Bruins Sign Elias Lindholm, Nikita Zadorov
The Bruins have made two gigantic free-agent splashes. They’re bringing in center Elias Lindholm on a seven-year contract worth $7.75MM per season, Chris Johnston of The Athletic reports. Defenseman Nikita Zadorov is also signing with Boston, per TSN’s Darren Dreger. He adds it’s a six-year, $5MM AAV deal for Zadorov.
For Lindholm, it appears he didn’t lose too much market value after a difficult season offensively. The 2022 Selke Trophy finalist was likely in line for an eight-year extension valued in the $8MM-$9MM range annually had he signed while with the Flames at the beginning of last season, but with Calgary not headed in the direction of contention, he opted not to stick around long-term.
He then embarked on a difficult regular season split between Calgary and Vancouver thanks to a mid-season blockbuster deal, limited to 15 goals and 44 points in 75 games with a -14 rating. It was his worst showing on the scoresheet since 2017-18 when he was still a 23-year-old developing center with the Hurricanes.
Lindholm did well to rebuild his value in postseason action with the Canucks, though. They took the eventual Western Conference champion Oilers to seven games in Round Two, and Lindholm’s production was a big part of that. Serving in a middle-six center role behind J.T. Miller, Lindholm found his game offensively and scored five goals and five assists in 13 games.
A strong faceoff taker, Lindholm projects to slot into the Bruins’ first-line center spot and be a stylistic replacement for the retired Patrice Bergeron, although he doesn’t have the same skill level at either end compared to the future Hall-of-Fame pivot. $7.75MM per season is a steep price to pay for someone who only offered middle-six production last season, but they’re hoping it’s just a blip. Now 29, Lindholm has averaged 20 minutes per game multiple times in his career and has a lengthy recent history of anchoring strong two-way top lines.
Zadorov is also a bit of a gamble at his price tag. The 6’6″, 250-lb defender had a strong market, though, and few should be surprised at what he landed in the end. The brutish blue liner had a career-high 120 PIMs in 2023-24, coupled with 20 points and an even rating in 74 games while logging 17:26 per contest. Like Lindholm, he split the campaign between the Flames and Canucks, although they each found their way to Vancouver in separate trades.
It’s a significant chunk of change for a player who’s never spent time in a top-four role consistently, but his price tag suggests he’ll be doing that in Boston for the next half-decade. The 29-year-old could very well start next season on Boston’s top pairing alongside Charlie McAvoy as the replacement for Matt Grzelcyk, who departed for the Penguins in free agency today.
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Utah Signs Ian Cole, Kevin Stenlund, Kevin Connauton
The Utah Hockey Club continues to add on defense. They’re bringing in veteran Ian Cole on a one-year, $3.1MM contract, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.
Later, TSN’s Darren Dreger reported Utah is adding center Kevin Stenlund on a two-year deal worth $2MM per season. Dreger adds they’re signing defenseman Kevin Connauton to a two-year, two-way deal worth $775K.
Utah marks Cole’s sixth team in the last five years. The 35-year-old defenseman spent last season on a one-year pact with the Canucks, where he served as a serviceable bottom-four shutdown blue-liner. In 78 regular-season appearances, he had 11 points and a +10 rating while averaging 18:41 per game. While his possession metrics were strong for his difficult defensive usage, he had some difficult moments in the postseason and was viewed as a more unlikely candidate to re-sign in Vancouver than names like Filip Hronek and Tyler Myers.
In Utah’s first year, Cole projects to slide into a bottom-pairing role on the left side behind Mikhail Sergachev and Juuso Välimäki, although he can play the right side if necessary. He’ll be relied on heavily to swallow penalty kill minutes and help absorb the loss of top PKers Travis Dermott and J.J. Moser, who aren’t returning after spending last season with the Coyotes.
Stenlund, meanwhile, earns the biggest payday of his life after centering the Panthers’ fourth line in their run to the 2024 Stanley Cup. After spending a few seasons bouncing between the NHL and AHL, he cemented a full-time roster spot in Florida this season and missed just one regular-season game, recording a career-high 11 goals and 15 points in the process. Like Cole, he won’t have much of an impact offensively but should work alongside existing forwards Nick Bjugstad, Lawson Crouse and Alexander Kerfoot as Utah’s top-used forwards shorthanded.
