2024 third-round pick if COL wins 2022 Cup and Kuemper plays in 50% of playoff games)
Colorado Avalanche: Darcy Kuemper

July 28 

Washington Capitals: Vitek Vanecek
Seattle Kraken: 2023 second-round pick

July 28 

Calgary Flames: Daniel Vladar
Boston Bruins: 2022 third-round pick

July 28 

Buffalo Sabres: Will Butcher, 2022 fifth-round pick
New Jersey Devils: Future considerations

July 28 

San Jose Sharks: Lane Pederson
Arizona Coyotes: 2024 fourth-round pick

July 28 

Ottawa Senators: Nick Holden, 2022 third-round pick
Vegas Golden Knights: Evgenii Dadonov

July 28 

Minnesota Wild: Conditional 2022 seventh-round pick (Wild get pick if Menell plays 30 games for TOR in 2021-22)
Toronto Maple Leafs: Brennan Menell

July 28 

Edmonton Oilers: Warren Foegele
Carolina Hurricanes: Ethan Bear

July 28 

Chicago Blackhawks: 2022 third-round pick
Calgary Flames: Nikita Zadorov

July 27 (Link)

Chicago Blackhawks: Tyler Johnson, 2023 second-round pick
Tampa Bay Lightning: Brent Seabrook

July 27 (Link)

Winnipeg Jets: Nate Schmidt
Vancouver Canucks: 2022 second-round pick

July 27

Colorado Avalanche: Kurtis MacDermid
Seattle Kraken: 2023 fourth-round pick

July 27 (Link)

Vegas Golden Knights: Mikael Hakkarainen
Chicago Blackhawks: Marc-Andre Fleury

July 26

Washington Capitals: 2022 second-round pick, 2023 second-round pick
Winnipeg Jets: Brenden Dillon

July 26

Florida Panthers: 2023 seventh-round pick.
Arizona Coyotes: Anton Stralman, Vladislav Kolyachonok, 2024 second-round pick

July 26

Boston Bruins: James Greenway
Toronto Maple Leafs: Future considerations

July 26

New Jersey Devils: Christian Jaros
San Jose Sharks: Nick Merkley

July 24 (Link)

Buffalo Sabres: Devon Levi, 2022 conditional first-round pick (If the pick is in the top 10, the pick will be exchanged with FLA’s 2023 first-round pick)
Florida Panthers: Sam Reinhart

July 24 (Link)

Philadelphia Flyers: Cam Atkinson
Columbus Blue Jackets: Jakub Voracek

July 24

Arizona Coyotes: Bokondji Imama, Cole Hults
Los Angeles Kings: Brayden Burke, Tyler Steenbergen

July 23

Carolina Hurricanes: 2021 second-round pick
Columbus Blue Jackets: Jake Bean

July 23 (Link)

Chicago Blackhawks: Seth Jones, 2021 first-round pick, 2022 sixth-round pick
Columbus Blue Jackets: Adam Boqvist, 2021 first-round pick, 2021 second-round pick, 2022 conditional first-round pick (If CHI wins one of the the 2022 draft lotteries, the pick becomes their 2023 first-round pick)

July 23 (Link)

Arizona Coyotes: Antoine Roussel, Jay Beagle, Loui Eriksson, 2021 first-round pick, 2022 second-round pick, 2023 seventh-round pick
Vancouver Canucks: Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Conor Garland (signing rights)

July 23 (Link)

St. Louis Blues: Pavel Buchnevich
New York Rangers: 2022 second-round pick

July 23 (Link)

Philadelphia Flyers: Rasmus Ristolainen
Buffalo Sabres: Robert Hagg, 2021 first-round pick, 2023 second-round pick

2021 NHL offseason trades

July 22

Calgary Flames: Tyler Pitlick
Seattle Kraken: 2022 fourth-round pick

July 22 (Link)

Detroit Red Wings: Alex Nedeljkovic
Carolina Hurricanes: Jonathan Bernier (signing rights), 2021 third-round pick

July 22 (Link)

Philadelphia Flyers: Future considerations
Arizona Coyotes: Shayne Gostisbehere, 2022 second-round pick, 2022 seventh-round pick

More NHL news

NHL Power Rankings: Updated 2021 free agent rankings

July 29, 2021

In this week’s edition of the NHL Power Rankings we take an updated look at the top unrestricted free agents that willl be available when the free agent signing period begins on Wednesday.

