Panthers Sign Anton Lundell To Six-Year Deal
The Panthers announced the signing of RFA center Anton Lundell to a six-year deal. It’s reportedly a $5MM cap hit for the 2024 Stanley Cup champion, per PuckPedia, who also has the full breakdown of the deal.
Lundell, 22, has been a rock-steady third-line center for the Cats for the past three seasons. He’s yet to recapture the rookie form that placed him sixth in Calder Trophy voting and even earned him Selke Trophy consideration in 2021-22, though. He needed a new contract this summer after giving the Panthers three years of high-end performance on his entry-level contract, carrying a dirt-cheap $925K cap hit.
He wasn’t a major factor offensively in Florida’s 110-point campaign last year, recording 13 goals and 35 points in 78 games. But he’s been a possession monster during his time in the pros, consistently averaging over 15 minutes per game. With Lundell on the ice this season, the Panthers controlled 56.4% of shot attempts and 53.2% of expected goals, the latter being a quite respectable career-low.
Lundell’s playmaking exploded in the playoffs this season, though, tying for second on the team with 14 assists in 24 games. He added three goals for 17 points and had a +8 rating, the highest among Florida forwards, as he played a key depth role in helping the Panthers win their first championship in franchise history.
$5MM annually is a decent chunk of change, though, especially for a player who projects to serve as their third-line center for quite a while. Captain Aleksander Barkov remains signed through 2030, and while Sam Bennett‘s deal is up next summer, they’re already making significant progress on an extension. Lundell becomes their fourth highest-paid forward next season, only behind Barkov, Sam Reinhart and Matthew Tkachuk.
That center logjam will likely keep his minutes about where they are, limiting his potential for offensive growth. But he’s still among the best third-line pivots in the league and likely still has a bit more room to grow, making him a high-value bet in the 2C spot down the line if Bennett’s deal ends up being a short-term one.
Lundell will be a UFA upon expiry in 2030, along with Barkov and Tkachuk. His $30MM total value makes it the largest RFA contract GM Bill Zito has handed out while at the helm in Florida.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Senators Sign Shane Pinto To Two-Year Deal
The Ottawa Senators have signed center Shane Pinto to a two-year, $7.5MM contract. The deal will carry an annual average value of $3.75MM. Pinto went through a tumultuous season last year, missing the first 41 games of the regular season for violating the league’s gambling policy. He eventually signed a contract for the league minimum of $775K on January 19th.
Once he was back in the lineup, the 23-year-old had a strong season, dressing in 41 games and posting nine goals and 18 assists while registering a +9. His underlying numbers were excellent, particularly his possession numbers as he posted a CF% of 53.8% at even-strength.
The Franklin Square, New York native was probably hoping for more stability this offseason but settled on a two-year term which could effectively come with a third year at $5MM as the second year of his deal is reportedly for $5MM (as per CapFriendly).
A former second-round pick (32nd overall) in the 2019 NHL entry draft, Pinto went through a tough contract negotiation with Ottawa last summer before his suspension and is sure to be happy to have a deal done early in July. Ottawa was able to facilitate the deal with Pinto after they sent Mathieu Joseph to the St. Louis Blues (along with a third-round pick), effectively clearing out his $2.95MM cap hit for the next two years.
Pinto has been mainly a third-line center in Ottawa, however, with Joshua Norris injured last season Pinto was elevated in the lineup and played solid minutes as the Senators’ second-line center. Pinto averaged over 18 minutes of ice time per game which was an increase of more than two minutes a night. With the uncertainty of Norris going forward, the Senators have a terrific backup option with Pinto as he has already demonstrated he can be a second-line center in the NHL.
Avalanche Sign Erik Brännström, Wyatt Aamodt
3:00 p.m.: The Avs have also brought back defenseman Wyatt Aamodt on a one-year deal with an undisclosed cap hit. Aamodt, an RFA, had 14 points in 60 games with the AHL’s Colorado Eagles last year. The 26-year-old returns for his third full season in the Colorado organization.