Connauton, meanwhile, is slated for minor-league minutes with the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners. The 6’2″, 205-lb defender spent last season with the Ontario Reign while under contract with the Kings, serving as an alternate captain and logging 18 points and a +18 rating in 61 games. He previously played a pair of games for Tucson while a member of the Coyotes organization in the 2016-17 campaign, posting a goal and two assists. The 34-year-old brings 360 games of NHL experience across 10 seasons should his services be needed in Salt Lake.
Senators Sign David Perron, Michael Amadio, Three Others
The Senators have picked up forward Noah Gregor on a one-year deal worth $850K, per Sports 1440’s Jason Gregor. He became a UFA after being non-tendered by the Maple Leafs yesterday. Additionally, Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch announces the Senators are nearing an agreement with David Perron that will likely check in around $4MM a season. Furthermore, the Senators continue to round out their forward core as Darren Dreger of TSN reports the team has also agreed to terms with Michael Amadio on a three-year, $7.8MM contract.
Attacking the middle and bottom six of their forward core, the Senators made several improvements without having to dish out much capital. As the most sizeable addition regarding salary figures, Perron brings a good work ethic and leadership capabilities to a young Ottawa roster.
Over the last two years spent with the Detroit Red Wings organization, Perron scored 41 goals and 103 points in 158 games, with 39 of those points coming on Detroit’s powerplay. The veteran forward also elevated his physical play as he amassed 218 total body checks in a top-six role. In Ottawa, the Senators can move Perron up and down the lineup depending on team needs and matchups as he enters the twilight years of his career.
Amadio and Gregor will both improve Ottawa’s bottom six this upcoming season. As one of the more underrated bottom six players in the league over the last few seasons, Amadio scored 41 goals and 72 points over 193 games for the Vegas Golden Knights while averaging 11:25 minutes of ice time per night. Gregor has shown flashes of 20-point campaigns in the past but only managed to score six goals and 12 points for the Toronto Maple Leafs last season.
The team also announced they’ve inked minor league forward Garrett Pilon to a two-year, two-way contract with a $775K cap hit. Lastly, there’s another minor-league signing in the form of defenseman Jeremy Davies, who joins on a one-year, two-way deal worth $775K NHL/$350K AHL.
Flames To Sign Mantha, Bean, Cooley; Extend Sharangovich
The Flames are landing UFA winger Anthony Mantha on a one-year deal worth $3.5MM, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports. They’ve also signed forward Yegor Sharangovich to a five-year, $5.75MM AAV extension, per his agent Dan Milstein. He was entering the final year of his contract.
Additionally, Calgary is closing in on a two-year deal worth under $2MM annually for defenseman Jake Bean, per Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli. TSN’s Chris Johnston clarifies the AAV is $1.75MM. Milstein also adds they’re signing Devin Cooley for goaltending depth on a two-year deal worth $775K annually. It’s a two-way deal in the first year with a $400K AHL salary.
Mantha is looking to rebound off a disappointing finish in what appeared to be a strong season. In 56 games with the Washington Capitals to start the season, Mantha put together 20 goals and 34 points before being traded to the Vegas Golden Knights for a pair of draft picks. Unfortunately, the experience in Vegas did not pan out for either side as Mantha collected three goals and 10 points in 18 games after the trade before finally being scratched in the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs.
After a season of change in Calgary, Mantha will be looking to provide a full year of quality production with increased opportunity. The Flames top six has seen multiple changes over the last calendar year and Mantha represents a capable option to plug into the team’s top-six. It’s a low-risk contract for a team that will likely attempt to move on from Mantha at next season’s trade deadline.
In addition to Mantha, the Flames organization made a sizeable commitment to Sharangovich a year after the team acquired him from the New Jersey Devils. Sharangovich played extraordinarily well in his first season in Alberta as he scored 31 goals and 59 points while appearing in all 82 regular season contests. With the extension kicking in July 1st, 2025, Sharangovich will not need a new contract until after the 2029-30 NHL season.
The Flames also pounced on Bean after the Columbus Blue Jackets decided not to tender him a qualifying offer — making him an unrestricted free agent. Bean is set to get more of an opportunity in Calgary as the team could slot him next to Daniil Miromanov in the team’s top four.
Lastly, the Flames organization adds Cooley from the San Jose Sharks organization as a third-string goaltender. Getting his first taste of NHL action last year, Cooley put up a 2-3-1 record over six starts and held a .870 save percentage and 4.98 goals against average.