In recent days we have seen a handful of players re-sign with their current teams, including most notably forward Taylor Hall with the Bruins, and several potential free agents get taken by the Kraken in the NHL Expansion Draft (Chris Driedger, Adam Larsson, Jamie Oleksiak).

We have also seen a few additional players hit the open market due to buyouts, including Zach Parise, Ryan Suter, and Keith Yandle.

Here we will take a look at the top remaining players entering the week.

Who all makes the list this week?

To this week’s NHL Power Rankings!

Players Most Likely To Re-Sign

1. Alex Ovechkin. His 13-year contract is over and that technically makes him eligible for unrestricted free agency. But we all know he is going to end up in Washington, right? [Re-signed with Capitals: 5-year, $47.5 million]

2. Tuukka Rask. Bruins fans have had a long-time love-hate relationship with Rask, but it would probably be in their best interests if the team can get him re-signed. He is still one of the league’s best goalies.

3. David Krejci. With Hall already re-signed it would be a huge win for the Bruins to get Krejci back as well to reunite that second line that played so well together. Hard to envision Krejci in a sweater that is not a Bruins sweater.

4. Gabriel Landeskog. You would like to think Colorado can get its captain signed, but those talks have been difficult to this point. Landeskog brings a rare combination of grit, skill, and defensive excellence to the top of any lineup. The Avs want to keep him but it is starting to look like a real possibility that he could leave. [Re-signed with Avalanche: 8-year, $56 million]

5. Philipp Grubauer. Grubauer has been an excellent starter since joining the Avalanche three years ago and took a huge step forward this season, finishing as a Vezina Trophy finalist. If the Avalanche can not get him and/or Landeskog re-signed they are going to have two significant players to replace. [Signed with Kraken: 6-year, $34.5 million]

Moving On For A Bigger Payday

6. Dougie Hamilton. Of the players that actually have a chance of changing teams Hamilton should be at the top of the list given his all around ability on defense. He can play every situation, is a dominant possession driver, and an impact player offensively. Every team should want to sign him. Carolina is going to try, but it will be difficult and it seems likely that he is moving on. [Signed with Devils: 7-year, $63 million]

7. Phillip Danault. An outstanding shutdown center with better offensive skill than he sometimes gets credit for. Along with being a Selke-caliber defender he can also be a 50-point center. Extremely valuable player. [Signed with Kings: 6-year, $33 million.]

8. Blake Coleman. He should get a massive contract on the open market. The rare player that both analytics and eye test people rave over equally, and he also has the Stanley Cup winner reputation (back-to-back Cups as a key player for the Lightning) that GMs love. [Signed with Flames: 6-year, $29.4 million]

9. Zach Hyman. He seems destined to end up with the Oilers. Good player that is about to get a contract that everybody will hate, and probably for good reason. Never want to sign a 29-year-old second-tier free agent to a seven- or eight-year contract. [Signed with Oilers: 7-year, $38.5 million]

Time For A Change

10. Ryan Suter. It was very surprising to see him get bought out along with Zach Parise, not only because of the impact it has on Minnesota’s salary cap, but also because he is still a pretty good player. He is no longer a serious Norris candidate, but he is a legitimate top-four defender in the NHL and will probably be a good value on his next deal. [Signed with Stars: 4-year, $14.6 million]

11. Kyle Palmieri. Very underrated player for most of his career. He will score 25-30 goals over an 82-game season and give you solid play away from the puck. If the Islanders could get him re-signed that would be a nice move for their offseason.

12. Jaden Schwartz. Really good second-line forward that will score 20 goals and help drive possession. A good Plan B for any team that does not get one of the top forwards. [Signed with Kraken: 5-year, $27.5 million.]

13. Tomas Tatar. Tatar has been the top scorer on the Canadiens over the past three seasons, has dominant underlying numbers, and plays great next to Danault and Brendan Gallagher. But he still seemed to fall out of favor in Montreal this season. Some team should try to sign him and Danault together.

14. Brandon Saad. Saad never became the superstar the Blackhawks hoped he would when he first entered the NHL, but he has become an excellent middle-six winger. His underlying numbers are fantastic, and on the right team and in the right situation he could definitely be a 20-30 goal scorer.