1:00 p.m.: Colorado has made the deal official.
11:54 a.m.: The Avalanche have come to terms on a one-year, $900K deal with UFA defenseman Erik Brännström, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports. Canucks freelance reporter Irfaan Gafaar said earlier Tuesday that there was traction between the Avs and Brännström on a deal.
Brännström, 24, became a UFA yesterday after being non-tendered by the Senators. It wasn’t unexpected. Ottawa has never fully placed their trust in the 2017 first-round pick, who they acquired from the Golden Knights as the centerpiece of the trade return for Mark Stone in 2019.
The Swede has spent parts of the last six seasons in Ottawa but didn’t truly catch on as a full-time piece until 2022-23. Since doing so, he’s been an exemplary bottom-pair defender, posting 38 points and a +10 rating in 150 games over the last two years. He’s also posted decent possession numbers, controlling 50% of shot attempts and 52.1% of expected goals at even strength last year.
The Sens didn’t use that strong play as evidence to try him higher up in the lineup, though, and his ice time stayed low at around 16 minutes per game. The one time Ottawa did insert Brännström into somewhat consistent top-four minutes in the 2021-22 campaign, he struggled with 14 assists and a -17 rating in 53 contests while averaging 19:46 per game.
Brännström won’t be tasked with a ton of responsibility in Colorado, though. Their top four is already set with Samuel Girard, Cale Makar, Josh Manson and Devon Toews. Instead, he’ll likely start the season in a consistent bottom-pairing role with either journeyman Calvin de Haan, who the Avs signed yesterday, or third-year pro Sam Malinski on his flank.
He’ll provide solid puck-moving depth and is a much cheaper replacement for deadline pickup Sean Walker, who signed a five-year, $18MM deal with the Hurricanes yesterday. At $900K, Brännström’s deal can be fully buried in the minors if he flames out, but he would need to pass through waivers to head to the AHL.
It’s a good pickup for an Avalanche team that is already projected to be over the salary cap upon the return of Gabriel Landeskog from injury and Valeri Nichushkin from suspension next season. They’ll need players on sub-$1MM cap hits to contribute as much as possible, and there were arguably no higher-upside bets available for that price after yesterday’s moves than Brännström.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Ducks Acquire Brian Dumoulin From Kraken
The Ducks have acquired defenseman Brian Dumoulin from the Kraken in exchange for a 2026 fourth-round pick, per a team announcement.
This move cuts short Dumoulin’s time in Seattle, after inking a two-year, $6.3MM contract with the club last summer. It was Dumoulin’s first time entering the market as an unrestricted free agent, bringing an end to Dumoulin’s 10-year career with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He established himself as a stout defensive-defenseman with the Penguins, working his way into top-line minutes during the team’s run to back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017. The run locked him in as Kris Letang‘s defensive partner, a role he held on to through the 2022-23 season.
Dumoulin has never been known for his scoring, with 25 points in 2022-23 marking his career-high. He didn’t bring that scoring to the West coast, posting a much quainter 16 points in 80 games. But he did bring his patented defense, earning his keep among a crowded Kraken blue-line thanks to his ability to shut down play in the neutral zone.
Dumoulin’s move away from Seattle will open space for top prospect Ryker Evans to pursue a full-time role with the NHL club. Evans, a second-round pick in 2021, played in the first 36 games of his NHL career this year, netting one goal, nine points, 20 penalty minutes, and a -5. He found much more production in back-and-forth trips to the minors, scoring 15 points in 25 games with the Coachella Valley Firebirds and adding 10 points in 18 Calder Cup postseason games. Evans headlines a list of strong defense prospects in Seattle, including Ville Ottavainen, Lukas Dragicevic, and Caden Price.
Meanwhile, Dumoulin will move to the rebranded Anaheim Ducks, where he’ll bring veteran presence and Stanley Cup precedent to a very young group. There seems to be no telling how Anaheim will organize their blue-line headed into the new year – with top prospects Pavel Mintyukov, Olen Zellweger, Tristan Luneau, and Jackson LaCombe each vying for routine ice time. That’ll be hard to dish out for a team that also needs to find minutes for veterans Cam Fowler, Radko Gudas, Urho Vaakanainen, and now Dumoulin.