Senators Trade Jakob Chychrun To Capitals
The Washington Capitals have acquired defenseman Jakob Chychrun from the Ottawa Senators, per a team announcement. Ottawa is receiving defenseman Nick Jensen and a 2026 third-round pick in return. The deal comes nearly a year and a half after the Senators acquired Chychrun from the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for a 2023 first-round pick, a 2024 second-round pick, and a 2026 second-round pick.
Chychrun should immediately step into a top-four position on the Capitals blue line next to a shutdown defenseman. On a subpar Senators team, Chychrun put up 14 goals and 41 points in 82 games with 16 of those points coming while on the team’s powerplay.
There is some critique of Chychrun’s game on the defensive side of the puck as he finished the 2023-24 season with a -30 rating on the team’s top-pairing. In Chychrun’s defense, Ottawa was plagued by uniquely bad goaltending during the regular season which could have also factored into Chychrun’s 88.0% on-ice save percentage in all situations. The young defenseman finished the year with an expected +/- of 0.4 according to HockeyReference which shows some of Chychrun’s poor defensive metrics were in part due to the Senators’ style of play.
Heading to Ottawa is Jensen who has two years remaining on a three-year, $12.12MM extension signed with Washington towards the end of the 2022-23 regular season. Heading into the 2023-24 season, Jensen was coming off a stretch of 153 games with the Capitals in which he scored 10 goals and 50 points from the blue line. Jensen would only score one goal and 14 points in 79 games for the Capitals this season in a disappointing follow-up.
Becoming more apparent by the day that Chychrun was unwilling to sign an extension with the Senators, the team can get out from under his contract while keeping their defensive structure in place. Chychrun will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season as the 26-year-old defenseman is approaching the end of a six-year, $27.6MM contract originally signed with the Arizona Coyotes.
Devils Sign Brett Pesce, Brenden Dillon
10:44 a.m.: It’s a three-year deal for Dillon, CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal reports. NJ.com’s Ryan Novozinsky confirms it carries a $4MM cap hit.
9:17 a.m.: The Devils are expected to agree to terms on a deal for UFA defenseman Brett Pesce, according to Chris Johnston of The Athletic, who reports that the top-four stalwart will ink a six-year, $33MM contract ($5.5MM cap hit). They’re also expected to add veteran left-shot blue liner Brenden Dillon, reports ESPN’s Kevin Weekes.
There had been rumblings leading up to free agency that Pesce was the Devils’ top target on the back end, and it appears they’re getting their man. It was clear they were gearing up for a move, especially on the right side, after they traded away John Marino and his $4.4MM cap hit to Utah on Saturday. The Maple Leafs and Predators were also expected to be top suitors for Pesce, but the former likely took themselves out of the picture after acquiring the signing rights to Chris Tanev from the Stars.
Pesce, 29, has been a top-four fixture for the Hurricanes for nearly a decade. The 2013 third-round pick made his first splash in the NHL just two years later, spending one season in a bottom-pairing role for Carolina before consistently establishing himself as a 20-minute-muncher in his sophomore campaign. Pesce has finished in the top 20 in Norris Trophy voting on two occasions (2019 and 2021) and has firmly established himself as one of the steadier shutdown threats in the league.
He’s coming off somewhat of a down year offensively with 13 points in 70 games, but also received his lowest usage (20:17 per game) since 2019, with the Canes running one of the deepest defenses in the league. In New Jersey, he replaces Marino as the primary right-shot option behind Dougie Hamilton. He’ll anchor second-pairing minutes in the Garden State, potentially alongside 2024 Calder Trophy finalist Luke Hughes.
The Devils now also look to land a solid veteran presence in Dillon, although it’s not clear how long he’ll stick around with no contract terms reported yet. Now 33, Dillon had spent the last three seasons with the Jets, where he accumulated 63 points and a +38 rating in 238 games (with 235 PIMs to boot). He’s not quite the minute-muncher Pesce is, but still has mobility into top-four roles for the time being. with Jonas Siegenthaler and second-year blue liner Simon Nemec also in the picture, the Devils’ defense for next season is likely now set. They also added additional depth in a trade with the Canadiens yesterday, picking up Johnathan Kovacevic.