15. Paul Stastny. He is not going to be a foundational player anymore but if you have him centering your second or third line you are going to be in pretty good shape. [Re-signed with Jets: 1 year, $3.75 million.]

16. Keith Yandle. At this point you probably need to shelter him a little in a role where he can focus on offense. There is still value in that. [Signed with Flyers: 1-year, $900,000]

17. Zach Parise. Parise is not totally finished, but his production did take a noticeable drop this season when the Wild used him. Still, he is just one year removed from a 25-goal season (in less than 70 games) and can still score a little. Is he a good fit for the Islanders?

18. Alec Martinez. Martinez had one of his best years ever during the 2020-21 season with the Golden Knights, and it could not have happened at a better time for him. Do not expect a repeat of that offensive performance, but he can still contribute. [Re-signed with Golden Knights: 3-year, $15.75 million.]

19. Mike Hoffman. Hoffman is a one-dimensional player that does one thing well: score goals. Fortunately, that is an important dimension. He is not going to make much of an impact without the puck on his stick. [Signed with Canadiens: 3-year, $13.5 million]

20. Tyson Barrie. Barrie signed a one-year deal with the Oilers for this past season and definitely did a lot to help is value for this free agent class. He picked the right team to get a sheltered role, power play minutes, and time on the ice with two of the best offensive players in the world (Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl). Do not let that trick you into thinking he is a top-pairing player, though. Good player. Just needs to be put in the right role. [Re-signed with Oilers: 3-year, $13.5 million]

More NHL News

—

2021-22 NHL offseason trade tracker

July 29, 2021

The offseason has arrived and there are plenty of NHL trades that will go down before the 2021-22 season. Check back here for all of the trades that teams will be making in hopes of improving their chances at winning the 2022 Stanley Cup.

2021 NHL offseason trades

July 28 (Link)

Arizona Coyotes: Conor Timmins, 2022 first-round pick, 2024 conditional third-round pick
Colorado Avalanche: Darcy Kuemper

July 28 

Washington Capitals: Vitek Vanecek
Seattle Kraken: 2023 second-round pick

July 28 

Calgary Flames: Daniel Vladar
Boston Bruins: 2022 third-round pick

July 28 

Buffalo Sabres: Will Butcher, 2022 fifth-round pick
New Jersey Devils: Future considerations

July 28 

San Jose Sharks: Lane Pederson
Arizona Coyotes: 2024 fourth-round pick

July 28 

Ottawa Senators: Nick Holden, 2022 third-round pick
Vegas Golden Knights: Evgenii Dadonov

July 28 

Minnesota Wild: Conditional 2022 seventh-round pick (Wild get pick if Menell plays 30 games for TOR in 2021-22)
Toronto Maple Leafs: Brennan Menell

July 28 

Edmonton Oilers: Warren Foegele
Carolina Hurricanes: Ethan Bear

July 28 

Chicago Blackhawks: 2022 third-round pick
Calgary Flames: Nikita Zadorov

July 27 (Link)

Chicago Blackhawks: Tyler Johnson, 2023 second-round pick
Tampa Bay Lightning: Brent Seabrook

July 27 (Link)

Winnipeg Jets: Nate Schmidt
Vancouver Canucks: 2022 second-round pick

July 27

Colorado Avalanche: Kurtis MacDermid
Seattle Kraken: 2023 fourth-round pick

July 27 (Link)

Vegas Golden Knights: Mikael Hakkarainen
Chicago Blackhawks: Marc-Andre Fleury

July 26

Washington Capitals: 2022 second-round pick, 2023 second-round pick
Winnipeg Jets: Brenden Dillon

July 26

Florida Panthers: 2023 seventh-round pick.
Arizona Coyotes: Anton Stralman, Vladislav Kolyachonok, 2024 second-round pick

July 26

Boston Bruins: James Greenway
Toronto Maple Leafs: Future considerations

July 26

New Jersey Devils: Christian Jaros
San Jose Sharks: Nick Merkley

July 24 (Link)

Buffalo Sabres: Devon Levi, 2022 conditional first-round pick (If the pick is in the top 10, the pick will be exchanged with FLA’s 2023 first-round pick)
Florida Panthers: Sam Reinhart

July 24 (Link)