Blues Sign Pavel Buchnevich To Six-Year Extension
The Blues have signed winger Pavel Buchnevich to a six-year extension worth $8MM per season, the team announced.
Buchnevich, who was set to be a UFA after the 2024-25 season, will instead remain in St. Louis through the 2030-31 campaign. The deal includes a full no-trade clause through 2028-29 before downgrading to a modified no-trade clause in the final two years, Bally Sports Midwest’s Andy Strickland reports. They’ve also upgraded Buchnevich’s 12-team no-trade list in the final year of his current deal to a full no-trade clause. It’s a 20-team no-trade list in 2029-30 and a 15-team no-trade list in 2030-31, Matthew DeFranks of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
Buchnevich remains under contract at a $5.8MM cap hit this season, the final one of a four-year extension he signed back in 2021 after the Blues acquired his signing rights from the Rangers. The 29-year-old is coming off a somewhat disappointing campaign, posting 27 goals and 63 points in 80 games. The totals are in line with what he’s produced the past few years, but he also stayed healthier, meaning he was significantly less productive on a per-game basis. Buchnevich clicked at over a point per game over his first two years in a St. Louis uniform.
Locking up Buchnevich long-term puts him on track to expire alongside Jordan Kyrou and Robert Thomas in 2031. It’s clear that if the Blues intend to contend for a championship with their current core, it’ll happen by then. He becomes the fourth forward signed past 2026, joining the aforementioned duo and Brayden Schenn.
The Blues hope that a rebound to point-per-game form from Buchnevich, increased development from 2020 first-round pick Jake Neighbours, and solid contributions from depth offseason adds Radek Faksa, Mathieu Joseph, and Alexandre Texier can help revitalize an offense that only managed 239 goals last season, 24th in the league. With a full season of Drew Bannister behind the bench, who guided them to a 30-19-5 record as interim last season, they’ll look to close the six-point gap that separated them from a playoff spot.
Buchnevich’s recent injury troubles are something to make a minor note of. His 80 games played last year were a career-high, coming after missing significant time with a recurring ankle injury in 2022-23. They’re hoping his somewhat disappointing year offensively is more a result of an offseason that was spent recuperating – something he won’t have to deal with this summer after a healthy campaign.
The deal will cover the remainder of Buchnevich’s prime, taking him through his age-35 season. The Russian winger has never tested the open market in his career and won’t do so until its twilight.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Blues Acquire Radek Faksa, Mathieu Joseph
The Blues have acquired center Radek Faksa from the Stars for future considerations, the team announced. In a separate trade with the Senators, they’ve also picked up winger Mathieu Joseph and a 2025 third-round pick with future considerations heading to Ottawa in return.
With the deals, St. Louis essentially makes a pair of slightly overpriced free-agent signings and receives a third-round pick for their trouble. Faksa is signed for next season at a $3.25MM cap hit, while Joseph is signed for two more years at a $2.95MM cap hit. No salary was retained in the deals.
Both should slot into everyday bottom-six roles with the Blues, while Joseph could have some mobility up to the second line. He’s coming off a strong season in a depth role for Ottawa, recording 11 goals and 35 points in 72 games. He was more than serviceable for what he cost, but the Sens desperately needed to open up cap space with Shane Pinto in need of a new contract (although he does remain a trade candidate, per The Fourth Period’s Anthony Di Marco) and a handful of other forward spots still to fill.
The problem for Ottawa is that they’ll now need to replace Joseph’s production, not something they can confidently do for less than what he costs. After parting ways with him and picking up Michael Amadio and David Perron in free agency yesterday, they likely still need a top-nine forward in order to boast a playoff-caliber offense next season, something they may not be able to afford based on how much a new deal for Pinto costs them. They have $7.35MM in projected cap space remaining after the Joseph trade, per CapFriendly.