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Predators Sign Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault, Brady Skjei
The Predators and star free agent forward Steven Stamkos are nearing an agreement on a four-year contract that will be worth $32MM, sources tell Pierre LeBrun of TSN. LeBrun also reports the Predators are close to finalizing a deal with 2023 Conn Smythe Trophy winner Jonathan Marchessault that would pay him around $27.5MM over five years. The respective cap hits would be $8MM for Stamkos and $5.5MM for Marchessault. Nashville keeps their roll going by signing defenseman Brady Skjei to a seven-year, $49MM contract, per LeBrun.
The Predators have become the team of the summer, adding three of the market’s top names in one fail swoop. Their group is headlined by Tampa Bay Lightning legend Stamkos, who’s decided on Nashville in the first trip to free agency of his career. Stamkos has accomplished everything he could have as a Lightning, holding the franchise record in games played, goals, and points – in addition to captaining the team to two Stanley Cups over his decade wearing the team’s ‘C’.
Stamkos should immediately become the team’s top option at center next to Filip Forsberg, giving the Predators flexibility in moving Ryan O’Reilly down to the second unit. Not only will the former first-overall pick assist Nashville on their already above-average 3.24 GF/G during the 2023-24 regular season, but he will also help the team increase their 21.56% powerplay percentage.
Banking on repeat performances from the rest of the forward core — the Predators are poised to have one of the deadliest offenses in the league next season.
The former captain of the Lightning will not be the only 40-goal scorer Nashville will add to the lineup today. Marchessault was one of the many players to break out in Vegas’ first year of action, scoring 27 goals and 75 points – the latter still a career-high. But Marchessault’s goal-scoring upside held strong, since totaling 192 goals across 514 games with Vegas, including a career-high 42 goals this season. On a five-year contract, the Predators hope Marchessault can continue his recent work of averaging 55-70 points in a season while keeping up his status as a hard-nosed player.
General Manager Barry Trotz was not content with singularly upgrading the team’s offensive prowess as they added Skjei on a long-term contract. Skjei similarly found his stride after a move, emerging as a true top defender with 39, 38, and 47 points across the last three seasons. Skjei averaged nearly 22 minutes of ice time over that stretch while adding strong value to both special teams.
The only reason for skepticism on behalf of Skjei’s contract is how well he will operate outside the Carolina Hurricanes’ system. Nashville deploys a similar system as Carolina but does not bring the same pedigree as a possession-dominant team. Because of this, Skjei’s possession metrics increased dramatically since his time with the New York Rangers, and the Predators should be confident he can add value to the team in this department rather than revert to his previous numbers.
These moves go a long way towards boosting Nashville’s top end, as they find one of the best top-line additions to the market in Stamkos while rounding out their second lines with Marchessault and Skjei. With all three of these deals considered, the Predators still boast $5.846MM in cap space, with two holes on defense. Those could be filled by call-ups Spencer Stastney or Marc Del Gaizo, though, potentially giving Nashville just enough space for one more addition.
Brandon Montour To Sign Seven-Year Deal With Kraken
The Kraken are landing arguably the top defenseman on the free agent market. Brandon Montour will sign in Seattle on a seven-year deal worth roughly $50MM in total, reports TSN’s Pierre LeBrun. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman confirms the contract value, which translates to a $7.14MM cap hit.
Montour will remain in Seattle through the 2030-31 season. He’ll be 37 years old when his deal expires, meaning this pact will cover the remainder of his prime – and perhaps his career.
After spending the first few years of his career with up and down results through stops with the Ducks and Sabres, Montour has emerged as a bonafide top-pairing threat in Florida over the past two seasons. He broke out in a big way in 2022-23, putting up a monster offensive season with 16 goals, 57 assists and 73 points in 80 games while posting a +9 rating and 107 PIMs. That earned him 12th place in Norris Trophy voting, as his performance from the blue line was a key reason why the Panthers advanced to the 2023 Stanley Cup Final, only their second in franchise history.
This year was a step back for Montour, who began the season on injured reserve after sustaining a shoulder injury in the playoffs. Upon his return, he was still effective, although the points didn’t come with the same ferocity. He finished the year with 33 points in 66 games, a 41-point pace. It was much more in line with his career average, but the key difference was the minutes he logged. Like last season, he remained above average while shouldering heavy usage, averaging 23:27 per game.