Philadelphia Flyers: Cam Atkinson
Columbus Blue Jackets: Jakub Voracek

July 24

Arizona Coyotes: Bokondji Imama, Cole Hults
Los Angeles Kings: Brayden Burke, Tyler Steenbergen

July 23

Carolina Hurricanes: 2021 second-round pick
Columbus Blue Jackets: Jake Bean

July 23 (Link)

Chicago Blackhawks: Seth Jones, 2021 first-round pick, 2022 sixth-round pick
Columbus Blue Jackets: Adam Boqvist, 2021 first-round pick, 2021 second-round pick, 2022 conditional first-round pick (If CHI wins one of the the 2022 draft lotteries, the pick becomes their 2023 first-round pick)

July 23 (Link)

Arizona Coyotes: Antoine Roussel, Jay Beagle, Loui Eriksson, 2021 first-round pick, 2022 second-round pick, 2023 seventh-round pick
Vancouver Canucks: Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Conor Garland (signing rights)

July 23 (Link)

St. Louis Blues: Pavel Buchnevich
New York Rangers: 2022 second-round pick

July 23 (Link)

Philadelphia Flyers: Rasmus Ristolainen
Buffalo Sabres: Robert Hagg, 2021 first-round pick, 2023 second-round pick

2021 NHL offseason trades

July 22

Calgary Flames: Tyler Pitlick
Seattle Kraken: 2022 fourth-round pick

July 22 (Link)

Detroit Red Wings: Alex Nedeljkovic
Carolina Hurricanes: Jonathan Bernier (signing rights), 2021 third-round pick

July 22 (Link)

Philadelphia Flyers: Future considerations
Arizona Coyotes: Shayne Gostisbehere, 2022 second-round pick, 2022 seventh-round pick

More NHL news

NHL Power Rankings: Updated 2021 free agent rankings

July 26, 2021

In this week’s edition of the NHL Power Rankings we take an updated look at the top unrestricted free agents that willl be available when the free agent signing period begins on Wednesday.

In recent days we have seen a handful of players re-sign with their current teams, including most notably forward Taylor Hall with the Bruins, and several potential free agents get taken by the Kraken in the NHL Expansion Draft (Chris Driedger, Adam Larsson, Jamie Oleksiak).

We have also seen a few additional players hit the open market due to buyouts, including Zach Parise, Ryan Suter, and Keith Yandle.

Here we will take a look at the top remaining players entering the week.

Who all makes the list this week?

To this week’s NHL Power Rankings!

Players Most Likely To Re-Sign

1. Alex Ovechkin. His 13-year contract is over and that technically makes him eligible for unrestricted free agency. But we all know he is going to end up in Washington, right?

2. Tuukka Rask. Bruins fans have had a long-time love-hate relationship with Rask, but it would probably be in their best interests if the team can get him re-signed. He is still one of the league’s best goalies.

3. David Krejci. With Hall already re-signed it would be a huge win for the Bruins to get Krejci back as well to reunite that second line that played so well together. Hard to envision Krejci in a sweater that is not a Bruins sweater.

4. Gabriel Landeskog. You would like to think Colorado can get its captain signed, but those talks have been difficult to this point. Landeskog brings a rare combination of grit, skill, and defensive excellence to the top of any lineup. The Avs want to keep him but it is starting to look like a real possibility that he could leave.

5. Philipp Grubauer. Grubauer has been an excellent starter since joining the Avalanche three years ago and took a huge step forward this season, finishing as a Vezina Trophy finalist. If the Avalanche can not get him and/or Landeskog re-signed they are going to have two significant players to replace.

Moving On For A Bigger Payday

6. Dougie Hamilton. Of the players that actually have a chance of changing teams Hamilton should be at the top of the list given his all around ability on defense. He can play every situation, is a dominant possession driver, and an impact player offensively. Every team should want to sign him. Carolina is going to try, but it will be difficult and it seems likely that he is moving on.

7. Phillip Danault. An outstanding shutdown center with better offensive skill than he sometimes gets credit for. Along with being a Selke-caliber defender he can also be a 50-point center. Extremely valuable player.

8. Blake Coleman. He should get a massive contract on the open market. The rare player that both analytics and eye test people rave over equally, and he also has the Stanley Cup winner reputation (back-to-back Cups as a key player for the Lightning) that GMs love.