Dallas, too, needed to open up some cap space for an RFA in need of a new deal – defenseman Thomas Harley. The Stars rebuilt their blue line on the fly yesterday after losing Jani Hakanpää and Chris Tanev and buying out Ryan Suter, bringing in Mathew Dumba, Ilya Lyubushkin and Brendan Smith while also giving a new deal to Nils Lundkvist, who was briefly a UFA after not receiving a qualifying offer. They now have almost $8MM in space after the move, opening enough space to re-sign Harley and land a more economical replacement for Faksa on the open market among the few names that are left.
Faksa’s cap hit wasn’t an outright albatross for Dallas, and he remains a premier fourth-line center with a good defensive game, receiving Selke votes four times in his career. But over $3MM annually was a tad tough to swallow for a player who’s only had double-digit goals once in the past four years and is coming off a 19-point campaign in 74 games last season. His usage had slipped, averaging 12:31 per game last season – his lowest since his rookie year.
He’s a similarly-priced and more defensively-oriented replacement in St. Louis for Kevin Hayes, who they traded to the Penguins over the weekend. Over his first 638 NHL games, all in Dallas, Faksa had 89 goals and 200 points with a -11 rating.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli was first to report that Faksa was headed to the Blues.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was first to report the Blues were acquiring Joseph.
TSN’s Chris Johnston was first to report the Senators were sending a draft pick to the Blues in exchange for future considerations.
Lightning Sign Victor Hedman To Four-Year Extension
The Lightning have signed franchise defenseman Victor Hedman to a four-year contract extension worth $8MM per season, the team announced today. The deal kicks in beginning in 2025-26 and will keep him in Tampa through 2028-29.
The extension is signing-bonus heavy and carries a full no-move clause, The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta reports.
Hedman and the Lightning were headed toward unrestricted free agency next summer, a fate both surely wanted to avoid after watching longtime captain Steven Stamkos depart for the Predators yesterday. Notably, Hedman’s extension is the exact same length and total value as Stamkos’ deal in Nashville. The new deal is a slight raise on his $7.875MM cap hit, which remains in effect for 2024-25 as he plays the final season of the eight-year, $63MM extension he signed in Tampa back in 2016. Hedman, 33, will now be 38 years old when his contract runs out.
Hedman, drafted second overall in 2009, remains Tampa’s undisputed top blue liner and is arguably the second-best talent in franchise history behind Stamkos. They don’t win back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2020 and 2021 without the 6’7″ Swede, who was crowned the Conn Smythe winner the first time around. He was a Norris finalist in every season from 2016-17 to 2021-22 (winning in 2017-18), a span in which he recorded 85 goals, 289 assists, 374 points and a +117 rating while averaging 24:34 across 428 games played.
Two years ago, however, it looked like Hedman’s decline might have started early. 2022-23 was a rough campaign for him on both sides of the puck, with his 0.64 points per game checking in as his worst offensive showing in seven years and his 50.1 xGF% at even strength running surprisingly mediocre despite over 60% of his zone starts coming in the offensive end.
He had a nice rebound campaign last season, though, erupting once again for 76 points (13 goals, 63 assists) in 78 games with a +13 rating. Hedman has also stayed relatively healthy as he ages, never missing more than six games in a season for the past four years. That’s a good sign for their highest-paid blue liner, who will be relied upon heavily next season to anchor a new-look defense that’s seen Ryan McDonagh re-acquired after two years away and Mikhail Sergachev swapped for J.J. Moser in a larger deal with Utah.
It’s the second big-money move from the Lightning in the past two days. They found Stamkos’ pricier but younger replacement, acquiring top free agent left wing Jake Guentzel‘s signing rights from the Hurricanes and promptly inking him to a seven-year deal worth $9MM per season. Clearly, GM Julien BriseBois has no intention of letting the Bolts slip out of championship contention anytime soon, doing well to replenish their roster this past week with younger and, in some cases, more cost-effective talent. But keeping Hedman around was always a priority, too, and he becomes the overwhelming favorite to succeed Stamkos as captain this season.