Montour will now form an exceptional one-two punch on the right side of Seattle’s defense along with Adam Larsson. He’s unlikely to see first-pairing minutes at even strength alongside Vince Dunn, their primary power-play man and offensive threat from the blue line. That role will stay with Larsson, but Montour could still see heavy minutes in a second-pairing role alongside Jamie Oleksiak on his left flank.
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Wild To Sign Yakov Trenin To Four-Year Deal
The Wild are signing forward Yakov Trenin, sources tell Bally Sports Midwest’s Andy Strickland. It’s a four-year deal with a $3.5MM cap hit, PuckPedia adds.
With the deal, Minnesota pays a premium for arguably the most pure checking forward on the market. Trenin, 27, was a second-round pick of the Predators in 2015. He spent his first four and a half NHL seasons there before a trade deadline deal this year sent him to the Avalanche. Understandably, with a bit of a salary cap crunch in Colorado, they opted not to retain him for the price he ended up going for.
Trenin has size for days at 6’2″ and 201 lbs, but his offensive upside is somewhat limited. His career high is 17 goals and 24 points, both set with Nashville in the 2021-22 season. He’s a strong penalty killer, as that’s where he’s received a solid chunk of the around 15 minutes per game he’s averaged the past three years. This season was tough for him offensively, dropping to 12 goals and 17 points in 76 games between the Avs and Preds, but he did post a career-high +15 rating backed up by decent possession numbers for his defense-oriented role.
While he’s effective in his role, $3.5MM is a lot of money to spend for a Trenin-type player for a Wild team that had the 21st-ranked offense last season. With only $6.25MM in projected cap space entering the day, this is likely their lone big-name free-agent acquisition.
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Free Agent Rumors: Stamkos, Bennett, Verhaeghe, Stolarz, Ekman-Larsson, Grzelcyk, Martinez
The Devils are in the market for a top-six forward today, and they may end up as one of the finalists for Lightning captain Steven Stamkos, per ESPN’s Kevin Weekes.
They’ll be one of many teams making Stamkos’ agent’s phone ring off the hook today. TSN’s Bob McKenzie also expects the Ducks, Hurricanes, Predators and Red Wings to make aggressive pushes for the future Hall-of-Fame forward.
A return to Tampa Bay is extremely unlikely for Stamkos, whose 555 career goals and 1,082 games played have all come in a Lightning uniform. They weren’t close to an extension as of last weekend, and their signing of top UFA left winger Jake Guentzel to a seven-year, $63MM deal this morning has all but completely boxed him out.
More from around the Eastern Conference amid an already busy morning:
- The Panthers are working hard on extensions for forwards Sam Bennett and Carter Verhaeghe as they become eligible to sign at 11 a.m. CT today, sources tell David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period. They’ve already gotten one big piece of business done today by keeping Sam Reinhart away from the open market on an eight-year, $69MM deal, but Bennett and Verhaeghe are two crucial pieces of their top-six forward group that remain unsigned past next season. It’s unclear what these deals may look like, but Reinhart taking a considerable discount on market value to remain in South Florida is surely a good indicator that Panthers GM Bill Zito can get them locked into deals that won’t break the bank.
- TSN’s Darren Dreger adds the Panthers are also trying to re-sign UFA netminder Anthony Stolarz, but they have some competition. The Blackhawks and Maple Leafs are also in the mix for the veteran’s services. While a career backup, he’s one of the best options on the market in a UFA class devoid of starters. He was electric when used in Florida last year, posting a .925 SV% and 2.03 GAA in 27 appearances.
- After making Chris Tanev‘s six-year deal official, expect the Leafs to add another veteran blue liner in Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Dreger says. OEL is coming off a Stanley Cup win in Florida after putting up 32 points in 80 regular-season games, averaging 18:24 per night. He’d likely anchor a third pairing in Toronto on the left side behind Morgan Rielly and Jake McCabe.
- The Penguins are among the teams linked to defenseman Matt Grzelcyk, The Athletic’s Josh Yohe reports. Grzelcyk is likely on his way out of Boston after spending the entirety of his eight-year, 445-game career there. He had 11 points and a +13 rating in 63 games last season while logging 17:36 per night.
- Alec Martinez could continue his NHL career with the Blackhawks on a one-year deal, per TSN’s Bob McKenzie. The three-time Cup winner fell down the Golden Knights’ depth chart last year, limited to 55 games due to injuries and healthy scratches. He still managed 17 points, though, his most offense in three years, but had a -2 rating while averaging 19:03 per game.