9. Zach Hyman. He seems destined to end up with the Oilers. Good player that is about to get a contract that everybody will hate, and probably for good reason. Never want to sign a 29-year-old second-tier free agent to a seven- or eight-year contract.

Time For A Change

10. Ryan Suter. It was very surprising to see him get bought out along with Zach Parise, not only because of the impact it has on Minnesota’s salary cap, but also because he is still a pretty good player. He is no longer a serious Norris candidate, but he is a legitimate top-four defender in the NHL and will probably be a good value on his next deal.

11. Kyle Palmieri. Very underrated player for most of his career. He will score 25-30 goals over an 82-game season and give you solid play away from the puck. If the Islanders could get him re-signed that would be a nice move for their offseason.

12. Jaden Schwartz. Really good second-line forward that will score 20 goals and help drive possession. A good Plan B for any team that does not get one of the top forwards.

13. Tomas Tatar. Tatar has been the top scorer on the Canadiens over the past three seasons, has dominant underlying numbers, and plays great next to Danault and Brendan Gallagher. But he still seemed to fall out of favor in Montreal this season. Some team should try to sign him and Danault together.

14. Brandon Saad. Saad never became the superstar the Blackhawks hoped he would when he first entered the NHL, but he has become an excellent middle-six winger. His underlying numbers are fantastic, and on the right team and in the right situation he could definitely be a 20-30 goal scorer.

15. Paul Stastny. He is not going to be a foundational player anymore but if you have him centering your second or third line you are going to be in pretty good shape.

16. Keith Yandle. At this point you probably need to shelter him a little in a role where he can focus on offense. There is still value in that.

17. Zach Parise. Parise is not totally finished, but his production did take a noticeable drop this season when the Wild used him. Still, he is just one year removed from a 25-goal season (in less than 70 games) and can still score a little. Is he a good fit for the Islanders?

18. Alec Martinez. Martinez had one of his best years ever during the 2020-21 season with the Golden Knights, and it could not have happened at a better time for him. Do not expect a repeat of that offensive performance, but he can still contribute.

19. Mike Hoffman. Hoffman is a one-dimensional player that does one thing well: score goals. Fortunately, that is an important dimension. He is not going to make much of an impact without the puck on his stick.

20. Tyson Barrie. Barrie signed a one-year deal with the Oilers for this past season and definitely did a lot to help is value for this free agent class. He picked the right team to get a sheltered role, power play minutes, and time on the ice with two of the best offensive players in the world (Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl). Do not let that trick you into thinking he is a top-pairing player, though. Good player. Just needs to be put in the right role.

More NHL News

—

PHT Morning Skate: Kuznetsov’s future; Ekman-Larsson on Canucks

July 26, 2021

Welcome to the PHT Morning Skate, a collection of links from the NHL and around the hockey world. Have a link you want to submit for the PHT Morning Skate? Email us at phtblog@nbcsports.

• Is there a future for Evgeny Kuznetsov with the Capitals? [Washington Hockey Now]

• Capitals GM Brian MacLellan said he expects to get an extension done with Alex Ovechkin before free agency opens on Wednesday. [NoVa Caps]

• A Jack Eichel trade may be complicated, but GM Kevyn Adams says he’s fine if the captain is still with the team when training camp opens. [Buffalo Hockey Beat]

• Once he clears waivers on Monday, the buyout process of Jake Virtanen will be complete. [Canucks Army]

• Oliver Ekman-Larsson on his trade to the Canucks: “It’s been crazy, but I’m super excited to be in Vancouver and what’s ahead of us. A little bit of a relief, too, in talking about this (trade) for a year now, and I kind of felt we were running out of time last year. But I’m happy. New start and a fresh start.” [Province]

• If Mr. Burns is looking for another softball team full of ringers, he should give Nate Schmidt a call:

• Kings GM Rob Blake on drafting Brandt Clarke with their first pick and his free agency plans. [Mayor’s Manor]

• Ottawa’s head scout Trent Mann defends the club’s approach to the 2021 NHL Draft. [Ottawa Sun]

• Patience and with salary cap flexibility is Ron Francis’ plan as he builds the Kraken’s first roster. [NHL.com]

• The Red Wings are bringing back Marc Staal on a one-year, $2 million contract. [MLive]

More NHL news

————

Sean Leahy is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @Sean_Leahy