Hedman’s marginal increase on his current deal means the move doesn’t have much of an impact on their long-term salary cap picture. They do still have one big-ticket item to check off their list this summer, though. Moser remains an unsigned RFA, and they’d surely prefer to get him inked to a new deal before he can file for arbitration. It shouldn’t be too big of a hassle, as the Lightning still have $6.65MM in projected cap space remaining with five open roster spots, per CapFriendly.
With Sergachev out and McDonagh and Moser in, Hedman joins Erik Černák as the only Tampa defenseman signed past 2025-26. They have considerably more long-term stability at forward, with Guentzel, Anthony Cirelli, Brandon Hagel and Brayden Point all locked up through the end of the decade.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
NHL 2024 Free Agency: Day 1 Recap
Today was a ridiculously busy first day of NHL free agency – in fact, it’s the busiest of all time. With over 120 signings, today marked the first day in league history where more than $1B in total contract value was doled out, per CapFriendly. Most of our Top 50 UFAs are already off the board since the signing period officially began at 11:00 am CT, although many were reported in principle prior to the technical start of the new league year.
There was some notable action on the trade market, too, with a pair of deals to cap off a busy lead-up weekend of swaps.
Listed below are all the notable one-way free agent agreements, contract extensions, trades, and other notable news items from the first day of free agency.
Notable UFA signings
Note: Some of these salary figures may include options, incentives, or non-guaranteed money.
- Sam Reinhart, Panthers agree to eight-year, $69MM contract. (signed at the June 30 11:00 pm CT deadline)
- Jake Guentzel, Lightning agree to seven-year, $63MM contract.
- Elias Lindholm, Bruins agree to seven-year, $54.25MM contract.
- Brandon Montour, Kraken agree to seven-year, $50MM contract.
- Brady Skjei, Predators agree to seven-year, $49MM contract.
- Chandler Stephenson, Kraken agree to seven-year, $43.75MM contract.
- Jake DeBrusk, Canucks agree to seven-year, $38.5MM contract.
- Matt Roy, Capitals agree to six-year, $34.5MM contract.
- Brett Pesce, Devils agree to six-year, $33MM contract.
- Steven Stamkos, Predators agree to four-year, $32MM contract.
- Nikita Zadorov, Bruins agree to six-year, $30MM contract.
- Jonathan Marchessault, Predators agree to five-year, $27.5MM contract.
- Sean Monahan, Blue Jackets agree to five-year, $27.5MM contract.
- Chris Tanev, Maple Leafs agree to six-year, $27MM contract.
- Tyler Toffoli, Sharks agree to four-year, $24MM contract.
- Tyler Bertuzzi, Blackhawks agree to four-year, $22MM contract.
- Sean Walker, Hurricanes agree to five-year, $18MM contract.
- Teuvo Teräväinen, Blackhawks agree to three-year, $16.2MM contract.
- Joel Edmundson, Kings agree to four-year, $15.4MM contract.
- Anthony Duclair, Islanders agree to four-year, $14MM contract.
- Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Maple Leafs agree to four-year, $14MM contract.
- Yakov Trenin, Wild agree to four-year, $14MM contract.
- Brenden Dillon, Devils agree to three-year, $12MM contract.
- William Carrier, Hurricanes agree to six-year, $12MM contract.
- Alexandre Carrier, Predators agree to three-year, $11.25MM contract.
- Warren Foegele, Kings agree to three-year, $10.5MM contract.
- Alexander Wennberg, Sharks agree to two-year, $10MM contract.
- Shayne Gostisbehere, Hurricanes agree to three-year, $9.6MM contract.
- Jordan Martinook, Hurricanes agree to three-year, $9.15MM contract.
- Stefan Noesen, Devils agree to three-year, $8.25MM contract.
- Viktor Arvidsson, Oilers agree to two-year, $8MM contract.
- David Perron, Senators agree to two-year, $8MM contract.
- Michael Amadio, Senators agree to three-year, $7.8MM contract.
- T.J. Brodie, Blackhawks agree to two-year, $7.5MM contract.
- Mathew Dumba, Stars agree to two-year, $7.5MM contract.
- Laurent Brossoit, Blackhawks agree to two-year, $6.6MM contract.
- Ilya Lyubushkin, Stars agree to two-year, $6.5MM contract.
- Adam Henrique, Oilers agree to two-year, $6MM contract.
- Jason Zucker, Sabres agree to one-year, $5MM contract.
- Anthony Stolarz, Maple Leafs agree to two-year, $5MM contract.
- Cam Talbot, Red Wings agree to two-year, $5MM contract.
- Dmitry Kulikov, Panthers agree to four-year, $4.6MM contract.
- Danton Heinen, Canucks agree to two-year, $4.5MM contract.
- Mattias Janmark, Oilers agree to three-year, $4.35MM contract.
- Alec Martinez, Blackhawks agree to one-year, $4MM contract.
- Vincent Desharnais, Canucks agree to two-year, $4MM contract.
- Erik Gustafsson, Red Wings agree to two-year, $4MM contract.
- Sam Lafferty, Sabres agree to two-year, $4MM contract.
- Ryan Lomberg, Flames agree to two-year, $4MM contract.
- Kevin Stenlund, Utah agree to two-year, $4MM contract.
- Brandon Duhaime, Capitals agree to two-year, $3.7MM contract.
- Blake Lizotte, Penguins agree to two-year, $3.7MM contract.
- Pavel Dorofeyev, Golden Knights agree to two-year, $3.67MM contract.
- Anthony Mantha, Flames agree to one-year, $3.5MM contract.
- Jake Bean, Flames agree to two-year, $3.5MM contract.
- Ian Cole, Utah agree to one-year, $3.1MM contract.
- Matt Duchene, Stars agree to one-year, $3MM contract.
- Jeff Skinner, Oilers agree to one-year, $3MM contract.
- Jani Hakanpää, Maple Leafs agree to two-year, $3MM contract.
- Colin Miller, Jets agree to two-year, $3MM contract.
- Kiefer Sherwood, Canucks agree to two-year, $3MM contract.
- Scott Wedgewood, Predators agree to two-year, $3MM contract.
- Josh Brown, Oilers agree to three-year, $3MM contract.
- Sam Carrick, Rangers agree to three-year, $3MM contract.
- Casey DeSmith, Stars agree to three-year, $3MM contract.
- Matt Grzelcyk, Penguins agree to one-year, $2.75MM contract.
- Zemgus Girgensons, Lightning agree to three-year, $2.55MM contract.
- Jonathan Drouin, Avalanche agree to one-year, $2.5MM contract.
- Max Jones, Bruins agree to two-year, $2MM contract.
- Ilya Samsonov, Golden Knights agree to one-year, $1.8MM contract.
- A.J. Greer, Panthers agree to two-year, $1.7MM contract.
- Eric Comrie, Jets agree to two-year, $1.65MM contract.
- Parker Kelly, Avalanche agree to two-year, $1.65MM contract.
- Kaedan Korczak, Golden Knights agree to two-year, $1.65MM contract.
- Joey Anderson, Blackhawks agree to two-year, $1.6MM contract.
- Troy Stecher, Oilers agree to two-year, $1.575MM contract.
- Tanner Laczynski, Golden Knights agree to two-year, $1.55MM contract.
- Jeff Malott, Kings agree to two-year, $1.55MM contract.
- Nicolas Aubé-Kubel, Sabres agree to one-year, $1.5MM contract.
- Derek Forbort, Canucks agree to one-year, $1.5MM contract.
- Corey Perry, Oilers agree to one-year, $1.4MM contract.
- Pat Maroon, Blackhawks agree to one-year, $1.3MM contract.
- Anthony Beauvillier, Penguins agree to one-year, $1.25MM contract.
- Nils Lundkvist, Stars agree to one-year, $1.25MM contract.
- Mike Reilly, Islanders agree to one-year, $1.25MM contract.
- Christian Fischer, Red Wings agree to one-year, $1.125MM contract.
- Urho Vaakanainen, Ducks agree to one-year, $1.1MM contract.
- Brett Leason, Ducks agree to one-year, $1.05MM contract.
- Connor Brown, Oilers agree to one-year, $1MM contract.
- Erik Johnson, Flyers agree to one-year, $1MM contract.
- Kaapo Kähkönen, Jets agree to one-year, $1MM contract.
- Kasperi Kapanen, Blues agree to one-year, $1MM contract.
- Taylor Raddysh, Capitals agree to one-year, $1MM contract.
- Brendan Smith, Stars agree to one-year, $1MM contract.
- Craig Smith, Blackhawks agree to one-year, $1MM contract.
- Eric Robinson, Hurricanes agree to one-year, $950K contract.
- Jacob Bryson, Sabres agree to one-year, $900K contract.
- Matt Murray, Maple Leafs agree to one-year, $875K contract.
- Noah Gregor, Senators agree to one-year, $850K contract.
- Pheonix Copley, Kings agree to one-year, $825K contract.
- Dennis Gilbert, Sabres agree to one-year, $825K contract.
- Calvin de Haan, Avalanche agree to one-year, $800K contract.
- Trevor Lewis, Kings agree to one-year, $800K contract.
- Alex Barré-Boulet, Canadiens agree to one-year, $775K contract.
- Emil Bemström, Penguins agree to one-year, $775K contract.
- Jesper Boqvist, Panthers agree to one-year, $775K contract.
- Jack Campbell, Red Wings agree to one-year, $775K contract.
- Tyson Jost, Hurricanes agree to one-year, $775K contract.
- William Lagesson, Red Wings agree to one-year, $775K contract.
- Ben Meyers, Kraken agree to one-year, $775K contract.
- Tomáš Nosek, Panthers agree to one-year, $775K contract.
Contract extensions
- Juuse Saros, Predators agree to eight-year, $61.92MM extension.
- Juraj Slafkovsky, Canadiens agree to eight-year, $60.8MM extension.
- Jaccob Slavin, Hurricanes agree to eight-year, $51.69MM extension.
- Yegor Sharangovich, Flames agree to five-year, $28.75MM extension.
- Jacob Middleton, Wild agree to four-year, $17.4MM extension.
- Joseph Woll, Maple Leafs agree to three-year, $10.98MM extension.
- Garnet Hathaway, Flyers agree to two-year, $4.8MM extension.
- Connor McMichael, Capitals agree to two-year, $4.2MM extension.
Trades
- Senators trade Jakob Chychrun to Capitals in exchange for Nick Jensen and a 2026 third-round pick.
- Penguins trade Reilly Smith (25% retained) to Rangers in exchange for a conditional 2025 fifth-round pick and a 2027 second-round pick.
Other notable headlines
- NHL reinstates former Blackhawks executives/coaches Stan Bowman, Al MacIsaac and Joel Quenneville.
- Flyers officially sign top prospect Matvei Michkov to three-year, entry-level contract.
After yesterday’s craziness, only four players remain on our Top 50 UFAs list: Vladimir Tarasenko, Joe Pavelski, Jack Roslovic and Daniel Sprong.
Golden Knights Sign Ilya Samsonov; Extend Pavel Dorofeyev, Kaedan Korczak
The Golden Knights have found Logan Thompson‘s replacement on the open market, inking Ilya Samsonov to a one-year pact today, per a team release. They’ve also re-signed RFA forward Pavel Dorofeyev ($1.835MM AAV) and defenseman Kaedan Korczak ($825K) to two-year deals (per PuckPedia). It’s a $1.8MM cap hit for Samsonov, GM Kelly McCrimmon confirmed.
Vegas may have honored a reported trade request by dealing Thompson to the Capitals for a pair of third-round picks over the weekend, but they’ve now had to settle for a more expensive and arguably worse replacement on the open market. Samsonov costs more than twice as much as Thompson, whose cap hit was in the $700K range, and is coming off a roller-coaster-like 2023-24 campaign with Toronto that saw him finish with an underwhelming .890 SV% and 3.13 GAA in 40 games.
Samsonov started in Game 1 of the Maple Leafs’ first-round series against the Bruins but struggled to the tune of a .896 SV% and 3.01 GAA in the series. He was briefly pulled for the younger Joseph Woll, who was nearly instrumental in Toronto’s Games 5 and 6 wins, but an injury to Woll forced Samsonov back into action for the Leafs’ Game 7 loss.
A quick look at Samsonov’s stats indicates he’s also been yo-yo-like from year to year, something Vegas is banking on with this signing. A rebound year could end up proving to be a good value for his cap hit, but it’s certainly more of a gamble than retaining Thompson. He’ll likely start the season as a pure backup to Adin Hill but could work his way into tandem consideration. Barring injuries, it’s unlikely he’ll play 40+ games like he has with Toronto the past two years. Samsonov had previously expressed a desire for a multi-year deal this summer, too, so settling for a one-year pact likely indicates there wasn’t much of a market.
Dorofeyev returns and will be relied upon heavily to provide cheap depth scoring over the course of his two-year bridge deal. The 23-year-old Russian was limited to 47 games last year and was routinely the 13th forward on a deep Vegas offense, but was a great tertiary scoring option when in the lineup. Going back over the last three years, Dorofeyev has 20 goals and 33 points through his first 67 NHL games – a 40-point pace. He’s proven he can handle third-line minutes, although with the Knights losing all of Michael Amadio, Jonathan Marchessault and Chandler Stephenson today, he may find his way into top-six duties by the end of the season.
Korczak should also be considered for a regular NHL role next season after Alec Martinez departed for the Blackhawks today. The 2019 second-round pick is still only 23 and was solid in major league action last year, accumulating nine points and a +12 rating in 29 games for Vegas. He’ll be in sure contention for a roster spot out of the gate.
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Oilers Sign Jeff Skinner, Mattias Janmark, Troy Stecher
6:30 p.m.: Edmonton is also seeing Mattias Janmark return on a three-year, $4.35MM contract, per Seravalli. It’ll cost them $1.45MM against the cap through 2026-27. The Swede is coming off a career-worst year offensively, limited to only four goals and 12 points in 75 games, but was a key part of an Edmonton penalty kill that clicked at 94.3% in the postseason. CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal adds that depth defenseman Troy Stecher is returning on an undisclosed deal. Edmonton later confirmed Stecher’s deal is a two-year, $1.575MM pact ($787.5K cap hit).
5:49 p.m.: The Oilers are expected to add winger Jeff Skinner in free agency, Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports. It’s a one-year deal worth $3MM, Seravalli adds.
Skinner, 32, became a UFA after the Sabres bought out the final three seasons of the eight-year, $72MM pact he signed back in 2019. He’s had varying results throughout the contract, which carried a $9MM cap hit and was coming off a middling 24 goals and 46 points in 74 games in 2023-24.
However, he did become one of the higher-ceiling options available on the market upon his buyout. That’s because he’s got a claim to fame that few other UFA wingers have – a 40-goal season under his belt. He’s also only one year removed from a career-high 82 points and +15 rating in 79 games with Buffalo.
And what better way to unlock that potential than putting him into an Oilers top six, potentially on a line centered by Leon Draisaitl and fresh free-agent add Viktor Arvidsson on his right flank? He immediately jumps out as one of the better value signings of the day, especially after outproducing Evander Kane (who he’ll likely challenge for second-line duties) in slightly fewer minutes on a worse team.
Skinner won’t be a major defensive upgrade on whoever he pushes down the lineup. He’s not a terribly physically involved player and has consistently owned poor individual chance-prevention metrics. But he does have a knack for finishing, especially at 5-on-5, helping balance out an Edmonton offense that can occasionally be too power-play reliant.
With Skinner on the books, Edmonton still has roughly $2.75MM in projected cap space remaining, per CapFriendly.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.